OVERNITE SENSATION - APOSTROPHE ('): RIFFS

Fed up with the lack of financial means his career had brought him so far, in 1973 Zappa took a new approach to his albums, that was much more in line with what the general public expected of a rock artist. Instead of the recent albums, most of them either instrumental or bizarre story telling pieces, Zappa adapted the normal compiling of an album: a set of songs with lyrics, limited in size, without lenghty soloing. Besides that he took more sight of the spotlights by starting to sing most of his songs himself as far as his voice allowed him to do so. Because he had a limited vocal range, the more versatile parts still had to be sung by others. This, with a lot of deviation allowed, remained the course for the coming years. Thus appeared in 1973 "Overnite sensation" (deliberately spelled wrongly) followed by "Apostrophe (')" in the next year, both selling well.

Frank and Gail Zappa in Denmark, 1974.
Photo by Jorgen Angel, used with permission.

Next are four riffs from these albums. For his more accessible songs Zappa often turned to riffs. "I'm the slime" from "Overnite sensation" starts with two melodic riffs, then followed by Zappa doing a meltdown (speechwise singing) about our TV set (from Beavis and Butthead: Beavis wondering "What were people doing in the old days when there wasn't a TV"? Butthead calms him down: "You dumb ass, there's always been TVs, they only had less channels"). "Dirty love" is a riff with two alternating chords. The riff from "Don't eat that yellow snow" from "Apostrophe (')" is using the chord progression I-I-I-II (occ. VII)-I etc. in D Myxolydian.

I'm the slime, opening (midi file)
Dirty love, opening (midi file)
Don't eat that yellow snow, riff (midi file)

I'm the slime, opening (transcription)
Dirty love, opening (transcription)
Don't eat that yellow snow, riff (transcription)

In most of "Nanook rubs it" from "Apostrophe(')" a bass riff is used as a vamp. Only at the beginning there are some pattern breaking bars in 4/8, for the remainder the bass keeps vamping. It's a relaxed song in a slow 6/8 metre with Zappa sometimes speechwise singing and sometimes normally singing about the clash between a fur trapper and an eskimo. As the song progresses short guitar solo comments and an interlude ("no, no, I can't see") pass by. The vamp is used at length in the 1979 live version on "You can't do that on stage anymore, vol. I", where it is accompanying the pouncing and poetry reciting event.

Nanook rubs it, opening (midi file)

Nanook rubs it, opening (transcription)

Other examples of riffs in this study are for instance:
- Brown shoes don't make it, opening riff (Absolutely free section)
- Tell me you love me (Chunga's revenge section)
- Willie the pimp (Fillmore East section)
- Eat that question (Waka/Jawaka section)
- Titties 'n beer (New York section)

Montana, opening (midi file)
Montana, section (midi file)

Montana, sections (transcription)

One can also encounter riffs in far more complex environments as the bass movement in bar 7 of "Montana", the closing song for "Overnite sensation" with amusing absurd lyrics about growing dental floss. At the time Zappa was recording this album, Ike and Tina Turner and the Ikettes were recording in the same studio. Zappa was looking for back-up vocalists and was surprised that Tina and the Ikettes were willing to do the job. It is often said that Zappa brings out the best in musicians and that's what's happening here. Tina and the Ikettes felt challenged by the vocal part in the middle of the song, partly transcribed above.
Zappa: "It was so difficult, that one part in the middle of the song "Montana", that the three girls rehearsed it for a couple of days. Just that one section. You know the part that goes "I'm pluckin' the ol' dennil floss..."? Right in the middle there. And one of the harmony singers got it first. She came out and sang her part and the other girls had to follow her track. Tina was so pleased that she was able to sing this that she went into the next studio were Ike was working and dragged him into the studio to hear the result of her labour. He listened to the tape and he goes, "What is this shit?" and walked out" (quote taken over from Barry Miles' biography). Ike refused the name of the Ikettes being used for credits. On this occasion they were Tina Turner, Linda Sims and Debbie Wilson (see the "Overnite Sensation/Apostrophe (')" DVD at 20:12 minutes for the bill). Zappa is in much of Montana again singing a meltdown, opposed to the the highly flexible lyrics by Tina and the Ikettes. The transcription shows on paper how difficult indeed their part is. It has constantly changing rhythms, strings of fast notes and unorthodox harmonic progressions, using all intervals.

Left: Tina Turner with Oprah Winfrey at the height of her career.
Photo downloaded, source unknown.

To the right a section of a screenshot of Ruth Underwood showing her copy of the "Rollo interior" lead sheet, handwritten by Zappa (source: "Overnite sensation/Apostrophe(')" DVD). She expresses how Zappa pushed the right buttons by writing pieces like this, exactly what she wished to play. Next she evolves about the 2-chords he prescribed for the harmony, contrary to the more usual triads (in this study called 9th and 5th chords respectively). "Rollo interior" got used as the second instrumental half of "St. Alfonso's pancake breakfast" on "Apostrophe(')", leaving the harmony chords out or mixed to the background where I cannot hear them no more.
Ruth started working with Zappa as a percussionist on "Uncle meat". In 1972 she joined the Mothers as a steady member, taking her marimba with her on the road. Zappa already had used vibes and similar percussion instruments for playing lead melodies, and with Ruth in the band for five years, the relatively uncommon marimba grew out as a trademark of Zappa's instrumentation.

Next are the closing bars of "St. Alfonso's pancake breakfast", segued by the opening of "Father O'blivion". Both are complex songs on an album that mostly is accessable, that is to say for Zappa standards. They contain constantly changing themes, meters, rhythms, keys and tempi. "Rollo interior" is a highly irregular melody regarding it's movement. Rhythmically it's in steady 2/4 with 32nd notes. The file below is based upon Andy Aledort's 2002 "Apostrophe(')" songbook, who got commisioned to transcribe all of this album (thus including the solos).

St. Alfonso/Father O'blivion, transition (midi file)

St. Alfonso/Father O'blivion, transition (transcription)