Throughout 2007, this Idiot Bastard, in
conjunction with Cordelia Records (www.cordeliarecords.co.uk), was busy putting together a CD of 20
different versions of Frank Zappa’s The
Idiot Bastard Son to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the
release of the album it first appeared on (We’re
Only In It For The Money). January 2008 also happened to be when my
fiftieth birthday happened. Well, we didn’t quite manage to get it together in
time, but it’s now available to buy from:
Cordelia (hard) or iTunes
(soft)
Here’s some juicy details of the twenty
artistes involved – most of whom recorded versions especially for this project:
1. DIE
BEISTELLTISCHE – who provided a special edit of the track from their
excellent Zappa-a-capella ‘Kill Ugly Radio’ CD.
Personnel
Steffen Grill (vocal); Hannes Kaiser
(vocal); Marcus Beyer (vocal); Christoph Winter (vocal); Christoph Dreßler
(vocal).
2. JERRY OUTLAW
– “The piano and strings were done by
Ross Jobson and the bass guitar was done by Alex Pasut, both from Bogus Pomp.
This final version was recorded at Ross Jobson's home on
Personnel
Jerry Outlaw
(guitars); Ross Jobson (piano and strings); Alex Pasut (bass); Bill Ehrsam
(engineer).
3. THE
VEGETARIANS - arranged by Hans Annellsson & John Marshall. Recorded
in the Summer of 2007 at Annellssongs & John's place.
Personnel
John Marshall (all vocals & lead
guitar); Hans Annellsson (drums, keyboards, guitars & bass).
4. OLDGREYGOAT
AND HIS GIRLS - Muffin Man Roddie Gilliard (for it is he) said “dunno what I wuz trying to do, but it just
kinda happened organically”. Recorded in
Personnel
Roddie Gilliard; Jigsaw the Goat;
unknown opera singer; the skull and bones of a
5. ENSEMBLE
AMBROSIUS - from their wondrous BIS Records ‘The Zappa Album’ CD,
arranged by Olli Virtaperko.
Personnel
Topi Lehtipuu (lead vocal); Matti
Vanhamäki (baroque violins 1 & 3); Tuomo Suni (baroque violin 2); Josu
Moisio (baroque oboe); Jani Sunnarborg (obor da caccia); Jonte Knif (dulcimer);
Ere Lievonen (organ); Tuukka Terho (archlute); Olli Virtaperko (baroque cello,
vocal).
6. FREEDOM
IN HATS - “Godforsakenmotherf*ckinacidhousecountrygospel!”
with a Captain Beef-harp and echoes of the
Personnel
The Rev Freedom (acoustic guitar,
vocal); Diablo (blues harp).
7. EVIL DICK
& THE BANNED MEMBERS – a backwards version recorded in
Bathroomverb. Read (and hear) lots more about it at http://www.richardhemmings.co.uk/001/idiot.html.
Personnel
Evil Dick
(percussive impulses, ‘psychotic gnome’ vocal); Little Pete (low rumblings, high
ceilings); Jools Street (guitar, violin, musical ability); Brettany Bassoon
(tooting, parping, non-melodic noodling); Anne Bowden (fluttery flute, fear of
hidden microphones in the bathroom).
8. THE FOOLZ – an
acoustic version recorded on Wednesday 8 August just after Zappanale #18 (the
plan was to record a version at the festival in Big Blue, with the Zappateers
singing along; I fear attempts were thwarted by Lübzer beer!). This version was
produced by keyboard man, Wan.
Personnel
Pedro Steneker (bass); Lex Kemper
(guitar); Wan Kemper (melodica); Remco Aalhuizen (air guitar).
9. JOHN TABACCO
– “The 2007 version FZ might have sang if
he were here with us today.”
Personnel
John Tabacco (everything).
10. DOOT! –
due to his recent abduction by the Dick Chin Mafia, JoJo Nodraggin was not able
to participate. But the project went ahead, unabated, and the DOOT!
MicroAkestra carried the day.
Personnel
Stephen Chillemi (percussion, soprano
sax, vibraphone, thingamagoop synth, vocals); Annemarieke
Blondel-Schoonderwaldt (modified viola); Pete Brunelli (composition,
engineering).
11. NIGEY
LENNON - recorded by John Tabacco on
Personnel
Nigey Lennon (vocal, arrangement,
programming); Jay Rozen (tuba); Eric Weaver (cameo vocal); John Tabacco
(recording, minimal programming, mixing on Halloween 2007); David Walley (last
laugh).
12. THE
FRAZKNAPP FUSION PROJECT - a half remarkable production, recorded in
every possible place they could find (The Jack, 4-Che, The Lab, The Mill -
Personnel
Fraizer Knapp (drums – www.frazknapp.com
/ www.myspace.com/frazprojects);
Jay Marcus (guitars); Edward Newton (bass); Kieran Hennessy (turntablist – www.myspace.com/weztax);
Chris Moxey (vox – www.myspace.com/unknownmf); Bob Knapp &
USA crew (overseas samples); Guy Harrop (photography - www.guyharrop.com).Thanks
to: Paul Darch/Jim Dunstone/Joel Tucker/Cordelia Records/Andrew Greenaway/Frank
Zappa!
The Idiot Bastard Son Interpretation
The father figure had a swastika tattoo
hidden away, in congress today.
The mum’s a prostitute, flaunts her
birthday suit, she’s a destitute down town hooker.
His empty arrogance, his low intelligence,
no benevolence, no idea.
Left to rot, in the back of a car, stashed
away in a jar, lar di dar di dar.
Dumb Pinocchio, now we think we know what
you think you know.
Imagine a militant machine, different
attire but still the same genes,
he’s prude, so crude, obnoxiously rude.
The equivalent king, who lets the
general’s swing,
Gepeto’s really done in, so wonder who’s
got the strings?
Ignorant idiot bastard.
The state will dress him and the taxes
feed him,
to keep him breathing and we believe him.
Listen to absurd words, he’ll emerge into
our world
of movers, shakers, losers, fakers, liars,
cheaters and planet rapers.
People like you who think you’ve got it
figured out,
think you know what it’s all about, well
you’re wrong!
13. THE
THURSTON LAVA TUBE - a retro/surf version featuring Cordelia’s head
honcho and the inspiration for this whole project: Alan Jenkins. Recorded in
the Autumn of 2007 at Cordelia Records and on location in
Personnel
Alan Jenkins
(guitar); Blodwyn P. Teabag (organ); Marshall Cavendish (bass); Mat Bartram
(drums).
14. PROJECT OBJECT
- recorded live and unplugged at BB King’s in
Personnel
André Cholmondeley (guitar); Robbie "Seahag"
Mangano (guitar); David Johnsen (bass); Jordan Shapiro (mandolin).
15. POJAMA
PEOPLE - a live interpretation, sung by Alli Bach. Basic track
recorded
Personnel
Sick Willie (interjected vocals); Alli
Bach (vocals, marimbas the most); Ted Clifford (keyboards); Brian Casey (bass,
odd sounds); Glenn Leonard (drums, many voices, lead & backing kazoo,
marimbas the least).
The Arrogant Dubya Son
The arrogant dubya son
The father's a Nazi retired today
The mother's a lobbyist from the NRA
The arrogant dubya son
Abandonded to perish in a pointless war
Cheyney will stash him away and abhor
The idiot boy
Try and imagine a nation all fearing his god
All the time he would spend
At the church he'd attend
Warming his pew
Daddy will feed him and Ronnie will watch
The child will thrive and grow
And enter the world of liars and cheaters
And Don Rumsfeld too
Who smiles and thinks he knows
What this war's about
They think they know everything
maybe so
The song we sing
Do you know
....REPUBLICANS....
The idiot boy
Try and imagine a nation all fearing his god
All the money he spent
All the soldiers he sent
Where are they now?
16. BOGUS POMP ORCHESTRA
- recorded on
17. TODD GRUBBS GROUP
feat. BO SMITH - recorded by Todd throughout July 2007, and mixed on
Personnel
Todd Grubbs (guitar); Alan Tatum (bass);
Jeff Henry (drums); Bo Smith (vocals).
18. WRONG OBJECT
Vs THE
FRIENDLY DOGS – Michel Delville’s teenage combo teamed up with
Belgo-English quartet The Friendly Dogs to create this.
Personnel
Michel
Delville (guitar, guitar-synth); Damien Polard (bass); Fred Delplancq (tenor
sax); Jean-Paul Estiévenart (trumpet); Laurent Delchambre (drums and assorted percussions);
Andrew Norris (guitar, voice); Damien Campion (bass, double-bass).
19. WHIP IT OUT
ENSEMBLE - from their live performance of We’re Only In It For The Money recorded at The Ironwood Stage &
Grill,
Personnel
Andy Curtis, Onalea Gilbertson, Michael
Green, Ty Semaka, David van Belle (vocals); Jeff Drummond (guitar); Chipp Robb
(bass); David Rhymer (piano); Craig Soby (trombone & keyboards); Danny
Meichel (saxophone); Dave Foley (trumpet); Brent Van Dusen (marimba &
percussion); Peter Moller (drums & percussion); Michael Green (executive
producer); Richard Kolke (dramaturge); Barbie Miotti (freak-out chick); Derek
Waite (sound engineer).
20. GAMMA – the legendary Martian enunciated the
crap out of it. Recorded
Personnel
Gamma (vocals); Esther Leslie
(xylophone); Out To Lunch, Iris Watson (backing vocals); OTL (producer, for
Materialist Esthetix).
Also available: