Another perfect gem from the man himself!!
Geez where do you start? I was already a longtime Zappa fan when this came around. Frank took another twisted turn and I took it with him. For the purists this may be a little too funny and a little too popular, but I think that was as much FZ as the deep love of do wop, Edgar Varese and other bizarre musical forms. Yeah, I know it is very approachable and some hate it for that but there it is. You should get the heavier FZ stuff as well, but this is always fun treat sort of like desert at the end of a great meal.
The reviewer "childhood distorted..." did make me realize that all of Zappa's music is like a Zen koan, shocking the mind into awareness. FZ I am sure would find that last sentence very funny. Great album!!!!

As an aside, I came out of the hippie era--peace, love, everyone is at heart a good person, etc. The always cynical FZ turned out to be right with his line from Stink Foot, "you aint got no friends and all the others they hate ya". I think he meant it as humorous but I have come to believe he just knew something we didn't.

Must Have FZ
If you're a Zappaphile you already have this. If not, you need it. This is probably the finest collection of musicians FZ ever assembled. And coupled with Over-nite SensationFrank Zappa: Apostrophe / Over-Nite Sensation it represents some of his best work. The Gold discs offer incredible sound reproduction.

Good fun, though not for the whole family
Frank's first gold, and if you ask me it deserved that distinction. The first side is a mock concept album about an Eskimo and his adventures concerning huskies with overactive bladders; fur trappers bludgeoning baby seals with snowshoes; St. Alphonzo; and gay priests having sex with leprechauns. Needless to say, it's not one of Frank's more mature efforts, but some of it can be funny (the infamous doo-wap send-up "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow"; "Nanook Rubs It"), and even when humor fails him ("Father O'Blivion"), the band is so solid, and the melodies are so catchy, you won't notice or care. That, and it's amusing to play "spot-the-references-to-previous-Zappa-albums!". The second side is considerably more artistic, featuring a heavy fusion instrumental (title track) with an exquisite guitar part and amazing heavy drums by Jim Gordon (Jack Bruce also plays bass, though he's buried beneath Frank and Tony), what may just be his best song ever: "Cosmik Debris", which combines sharp, hilarious, anti-"mysticism" lyrics; an excellent R&B melody (with surprising tempo shifts in the chorus), characteristically wonderful guitars, and a couple nods to Over-Nite Sensation; and the funny mock-blues "Stink-Foot", with searing guitars. Weak points? A couple. Homophobia comes back to haunt Frank on "Father O'Blivion" (but again that's a well-written song from a melodic standpoint), and as far as I'm concerned the rocker "Uncle Remus" and the fusion experiment "Excentrifugal Forz" have nothing going for either of them. At least they're both short. This isn't as socially relevant as Freak Out! or virtuoso like Hot Rats. To its credit, though, the humor is amusing 80% of the time, the songwriting is strong 95%, and the band is really solid. Zappa fans should not go without it.

Buy this album!
This is an amazing record!! Musically mind-blowing and one of kind.

If you even need to read a review to see if you want to buy or not, buy it. If you know Zappa and for some reason don't already own this, you need it. If you think you want to pick up an FZ album but aren't familiar with his catalog, by all means, buy this. You will not regret your purchase.

The muscianship and quality of performance on this album is unique and even scary.

Yeah, so buy it.

"Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" by the CD!
As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.

"Apostrophe" released in March of 1974 has been called "More accessible Zappa." Maybe because of its gold record status but don't think for one moment the nine tracks don't have Frank's analytical and off-beat sense of humor as well as the stellar playing that has been a Zappa calling card from day one.

"Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" starts the journey with terrific instrumentation and Frank's in your face lyrics- "Watch out where the huskies go." "Nanook Rubs It" continues the theme of snow and Zappa describes the situation as follows: "He went right up side the head of my favorite babysitter." "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast" fits in well with the two prior tracks. The songs are effortlessly blended together and the fusion of rock, jazz, improvisation, and the kitchen sink gives the listener a plethora of information to absorb. The beauty of a Zappa composition is the need to listen to it several times to fully digest the wealth of superlatives. "Cosmik Debris" with the haunting vocals enhanced by great background singing is a tune that even those that are so-so to Zappa's creativity have found to be classic. "Apostrophe" with bass-playing by Jack Bruce (Cream) is simply at a different level. The combination of Zappa/Bruce have no musical ceiling. They are virtuosos and show it throughout the tune, not with a need to overplay but with tasty interplay, that leaves the listener breathless.

The assemblage of seasoned pros on the record is tremendous. George Duke on keyboards, Aynsley Dunbar drums, and Tom Fowler bass as well as the rest of the crew make this everything you would want in a Zappa release.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"