Weasels Ripped My Flesh

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ManAgainstWeasel.jpg
Schick 20 electric shaver 1953 ad.jpg
The two images that inspired the cover art by Neon Park: the September 1956 cover to Man's Life magazine (left) and a 1953 Schick electric shaver ad (right).

Frank Zappa recruited artist Neon Park to create a subversive image based on a cover story from the September 1956 issue of Man's Life, a men's adventure magazine. The magazine's cover story depicts a shirtless man being attacked by numerous weasels, above the caption "Weasels Ripped My Flesh". After showing Neon a copy of the magazine, Zappa inquired, "This is it. What can you do that's worse than this?" Neon's answer was to craft a parody of an advertisement for Schick brand electric razor based on the "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" theme. [4] The record company released the album despite its reservations about the album cover. [5] [6]

German releases of the album featured an album cover showing a metal baby caught in a rat trap. This cover was not approved by Zappa.

In 1975 Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh were reissued together on vinyl as 2 Originals of the Mothers of Invention with the original covers used as the left and right sides of the inner spread, and the front cover depicting a revolver shooting toothpaste onto a toothbrush.

Reception

Contemporary reviews of the record called it "far-out" ( Billboard , August 29, 1970) and a "random collection of editing room snippets recorded at the Mothers' concerts" ( Rolling Stone , October 1, 1970). Now placed in its historical context, modern reviewers tend to appreciate it more favorably. A typical example of such appreciation is Christgau's Record Guide (from 1981), which grades the album a B+. In a retrospective review, Allmusic gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it a "fascinating collection", and stating that "Zappa's anything-goes approach and the distance between his extremes are what make Weasels Ripped My Flesh ultimately invigorating" [7] In his book Viva Zappa!, Dominique Chevalier wrote that the album is "one of Zappa's most aggressively bizarre works, full of cross-references to free jazz and modern classical musicians such as Luciano Berio. He also said that the best piece was undoubtedly "Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue", calling it "the cleverest tribute that could have been paid to him". [8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Frank Zappa except where noted

Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Frank Zappa Weasels Ripped My Flesh.jpg
Cover art by Neon Park
Studio album with live elementsby
The Mothers of Invention
ReleasedAugust 10, 1970
RecordedDecember 1967 – August 1969 at various locations
Genre
Length39:48
Label Bizarre, Reprise
Producer Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa chronology
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
(1970)		Weasels Ripped My Flesh
(1970)		 Chunga's Revenge
(1970)
The Mothers of Invention chronology
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
(1970)		Weasels Ripped My Flesh
(1970)		 Fillmore East – June 1971
(1971)
Side one
No.TitleRecordedLength
1."Didja Get Any Onya?"March 2, 1969, Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia 3:44
2."Directly from My Heart to You" ( Richard Wayne Penniman )July 1969, TTG Recording Studios, Hollywood 5:17
3."Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask"October 25, 1968, Royal Festival Hall, London 3:35
4."Toads of the Short Forest"August 1969, Whitney Studios, Glendale and February 7–8, 1969, Thee Image, Miami 4:48
5."Get a Little"February 13, 1969, The Factory, New York City 2:35
Total length:20:41
Side two
No.TitleRecordedLength
6."The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" (instrumental)June 1969, A&R Studios, New York City 6:53
7."Dwarf Nebula Processional March & Dwarf Nebula" (instrumental)December 1967-February 1968, Apostolic Studios, New York City 2:12
8."My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama"February 1969, Criteria Studios, Miami and August–September 1969, T.T.G. Studios, Hollywood 3:35
9."Oh No"December 1967-February 1968, Apostolic Studios, New York City 1:46
10."The Orange County Lumber Truck" (instrumental)October 25, 1968, Royal Festival Hall, London 3:18
11."Weasels Ripped My Flesh"May 30, 1969, Town Hall, Birmingham 2:05
Total length:20:37

Personnel

Production

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1970 Billboard 200 189

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References

  1. ↑ Huey, Steve (2011). "Weasels Ripped My Flesh – The Mothers of Invention | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 8, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ↑ Archived August 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "the big nOte files". Black Page. April 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
  5. ↑ Thorgerson, Storm; Powell, Aubrey (1999). 100 Best Album Covers: The Stories Behind the Sleeves. Dorling Kindersley. p. 152. ISBN   0-7513-0706-8.
  6. ↑ "Neon Park".
  7. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/weasels-ripped-my-flesh-r22638/review allmusic review
  8. ↑ Viva Zappa 1986 Chevalier, Dominique Page 64
  9. ↑ sic in official album liner notes
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