Frank Zappa - Understanding America '2012

Artist	Frank Zappa Related artists
Album name	Understanding America
Country
Date	2012
Genre	Rock
Play time	02:22:17
Format / Bitrate	Stereo 1420 Kbps / 44.1 kHz MP3 320 Kbps
Media	CD
Size	991 mb (+3\%rec.)
Price	Download $7.95

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Tracks list

UNDERSTANDING AMERICA is one of only three compilation albums produced and
titled by FZ himself. The project comprises by less than a quarter titles
available in current release, other prior versions and many items including the
title, Porn Wars Deluxe, a 25-minute work, unique to this release.

The Lost Interview possibly? Although the price suggests a 2CD set. Music plus
interview? The total interview runs about an hour and covers music politics and
popular culture from 1950s through 1990. This interview was never released. It
was recorded in 3 segments 1990 in LA, but never completed as a final project.
Intended to be kind of retrospect of what happened to the personal growth and
idealism of 60â€²s as it whitewashed into the self indulgence of the 70s and
80s and the corporatism of America.

Official Release #93. Conceived, Composed & Produced by Frank Zappa. The
two-disc compilation of alternative takes titled Understanding America is
intended for devoted fans only. Its scattershot material, tied together loosely
by one theme: Zappas acerbic mistrust of American culture. Throughout the 60s,
70s, and 80s, social satire made up a huge amount of his catalog, so Big
Brother, media outlets, organized religion, and recreational drugs are all
subject to attack here. The gold nugget is the unreleased 25-minute Porn Wars
Deluxe, a Negativland-esque collage that pairs together samples of music with
clips from the 1985 PMRC Senate hearings, for which Zappa played an integral
role defending against censorship.

Purportedly, this release from the Zappa estate vaults is only one of a few
compilations produced and sequenced by Frank himself, and his goal seems to have
been to pool all of his high-shock-value outtakes and otherwise controversial
material as a big middle finger to the Parental Guidance sticker. Thus,
listeners are treated to early mixes of fan faves like Dinah-Moe Humm, but also
have to suffer some of the more indulgent experiments that fit the theme, like
the lame rap attempt Promiscuous. Similarly, the sentiments of Thing-Fish and
The Central Scrutinizer may be good fodder for the war against Tipper Gore, but
since they were originally narrative interludes on concept albums, they do not
play well individually. While many of these tracks are far from career
highlights, the recording quality is top-notch, and if nothing else,
Understanding America gives aficionados an opportunity to compare the subtle
differences between these versions and the ones they know and love.


Tracks:

Disc 1
01. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
02. Plastic People
03. Mom & Dad
04. It Cant Happen Here
05. Who Are The Brain Police?
06. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
07. Brown Shoes Dont Make It
08. Concentration Moon
09. Trouble Every Day
10. Youre Probably Wondering Why Im Here
11. Were Turning Again
12. Road Ladies
13. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?
14. Camarillo Brillo
15. Find Her Finer
16. Dinah-Moe Humm
17. Disco Boy
18. 200 Years Old

Disc 2
01. Im The Slim
02. Be In My Video
03. I Dont Even Care
04. Cant Afford No Shoes
05. Heavenly Bank Account
06. Cocaine Decisions
07. Dumb All Over
08. Promiscuous
09. Thing-Fish Intro
10. The Central Scrutinizer
11. Porn Wars Deluxe (*)
12. Tinseltown Rebellion
13. Jesus Thinks Youre A Jerk