The Fat Angel Sings

A classic album by Frank Zappa has recently been reissued in a quite fine form. That album, the amusingly titled “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” originally came out on the relative heels of Zappa‘s groundbreaking 1969 release with The Mothers of Invention called “Uncle Meat“. Together those records stand as (arguably) the pinnacle of music created by that era of Zappa’s band. Some Zappa-philes prefer “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” for its concise single-disc presentation of the band and what they were capable of doing. Ever prolific, Frank Zappa barely took a breath between the release of “Hot Rats”, on October 10th, 1969, and “Burnt Weeny Sandwich“, on Released February 9th, 1970. (Indeed, that album would be followed six months later by “Weasels Ripped My Flesh“.) Actually credited to The Mothers Of Invention, “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” picked up from where “Hot Rats” left off, pushing the boundaries of jazz fusion and experimental, avant-garde rock.

Where others prevaricated and agonized over studio techniques, Zappa, was more interested in composition and immediate results, and was equally as drawn to the experimental classicists as he was the visceral, open-chested drive of doo-wop (not to mention its frantic absurdity). As such, “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” is bookended by two terrific doo-wop tunes: The Four Deuces’ “WPLJ” (standing for “white port and lemon juice”) is a glorious romp, as is the closing take on Jackie And The Starlites’ “Valarie” (released as a single with “My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama” on the flip).

The album’s centerpiece is diametrically opposite: the lengthy “Little House I Used To Live In” gives the band full rein for a thrilling work-out. The last portion of this song was recorded during a performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, in June 1969, and the track sees Zappa indulge in put-down banter with the audience, remarking that “everyone in this room is wearing a uniform.” He also plays a storming organ solo alongside a dual piano part, while Jimmy Carl Black, Ian Underwood, the horn-playing Gardner brothers, and Don “Sugarcane” Harris attain heights most rock bands simply could not achieve.

Back in the LA studio, future Little Feat main man Lowell George joined the party again, adding guitar and vocals, while Roy Estrada (who would later join George in the Little Feat) chipped in with bass and vocals, including the Pachuco rap on “WPLJ.”

Showcasing Zappa’s playful nature, “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” doesn’t outstay its welcome. The fragment tracks, “Igor’s Boogie, Phase One” and “Overture To A Holiday In Berlin” move the mood seamlessly. “Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich,” meanwhile, was re-modeled from a guitar part on “Lonely Little Girl” (from the 1967 sessions for We’re Only In It For The Money), so there’s a good chance Billy Mundi played the drums here. It is a fruitful piece of recycling, with Zappa and percussionist Art Tripp adding new layers of rhythm.

From Zappa’s website, here is the technical crux of this biscuit: “Supervised by the ZFT, the record was specially mastered for this release by Bernie Grundman with all analogue production and cut directly from the 1970 ¼” stereo safety master tape in 2018. Unavailable on vinyl for more than three decades, Zappa last released this on vinyl in 1986 in the rare Old Masters Box Two. The LP, which will be pressed at Pallas in Germany, will feature the album’s distinctive original cover art by frequent Zappa collaborator Cal Schenkel and include the original album’s black and white poster, which has never been reproduced in any of the album’s CD editions. A limited edition coloured vinyl version is also in the works to be released at a later date.” 

Original vinyl pressings of “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” included a large black-and-white fold-out poster – triple-folded and double-sided – that remains a collectors’ item today. The anarchic graphic artist Cal Schenkel provided the cover artwork again (his stunning résumé also includes the artworks for “Uncle Meat, Cruising With Ruben And The Jets“, and many others), adapting a punky-looking montage.

How does this new reissue sound? There is a sense of presence on this particular version which was not apparent on my earlier (blue label Bizarre Records original) pressing. The vinyl is wonderfully quiet and the album well centered, so no issues there. This was very important for me at the end of side one on the track “Aybe Sea” which mostly features Ian Underwood‘s harpsichord and piano plus Zappa‘s acoustic guitar parts. On my original and most every other pressing I’ve heard this sequence has been marred by slightly off centre pressings. This pressing is pretty much perfect so there is no swing ‘n sway so the resulting music is just beautiful. The acoustic guitars sound especially realistic and woody.  And, it is a wonder to just enjoy the surface-noise-free silence as the whisper-quiet final piano notes close out the side. 

The drums and woodwinds on “Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown” sound remarkable and present —  I’ve never really heard them quite like this before. I’ll dare to even use the word “revelatory” in describing the rich details we can now hear so clearly. 

Given the all-analogue production of the record there is one teensy-tiny anomaly which you may want to know about: there is a wee-brief tape speed fluctuation about 50 seconds into the first song, “WPLJ.” I suspect this is an instance of the original tape stretching over time while in storage. I reached out to Zappa Vault-meister Joe Travers who confirmed its existence as something they needed to live with. Indeed, in the grand scheme of things its not something to fret over. While it might have been fixable in the digital domain, keeping this project pure to the truer-sounding all-analogue production aesthetic requires not messing with the tapes along the way. 

Apparently, this issue has been around for a while. I listened to the 2012 CD quality version streaming up on Tidal and indeed the fluctuation is audible if you listen closely; it is just a bit more up front on the relatively sonically un-compromised new edition. Really, if you’ve never heard an early version of this album, then this issue is moot and is no big deal in the grand scheme of things. After a couple listens I even got used to it (its a lighthearted Doo Wop flavoured rock song after all). 

Otherwise, the new “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” sounds pretty tasty and arguably much better than my original pressing and was never the quietest pressing to begin with.

Oh, about the name of the album which I’ve marked with an asterisk up at the start of this review, here comes the reference for those who are not familiar with its origin. “Burnt Weeny Sandwich” refers to a favourite late nite snack Zappa used to apparently make in the wee hours when taking a break from his overnight recording sessions. From the wiki:“The album’s unusual title, Zappa would later say in an interview, comes from an actual snack that he enjoyed eating, consisting of a burnt Hebrew National hot dog sandwiched between two pieces of bread with mustard.” I seem to remember reading somewhere that Frank would toast his tasty weenies indoor-campfire style, sticking a fork in it and holding it over an open burner on the stove — burnt weeny science!

The Beths are back in full force with a new single called “A Real Thing”, their first new song since the release of their acclaimed album “Jump Rope Gazers” in 2020. “This song is a kind of anxiety dream. It’s a bit muddled, a bit frantic, a bit sinister” says lead singer Liz Stokes. Stokes wrote this song in late 2020, following the election in New Zealand and the U.S, attempting to reach for optimism about the future, but ultimately playing more apocalyptic scenarios of climate change in her head. The upbeat urgency in the song is palpable from the very start and paired with the band’s signature bright, raucous guitar hooks and cooing harmonies, the song races and soars, much like an increasing heart rate. The Beths‘ infectious and insightful song writing on “A Real Thing” is an exciting marker of more excellent work to come.

Our new single ‘A Real Thing’ is out now via Carpark Records & Ivy League Records.

Archival interviews, in-depth reviews of every album and more, When some years ago Roger McGuinn connected with Uncut to talk about the band’s latest box set – 2006’s “There Is A Season” he was reminded of an early guest at the band’s 1965 recording sessions: Bob Dylan. Dylan then as much a songwriter selling his wares as lightning rod for twentieth century culture – had arrived, essentially, to pitch the band his song “Mr Tambourine Man”. David Crosby apparently wasn’t keen on the time signature, or seemingly on much else about it – though the band were ultimately convinced by its writer to give it a shot.

Dylan hung around, and was still there when the band got the song down completely, turning it from a delicate acoustic piece into something which seemed to hover somehow, powered by its own ethereal forces of guitar and harmony, becoming the “magic swirling ship” emerging from Dylan’s tumbling words. As McGuinn recalled it, Dylan asked “What’s that?” He no longer recognised his own song.

This kind of transformative power is part of the magic of the Byrds. Folkies who had bent an ear to the Fab Four’s British invasion, the band had a revolution of their own: their electric 12 string guitars took trad arr to a new dimension; they brought John Coltrane into psychedelic pop, took hippies to the heart of Nashville, and brought post-modernism and abstract computer noises to the middle of a mainstream guitar pop album.

There’s not much to compete with joy of hearing “Wild Mountain Thyme”, “Eight Miles High”, “So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star” or any other classic Byrds recording, and that’s been the inspiration behind this deluxe edition of our Ultimate Music Guide to the Byrds. Here we’ll go deep inside the albums (ideas to mull over: The Byrds could have got by without Bob Dylan, – but not without the Beatles), and pull out some memorable archive encounters from the archives of NME, Melody Maker and Uncut to help tell the band’s compelling story.

There’s plenty to enjoy in these 148 pages. Here you’ll find details of David Crosby’s epic musical journey, read Gram Parsons’ only encounter with the UK music press, and hear the tale of lesser-known Byrds like Clarence White, who left the Byrds, and this world, tragically and far too soon.

For Uncut in 2006 McGuinn succinctly reflected on the band’s magnificent legacy but also acknowledged that their first steps in the studio were faltering. It turns out that only he was allowed to play on “Mr Tambourine Man”, the other parts being played by Hal Blaine, Leon Russell and other members of the Wrecking Crew. When all the band did finally record together successfully for their next album, as Roger remembers, it took them 77 attempts to record a take of Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn!”.

Dublin five-piece Melts release their debut album “Maelstrom” produced by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band (FKA Girl Band). The raw, simplistic, primal nature of the early approach remains intact but they have expanded into immersive pulsing grooves

The album gracefully yet potently merges psych rock with touches of post-rock-esque soundscapes, pulsing krautrock, all of which is driven by demented organ wig outs, engulfing waves of heavily textured guitar and a crisp rhythm section. While they land on a sound that is distinctly their own, their debut occupies something of a middle ground between Spacemen 3 and Primary Colours-era The Horrors. Or, as the band say themselves, something that sounds “driving and fucking stomping.”

We recorded this album over six days in March 2021 at a lovely studio called Analogue Catalogue with Daniel Fox. ‘Outlier’, from MELTS debut album ‘Maelstrom’.

New York trio Sunflower Bean -featuring vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming (she/her), guitarist and vocalist Nick Kivlen (he/him), and drummer Olive Faber (she/they) – announce that their long-awaited third album “Headful of Sugar” will be released on may 6th via Lucky Number Records.

A psychedelic headrush, fuelled by the agony and ecstasy of contemporary American life, “Headful Of Sugar” is about outsiders disillusioned with the modern world who, despite their alienation, refuse to be subdued; buoyed by the relief found in interpersonal relationships that counteract the daily barrage of cheap entertainment and convenience.

If their acclaimed second album “Twentytwo in Blue”, released in 2018, was a self-described “ode to the fleeting innocence of youth,” then “Headful Of Sugar” shoves the listener into a new, dangerous world, one that is less safe but also less suffocating. “tomorrow is not promised, no tour is promised, no popularity is promised, no health or money is promised,” bassist/vocalist Julia Cumming says. “why not make what you want to make on your own terms? why not make a record that makes you want to dance? why not make a record that makes you want to scream?” “Headful Of Sugar” was produced and mixed by Umo’s Jacob Portrait, co-engineered by Olive Faber and portrait, and recorded between Electric Lady and Sunflower Bean own studios.

“Headful Of Sugar” out May 6th.

Babehoven unveil a new single, “Get Better,” a standout off of their forthcoming “Sunk” EP. Watch the accompanying music video that depicts winter moments in their newfound home of upstate New York.

 “‘Get Better’ is a forward-facing wish for everyone I love to be their best selves, living their best lives, feeling safe within their hearts and treating one another with love and kindness. It is about recognizing patterns of pain in my path and choosing to reroute and grow in new directions with as much gentleness as possible.” Maya Bon

On Babehoven’s new EP, “Sunk”, Maya Bon seeks to answer a seemingly simple yet ultimately life changing question: what would happen if, rather than constantly fighting against the immovable tides of unfixable things—broken relationships, a fractured society, a future that erodes daily in the face of climate change—she gave herself permission to stop struggling altogether. What beauty might life attain if the choice to give up—to become “sunk”—was reframed as an act of self-care rather than one of defeat?

Since starting Babehoven in Portland, Oregon in 2017, Maya Bon has shown herself to be a gifted heart-on-sleeve songwriter, using music to peel back the layers of her own experiences—sometimes sad, sometimes surreal, always vividly rendered—to reveal universal emotional truths hidden in the most intimately personal of details.

From the “Sunk” EP, releasing March 4th, 2022 on Double Double Whammy.

A reawakening for the Swedish visionaries, “Sincere” solidifies their impressive trajectory in a fuzzed out haze of dark and arresting shoegaze pop. An expansive trip through noisier, bittersweet pop realms that recalls My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Deerhunter.

Underpinning everything there’s a continuing sense of drama throughout; richly textured crescendos, chiming guitars and delicate melodies are guided by Caroline Landahl’s tender yet sharpened vocals. “Sincere” is joyously effervescent, but with a dark underbelly where fury manifests in a swirl of entrancing and propulsive percussion.

A gorgeous and dazzling piece of aching romanticism, destined to feature on a thousand mixtapes.

Recorded last year in Malmö, Hater welcomed two new band members and those early day sparks saw them quickly turning demos into fully-formed new songs that appear on the record. “Sincere” was produced by long-time collaborator Joakim Lindberg and was mixed and mastered by John Cornfield, whose credits include Ride, The Stone Roses and Robert Plant.

Following new music last summer, Hater announce their highly anticipated album ‘Sincere’  out 6th May on Fire Records with the release of new single ‘Something’.

We are super stoked and humbled to finally be able to share our new single ‘Something’ with you and the news that we’re releasing our third album ‘Sincere’ the 6th of May.

We wanna thank everyone that’s been involved in this beautiful process, Joakim Lindberg Studio Sickan who’s been recording and producing, John Cornfield who’s mixed and mastered all songs, Benjamin Zadig who’s taken the front cover, and Adèle Tornberg who’s snapped the photo for the back of the album and done this amazing video, also huge thanks to Fire Records who’s making this release possible

Hater have just announced their highly anticipated album ‘Sincere’  will be out 6th May on Fire Records with the release of new single ‘Something’. After playing a special show in their hometown early in March, they’ll be touring this new album with a set of dates this Spring, including Glasgow (with The Wave Pictures), The Great Eastern Festival in Edinburgh, Manchester and London.