This is one of Zappa's real monsters, a truly great album that is arguably his masterwork. It's the most complex album he ever did, and many of the themes on this album were revamped for orchestra years later. And "King Kong" is here - 18 sublime minutes of pure unbridled Mothers majesty! There really isn't any way to describe Uncle Meat in a way that will prepare the listener. An amazing aural collage of chamber music, avant garde instrumentals, dialogue, rock, jazz, musique concrete, and of course doo-wop!!! One of the most bizarre records in popular music, the original release in 1968 was four sides of vinyl, covering many genres and styles. Musicianship is outstanding throughout. The CD is expanded to include a lengthy film dialogue excerpt and one song not on the original album.

Even though Zappa was the group's spearhead, it's obvious that this particular group's sound and image were unique, even in the Zappa canon. At the time, despite what he said later, he needed the original Mothers Of Invention. The mood, sound, and creativity would not have been the same if performed by the sort of session musicians Zappa later employed. There is typical Mothers-style humour here too, as with them playing the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, a kazoo-accompanied "God Bless America," and the treatment they gave to "Louie Louie" at the Royal Albert Hall, desecrating the "mighty, majestic Albert Hall pipe organ" in the process. Some serious pieces offset this, such as "Project X," and "Legend Of The Golden Arches," "Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague," and of course the aforementioned definitive treatment of "King Kong" - no later lineup ever played it with the fire of this original band performance. Uncle Meat may take a little concentrated listening, but once you enter you're unlikely to want to leave...

Disc: 1

Disc: 2