Sheik Yerbouti
Live album with studio elements by
Frank Zappa
ReleasedMarch 3, 1979
RecordedMostly:
Jan. 25–27 & Feb. 28 1978,
Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK;
Oct. 30–31, 1977,
The Palladium, NYC
Genre
Length74:03
Label
ProducerFrank Zappa
Frank Zappa chronology
Sleep Dirt
(1979) 		Sheik Yerbouti
(1979) 		Orchestral Favorites
(1979)
Singles from Sheik Yerbouti
  1. "Dancin' Fool"
    Released: 1979
  2. "Bobby Brown"
    Released: 1979

Sheik Yerbouti is a double album[1][2][3] by American musician Frank Zappa, released in March 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records (distributed by Phonogram Inc.) It is mostly made up of live material recorded in 1977 and 1978, with extensive overdubs added in the studio. In an October 1978 interview, Zappa gave the working album title as Martian Love Secrets.[4] It was later released on a single CD.

Sheik Yerbouti is Zappa's biggest selling album with over 2 million units sold worldwide.[5]

Inspiration

Zappa appears on the cover in character in Arab headdress. The title is a play on words and is pronounced like the 1976 disco hit "Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band.

"Bobby Brown"
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The album has some of Zappa's most satirical and controversial lyrics. "Bobby Brown" was banned from US airplay[citation needed] due to its sexually explicit lyrics. "I Have Been in You" pokes fun at Peter Frampton's 1977 hit "I'm in You" while emphasizing an explicit meaning. "Dancin' Fool", a Grammy nominee, became a popular disco hit despite its obvious parodical reflection of disco music. "Flakes", about lazy union workers in California, includes a parody of Bob Dylan. "Jewish Princess", a humorous look at Jewish stereotyping, attracted attention from the Anti-Defamation League, to which Zappa denied an apology, arguing: "Unlike the unicorn, such creatures do exist—and deserve to be 'commemorated' with their own special opus".[6]

"Rat Tomago" was edited from a live performance of "The Torture Never Stops", which originally appeared on Zoot Allures (1976); likewise, "The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" is taken from a live version of "Little House I Used to Live in", originally recorded for Burnt Weeny Sandwich in 1970.

Some of the songs also appeared in Baby Snakes, Zappa's 1979 concert film. A clip of "City of Tiny Lites" with clay animation by Bruce Bickford was shown on the Old Grey Whistle Test.[when?]

Writing and recording

Some songs, such as "Rat Tomago", are linked by brief pieces of musique concrète, and studio dialog from Zappa band members, Terry Bozzio and Patrick O'Hearn.[7] In making "Rubber Shirt", Zappa combined a track of Terry playing drums in one musical setting with one of Patrick playing the bass in another. The original performances differed in time signature and in tempo. Zappa described this technique as xenochrony.

The album was engineered by Joe Chiccarelli. He later explained: "[Zappa's] engineer couldn’t make the session and so he decided to take a chance on me. I’m so thankful ever since that day because he gave me a career."[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Christgau's Record GuideC[11]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[10]

Initially, the album was met with mixed reviews, due to the lyrical content. Despite this, the album remains a cult favorite among Zappa fans to this day. The song "Bobby Brown" was extremely popular in Scandinavia. Zappa was reportedly so astounded by its success that he wanted CBS to hire an anthropologist to study why the song became such a big hit.[12]

Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "If this be social 'satire,' how come its sole targets are ordinary citizens whose weirdnesses happen to diverge from those of the retentive gent at the control board? Or are we to read his new fixation on buggery as an indication of approval? Makes you wonder whether his primo guitar solo on 'Yo' Mama' and those as-unique-as-they-used-to-be rhythms and textures are as arid spiritually as he is. As if there were any question after all these years."[11]

Track listing

All songs composed, written and arranged by Frank Zappa except where noted.[13] Dates & venues infos from Information Is Not Knowledge

Side one
No.TitleRecording dates and venuesLength
1."I Have Been in You"January 25, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK3:33
2."Flakes"January 25, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK6:41
3."Broken Hearts Are for Assholes"January 27, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK3:42
4."I'm So Cute"January 25–27 or February 28, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK. Ending cropped on some CD and cassette reissues, reducing the run time to 3:09; restored on 2012 reissue.4:27
Total length:18:57
Side two
No.TitleRecording dates and venuesLength
5."Jones Crusher"October 31, 1977 – The Palladium, NYC2:49
6."What Ever Happened to All the Fun in the World"incl. a quotation from "I Have Seen The Pleated Gazelle", recorded at Pinewood Studios, London, January–February 19710:33
7."Rat Tomago" (Composition co-credited to Frank and Ahmet Zappa on the 2012 CD – a note states that "'Rat Tomago' is Ahmet Zappa's title")Guitar solo from "The Torture Never Stops" played live on February 15, 1978 – Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany5:17
8."We've Got to Get into Something Real" (Listed under the title "Wait a Minute" on the CD version) 0:31
9."Bobby Brown" (Listed under the title "Bobby Brown Goes Down" on the CD version) January 27, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK2:49
10."Rubber Shirt" (Bozzio/O'Hearn/Zappa)Bass part: recorded for a studio overdub on a guitar solo from September 25, 1974 – Gothenburg, Sweden2:45
11."The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" (Listed as simply "The Sheik Yerbouti" on some CD copies)Guitar solo from "The Little House I Used to Live in" played live on February 15, 1978 – Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany3:56
Total length:19:22
Side three
No.TitleRecording dates and venuesLength
12."Baby Snakes"January 25, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK1:50
13."Tryin' to Grow a Chin"January 27, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK3:31
14."City of Tiny Lites" January 27, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK5:32
15."Dancin' Fool"February 28, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK3:43
16."Jewish Princess"October 30, 1977 – The Palladium, NYC3:16
Total length:18:25
Side four
No.TitleRecording dates and venuesLength
17."Wild Love"February 28, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK4:09
18."Yo' Mama"Vocal sections February 28, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK; Guitar solo: February 25, 1978 – Hemmerleinhalle, Neunkirchen am Brand, Germany; Part of the backing track for the solo: January 27, 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK12:36
Total length:17:19

Personnel

Musicians

Production staff

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 50,000^
Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Lowe, Kelly Fisher (2007). The Words and Music of Frank Zappa. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803260054.
  2. ^ Norman, Katherine (1998-02-09). Poetry of Reality. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203986387.
  3. ^ Myers, Mitch (2008-07-08). The Boy Who Cried Freebird. Harper Collins. p. 189. ISBN 9780061734199. sheik yerbouti live.
  4. ^ "CFNY Interview". donlope.net. 1978. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  5. ^ "FRANK ZAPPA album sales". Best Selling Albums.
  6. ^ The real Frank Zappa book
  7. ^ "Leather dialog". donlope.net. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  8. ^ "Interview with Joe Chiccarelli". HitQuarters. 14 June 2010. Retrieved Aug 19, 2010.
  9. ^ Huey, S. (2011). "Sheik Yerbouti – Frank Zappa | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  10. ^ Fricke, D. (2011). "Frank Zappa: Sheik Yerbouti : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  11. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: Z". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  12. ^ "Zappa Interviews". Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Official discography - Sheik Yerbouti". Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti (1979, Auto-coupled, Vinyl) - Discogs". Discogs. March 1979.
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 348. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Charts.nz – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  22. ^ "Frank Zappa | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  23. ^ "Frank Zappa Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Frank Zappa – Sheik Yerbouti". Music Canada. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Frank Zappa; 'Sheik Yerbouti')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
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