Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention is a transitional album that sees Zappa turning away from rock and putting more time into his Synclavier compositions. This is a year away from the computer-only (minus one live track) Jazz From Hell. So the album presents a handful of computer pieces ("Aerobics in Bondage," "Little Beige Sambo"), one rock song and one rock instrumental ("We're Turning Again" and the complex "Alien Orifice"), and a couple of attempts at pairing real performers with the computer ("Yo Cats," "What's New in Baltimore?"). Most importantly, the U.S. version of Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention contained "Porn Wars," a sound collage of excerpts from the PMRC hearings -- the lobby group wanted a law instructing record companies to put warning stickers on offensive albums. The LP's title was inspired by that particular piece (the other tracks don't relate to the subject) and yet the version released in Europe, Japan, and Canada -- which sported inverted black and white on the cover -- did not include "Porn Wars," but three extra tracks (two on Synclavier and one rock song). The 1995 Ryko reissue put all pieces from the two versions on one CD. Apart from the political issues of "Porn Wars," which quickly became dated, the album lacks memorable moments. It is not uninteresting and those allergic to the Synclavier will still prefer it over Jazz From Hell.
© François Couture /TiVo
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