Lemme Take You to the Beach is a lovingly assembled tribute to
Frank Zappa put together by the folks on the Cowabunga Internet mailing list. This collection works on so many levels it's almost ridiculous, from the tunes themselves to the perfectly parodied cover art. As hardcore
Zappa fans know, he was involved in producing a number of surf and novelty singles before
the Mothers were formed (compiled on the
Cucamonga compilation), and surfy elements continued to surface in some of the early
Mothers work. Many of
the Mothers' early songs could easily be arranged as surf instros, but some of the participants really got creative with the project and went for some unexpected song choices. Tracks like "Lumpy Gravy" and "The Orange County Lumber Truck" or the songs from
Cruising With Ruben & the Jets would seem like obvious choices, but who would have ever thought "Jewish Princess" or "We Are Not Alone" would work in this context? (They do!!) "Aybe Sea" is another interesting choice that comes off really well, and what surf band in its right mind would even think of attempting "G-Spot Tornado"?? Well, the answer is
the Invisible Birds, and they do a great job with it. "Baby Snakes" is utterly transformed by Don's Mobile Barbers by slowing it way down and putting it in a minor key. "Zoot Allures" isn't a surf tune, and it isn't treated as one here, but the Foolz sure do a nice job with it. "Peaches en Regalia" is also very well done, as is the version of "King Kong," with some monstrous fuzz bass and Dada madness at the end. "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here" slips inexplicably into
Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" for a moment, but it's a moment
Frank probably would have found pretty amusing (
Zappa's own work was rife with stolen musical quotes). The title track is the only one with any vocals to speak of, but its inclusion was almost mandatory given the project.
Lemme Take You to the Beach is a fun record that would be great for fans of that surfy sound who are looking for something a little more adventurous than "Wipe Out," and it will certainly please
Zappa fans. Well done.