Son of Cheep Thrills
Another extremely broad sampler of Frank Zappa's music from Rykodisc,Son of Cheep Thrillscontains more than enough music to justify its price but offers nothing new for longtime fans. Like its equally cheappredecessor, this eclectic set contains a smattering of tunes that cover the entire range of Zappa's career. Unlike the selections on some of Ryko's more focused Zappa retrospectives, the music here pokes at Zappa's more challenging and off-center pieces and could serve as a road map for interested newcomers who may not know where to start within Zappa's huge discography. The greasy doo-wop tracks "Love of My Life" and "WPLJ" provide entrée to Zappa classics such asCruising with Ruben & the Jets. Some of his more intricate instrumentals will hopefully engender interest inJazz from Hellor the fantasticYou Can't Do That on Stage Anymoreseries. If you enjoyedStrictly Commercialor another Ryko retrospective and are at a loss for a next Zappa purchase, this disc may point you in the right direction. And Zappa experts and completists may find this well-priced disc a welcome diversion while waiting for the next lost tapes to appear from the vault.--Andrew Boscardin