Line #46 Music/StudioTan


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/968eed5389e424bb8d9d73735b21ef1b.jpg]]
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3	''Studio Tan'' is a 1978 album by Music/FrankZappa, best remembered for the epic song "The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary".
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5	However, at the time, just like ''Music/SleepDirt'' (1978) and ''Music/OrchestralFavorites'' (1979), the album was released by his label Warner Brothers without Zappa's permission. The company had indulged in ExecutiveMeddling on ''Music/ZappaInNewYork'' (1977) and re-released the album in a censored version, which prompted Zappa to sue both Warners and his former manager Herb Cohen for contract violation. As a result Warners froze all of Zappa's production temporarily, while he was forced to continue touring as it was the only way to make new money. To add insult to injury Warners released all these three albums as separate records, while Zappa intended them to appear on [[DistinctDoubleAlbum a quadruple album]] (eventually released on 3 [=CDs=]) ''Music/{{Lather}}''. Not only was this done without his permission, but there were no liner notes or art work prepared, causing the musicians to remain uncredited. Comic strip artist Creator/GaryPanter was brought in to design the album cover and sleeve art, without being informed of all this backstabbing.
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7	Meanwhile Zappa provided a TakeThat against Warners by bringing all the tracks from these albums to a local radio station and broadcasting them live on air for his fans to tape and bootleg. Luckily he would eventually win his lawsuit and become owner of his entire catalogue. The CD versions of "Studio Tan", "Sleep Dirt" and "Orchestral Favorites" give the musicians proper credit, but after Zappa's death most of the material was also made available on the album he originally intended it for: ''Music/{{Lather}}'' (1996).
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9	!!Tracklist:
10	[[AC:Side 1]]
11	# "The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary" (20:40)
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13	[[AC:Side 2]]
14	# "Lemme Take You To The Beach" (2:44)
15	# "Revised Music For Guitar & Low-Budget Orchestra" (7:36)
16	# "RDNZL" (8:12)
17
18	!!Personnel:
19	* Music/FrankZappa: vocals, guitar, percussion
20	* Davey Moire: vocals
21	* George Duke: keyboards
22	* John Berkman: piano
23	* Tom Fowler: bass guitar
24	* Terry Bozzio: drums
25	* Eddie Jobson: keyboards, yodeling
26	* Max Bennett: bass guitar
27	* Paul Humphrey: drums
28	* Don Brewer: bongos
29	* James "Bird Legs" Youmans: bass guitar
30	* Ruth Underwood: percussion, synthesizer
31	* Michael Zearott: conductor
32	* Pamela Goldsmith: viola
33	* Murray Adler and Sheldon Sanov: violin
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35	!! Trendmonging tropes
36	* AnimalStereotypes: Greggery Peccary is a filthy and sleazy pig.
37	* CallBack and ContinuityNod:
38	** Greggery Peccary is a pig, an animal that appeared in other Zappa works too, including ''Music/LumpyGravy'' (1968). He also wears a tie and a collar, something that is part of Zappa's conceptual continuity, along with the cars and motorcycles mentioned in the song.
39	** Flower Power, described as a trend in "Greggery Peccary", was attacked earlier on ''Music/WereOnlyInItForTheMoney'' (1968).
40	** Greggery has hidden himself inside the mouth of Billy The Mountain, a character from "Billy The Mountain" on ''Music/JustAnotherBandFromLA'' (1972). The Short Forest, which appeared in ''Music/WeaselsRippedMyFlesh'' (1970), ''Music/ChungasRevenge'' (1970) and ''Music/OverNiteSensation'' (1973), is also referenced again.
41	** The company "Big Swifty & Associates: Trend-Mongers" is a throwback to the track "Big Swifty" on ''Music/WakaJawaka'' (1973).
42	** Parts of the story, with Greggery driving his little red Volkswagen around while being chased by the hunchmen and -women in their cars into Billy the Mountain was made into clay animation by Creator/BruceBickford in ''Film/BabySnakes'' (1979).
43	** "Lemme Take You To The Beach" mentions weenies and cookies, also objects which appeared in earlier Zappa songs.
44	** "RDNZL" is a star on the back cover of ''Music/OneSizeFitsAll'' (1975).
45	** All tracks on this album are available in the same version on ''Music/{{Lather}}'' (1996). Only "Greggery Peccary" is a bit longer, 21 minutes compared to the 20:40 on this record.
46	** A four minute version of "RDNZL" appears on "The Lost Episodes" (1995).
47	* CapitalismIsBad: Greggery Peccary thinks up time-wasting trends to capitalize on them.
48	* ColdOpen: "The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary".
49	* CoolShades: The man on the album cover wears them.
50	* CutShort: Originally Quentin Robert [=DeNameland=]'s philosophical speech was a lot longer. In Zappa's book "Them Or Us" (1984) the entire text is printed:
51	--> ''Well folks as you can see for yourself the way this clock over here is behaving: time is an affliction. Now this might be cause for alarm on a portion of you that's from a certain experience I tend to proclaim: the eons are closing. Now what does this mean precisely to the layman? Simply this: Momentarily the need for the construction of the new light will no longer exist. Of course some of you will think, "Who is he to fell me from this light?" But in all seriousness, ladies and gentlemen, a quick glance at the erratic behavior of the large precision built time delineating apparatus beside me will show that it is perhaps only a few moments now... Look how funny it's going around there! Personally, I find mechanical behavior of this nature to be highly suspicious. When such a device doesn't go normal, the implication of such a behaviour bodes not well (if you know what I mean). And quite naturally ladies and gentlemen if the mechanism in question is entrusted with the task of the delineation of time itself and ahh if such a mechanism goes "On the bum".... or the fritz... Well, it spells trouble.''
52	* EpicRocking: "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" takes up an entire LP side and is 20:40 long. All of it was performed live and is so complicated that Zappa never performed it on stage. "Revised Music For Guitar And Low-Budget Orchestra" is 7:36 long, while "RDNZL" is 8:12 long.
53	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Typewriters are heard when Greggery visits his office.
54	* GluttonousPig: Greggery certainly takes financial advantage of anything that could be changed into a trend.
55	* {{Instrumentals}}: "Revised Music For Guitar & Low-Budget Orchestra" and "RDNZL".
56	* InTheStyleOf: "Greggery Peccary"'s music resembles a cartoon soundtrack.
57	* LemonyNarrator: During "Greggery Peccary" Zappa describes all the events in sarcastic fashion.
58	* LongestSongGoesFirst: The nearly 21-minute "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" opens the album, occupying all of side one.
59	* MickeyMousing: "The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary" has various scenes that are illustrated musically or by sound effects.
60	* NonAppearingTitle: The title doesn't appear in any of the tracks.
61	* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Greggery thinks up time wasting trends, just for profits, and Quentin Robert [=DeNameland=] gives not really helpful philosophical advice, while still demanding to be paid in huge cheques.
62	* TheParody: "Greggery Peccary" is a parody of musical fairy tales such as ''Music/PeterAndTheWolf'' and [[RockOpera rock operas]], while "Lemme Take You The Beach" is a parody of SurfRock pop tunes, with insanely happy lyrics.
63	* PigMan: Greggery is described as "a little pig", yet he drives a car and works at an office.
64	* ProductPlacement: Greggery rides around in a red Volkswagen and checks out "The Whole Earth Catalogue".
65	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: A peccary swine actually exists. The species lives in South America.
66	* ShoutOut:
67	** The name of "Greggery Peccary" is a pun on Creator/GregoryPeck. His invention of the calendar references the Gregorian calendar.
68	** Two trends that are brought up are the Twist and Flower Power.
69	** Greggery's line "what hath God wrought?" is a reference to Alexander Graham Bell's famous line after the telephone was invented.
70	** After the line about "slowly aging very hip young people" Music/HerbieHancock's "Chameleon" from ''Music/HeadHunters'' is quoted.
71	** The honky tonk piano section references the theme from the TV show ''Series/MyThreeSons''.
72	** After the line "garishly painted buses" Zappa quotes from "Entry Of The Gladiators" by Julius Fucik.
73	** "Louie Louie" is quoted after the line "perform lewd acts".
74	** The radios tuned to different channels all paying at once, references "Imaginary Landscape" by Music/JohnCage.
75	* SillyLoveSongs: "Lemme Take You To The Beach"
76	--> ''Eat a candy!''
77	--> ''You are dandy!''
78	--> '''Can I kiss you?''
79	--> ''Maybe I'll just hold your hand-eeee!''

Context Music / StudioTan