June 10 - The Torture Never Stops

It's quite remarkable how a song title can get the pubescent mind interested. It's been about 30 years since I found Frank Zappa when Arve and I looked through my dad's record collection. I think I have written about how he used to tape music for a couple of guys at work - they would buy the record, he would tape it for them, and then he got to keep the record (I think he was the only one of them with a record player - and quite the receiver (Tandberg Sølvsuper 12, I believe). The stereo was really good, with great sound - although I later on wrecked the recording capabilities of the tape deck by running a bass guitar through it as an amp - not a good idea.

Anyway, the song The Torture Never Stops was found on the album Zoot Allures from 1976, and it features everything that was a Zappa trademark: great musicianship throughout, a great guitar solo, and lyrics that are nearly unlistenable for adults. The female screams heard throughout hints at misogyny, but I am not always certain that was his intention - he was too much of a deliberate provocateur. Anyway - the melody line is extremely compelling, so if you can listen past the screams and the lyrics, I think you can enjoy this. I did when I was 12 or 13, and I still do today. This song only features two musicians: Terry Bozzio on drums and Frank Zappa on everything else, including his role as "director of recreational activities" - although it is unclear who he directs.