You Are What You Is
was another of
Frank Zappa
's periodic post-
Over-Nite Sensation
efforts that concentrated on tight songwriting supported by satirical lyrics. Originally a two-record set featuring 20 songs,
skewered a variety of targets, from teenagers,
punk rock
,
disco
, and
country
music to the media, yuppies, the beauty-and-fitness industry, upper-class vice, religious hypocrisy, suicide, and the military draft -- all the trappings of Reagan-era America. Occasionally,
Zappa
's satirical points seem ill-thought-out, if not unnecessarily malicious;
"Jumbo Go Away"
is perhaps the most offensive song in
's huge canon of potentially offensive songs, a tale of a whining, VD-riddled groupie who is portrayed as deserving the punch in the face she gets from an irritated musician. Despite that misstep, though,
is quite ambitious in scope and in general one of
's most accessible later-period efforts; it's a showcase for his songwriting skills and his often acute satirical perspective, with less of the smutty humor that some listeners find off-putting. ~ Steve Huey