Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention are reminiscent of uniqueness in many genres, but though hard to understand at first, the Mothers have there own shine and the always-interesting jazzy guitar soloing Zappa does.
Where would rock be without them? For that matter, where would bands like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tom Waits, Dinosaur Jr., T. Rex, or Steely Dan be? This type of raw band needed a way into the mainstream, and there was Zappa. The type of edginess and aggressive abandon in his play style might be phrased complex yet atmospheric to meet his goal for a raw effect.
Whether you like it or not, now certainly some do not, this is perfect for rock originality. It needs to be done well, and since Zappa is often with many other instruments, there is a need for interesting composition in dialogue between said instruments.
In Little Dots, Zappa and the Mothers continue playing on rock and border jazz-fusion with almost orchestral sounds all over the place, which make for great atmosphere when done correctly. A collection of seven unreleased songs.
In the first track, “Cosmik Debris”, are some of his virulent, but ultimately confusing ways of random drums and trumpet; however as the tracks progress, things get more relaxing and composed. With “Little Dots (Pt. 1)” and “(Pt. 2)” being more appealing if based on a simple and overused blues riff, the best of which is “(Pt. 2)”. The most interesting pieces continue to be in the latter parts of this release, being “Columbia, S.C. (Pt. 1)”, “(Pt. 2)”, particularly “Rollo” and “Kansas City Shuffle”. The best number being “Rollo”, which kind of just flows better than the rest of this non-studio material, and is a much better example of how The Mothers did complexity.
Interestingly though, this release of b-sides is harder to wrap up than some of their other music. Changes from track to track, like in “Kansas City Shuffle” to “Rollo” and “Columbia, S.C.” are extreme. Ending with instrumental soloing in “Columbia, S.C. (Pt. 1)” and “(Pt. 2)”, and more symphonic here, they gain speed and deliver. While Zappa is sometimes offensive with the crowds, here he is calmer and they just jam out to an on the spot creation to end it. “(Pt. 2)” is substantially better and involves some real guitar skill.
This is a long time at over an hour for seven tracks, but worth most of it if one enjoys Zappa. All of these songs are unheard in studio releases before this b-side collection. While definitely not their best work, Little Dots is interesting and poetically driven music and worthwhile, even if for some people too random outside of the solos.
