Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/26/2008
Jeff Simmons (electric bass/piano/organ/accordion/vocals) -- erstwhile member of
the Indian Puddin' & Pipe,
West Coast Natural Gas,
Easy Chair, and
Ethiopia -- issued a pair of solo long-players on
Frank Zappa's short-lived
Straight Records imprint. First was the primarily instrumental
Naked Angels original
soundtrack (1969), followed several months later by this LP. Joining
Simmons are
Craig Tarwater (guitar),
Ian Underwood (sax), and
Ron Woods (drums/percussion) with
Zappa (lead guitar) and
John Kehlior (drums) collectively guesting on the exceedingly bluesy selections
"Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" and
"Raye." Apart from the
Zappa connection, the effort showcases
Simmons' considerable talents as a composer and performer. The opening ode to the Los Angeles thoroughfare
"Appian Way" is steadily driven by
Tarwater's blistering fretwork. The heavy syncopation of
"Zondo Zondo" has a vibe reminiscent of
Family -- particularly
Simmons' lead vocals. While potentially lacking
Roger Chapman's singular vibrato, they are delivered with no less ardor.
"Madame Du Barry" was presumably inspired by the French courtesan and mistress of
Louis XV of France. The song's poppy feel -- à la
the Turtles'
"She's My Girl" -- is underscored by quirky time signatures, revealing the artist's ability to create outside the box.
"I'm in the Music Business" is a lean fist-pumper reflecting the cynical realities of those who sell their souls for
rock & roll.
Zappa's unmistakable string mastery is emblazoned upon the aforementioned title composition
"Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" -- a tune
Zappa would occasionally revisit throughout his career in the same vein as
"Sharleena." Another song that definitely caught
Zappa's ear was the
Simmons' original
"Wonderful Wino." It is executed with a loose and grinding groove. After
Frank got a hold of it, he eventually worked up versions with
Flo & Eddie,
Ricky Lancelotti, and even himself on lead vocals.
Simmons' reading is likewise notable for the sound of a reversed tape incorporated as a primary component of the rhythm track. A technique perhaps influenced by
Zappa's unconventional studio wizardry.
"Tigres" -- which
Simmons' enunciates as "Tie Grace" -- is an earnest homage supported by a solid four-on-the-floor backbeat and a stately organ accompaniment that wouldn't have sounded out of place from
Procol Harum. Languid and slightly surreal is the
waltz "Aqueous Humore" -- a term, incidentally, also defined as "the clear, watery fluid circulating in the chamber of the eye between the cornea and the lens," according to
The American Heritage Medical Dictionary. It is uncertain if that is
Simmons' intended interpretation, especially as the lyrics involve a desire for the singer to be "...back in the water...growing my gills again...floating and fining, I'd be diving and spinning...." Returning to terra firma,
"Conversations with a Recluse" concludes the album blending a bit of
folk stylings on top of the typical sturdy sounds that permeate the majority of the platter. In 2007, the European-based
World In Sound reissued
Naked Angels and
Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" in a two-CD anthology and in 2008
Collectors Choice reissued the album with a bonus track;
"Wonderful Wino".
~Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
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