The Man From Utopia

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The Man From Utopia
Released March 1983
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Players

• Frank Zappa (guitar, vocals, ARP 2600, Lynn Drum Machine)
• Steve Vai (impossible guitar parts on strat and acoustic)
• Ray White (guitar, vocals)
• Roy Estrada (pachuco falsettos etc)
• Bob Harris (boy soprano)
• Ike Willis (bionic baritone)
• Bobby Martin (keyboards, sax, vocals)
• Tommy Mars (keyboards)
• Arthur Barrow (keyboards, bass, micro-bass, rhythm guitar)
• Ed Mann (percussion)
• Scott Thunes (bass)
• Chad Wackerman (drums)
• Vinnie Colaiuta (drums on "The Dangerous Kitchen")
• Dick Fegy (mandolin)
• Marty Krystall (sax)

Tracks

1. Cocaine Decisions (03:53)
2. SEX (03:44)
3. Tink Walks Amok (03:39)
4. The Radio Is Broken (05:51)
5. We Are Not Alone (03:18)
6. The Dangerous Kitchen (02:51)
7. The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou Medley (03:23)
8. Stick Together (03:13)
9. The Jazz Discharge Party Hats (04:29)
10. Mõggio (02:36)
11. Luigi & The Wise Guys (03:25)

Background Information

Tink Walks Amok is titled after Arthur Barrow’s childhood nickname, which Frank learned of from easy-pop singer Christopher Cross and found hilarious. The main lick of the first section used to be called Atomic Paginini. Barrows described the session: “[Frank] would point to different strings and frets on my bass and tell me where to take the lick next. He was writing it as we were recording!” Also interpolated, toward the end, is an early 1980s piece called 13.

The title of Moggio came from Frank’s daughter Diva; she crawled into bed with her parents and dreamt that she had a tiny father named Moggio who lived under her pillow.

The opening song on the original side 2 is a studio medley of two R&B oldies, The Man From Utopia by Donald Woods and the Vel-Aires (1955) and Mary Lou by Young Jessie from around the same time.

Stick Together is a slogan used with some sarcasm, since it’s usually a pro-union motto.

The songs are heard in a different order on the 1995 CD than on the original album, and Luigi and the Wise Guys is added.

The cover art was made by Liberatore, a famous italian comics author and illustrator. The painted character is half RanXerox, half Frank Zappa.

Versions

Tracks order for 1983 Release:

1. Cocaine Decisions (2:56)
2. The Dangerous Kitchen (2:51)
3. Tink Walks Amok (3:40)
4. The Radio Is Broken (5:52)
5. Moggio (3:05)
6. The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou Medley (3:19)
7. Stick Together (3:50)
8. SEX (3:00)
9. The Jazz Discharge Party Hats (4:30)
10. We Are Not Alone (3:31)

See Also

• The Man from Utopia Sampler
• The Man from Utopia Promo