Sheik Yerbouti

Sheik Yerbouti
Live album by Frank Zappa
Released	March 3 1979
Recorded	Hammersmith Odeon London, January 24 – 28 & February 24 – 28 1978, The Palladium, New York City, October 28 – October 31 1977
Genre	Hard rock,[1] comedy rock,[1] progressive rock[1]
Length	70:22
Label	Zappa Records Rykodisc
Producer	Frank Zappa
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (C) link Rolling Stone (favorable) link
Frank Zappa chronology
Sleep Dirt (1979) Sheik Yerbouti (1979) Orchestral Favorites (1979)

Sheik Yerbouti (Shake Your Booty) is a double vinyl album by Frank Zappa featuring material recorded in 1977 and 1978. It was released on March 3, 1979 (see 1979 in music) and re-issued on compact disc on May 9, 1995 (see 1995 in music). The title is a play on words; Zappa appears on the cover in character in Arab headdress, and the name, meant to resemble an Arabic transcription, is pronounced like the title of KC and the Sunshine Band's 1976 disco hit "Shake Your Booty". Sheik Yerbouti represented a major turning point in Zappa's career. The first album to be released on his own eponymous label after his departure from Warner Bros. Records, it emphasized the comedic aspect of his lyrics more than ever before, beginning a period of increased record sales and mainstream media attention. The album featured more of Zappa's satirical and otherwise humorous or offensive material. "I Have Been in You" pokes fun at Peter Frampton's 1977 hit "I'm in You" while maintaining a sexually driven structure. "Dancin' Fool", a Grammy nominee, became a popular disco hit despite its obvious parodical reflection of disco music."Flakes" parodies in parts Bob Dylan's Musical Style. "Jewish Princess", a humorous look at Jewish stereotyping, attracted attention from the Anti-Defamation League, to which Zappa denied an apology, arguing: "Well, I didn't make up the idea of a Jewish Princess. They exist, so I wrote a song about them". Some of Zappa's solos from the album began life as improvisations from Zappa's earlier work. "Rat Tomago" was edited from a performance of "The Torture Never Stops", which originally appeared on Zoot Allures; "The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" likewise from a live "Little House I Used to Live In", originally a Burnt Weeny Sandwich track. The song "City of Tiny Lites" featured an animation video made by Bruce Bickford which featured on the Old Grey Whistle Test. Almost entirely live, the album features two short studio recordings, both falling under a minute, which open and close "Rat Tomago". "Rubber Shirt" was heavily doctored by Zappa in the studio using bits and pieces of Terry Bozzio and Patrick O'Hearn's drum and bass playing, respectively. Aside from some overdubs, these are the only exceptions.

Track listing

All songs by Frank Zappa except "Rubber Shirt" by Bozzio/O'Hearn/Zappa.

1. "I Have Been in You" – 3:33
2. "Flakes" – 6:41
3. "Broken Hearts Are for Assholes" – 3:42
4. "I'm So Cute" – 3:09 (1995 CD) 4:20 (Vinyl and EMI CD)
5. "Jones Crusher" – 2:49
6. "What Ever Happened to All the Fun in the World" – 0:33
7. "Rat Tomago" – 5:15
8. "Wait a Minute" – 0:33
   • Originally titled "We've Got to Get into Something Real" on vinyl releases of Sheik Yerbouti.
9. "Bobby Brown Goes Down" – 2:49 (song sample, 600Kb)
   • Originally titled "Bobby Brown" on vinyl releases of Sheik Yerbouti.
10. "Rubber Shirt" – 2:45
11. "The Sheik Yerbouti Tango" – 3:56
12. "Baby Snakes" – 1:50
13. "Tryin' to Grow a Chin" – 3:31
14. "City of Tiny Lites" – 5:32
15. "Dancin' Fool" – 3:43
16. "Jewish Princess" – 3:16
17. "Wild Love" – 4:09
18. "Yo' Mama" – 12:36

Personnel

• Adrian Belew – Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
• Ed Mann – Percussion, Vocals
• Bob Stone – Digital Remastering
• Terry Bozzio – Drums, Vocals
• Napoleon Murphy Brock – Vocals (bckgr)
• Joe Chiccarelli – Remixing, Overdub Engineer
• Frank Zappa – Guitar, Arranger, Composer, Vocals, Producer, Remixing
• Lynn Goldsmith – Photography, Cover Photo
• Peter Henderson – Engineer
• Andre Lewis – Keyboards, Vocals (bckgr)
• Bob Ludwig – Mastering Engineer
• Tommy Mars – Keyboards, Vocals
• Kerry McNabb – Engineer
• Davey Moire – Vocals, Engineer
• Patrick O'Hearn – Bass, Vocals
• David Ocker – Clarinet
• Randy Thornton [1] – Vocals (bckgr)
• John Williams – Art Direction
• Gail Zappa – Photography
• Amy Bernstein – Artwork, Layout Design
• Peter Wolf – Keyboards
• Barbara Isaak – Assistant
• Randy Thornton – Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)

Cover Band

A Frank Zappa tribute band called Sheik Yerbouti performed on the final weekend of July, at ORWOhaus in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district of Berlin, to celebrate the renaming of Street 13 to "Frank-Zappa-Straße" in honor of Frank Zappa.