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Thing-Fish
Studio album by Frank Zappa
Released	December 21, 1984
Recorded	1982 – 1984
Genre	Rock
Length	90:58
Label	Barking Pumpkin
Producer(s)	Frank Zappa
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Frank Zappa chronology
Them or Us (1984)	Thing-Fish (1984)	Francesco Zappa (1984)

Thing-Fish is a 1984 concept album from Frank Zappa (released as an "original cast recording"). It was first released as a triple-vinyl recording and later by Rykodisc as a two CD set. It is the soundtrack to a musical that Zappa failed to sell on Broadway and contains many references to famous Broadway musicals and plays.

In promotion of the album and proposed musical, a layout was prepared for Hustler magazine in 1983. Larry Flynt paid a total of $55,000 for the spread and for the Thing-Fish mask and Ob'Dewlla 'X' doll.^[1] Zappa also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman to promote the musical, showing photos of the unfinished mask and doll.^[2][3]

In 2001, a group of students performed a section of Thing-Fish as final year project at LIPA in Liverpool. This production took place with the express permission of Gail Zappa (Frank's widow). Three of these students formed the company Stagecraft Entertainment Ltd. and managed to get Zappa's permission to perform an adaptation of the Musical in London in 2003.^[4][5][6]

Thing-Fish is in the same vein as Joe's Garage and is loosely based on the Tuskegee Experiment, where the effect of syphilis was noted in a poor, black community.

Much of the album's material originates from heavily overdubbed versions of recordings originally released on albums like Tinsel Town Rebellion, Zoot Allures, You Are What You Is, and Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch.

Contents 1 Story 2 Track listing 2.1 Original release (vinyl box set) 2.1.1 Side one 2.1.2 Side two 2.1.3 Side three 2.1.4 Side four 2.1.5 Side five 2.1.6 Side six 2.2 Re-release (1995 on CD) 2.2.1 Disc 1 (Part I) 2.2.2 Disc 2 (Part II) 3 Personnel 3.1 Cast 3.2 Musicians 3.3 Production staff 4 Notes 5 External links

The government has experimented on inmates, turning them into hideous creatures known as "Mammy-Nuns," thanks to a substance known as "Galoot Cologne" (cf. Brut) which was invented by an Evil Prince (and part-time theater critic) to get rid of selected "highly-rhythmic individj'lls an' sissy-boys." Being unable to return to their original jobs, the Mutant Mammy-Nuns are forced to perform in a Broadway musical about their plight.

During a stage show of the Mammy-Nuns, Harry and Rhonda (your average white, middle-class couple) are kidnapped by Mammy-Nuns and are forced to witness and perform many twisted things. In "flashback" segments, we learn that as a boy, Harry briefly became homosexual after he lost all desire for intercourse with females because of the women's liberation movement, before falling in love with a rubber sex doll called "Artificial Rhonda."

1. "Prologue" – 2:56
2. "Mammy Nuns" – 3:31
3. "Harry and Rhonda" – 3:36
4. "Galoot Up-Date" – 5:27

1. "'Torchum' Never Stops" – 10:32
2. "That Evil Prince" – 1:17
3. "You Are What You Is" – 4:31

1. "Mudd Club" – 3:17
2. "Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" – 3:14
3. "Clowns on Velvet" – 1:51
4. "Harry-as-a-Boy" – 2:34
5. "He's So Gay" – 2:44

1. "Massive Improve'lence" – 5:07
2. "Artificial Rhonda" – 3:32
3. "Crab-Grass Baby" – 3:48
4. "White Boy Troubles" – 3:34

1. "No Not Now" – 5:49
2. "Briefcase Boogie" – 4:10
3. "Brown Moses" – 3:01

1. "Wistful Wit a Fist-Full" – 4:00
2. "Drop Dead" – 7:56
3. "Won Ton On" – 4:19

1. "Prologue" – 2:56
2. "Mammy Nuns" – 3:31
3. "Harry and Rhonda" – 3:36
4. "Galoot Up-Date" – 5:27
5. "'Torchum' Never Stops" – 10:32
6. "That Evil Prince" – 1:17
7. "You Are What You Is" – 4:31
8. "Mudd Club" – 3:17
9. "Meek Shall Inherit Nothing" – 3:14
10. "Clowns on Velvet" – 1:51
11. "Harry-as-a-Boy" – 2:34
12. "He's So Gay" – 2:44
13. "Massive Improve'lence" – 5:07
14. "Artificial Rhonda" – 3:32

1. "Crab-Grass Baby" – 3:48
2. "White Boy Troubles" – 3:34
3. "No Not Now" – 5:49
4. "Briefcase Boogie" – 4:10
5. "Brown Moses" – 3:01
6. "Wistful Wit a Fist-Full" – 4:00
7. "Drop Dead" – 7:56
8. "Won Ton On" – 4:19

NOTE: On the original 1986 CD issues, the tracks "The Massive Improve'lence" and "Artificial Rhonda" were at the beginning of Disc 2, rather than the end of Disc 1. The 1995 track listing is closer to the way the songs would appear in a performance of the musical, Artificial Rhonda being the end of the first act. There were two versions of the 1986 Rykodisc CD release—later pressings fix some sound quality problems and add some additional comments by Brown Moses (Johnny "Guitar" Watson) to the song "He's So Gay." The same commentary also appears on a rare EP version of "Won Ton On." Earlier pressings feature the original vinyl mixes of three tracks ("Prologue," "Harry-As-A-Boy" and "He's So Gay"), but are otherwise identical to later pressings.

• Thing-Fish—Ike Willis
• Harry—Terry Bozzio
• Rhonda—Dale Bozzio
• The Evil Prince—Napoleon Murphy Brock
• Harry-As-A-Boy—Bob Harris
• Brown Moses—Johnny "Guitar" Watson
• Owl-Gonkwin-Jane Cowhoon—Ray White

• Frank Zappa – arranger, composer, director, vocals, producer, Synclavier, guitar
• Tommy Mars – keyboards, vocals
• David Ocker – Synclavier
• Mark Pinske – engineer
• Scott Thunes – vocals, bass guitar
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson – vocals, cast
• Ray White – vocals, cast, guitar
• Chuck Wild – piano
• Jay Anderson – string bass
• Ed Mann – percussion
• Chad Wackerman – drums, vocals
• Ike Willis – vocals, cast, guitar
• Dale Bozzio – vocals, cast
• Arthur Barrow – bass guitar
• Terry Bozzio – drums, vocals, cast
• Napoleon Murphy Brock – vocals, cast
• Steve DeFuria – Synclavier
• Bob Harris – keyboards, vocals, cast
• Steve Vai – guitar

• Bob Fletcher – costume design
• Ladi Von Jansky – photography, cover photo
• Bob Stone – engineer

• Release details

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Related articles
Frank Zappa trivia | Frank Zappa discography | The Mothers of Invention