Thing-Fish ~ Frank Zappa

Thing-Fish is an album by Frank Zappa, originally released as a triple album box set on Barking Pumpkin Records in 1984. It was billed as a cast recording for a proposed musical of the same name, which was ultimately not produced by Zappa, but later performed partially in 2003, ten years after his death.

The album's storyline is inspired by Broadway theatre, AIDS, eugenics, conspiracy theories, feminism, homosexuality and African American culture. It involves an evil, racist prince/theater critic who creates a disease intended to eradicate African Americans and homosexuals. The disease is tested on prisoners who are turned into "Mammy Nuns" led by the story's narrator, Thing-Fish. The story within a story is a satire of a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant couple, Harry and Rhonda (actually played by Italian-Americans), who attend a play performed by the "Mammy Nuns", and find themselves confronted with their pasts: Harry presented as a homosexual boy, Rhonda presented as a sex doll brought to life.
The story was constructed during the recording sessions, which included producing new overdubs for recordings which previously appeared on Zappa's albums Zoot Allures, Tinseltown Rebellion, You Are What You Is and Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. The release of the album was delayed when Barking Pumpkin Records' previous distributor, MCA, refused to distribute the album. It was instead released by Capitol Records in the United States, accompanied by a "Warning/Guarantee" written by Zappa himself. Thing-Fish was initially received poorly by critics, who criticized the use of previously recorded material, but has since been reappraised for its highly satirical content.
1. Prologue 00:00
2. The Mammy Nuns 02:56
3. Harry & Rhonda 06:27
4. Galoot Up-Date 10:04
5. The 'Torchum' Never Stops 15:31
6. That Evil Prince 26:04
7. You Are What You Is 27:22
8. Mudd Club 31:53
9. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing 35:10
10. Clowns on Velvet 38:25
11. "Harry-As-a-Boy 40:17
12. He's So Gay 42:51
13. The Massive Improve'lence 45:35
14. Artificial Rhonda 50:43
15. The Crab-Grass Baby 54:14
16. The White Boy Troubles 58:02
17. No, Not Now 1:01:36
18. Briefcase Boogie 1:07:26
19. Brown Moses 1:11:37
20. Wistful Wit a Fist-Full 1:14:38
21. Drop Dead 1:18:38
22. Won Ton On 1:26:34