Released soon after the live Roxy & Elsewhere, One Size Fits All contained more of the material premiered during the 1973-1974 tour, but this time largely re-recorded in the studio.
The band remains the same: George Duke, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Chester Thompson, Tom Fowler, and Ruth Underwood.
Johnny "Guitar" Watson overdubbed some vocals and Captain Beefheart (credited as Bloodshot Rollin' Red) played some harmonica ("when present," state the liner notes).
The previous album focused on complex music suites.
This one is more song-oriented, alternating goofy rock songs with more challenging numbers in an attempt to find a juste milieu between Over-Nite Sensation and Roxy & Elsewhere.
"Inca Roads," "Florentine Pogen," "Andy," and "Sofa" all became classic tracks and live favorites.
These are as close to progressive rock (a demented, clownish kind) Zappa ever got.
The obscurity of their subjects, especially the flying saucer topic of "Inca Roads," seem to spoof prog rock clichés.
The high-flying compositions are offset by "Can't Afford No Shoes," "Po-Jama People," and "San Ber'dino," more down-to-earth songs.
Together with Zoot Allures, One Size Fits All can be considered as one of the easiest points of entry into Zappa's discography.
The album artwork features a big maroon sofa, a conceptual continuity clue arching back to a then-undocumented live suite (from which "Sofa" was salvaged) and a sky map with dozens of bogus stars and constellations labeled with inside jokes in place of names.
An essential third-period Zappa album.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inca RoadsFrank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 08:46 | 20 MB | 58 MB |
| 2 | Can't Afford No ShoesFrank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | Sofa No. 1Frank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 4 | Po-Jama PeopleFrank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 07:42 | 17 MB | 49 MB |
| 5 | Evelyn, a Modified DogFrank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 01:04 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 6 | San Ber'dinoFrank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 05:56 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 7 | AndyFrank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 06:02 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 8 | Sofa No. 2Frank Zappa | The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 9 | Florentine Poken | Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention | Play | 05:25 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 42 mins | 98 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 283 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard "Tex" Abel | Assistant |
| 2 | Bloodshot Rollin' Red | Guest Artist, Harmonica |
| 3 | Napoleon Murphy Brock | Flute, Sax (Tenor), Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | George Duke | Guest Artist, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Coy Featherstone | Assistant |
| 6 | Tom Fowler | Bass |
| 7 | Gary O. Jukka | Engineer |
| 8 | Matti Laipio | Assistant |
| 9 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 10 | Kerry McNabb | Engineer |
| 11 | Michael Mesker | Layout |
| 12 | The Mothers of Invention | Primary Artist |
| 13 | Bill Romero | Assistant |
| 14 | Cal Schenkel | Design |
| 15 | Vernon Simpson | Typography |
| 16 | Melanie Starks | Production Manager |
| 17 | Chester Thompson | Drums |
| 18 | Joe Travers | Transfers |
| 19 | Ruth Underwood | Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone |
| 20 | Edgard Varèse | Quotation Author |
| 21 | James "Bird Legs" Watson | Bass |
| 22 | Johnny "Guitar" Watson | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 23 | James Youman | Guest Artist |
| 24 | Frank Zappa | Composer, Guitar, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
The Mothers Of Invention
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |