You Are What You Is was another of Frank Zappa's periodic post-Over-Nite Sensation efforts that concentrated on tight songwriting supported by satirical lyrics.
Originally a two-record set featuring 20 songs, You Are What You Is skewered a variety of targets, from teenagers, punk rock, disco, and country music to the media, yuppies, the beauty-and-fitness industry, upper-class vice, religious hypocrisy, suicide, and the military draft -- all the trappings of Reagan-era America.
Occasionally, Zappa's satirical points seem ill-thought-out, if not unnecessarily malicious; "Jumbo Go Away" is perhaps the most offensive song in Zappa's huge canon of potentially offensive songs, a tale of a whining, VD-riddled groupie who is portrayed as deserving the punch in the face she gets from an irritated musician.
Despite that misstep, though, You Are What You Is is quite ambitious in scope and in general one of Zappa's most accessible later-period efforts; it's a showcase for his songwriting skills and his often acute satirical perspective, with less of the smutty humor that some listeners find off-putting.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harder Than Your HusbandFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 2 | DoreenFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 3 | Goblin GirlFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | Theme from the 3rd Movement of Sinister FootwearFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | Society PagesFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 02:26 | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| 6 | I'm a Beautiful GuyFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 01:56 | 4 MB | 13 MB |
| 7 | Beauty Knows No PainFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Charlie's Enormous MouthFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | ConeheadFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | You Are What You IsFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 11 | Mudd ClubFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | The Meek Shall Inherit NothingFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 13 | Dumb All OverFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 14 | Heavenly Bank AccountFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 15 | Suicide ChumpFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 16 | Jumbo Go AwayFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 17 | If Only She WouldaFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 18 | Drafted AgainFrank Zappa | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 19 | Teenage Wind | Frank Zappa | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 20 | Any Downers | Frank Zappa | Play | 02:08 | 4 MB | 15 MB |
| 67 mins | 154 MB | |||||
| 67 mins | 489 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmet | Vocals |
| 2 | Arthur Barrow | Bass |
| 3 | Amy Bernstein | Artwork |
| 4 | Jimmy Carl Black | Drums, Guest Artist, Percussion, Vocals |
| 5 | Vinnie Colaiuta | Percussion |
| 6 | George Douglas | Assistant Engineer |
| 7 | Jo Hansch | Mastering |
| 8 | Bob Harris | Keyboards, Soprano (Vocal), Trumpet, Vocals |
| 9 | John Livzey | Cover Photo, Photography |
| 10 | David Logerman | Drums |
| 11 | Ed Mann | Percussion |
| 12 | Tommy Mars | Keyboards, Vocals |
| 13 | Moon | Vocals |
| 14 | Thomas Nordegg | Engineer |
| 15 | David Ocker | Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass) |
| 16 | Mark Pinske | Engineer, Vocals |
| 17 | Dennis Sager | Digital Engineer |
| 18 | Jim Sherwood | Guitar, Sax (Tenor), Vocals, Wind |
| 19 | Motorhead Sherwood | Sax (Tenor), Vocals |
| 20 | Allen Sides | Engineer |
| 21 | Craig Stewart | Harmonica |
| 22 | Bob Stone | Digital Remastering, Remixing |
| 23 | Steve Vai | Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Steel) |
| 24 | John Vince | Artwork, Graphic Design |
| 25 | Chad Wackerman | Drums |
| 26 | Denny Walley | Slide Guitar, Vocals |
| 27 | Ray White | Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals |
| 28 | Ike Willis | Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals |
| 29 | Ahmet Zappa | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 30 | Frank Zappa | Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 31 | Moon Unit Zappa | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 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). |