Burnt Weeny Sandwich

Burnt Weeny Sandwich is the seventh album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, and the ninth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It consists of both studio and live recordings. Following the Mothers' split in late 1969, Zappa assembled two albums of unreleased recordings by the band - this album and its follow-up Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Burnt Weeny Sandwich focuses mostly on studio recordings and tightly arranged compositions, while Weasels Ripped My Flesh focuses mostly on live recordings and loose/improvisational pieces. Both albums also include some outtakes/leftovers from the sessions for Zappa's 1969 solo album Hot Rats.

The LP included a large triple-folded black and white poster ("The Mothers of Invention Sincerely Regret to Inform You") which has never been reproduced in any of the CD reissues (except the Japanese Ryko mini-lp sleeve editions).

Title
The album's unusual title, Zappa would later say in an interview, comes from an actual snack that he enjoyed eating, consisting of a burnt Hebrew National hot dog sandwiched between two pieces of bread with mustard.

In 1975, Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh were reissued together on vinyl as 2 Originals of the Mothers of Invention, with the original covers used as the left and right sides of the inner spread, and the front cover depicting a revolver shooting toothpaste onto a toothbrush.

Album information
The album was essentially a 'posthumous' Mothers release having been released after Frank Zappa dissolved the band.

Ian Underwood's contributions are significant on this album. Like its counterpart Weasels Ripped My Flesh, this comprises tracks from the Mothers vault that were not previously released. Whereas Weasels mostly showcases the Mothers in a live setting, much of Burnt Weeny Sandwich features studio work and structured Zappa compositions, like the centerpiece of the album, "Little House I Used to Live In", which consists of several movements and employs compound meters such as 11/8 with overlaid melodies in 6/8 and 4/4. The ending section of "Little House" features an organ solo played by Zappa with the band at Whitney Studios in Glendale, California.

The guitar solo portion of the "Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich" is an outtake from an unused extended version of "Lonely Little Girl" from the 1967 sessions for the We're Only in It for the Money LP. Zappa and Art Tripp later added multiple percussion overdubs for the released version (The source recordings for the percussion overdubs were issued in 2012 on the posthumous Zappa release Finer Moments under the title "Enigmas 1-5").

"Valarie" was originally intended to be released as a single coupled with "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama". However, either Zappa or his distributor, Reprise Records, cancelled its release, resulting in its inclusion on the LP.

"Igor's Boogie" is a reference to a major Zappa influence, composer Igor Stravinsky.

Cal Schenkel has noted that his unique cover art for Burnt Weeny Sandwich was originally commissioned for the cover of an Eric Dolphy release.

The piano introduction of "Little House I Used to Live in" appears in Yvar Mikhashoff's four CD set "Yvar Mikhashoff's Panorama of American Piano Music".

Personnel

 * Frank Zappa – guitar, organ, vocals
 * Jimmy Carl Black – percussion, drums
 * Roy Estrada – bass, backing vocals, Pachuco rap on "WPLJ"
 * Janet Ferguson – backing vocals on "WPLJ"
 * Bunk Gardner – wind
 * Buzz Gardner - trumpet
 * Billy Mundi – drums (uncredited, left group in December 1967, pictured on gatefold cover and possibly played on "Theme from Burnt Weeny Sandwich")
 * Lowell George – guitar, vocals
 * Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violin on "Little House I Used to Live In"
 * Don Preston – piano, keyboards
 * Jim Sherwood – wind
 * Art Tripp – drums, percussion
 * Ian Underwood – piano, keyboards, wind
 * John Balkin – bass on "WPLJ", string bass on "Overture to a Holiday in Berlin"

Production

 * Producer: Frank Zappa
 * Engineer: Dick Kunc
 * Arranger: Frank Zappa
 * Design: John Williams
 * Cover art: Cal Schenkel
 * CD package design: Ferenc Dobronyl
 * CD art adaptation: Cal Schenkel

Charts
Album - Billboard (United States)