Sheik Yerbouti
| Sheik Yerbouti | ||||
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| Live album with studio elements by Frank Zappa | ||||
| Released | March 3, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | Mostly: Jan. 25–28 & Feb. 28 1978 – Hammersmith Odeon, London; Oct. 28–31, 1977 – The Palladium, New York City |
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| Genre | Progressive rock, hard rock, instrumental rock, comedy rock, parody of disco and punk rock | |||
| Length | 72:33 | |||
| Label | Zappa, CBS International | |||
| Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
| Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sheik Yerbouti | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) |
| Robert Christgau | (C) |
Sheik Yerbouti is a double album by Frank Zappa made up of material recorded in 1977 and 1978. It was first released on March 3, 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records.
Sheik Yerbouti represented a major turning point in Zappa's career. It was the first album to be released on his own eponymous label after his departure from Warner Bros. Records. It emphasized the comedic aspect of his lyrics more than ever before, beginning a period of increased record sales and mainstream media attention. Sheik Yerbouti remains Zappa's biggest selling album worldwide with over 2 million units sold to date.
The title is a play on words; Zappa appears on the cover in character in Arab headdress, and the name, meant to resemble an Arabic transcription, is pronounced like the title of KC and the Sunshine Band's 1976 disco hit "Shake Your Booty".
The album featured Zappa's satirical, humorous and otherwise offensive material. "Bobby Brown" is well-known worldwide, except for the US. This is because the song was banned from airplay due to its sexually explicit lyrics. "I Have Been in You" pokes fun at Peter Frampton's 1977 hit "I'm in You" while maintaining a sexually driven structure. "Dancin' Fool", a Grammy nominee, became a popular disco hit despite its obvious parodical reflection of disco music. "Flakes", about the lousiness of laborers in California, includes a parody of Bob Dylan. "Jewish Princess", a humorous look at Jewish stereotyping, attracted attention from the Anti-Defamation League, to which Zappa denied an apology, arguing: "Unlike the unicorn, such creatures do exist—and deserve to be 'commemorated' with their own special opus".
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Wikipedia