Once upon a time in America, government oppression inspired protest. Lots of it was angry. Frank Zappa’s was, too, but his mode of expression was mockery, as in this oblique but incisive critique of our 37th president. The track as it appears on “Roxy and Elsewhere” was mostly recorded at Edinboro (Pa.) State College May 8, 1974, days before the Senate hearings into Watergate began (part of Zappa’s solo is from three days later in Chicago). It segues into “More Trouble Every Day,” Zappa’s commentary on the Los Angeles riots. Both songs were adapted from versions that appeared on early LPs, performed here by what many fans consider the best version of the Mothers Zappa ever assembled.
