Toad-O-Line

Album: Joe's Garage (1979)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is another very fine instrumental from Zappa's three volume concept album Joe's Garage. Re-issued for the CD as "On the Bus," it is immediately preceded by "Wet T-Shirt Nite." Running to 4 minutes 19 seconds, along with the slower "Watermelon In Easter Hay," Joe's final imaginary guitar solo, it shows the late great Frank Zappa at his finest doing what he did best, in his own words, "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar."

    The track's name comes from Toad-O, the band Mary saw before becoming a groupie. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 1

  • Mkap from PhillyActually, that's TOTO, not Toad-0, although the song was originally titled Toad-o-line. This is a clear dig at TOTO, and their terrible song, "Tow the Line", in a kind of double wordplay, and the amazing guitar solo is based on the first LINE of TOTO's song "Tow the Line", which is repeated maybe three different times in the solo. A very clever put-down of a very terrible band of undeniably good musicians making undeniably bad music.
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