ROSEBUD

Rosebud 6/10

In 1969, Frank Zappa released an arcane but magical psych-folk record on his Straight label by Judy Henske and Jerry Yester called Farewell Aldebaran. It sold few copies, but has since developed a cult following and was an Uncut reissue of the month last year. Even more obscure is the follow-up the duo recorded two years later under the name Rosebud, expanded to a quintet by ex-Turtles drummer John Seite, bassist David Vaught and keyboardist Craig Doerge, best known as a James Taylor/Jackson Browne sideman and who succeeded Yester as Henske’s husband. The augmented lineup resulted in a muting of Farewell Aldebaran’s outré tendencies in favour of a fashionable countryish soft-rock shtick. It works pleasingly enough in places, notably on the cowboy-synth hybrid of “Reno”, the bubblegum country of “The Yum Yum Man” and the baroque chamber-pop harmonies of “Le Soleil”. But what’s missing is the sense of wide-eyed mystery that made Farewell Aldebaran so singular and special. Although it’s hardly mainstream, it’s probably the most conventional record Zappa’s label ever released – and therein lies the disappointment.