Studio Tan is one of the most satisfying Zappa releases of the decade. It's a well-balanced sampler of Zappa's unissued '70s work, including two major instrumental compositions, a hilarious parody of Southern California beach music, and a fully orchestrated, characteristically strange operatic piece.

The narrative line of Greggery Peccary, the side-long "opera," follows the misadventures of the title character, a suave, hip young "pig of destiny" engaged in the heinous practice of "trend-mongering." The story leads us into some social commentary that seems rather heavy-handed and dated by now, but a lot of it is genuinely funny, especially if the listener happens to be a sucker for cartoon voices.

Underneath the narrative, however, there's some pretty amazing music, much of which deserves comparison with the work of the major 20th century composers….

Studio Tan … [is] both emotionally satisfying and a lot of fun.

Tim Schneckloth, "Record Reviews...