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In 1979, Frank Zappa took a shine to an Eastern Indian rock/jazz violinist, L. Shankar. So much so that he produced an album with him, "Touch Me There." Not only does Frank produce, but he also co-writes half of the album and performs on one cut, "Dead Girls of London." So, not surprisingly, this disc sounds like much of the material Zappa was releasing around that time, even though it is technically a "Shankar" album. And, it sounds like a GOOD Zappa album - many of these cuts would feel right at home on late '70s/early '80s titles like "Studio Tan," "Ship Arriving Too Late...," "Lather," "Sleep Dirt," "You Are What You Is," etc. Of course, you must have some degree of musical adventurousness to appreciate the disc - imagine Frank's instrumental rock-jazz-classical fusion with violin solos featuring distinctly Raga Rock/Eastern phrasing. So, if you're open to it, it's great! Shankar's playing is incendiary and the rest of the band is ridiculously tight. "Dead Girls of London" is the most out-and-out Zappa-sounding tune, featuring Zappa vet Ike Willis and Frank on absurd vocals. Other highlights include accordian-laced "No More Mr. Girl" and the reggae-flavored "Knee-Deep in Heaters." At the time of this review, this title is out of print but it does pop up in used CD bins from time to time (honest, I've seen it myself more than once). Originally released on CD through Zappa's Barking Pumpkin label in '92.

01 Dead Girls Of London
02 - Little Stinker
03 - Touch Me there
04 - No More Mr.Nice Girl
05 - Love Gone Away
06 - Darlene
07 - Windy Morning
08 - Knee-Deep In Heaters