Zappa/Shankar

Do you see what they are

Do you hear what they say

People it is sad but true

They're dressed really stupid

But they think they're O.K.

And they got no use for you

The dead girls of London

Why do they act that way?



Maybe it's the water, mama

Maybe it's the tea

Maybe it's the way they was raised

Maybe it's the stuff what they read in the papers

Keeps them lookin' sorta half in a daze

Well the dead girls of London

Why do they act that way?



We're the dead girls of London

We thinks we are fine

We ain't hittin' on nothin'

But the boutique frame of mind



You see 'em dancing at the disco every night

Like a bunch of little robot queens

Making little noises full of fake delight

But they're really just so full of beans

The dead girls of London

Why do they act that way?



We're the dead girls of London

We thinks we are fine

We ain't hittin' on nothin'

But the boutique frame of mind



Boutique frame of mind

Gee I like your pants

Boutique frame of mind

Gee I like your pants

Boutique frame of mind

Gee I like your pants







Glossary entry for

Zappa, Frank



There was once an abortive collaboration between Frank Zappa and Van, as recounted in the following contribution by Dave LePine:

Frank Zappa had been under dubious contract with Warner Brothers at one time, and he had an album nearly ready for release. He was actually 'between' contracts, and another record company had made test-pressings of this material. Warner Brothers sued the new record company, and out of frustration, Zappa played the entire album on the air of an FM radio station. I think this was in the late 70's, but I don't exactly recall.

In any case, the first time I heard the recording, I knew it was Van singing the first song on the album - Dead Girls Of London. I know Van was on Warner Brothers at the time - maybe this was part of his contractual obligation. It's a strange thought to have Van on a Zappa album, but he does have a sense of humor....



The album was intended to be titled Leatherette, and may have been released by his own record company much more recently. Much of the material showed up on Sheik Yerbouti, but without Van. (Arthur Siegel notes that Dead Girls Of London was re-recorded and released on an album produced by Zappa for L.Shankar, Touch Me There, in 1979. Van isn't on that album.)





Apparently the song has appeared on at least one Van (vinyl) boot: Caledonian Impressions (Studio outtakes) and at least one Zappa boot: Another Cheap Aroma. One list member describes it as definitely the toughest song I've heard [Van] do. It's to my judgement much more rock & roll than anything else. It has a loud/significant female vocal backing group and a screaming solo guitar unheared of elsewhere (in Van's production)





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Biffy the Elephant Shrew clarifies the above somewhat:

The legendary album Zappa played on the radio, and which was indeed recently released by Rykodisc, was actually called Läther, and did not contain Dead Girls Of London or any other Van Morrison involvement (see my web site devoted to this album at http://members.aol.com/biffyshrew/lather.html. Leatherette is a bootleg containing the material from Läther that was not released on the DiscReet albums (see that web site), plus Dead Girls Of London and some interviews; that's where the confusion is coming from.

The 1979 Touch Me There Zappa album is the album Dead Girls Of London was recorded for in the first place. It was originally recorded with Van, but Warner Brothers, then in the middle of an acrimonious lawsuit with Zappa, refused permission to release this version. Zappa then replaced Van's vocal with his own for the released version. (Same backing track, though.