Like Father? : Check List ****<i> Great Balls of Fire</i> ***<i> Good Vibrations</i> **<i> Maybe Baby</i> *<i> Running on Empty </i>

** 1/2DWEEZIL ZAPPA. “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama.” Chrysalis. If you want to know the difference between 18-year-old Dweezil and his notorious dad Frank, don’t bother comparing the son’s version of the title song with his father’s 1970 original. It’s a pretty straightforward rocker by Frank Zappa standards, and Dweezil only modernizes it a bit. Instead, compare Dweezil’s well-meaning but stiff social commentary in such songs as “Before I Get Old” and “Nasty Bizness” with Frank’s highly caustic, satirical efforts. While Dweezil’s second album is long on adolescent earnestness, it’s pretty short on adolescent humor--which is still one of middle-aged Frank’s featured attractions. And though he’s a gifted guitarist in the post-Eddie Van Halen tradition, Dweezil’s playing reflects the precision and discipline of Frank’s hired hands rather than Frank’s own imagination. On the other hand, Dweezil has written a couple of pretty keen love songs--something his dad has never really done, adolescent or otherwise.