Named after the burnt Hebrew National hot dog sandwich that Zappa enjoyed, Burnt Weeny Sandwich consists of previously unreleased recordings with the original Mothers Of Invention, who Zappa had disbanded before the album's release in 1970. The albums begins and end with vintage covers, "WPLJ" by the Salinas, California R&B group, the Four Deuces, and "Valarie," a 1960 hit for the doo-wop group, Jackie & The Starlites. In between, Zappa worked out several of his most intricate instrumental works to date, including the near 19-minute opus, "Little House I Used To Live," which consists of multiple movements and beautiful piano work from key Zappa contributor, Ian Underwood. The instrumentals on side one are brief by comparison, with several — "Igor's Boogie" (in two phases, a tribute to one of Zappa's heroes, classical composer Igor Stravinski) and "Overture To A Holiday in Berlin" — working as brief interludes to the lengthier instrumental works, "Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich," "Holiday In Berlin, Full-Blown" and "Aybe Sea."