Rock, Metal

Frank Zappa - Finer Moments (2012)

2013-01-04T17:18:41Z

Frank Zappa - Finer Moments (2012)

CD1:
01. Intro - 1:20
02. Sleazette - 3:33
03. Mozart Piano Sonata In Bb - 6:21
04. The Walking Zombie Music - 3:23
05. The Old Curiosity Shoppe - 7:07
06. You Never Know Who Your Friends Are - 2:20
07. Uncle Rhebus - 17:45

CD2:
01. Music From The Big Squeeze - 0:42
02. Enigmas 1 Thru 5 - 8:15
03. Pumped And Waxed - 4:19
04. There Is No Heaven From Where Slogans Go To Die - 4:37
05. Squeeze It Squeeze It Squeeze It - 3:17
06. The Subcutaneous Peril - 19:41

Jimmy Carl Black 	Drums
Aynsley Dunbar 	Drums
Roy Estrada 	Bass, Vocals
Bunk Gardner 	Sax (Tenor), Woodwind
Buzz Gardner 	Trumpet
Lowell George 	Guitar
Bob Harris 	Keyboards
Howard Kaylan 	Cowbell, Tambourine
Jim Pons 	Bass
Don Preston 	Keyboards, Mini Moog
Dave Samuels 	Vibraphone
Motorhead Sherwood 	Sax (Baritone)
Art Tripp 	Percussion
Arthur Dyer Tripp III 	Drums, Percussion
Ian Underwood 	Clarinet, Keyboards, Piano, Sax (Alto), Woodwind
Mark Volman 	Cowbell, Tambourine
Frank Zappa 	Conductor, Guitar, Instrumentation, Title, Vocals

Finer Moments is a curious but mostly excellent compilation of (mostly) instrumental odds and ends put together by FZ in 1972 that went (mostly) unreleased until 2012. Disc one concentrates on the 1968-1969 Mothers. The first four tracks are from a 1969 Royal Albert Hall show that was partially documented in the film Uncle Meat. "Sleazette" is a great guitar solo, but the Mozart piece loses quite a bit without the "ballet" visuals. "The Wailing Zombie Music" sounds part-composed/part-conducted improvisation. "The Old Curiosity Shoppe" is a nice jam from 1971 featuring some nice wah-wah alto sax from Ian Underwood and wicked soloing from FZ. This also might be the first time Zappa excerpted the solo portion of a tune and retitled it (as he did for nearly every track on the Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar series). In this case, it's probably "Little House I Used to Live In." "Uncle Rebus" is another one of these, this time using the solos from "King Kong" at the Ark in Boston in 1968 (previously released as part of Beat the Boots!, Vol. 2).

It doesn't say it in the liner notes, but "Music from the Big Squeeze" is actually the soundtrack to the Luden's cough drop commercial that won Frank a Clio award. "Enigmas 1-5" is a cool series of percussion duets with FZ and Art Tripp (both of whom were very well-versed in orchestral percussion). "Pumped and Waxed" shifts gears considerably. It's a really cool keyboard/synth piece that Zappa did in his basement studio that could easily be the soundtrack for a '50s sci-fi B-movie. Then it's back to the 1969 band, during Lowell George's brief stint in the Mothers. "There Is No Heaven Where Slogans Go to Die" is a spooky, improv-sounding piece with Dave Samuels guesting on vibes while "Squeeze It, Squeeze It, Squeeze It" is Roy Estrada's laughing/hysterics/"Oh God!" schtick (this track was also previously released on the Mystery Disc). "The Subcutaneous Peril" is from 1971 and ends the set on a high note. It also sounds like the vamp from "Little House I Used to Live In" but Don Preston in place of Bob Harris gives it a very different flavor.

Finer Moments has some amazing moments, some that are more curious/interesting and a couple that are sub-par for one reason or another. It's also an interesting glimpse of Zappa's creative process, as this was the first time he used parts of existing compositions as "new" compositions as well as the first time he assembled an album from such disparate sources, but ultimately chose to not release it. It's a minor quibble (and hard to go against Frank's choices) but the elimination of the previously released "Squeeze It, Squeeze It, Squeeze It" would have allowed this set to be released as a single disc. Even so, there's enough great material to please a hardcore fan. But if you're not a hardcore fan, there are better places to start. ---Sean Westergaard, AllMusic Review

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Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III (1987)

2010-09-06T22:44:19Z

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III (1987)

Act I
1-01 	The Central Scrutinizer 	3:28
1-02 	Joe's Garage 	6:10
1-03 	Catholic Girls 	4:26
1-04 	Crew Slut 	6:31
1-05 	Fembot In A Wet T-Shirt 	4:45
1-06 	On The Bus 	4:19
1-07 	Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? 	2:36
1-08 	Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up 	5:43
1-09 	Scrutinizer Postlude 	1:35
Act II
1-10 	A Token Of My Extreme 	5:30
1-11 	Stick It Out 	4:34
1-12 	Sy Borg 	8:56
2-01 	Dong Work For Yuda	5:03
2-02 	Keep It Greasey 	8:22
2-03 	Outside Now	(Bass – Patrick O'Hearn)	5:50
Act III
2-04 	He Used To Cut The Grass 	8:35
2-05 	Packard Goose 	11:34
2-06 	Watermelon In Easter Hay 	9:09
2-07 	A Little Green Rosetta 	8:15

Personel:
Bass, Vocals - Arthur Barrow 
Drums, Other [Combustile Vapors] - Vinnie Colaiuta 
Guitar [Slide], Vocals - Denny Walley 
Harmonica - Craig Steward 
Keyboards - Peter Wolf , Tommy Mars 
Lead Guitar, Vocals, Producer - Frank Zappa 
Lead Vocals - Ike Willis 
Percussion - Ed Mann 
Rhythm Guitar, Vocals - Warren Cucurullo 
Saxophone [Baritone] - Marginal Chagrin 
Saxophone [Bass] - Stumuk 
Saxophone [Tenor] - Jeff 
Vocals - Al Malkin , Dale Bozzio

The superlative repackaging and remastering undertaken by Ryko has put the original three-part, two-record set of this magnificent nonsense tale together for the first time. This is back to the madness of Freak Out, with more pop and doo-wop bursting through all the complicated stuff, letting you know that Zappa could write a hit single, if he could be bothered to do so. Joe's Garage is a hoot and harmlessly pornographic. The sleeve-note states that it is "a stupid story about how the government is trying to do away with music". It is absolutely no coincidence that throughout, the listener mistakes the "scrutiniser" as the "scrotumiser". Zappa was that rude, and that funny.

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Frank Zappa - Strictly Commercial - The Best Of Frank Zappa (1995)

2010-08-25T13:43:35Z

Frank Zappa - Strictly Commercial - The Best Of Frank Zappa (1995)


01. Peaches En Regalia
02. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
03. Dancin' Fool
04. San Ber'dino
05. Dirty Love
06. My Guitar Wants To Kill You Mama
07. Cosmik Debris
08. Trouble Every Day
09. Disco Boy
10. Fine Girl
11. Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
12. Let's Make The Water Turn Black
13. I'm The Slime
14. Joe's Garage
15. Bobby Brown Goes Down
16. Montana
17. Valley Girl
18. Be In My Video
19. Muffin Man

For all of his many attributes, one thing Frank Zappa most certainly was not is commercial. Presumably, the title of this collection is ironic. Strictly Commercial: The Best of Frank Zappa is a compilation not of the composer's hits -- he only broke the Top 40 on one occasion, with "Valley Girl" -- but rather, a collection of his best-known material, from "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" to "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace." Zappa's albums often function as individual works, but this disc offers an intelligent selection of songs, serving as an introduction to the maverick musician. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo (1972)

2012-01-19T19:21:43Z

Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo (1972)


01. The Grand Wazoo – 13:18
02. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) – 6:06
03. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus – 2:57				play
04. Eat That Question – 6:42
05. Blessed Relief – 7:58

Personnel:
- Frank Zappa – guitar, percussion, vocals, producer
- Janet Neville-Ferguson – vocals 
- Sal Marquez – trumpet, vocals, brass 
- Earl Dumler, Tony "Bat Man" Ortega, Johnny Rotella,
  Fred Jackson, Joanne Caldwell McNabb – woodwinds 
- Malcolm McNabb – trombone 
- Ken Shroyer – trombone, contractor and spiritual guidance 
- Bob Zimmitti, Alan Estes – percussion 
- Don Preston – Mini-Moog 
- Tony Duran – bottleneck guitar, rhythm guitar 
- Erroneous (Alex Dmochowski) – bass 
- Aynsley Dunbar – drums 
- Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone 
- Mike Altschul - woodwinds 
- George Duke – keyboards, vocals 
- Chunky (Lauren Wood)– vocals 
- Joel Peskin – woodwinds 
- Lee Clement – gong

Frank Zappa didn't invent the word "wazoo" or proliferate its usage. However, he was the first to use it in an album and song title that, surprisingly, had no accompanying provocative/potentially censorable lyrics. The Grand Wazoo is one of the most playful, scatologic-free and accessible big band jazz/rock CDs that Zappa—or anyone else—recorded. The aural quality of the album possesses a life-affirming spirit, while the intermittent blurps, bleeps and "inside" soap opera buffoonery—once salient features amidst often brilliant instrumental interludes on earlier albums from Freak Out! (Ryko, 1966) through Uncle Meat< (Ryko, 1969)—are notably absent.

Wazoo's grooves are largely straightforward: a moderately slow and jazzy waltz time on "For Calvin (and his next two hitch-hikers)"; a Chicago blues-based shuffle throughout "The Grand Wazoo"; the funk-ridden and mock-operatic "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus"; fusionesque "Eat That Question"; and upbeat jazz waltz of "Blessed Relief." "Wazoo's" story overall is purely metaphorical—more imaginative and surreal, less didactic and devoid of Zappa's later cynicism and spitefulness.

Many fans and critics have claimed that Zappa's Waka/Jawaka (Ryko, 1972) is The Grand Wazoo's "twin brother." If so, Wazoo is surely "their mother's favorite son." Waka/Jawaka's largest opus, "Big Swifty," lacks the cohesiveness, focus and drive of "The Grand Wazoo," tending to ramble on for over 17 minutes. "The Grand Wazoo," in contrast, features strong ensemble work and exceptional solos by Zappa, trombonist Bill Byers and trumpeter Sal Marquez. Where "Big Swifty" loses focus, the relentlessly swinging impetus of "The Grand Wazoo" remains riveting, for its entire 13 minutes. Nothing on Waka/Jawaka is as hilarious or frenetically propulsive as "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus"; the great Spike Jones would, no doubt, have been a huge fan of Ernie Watts' outrageous "mystery horn" solo.

"Eat That Question," musically the least substantive composition of this set, is based around a repeating, bluesy four-bar phrase initially stated by George Duke on electric piano. Zappa joins Duke in unison, followed by inspired solos from both players. The tune closes with the same four-bar phrase, now with horns in a mock bogus martial fanfare. "For Calvin (and his next two hitchhikers)"—the only tune on the CD with actual lyrics—is purposely meandering (in support of its screwy story line) until about two-thirds of the way through, after which some relatively complex and intense yet fun ensemble work is featured.

It's been said before that the CD's final cut, "Blessed Relief," is perhaps Zappa's most unabashedly beautiful work. While this may be true, it's hard not to visualize—especially in the A section—carefree, cavorting Charlie Brown and Snoopy-like characters returning home after an adventurous day. A surprisingly innocent and simple image for a Frank Zappa tune to evoke.

Thankfully, "The Grand Wazoo" is purely music for music's sake and for the sake of modern music we have this classic release available to remind us what great ensemble writing and performing is all about. ---Eric Pettine, allaboutjazz.com

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Frank Zappa – Bongo Fury (1975)

2011-10-16T18:22:22Z

Frank Zappa Beefheart Mothers – Bongo Fury (1975)


1. Debra Kadabra (live) - 3:54
2. Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy (live) - 5:59
3. Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top (live) - 3:21
4. Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead (live) - 2:32		play
5. 200 Years Old - 4:32
6. Cucamonga - 2:24											play
7. Advance Romance (live) - 11:17
8. Man With The Woman Head (live) - 1:28
9. Muffin Man (live) - 5:32

Personnel:
- Frank Zappa - lead guitar, vocals
- Captain Beefheart - harp, vocals, shopping bags
- George Duke - keyboards, vocals
- Napoleon Murphy Brock - saxophone, vocals
- Bruce Fowler - trombone, fantastic dancing
- Tom Fowler - bass, also dancing
- Denny Walley - slide guitar, vocals
- Terry Bozzio - drums, moisture
- Chester Thompson - drums (5, 6)

Bongo Fury is a mostly live album released by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 & 21, 1975 at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Studio tracks were recorded in January 1975 (during the sessions which produced One Size Fits All and much of Studio Tan).

The album is a notable entry in Zappa's discography because it was the last to feature a majority of his early 1970s band, which appeared on Apostrophe (') and Roxy & Elsewhere. Napoleon Murphy Brock's vocals are featured both on the sprawling "Advance Romance" as well as on the three-part harmonies of "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy". Captain Beefheart, in his only tour with Zappa's band, delivers vocals on several tracks, including his two short prose readings "Sam With the Showing Scalp Flat Top" and "Man With the Woman Head." Bongo Fury also marks the first appearance of Terry Bozzio, who would become Zappa's featured drummer between 1975 and 1978. Wikipedia

In 1975 guitarist and composer Frank Zappa asked composer and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart to join him and his band on their 1975 tour. The tour resulted in the release of one album, Bongo Fury, which featured recordings from two nights in May 1975 at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas, as well as recordings from a Frank Zappa studio sessions in January 1974. This would be Zappa and Beefheart’s only true full-fledged release, though Zappa is credited for the production of Beefheart’s masterpiece 1969 album Trout Mask Replica and Beefheart has contributed vocals and various instrumentation to different Zappa releases. ---last.fm

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Frank Zappa – Greasy Love Songs (2010)

2010-10-21T21:00:28Z

Frank Zappa – Greasy Love Songs (2010)


01. Cheap Thrills (Original Mix) (2:22)
02. Love Of My Life (Original Mix) (3:09)
03. How Could I Be Such A Fool (Original Mix) (3:34)
04. Deseri (Original Mix) (2:06)                         play
05. I’m Not Satisfied (Original Mix) (4:03)
06. Jelly Roll Gum Drop (Original Mix) (2:20)
07. Anything (Original Mix) (3:04)
08. Later That Night (Original Mix) (3:05)
09. You Didn’t Try To Call Me (Original Mix) (3:56)
10. Fountain Of Love (Original Mix) (3:01)
11. ‘No. No. No.’ (Original Mix) (2:29)
12. Anyway The Wind Blows (Original Mix) (2:57)
13. Stuff Up The Cracks (Original Mix) (4:34)
14. Jelly Roll Gum Drop (Alternate Mix) (2:17)
15. ‘No. No. No.’ (Alternate Mix) (3:06)
16. Stuff Up The Cracks (Alternate Mix) (6:05)
17. ‘Serious Fan Mail’ (Dialogue) (5:10)
18. Valerie (Alternate Early Version) (3:03)
19. Jelly Roll Gum Drop (Single Version) (2:24)
20. ‘Secret Greasing’ (Dialogue) (3:36)
21. Love Of My Life (Cucamonga Version) (2:05)     play

Ray Collins 	Guitar, Vocals
Roy Estrada 	Bass, Bass (Electric), Vocals
Bunk Gardner 	Sax (Tenor)
Billy Mundi 	Drums
Motorhead Sherwood 	 Sax (Baritone), Tambourine
Ian Underwood 	Piano, Sax (Tenor)
Frank Zappa 	Arranger, Conductor, Guitar, Producer, Vocals

Finally!! Zappa fans have been waiting a long time for this. When Frank prepared the digital masters that were eventually sold to Rykodisc, a number of albums were remixed so they always sounded a bit "odd" to folks who grew up with vinyl or tape. Of these, Cruisin' with Ruben and the Jets and We're Only in It for the Money suffered the most. Frank deemed the bass-and-drum tracks from the multi-tracks unusable, and had Arthur Barrow and Chad Wackerman cut new parts (with some additional acoustic bass from Jay Anderson on Ruben) in 1984. They made no effort to replicate the original parts, so those versions were basically unlistenable to most longtime fans. Frank found a proper stereo mix of Money before he died, but the original mix of Ruben remained a strictly analog artifact until 2010 and the release of Greasy Love Songs.

Releasing an album of '50s-style doo wop and R&B in 1968 at the height of psychedelia was (and may still be) viewed as a joke, but this album is no joke. Some of the lyrics may parody the lyrical and social conventions of the '50s, but Zappa loved this music and it shows. According to Frank ("Serious Fan Mail"), promo copies were sent out to oldies radio stations at the time (with no mention of the Mothers) and they were very well received...until word got out. Some of these songs may be funny, but "Anything" is as beautiful as any song in the genre (Ray Collins' lead vocal is pure gold). Since the tunes are fairly simple, it's Frank's arranging skills that are really on display. Four tunes from Freak Out! are totally rearranged for Ruben, and all the doo wop vocal parts are wonderful. But there are also some cool things going on below the surface, too, like some of the rhythmic accents from the drums or the backing vocals on "Fountain of Love" singing the opening melody from Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring."

As for the bonus material, there are a couple alternate mixes of "Jelly Roll Gum Drop" and earlier versions of "Love of My Life" (Studio Z!) and "Valerie." "Secret Greasing" is FZ doing a dramatic reading in a radio station of The Story of Ruben and the Jets from the LP jacket while the alternate version of "Stuff Up the Cracks" adds about a minute-and-a-half to Frank's outro guitar solo! There's also a lecture/interview collage with lots of interesting items including Frank mentioning that he had booked studio time the following week to record a sequel to Ruben! The sound on Greasy Love Songs is spectacular: mint vinyl probably wouldn't sound as good. The packaging is really nice, too. The wait was too long, but thanks to Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the original vinyl mix of Cruisin' with Ruben & the Jets has finally entered the digital age. ---Sean Westergaard, AllMusic Review

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Zappa Plays Zappa - Vienna 2009

2010-02-05T14:12:30Z

Zappa Plays Zappa - Vienna 2009

Disc1: 
01 [talking] 
02 The Mammy Anthem 
03 Penguin In Bondage 
04 Magic Fingers 
05 Montana 
06 Village Of The Sun 
07 Echidna's Arf 
08 Don't You Ever Wash That Thing 
09 Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station 
10 Inca Roads 
11 Black Page #1 
12 [DZ on the Black Page] 
13 Black Page #2 
14 Lucille 
15 Outside Now 

Disc2: 
01 [talking] 
02 Cosmik Debris 
03 [DZ on "Fuck The Swedes"] 
04 Bamboozled By Love 
05 King Kong pt.1 
06 King Kong pt.2 
07 [crowd participation] 
08 King Kong pt.3 
09 King Kong pt.4 
10 Zomby Woof % 
11 [talking] $ 
12 Peaches En Regalia 
13 Willie The Pimp 

% fade out at the end (disc swap) 
$ fade in at beginning (disc swap)

Dweezil Zappa - guitar
Scheila Gonzalez - saxophone, flute, keyboards, vocals
Pete Griffin - bass
Billy Hulting - marimba, mallets, percussion
Jamie Kime - guitar
Joe Travers - drums, vocals
Ben Thomas - lead vocals

Zappa Plays Zappa 
2009/06/02 
Arena 
Vienna, Austria

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