https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN1h2w7gqvY#
― EvR, Sunday, 17 November 2013 18:24 (ten years ago) link
oh hai, anybody for the complete Mount St. Mary's concert from 1963?
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/opus_5_young_frank_zappas_early_avant_garde
http://youtu.be/rwoTPS8gbJM
― you make me feel like danzig (WilliamC), Wednesday, 11 February 2015 03:39 (nine years ago) link
getting obsessed with Roxy and Elsewhere, it's such a perfect combo of what make Zappa such an enormous turn-off and why some of us still keep coming back - the band is just locked into this singular groove, Z's playing finds all these different pockets of goodness and just sounds so great, and then...he fuckin'...keeps right on blowing the minds of the sheeple on the mic with the assistance of his entire ensemble. like, they all think the same utterly tiresome schtick isn't just a fine way to bide time between killer playing, but the best way. and at the same time, sometimes, I feel like, well, who gives a shit - "Village of the Sun" is such a total gem, who cares if the people making it are the worst kinda people to be around - but then they keep right on insisting that you're not just gonna listen to their music, you have to take their personalities, warts and all, mainly warts, in the bargain.
but Jesus Christ "Village of the Sun" is killing me.
― tremendous crime wave and killing wave (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:00 (eight years ago) link
I beg you to get Roxy the Movie if you haven't already.
― the beast with 19,157 eyes (WilliamC), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:07 (eight years ago) link
That "Village/Echidna's/Don't You Ever..." segment is one of my most played sides of vinyl ever; I've listened to that thing hundreds of times.
And I got to see The Grandmothers do a spot-on recreation at a festival once.
― Double Nickels on the Pecunidigm (Dan Peterson), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:07 (eight years ago) link
it's just fuckin' unbelievable. still surprising after all these years. but to get to it, you have to really bite your lip through that "Penguin in Bondage" intro...which, at several points, feels actually funny instead of forced-laugh funny: the moments when the band are talking to each other, bouncing off each other...Zappa is the artist about whom I should probably write a long piece that I really don't wanna write
― tremendous crime wave and killing wave (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:09 (eight years ago) link
Anger was one of his four food groups, along with coffee, cigarettes and staff paper — the tragedy of the 1973-74 band, the best band he ever had, was that he seemed to break it up because it didn't feed his anger. Everybody was too fuckin' happy! "Village" and "Cheepnis" were clear cracks in his misanthropy, signs of him taking actual pleasure in the world that wasn't at anyone else's expense.
― the beast with 19,157 eyes (WilliamC), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:20 (eight years ago) link
Yeah the other great stretch is "Cheepnis/Orange County/More Trouble." I never play the "Penguin" side, or "Bebop Tango." That's a 2LP set that could have been a single disc imo.
― Double Nickels on the Pecunidigm (Dan Peterson), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:21 (eight years ago) link
c'mon guys, Pygmy Twylyte is great. Probably the Zappa track that gets stuck in my head most frequently.
― Check Yr Scrobbles (Moodles), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:23 (eight years ago) link
i really like the summer '73 arrangement of "village of the sun" with an intro/outro dropped from later versions, and lead vox by george duke. it's here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx74o-AjmdA
here's a nice version of dummy up featuring soul singer erma coffee guesting on vocals from the "un-concert":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khUu2LGjEg8
― diana krallice (rushomancy), Friday, 22 April 2016 22:47 (eight years ago) link
"Village" and "Cheepnis" were clear cracks in his misanthropy, signs of him taking actual pleasure in the world that wasn't at anyone else's expense.
I don't know about this. As a diehard fan of Roxy and this era of Zappa in general, I always heard "Village of the Sun" as a potshot; the kind of sentiment every rural person suspects is in the thoughts of every snobby so-called "coastal elite." The song is about Palmdale / Lancaster, a place from which Zappa escaped, and I always heard this as him ridiculing the "turkey farmers" who are "all still there"--"I don't know how the people stand it, but I guess they do," etc
― Paul Ponzi, Sunday, 18 February 2018 10:34 (six years ago) link
Listening to the Roxy box now and omg this solo on the first version of Penguin is so fucking hot..... how did he not put this out before? Insane.
― kurt schwitterz, Thursday, 22 February 2018 18:58 (six years ago) link
The Roxy box is pretty much the only Zappa I'm gonna listen to from here on out.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 22 February 2018 22:47 (six years ago) link
i nearly bought a copy of "Just Another Band From L.A." last weekend. i love that version of "Billy the Mountain"
― Hazy Maze Cave (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 22 February 2018 22:58 (six years ago) link
This is so great -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvtvVf8_ITE
― Maresn3st, Monday, 17 February 2020 13:18 (four years ago) link
i guess i can't go on and on about zappa in the beefheart thread so i'm here to talk about how much i, like everyone who's ever encountered them, love the roxy '73 performances, what a fucking band. zappa's an insufferable nerd but at least very few of the songs are about sex (this is what kills over-nite sensation for me even though it is ecstatically played) and did i mention the band???? i was so surprised by the appearance of my man george duke. glad i persevered after nearly being defeated by uncle meat
however i also think this is close to the end of my zappa journey; i'm gonna check bongo fury and then the läther stuff and then i don't really think there's a lot left for me after that. which is fine bc the first incarnation of the mothers -> zappa's jazz/big band records -> the george duke mothers spans a ton of music. i even downloaded the roxy box
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 14:07 (four years ago) link
ranking is totally antithetical to the zappa project but this is where i land so far:
one size fits allroxy & elsewherethe grand wazoohot ratsweasels ripped my fleshburnt weeny sandwichwe're only in it for the moneywaka/jawakaapostrophe (')cruising with ruben and the jetsfreak out!lumpy gravy (orchestra only version)uncle meatover-nite sensationlumpy gravy (musique concrete version)
i like uncle meat more than i've implied in this post and previous ones but also i mainly just like "king kong" "sleeping in a jar" and "dog breath"
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 14:12 (four years ago) link
oh i forgot absolutely free. good record but i think i'd put it after over-nite sensation, another one sunk by its lyrics
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 14:13 (four years ago) link
Brad, have you heard You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore vol. 2? It's a full concert (actually pieced together from more than one show) by that almighty 73-74 band, Helsinki late '74. Really, really good.
― Scampos Runamuck (WmC), Thursday, 20 August 2020 14:39 (four years ago) link
the 73-74 band was a motherfucker. curious about whether you've heard the live grand wazoo release. it's a really interesting one. also, on the hot rats tip, there's one live gig the hot rats group with sugarcane harris did, march 7, 1970 at the olympic theatre. it's a really nice set. it opens with the ten-minute version of "sharleena" featuring sugarcane harris as heard on the "lost episodes" release; one of his finer moments.
there's also a really nice tape of zappa and shuggie otis jamming on acoustic guitars together on the johnny otis show in '70. that's a good one as well.
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 August 2020 14:43 (four years ago) link
and oh, if you like the hot rats band, you should definitely check out the pure food and drug act. sugarcane with the fantastic harvey mandel on lead guitar. the record of theirs i keep coming back to is a live recording from pasadena '71, super stretched out jamming, but for more concise stuff there's a live set of theirs released in '72 as "choice cuts" - i should probably give it another listen!
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 August 2020 14:48 (four years ago) link
wow these recommendations are exactly why i post here, thanks y'all
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 15:14 (four years ago) link
YCDTOSA vol. 2 is great, but the whole "Echidna's Arf" medley is too damn fast compared to Roxy & Elsewhere, which is pretty much my favorite chunk of Zappa.
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 15:30 (four years ago) link
Definitely gonna check out that Wazoo live release.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 15:35 (four years ago) link
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, August 20, 2020 9:48 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink
ooh awesome i picked up a copy of cristo redentor by mandel this year, what a great record.
also came up in the van halen book i just read as the guy eddie picked up two-handed tapping from. (him and george lynch from dokken go see mandel in the mid 70s and it turns both their heads around)
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 20 August 2020 16:22 (four years ago) link
yeah, thanks for the live wazoo tip, Kate. i haven't listened to Läther in a very long time, but recall thinking Greggery Peccary was the best thing on that release
― scampos sacra fames (outdoor_miner), Thursday, 20 August 2020 16:33 (four years ago) link
it's particularly nice for those of you who might not be too fond of zappa's comedy vocals, being an instrumental. (as an early version, there's one part on the release that isn't performed on this version - that piece already existed, though, and appears as "Some Ballet Music" on the beat the boots release "The Ark".)
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:27 (four years ago) link
Listening to Wazoo now and yeah, it's pretty great. (As an aside, I wrote about the Hot Rats box back in February.)
― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:31 (four years ago) link
One thing I like about YCDTOSAv2 is the relatively low "comedy" quotient -- just skip "Room Service" and the rest is gold.
― Scampos Runamuck (WmC), Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:45 (four years ago) link
Harvey Mandel is teh shit, I recommend all his 60s, 70s albums..Live Zappa wise,I like shut up and play your guitarThis live “Dupree’s Paradise” from 1973 is sick:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr6mTloYJJs
― brimstead, Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:48 (four years ago) link
yeah Mandel was an early tapper, he does a lot of really cool things with sustain and stuff
― brimstead, Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:49 (four years ago) link
is shut up and play your guitar all instrumental?
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:52 (four years ago) link
Yeah, except for a bunch of very small interstitial bits that also show up on Sheik Yerbouti and Läther.
― Scampos Runamuck (WmC), Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:54 (four years ago) link
sadly he does those little mini callouts briefly between tracks (fucking dude couldn’t keep his mouth shut) but musically yeah it’s just a bunch of guitar solos from various shows throughout the years
― brimstead, Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:57 (four years ago) link
(Xp)
cool i can live w.that. i wonder if there's a master list of all instrumental only zappa somewhere, that would be ideal for me.
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 20 August 2020 17:57 (four years ago) link
i wonder if there's a master list of all instrumental only zappa somewhere, that would be ideal for me.
Ooh, I was looking for any excuse to once again recommend a bunch of chamber groups doing FZ music in the wake of his death.
Omnibus Wind Ensemble — Music by Frank ZappaEnsemble Ambrosius - The Zappa Album (FZ played on Baroque instruments, fan-fucking-tastic arranging and playing)Le Concert Impromptu – Prophetic Attitude (woodwind quintet)
FZ the composer without the hassle of FZ the misanthrope/"comedian"
― Scampos Runamuck (WmC), Thursday, 20 August 2020 18:03 (four years ago) link
This live “Dupree’s Paradise” from 1973 is sick:
― brimstead
that whole concert is fantastic, there were significant changes in the band over the course of 73-74. particularly the ponty-era band, before napoleon murphy brock came on board they didn't really have a dedicated singer so there's a _lot_ of instrumental stuff. that whole stockholm '73 show is amazing, they do an early version of "bebop tango" in a medley with tunes that would become bits of "greggery peccary" and "cucamonga" called "farther oblivion". parts of the show (but not the whole show) are on the beat the boots release "piquantique".
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 August 2020 18:09 (four years ago) link
surprised at how much i like bongo fury, maybe i shouldn't be bc cap'n beefy is hollerin' all over these jams, like practically screaming, it rules, but also "carolina hardcore ecstasy" is one of the best-written frank zappa songs i've ever heard, and i don't think much of zappa as a "song"writer
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 18:12 (four years ago) link
xpost - wmc - thanks for that list, I would be very interested to hear takes on his work in that context.
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 20 August 2020 19:17 (four years ago) link
Pretty sure I've recommended this in some other non-comedy Zappa context, but Ed Palermo Big Band Plays the Music of Frank Zappa.
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 19:40 (four years ago) link
WmC, I wasn't familiar with Le Concert Impromptu, this is really cool, thanks. It's what I want Zappa's orchestral music to sound like, that often didn't coming from FZ himself.
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 20 August 2020 19:49 (four years ago) link
Just to bring it back to live Zappa since I derailed, I just discovered that Ambrosius has a live album called Zappa Spielt Für Bach – Strictly Baroque. I get a thrill every time I hear their version of "RDNZL," much slower tempo and very elegant.
Dan, I like a lot of the Palermo FZ stuff – the first one from 1997 is much better than Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, imo. Another FZ-performing chamber group is the Meridian Arts Ensemble, a brass quintet + drummer. I actually got to see them play live, which was great. Their CDs I always thought were poorly recorded, but I don't know how easy it is to record a brass ensemble.
― Scampos Runamuck (WmC), Thursday, 20 August 2020 20:42 (four years ago) link
damiano puliti's string arrangement of "alien orifice" (ugh, those fucking song titles) has long been a favorite of mine
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 20 August 2020 20:51 (four years ago) link
oh man, you can't do that on stage anymore 2 is wonderful, thanks y'all
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 21 August 2020 13:15 (four years ago) link
but the whole "Echidna's Arf" medley is too damn fast
they absolutely blast through it (and "village of the sun" too) but i kinda love it
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 21 August 2020 13:16 (four years ago) link
slowed down "pygmy twylyte" is bliss
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 21 August 2020 13:18 (four years ago) link
If you're listening on Spotify or another streamer, you probably haven't read the liner notes, so here's FZ's brief intro to this set:
This concert (does anybody remember the actual place or name of the recording engineer?) was fun, in spite of the fact that Napoleon Murphy Brock had pneumonia, and that Coy Featherstone, our lighting director, had been maced in the face by a guard at the Hotel Hesperia the night before.
The repertoire is basically the same as the Roxy album, however, the ultra-fast tempos on the more difficult tunes demonstrate what happens when a band has played the material for a year, and is so comfortable with it they could probably perform it blindfolded.
This band had a lot of skill (and miserable touring equipment – it was always breaking down, and full of hums and buzzes). In spite of this, it has remained one of the audience's favorite ensembles, and so, for those of you who crave what they used to do, we present a full concert with a little bit of everything – including stuff that you can't do on stage anymore.
― Scampos Runamuck (WmC), Friday, 21 August 2020 13:28 (four years ago) link
lol that also provides context for one of the jokes in "room service"
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 21 August 2020 13:37 (four years ago) link
That Helsinki concert is a long time favorite of mine. Kind of an amazingly crisp recording given the time and circumstances. The guitar solo from the One Size Fits All version of "Inca Roads" was taken from this concert. I'd say the concert overall is pretty much the pinnacle of his guitar playing.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 21 August 2020 15:10 (four years ago) link