FZ8

The Complete Works of Frank Zappa -- an American Composer (1940-1993) (Part 8) [by Lewis Saul]

1992-1997

61. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore Vol. 6 (2CD, Rykodisc RCD 10091/92, July 10, 1992)

The "sex" Stage -- as if the subject needed its own release. Nevertheless, the track flow makes it interesting:

Disc One starts off with The M.O.I. Anti-Smut Loyalty Oath (2:59) which was made "necessary" by Jim Morrison's "indecent exposure" at a March '69 concert in Coconut Grove, Florida. The state wanted no more of that! The Poodle Lecture (5:00) -- FZ talks over the Stink-Foot vamp; Dirty Love (2:37), a good follow-up to the Lecture. Guitar solo by Cuccurullo. Magic Fingers (2:19) from Berkeley, 1980; The Madison Panty-Sniffing Festival (2:42) China Syndrome!; Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me? (3:59) from Towson, Maryland, the only performance of this tune by the '88 band; Father O'Blivion (2:19) -- Sydney 1973; additional sections from the Yellow Snow suite at this date appear on #86; Is That Guy Kidding or What? (4:00), the I Have Been in You (#26) explanation; I'm So Cute (1:37), Santa Monica 1980; White Person (2:05), from King Kong, with Zappa giving "secret word" cues to Belew (shit hook), O'Hearn (blow job), Bozzio (boyfriend), Mars (sport shirt) and Mann (white person); Lonely Person Devices (3:14) -- Finnish pornography and Danish sex toys; Ms. Pinky (1:58) -- a lonely person device; Shove It Right In (6:43), originally from #13; Wind Up Workin' in a Gas Station (2:30), a different mix on #89; Make a Sex Noise (3:07): It's St. Patrick's Day. Are Irish girls hot?

Okay, you all think you're Irish, right? Ok, now listen -- quiet please -- this is very very scientific. That's right. In order to prove that you are genuinely hot we're going to give you, each and every one, an opportunity to make a sex noise with musical accompaniment. And so ...

Tracy is a Snob (3:52), Salt Lake City, 1980; extracted from The Torture Never Stops; I Have Been in You (5:02), NYC '78; Emperor of Ohio (1:29), from same show as Tracy is a Snob; Dinah-Moe Humm (3:14), 1984; Chicago/NYC; He's So Gay (2:32), same performance as on the Does Humor Belong in Music? video; Camarillo Brillo (3:07), a fan favorite from #17; Muffin Man (2:25), with a gritty FZ solo.

Disc Two: NYC Halloween Audience (0:44), 1981; The Illinois Enema Bandit (8:02) contains edits from Universal City, Royal Oak, Seattle, Chicago, and Pistoia, Italy! Thirteen (6:06) doesn't seem to have anything to do with sex, but it's a great tune!

"It's subdivided 5/8 and 4/4 if you wanna clap your hands."

Lobster Girl (2:18), excerpt from Little House (#9); Black Napkins (5:19) -- if you ever wondered why Zappa was so insistent on spending so much time tuning up, this track provides a clear example of why it was so important -- we edit from 1976 NYC (Michael Brecker solo) to Chicago '84 (FZ solo); We're Turning Again (4:54), '88 band in Germany; Alien Orifice (4:14), '81 and '88 bands; Catholic Girls (4:02) and Crew Slut (5:31) are both '88 band edits -- from Philadelphia to Chicago in the former and the reverse in the latter; Tryin' to Grow a Chin (3:31), Halloween '77; Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (3:44), Halloween '78 --  solos: Shankar (violin), Mann (percussion), Wolf (Minimoog), Mars (organ); Lisa's Life Story (3:03) -- Lisa sang Teenage Prostitute on #36. Wackerman's drum overdubs are the only ones in the Stage series, made necessary because the original drum track was distorted; Lonesome Cowboy Nando (5:13) bounces back and forth between '88 and '71. Marine biologist Ferdinando Boero discovered a species of jellyfish, which he named Phialella zappai after FZ. Mike Keneally:

"My personal favorite MK contribution to a Zappa CD occurs on this track when I attempt to cram the line 'I describe the little dangling utensils on this thing and tell him to draw it up so that it looks like a brand new jellyfish' into the same space where I would normally say 'stomp on his face so he don't move no more.' The first time I listened to this song with Frank, he applauded me after that section. One o' them priceless moments."

200 Motels Finale (3:41) from '71; Strictly Genteel (6:56) from '81.

62. Playground Psychotics (2CD, Barking Pumpkin D2 74244, October 27, 1992)

For hard-core fans only! Consisting mostly of secretly taped conversations between this 200 Motels band that was breaking up even as the film was still in production, it is funny -- just as the title suggests!

There are a few gems, however -- the second recording of Billy the Mountain (30:25) and the John Lennon/Yoko Ono jams from '71: Well (4:43); Say Please (0:57); Aaawk (2:59) [to date the first track in Zappa's oeuvre, alphabetically!]; Scumbag (5:53); and of course A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono (6:07).

63. Ahead of Their Time (CD, Barking Pumpkin D2 74246, April 20, 1993)

Here -- in one of his final projects before his death -- Zappa put out the infamous Albert Hall concert of October 25, 1968 in its entirety. Despite all the acrimony, all the lawsuits -- Zappa's fondness for the Original Mothers is evident.

Cal's cover is a classic.

64. The Yellow Shark (CD, Barking Pumpkin R2 71600, November 2, 1993)

Let's get serious here, folks. Frank Zappa was an American composer who wrote some of the most interesting and glorious music of the late 20th century.

Recorded in mid- to late-September 1992, primarily in Frankfurt, these concerts featured a lot of exciting, new "classical" Zappa, sending serious musical academics scurrying back to the LSO and Boulez recordings to check this guy out ...

Humor is not entirely absent, but most of this stuff is serious shit -- and all recovered live with no overdubs by the incredible Ensemble Modern.

Intro (1:43) -- you can hear that Frank's voice is somehow different -- you can almost hear the pain and fatigue:

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you. I understand there is a sign in the audience that once again says: 'what's the secret word for tonight?' The secret word for tonight is [musical noise] ... now, let's get serious, ladies and gentlemen. I know you came here to see really FINE performances by a really FINE modern music ensemble, conducted by a really FINE conductor. And here comes the FINE conductor now, Peter Rundel, ladies and gentlemen! (beat) ... and if you feel like throwing underpants onto the stage, put 'em over there."

Dog Breath Variations (2:06)/Uncle Meat (3:24) in arrangements by Ali Askin;

Outrage at Valdez (3:27) was originally part of a Synclavier score Zappa wrote for a Jacques Cousteau documentary about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This arrangement is a masterpiece of sonic organization and tightly controlled orchestral timbre and color. A complex melody is heard over an ethereal 9/8 ostinato, and when the English Horn enters, the music emerges into a continuous gorgeous texture.

Times Beach II (7:30), a woodwind quintet, originally commissioned by the Aspen Woodwind Quintet in 1984. Times Beach, Missouri -- once home to more than two thousand souls, is now a ghost town, after a dioxin spill in 1983 contaminated the soil.

III Revised (1:44), string quintet.

The Girl in the Magnesium Dress (4:33) was originally a Synclavier composition (on #40). Ali Askin arranged it for this ensemble.

Be-Bop Tango (3:43) was originally a big scary piece for the '73 band (on #19). This arrangement is a bit tamer. 1:04 of applause seems unnecessary.

Ruth is Sleeping (6:06), a Synclavier composition arranged for two pianos. Ruth used to sleep under her marimba while Frank rehearsed the rest of the group.

None of the Above (2:06) Premiered by Kronos in 1985. The quartet became a quintet with the addition of a contrabass, and the likely order is 1) None of the Above; 2) Pentagon Afternoon; 3) III Revised; and 4) Questi Cazzi Di Piccione.

Pentagon Afternoon (2:27) for the full group. Zappa describes this as a tone poem about

"these dealers in death, sitting around a table in the afternoon in the Pentagon, figuring out what they're going to blow up now, who they're going to subjugate, and what tools they'll use."

Questi Cazzi di Piccione (3:02) ("those fucking pigeons"). A burst of machine-gun type sound ends the work -- it seems the pigeons "got it."

Times Beach III (4:25) ... the movement is filled with silent spaces and leisurely-paced strangeness. Thick as molasses, at times, the music moves up and down in  disorienting irregular rhythms. The German audience was transfixed -- you could hear a pin drop!

Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992 (2:48). FZ:

"It's program music in the old-fashioned style. People used to write overtures about 'okay, here comes the meadow, here comes the cuckoo, here comes the thunderstorm.' Since I am an American composer, I have to write about the world that I come from. And America is now moving into its post-industrial phase, a country that is basically occupied with consuming products that other people make and providing services for each other. In other words, a lot of lawyers, and a lot of hamburger flippers -- hamburger flippers who will become lawyers a little bit later. So the texture of the piece is based on little acts of desperation looking for things to eat, and every once in a while, when something is found, then the musicians will all go, 'Mmm!'"

Welcome to the United States (6:42). Hermann Kretschmar recites the I-94W Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Form. Entering the United States by sea is illustrated with a C major chord; terrorist activities with a musical quotation from Louie Louie ...

Pound for a Brown (2:12) probably from Vienna on 9/28.

Exercise #4 (1:37). Although this title was not used then, the music is part of The Uncle Meat Variations from #7.

Get Whitey (7:01)

The title originally came because the first version, the prototype Whitey that was rehearsed in '91 when the group came to Los Angeles (see #72), dealt only with the white keys on the piano. But this version is more chromatic. I was thinking about changing the title to something else, but the general opinion of people in the group was they liked Get Whitey. -- FZ

G-Spot Tornado (5:17) -- originally a Synclavier composition from #48. This video shows Zappa conducting the ensemble, complete with fantastic dancers:

POSTHUMOUS RELEASES

65. Civilization Phaze III (2CD, Barking Pumpkin UMRK 01, December 2, 1994)

Zappa's final masterpiece was released after his death in 1993. He worked on this incessantly -- probably in great pain from the cancer.

Even Zappa fans who enjoyed his classical side had a hard time with what they would call "the silly piano talk" which Zappa stitched together from #4, an album that FZ often spoke of fondly.

The term opera pantomime has been used to describe the two-hour work. The grout between the instrumental sections is taken from #4, where a group of people are living inside a piano, and dealing with the menacing reality of the outside world.

The 1967 piano people are joined by a group of 90's piano people -- members of the Ensemble Modern, Zappa's daughter Moon Unit and actor Michael Rapaport.

This important work deserves two hours of your time. Hoping to whet your appetite, here is one of the best instrumental tracks N-Lite (18:00):

66. London Symphony Orchestra Vol. I & II (2CD, Rykodisc RCD 10540/41, 1995)

#39 and #50.

67. The Lost Episodes (CD, Rykodisc RCD 40573, February 27, 1996)\

Working on this simultaneously with #65, Zappa compiled at least three different versions before settling on this one. Mostly very early stuff:

The Blackouts (0:22). From 1958, Zappa was 17; Lost in a Whirlpool (2:46) also from '58, with FZ, his brother Bobby and Beefheart. Best not to think about the lyrics too closely; Ronnie Sings? (1:05)/Kenny's Booger Story (0:33)/Ronnie's Booger Story (1:16) shed light on Let's Make the Water Turn Black.

"Now believe me when I tell you that my song is really true"

Mount St. Mary's Concert Excerpt (2:28). This earliest example of Frank's classical music is from 1963. Zappa paid them $300; Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (3:51) from 1961! No words yet, but check out #75 from 1965 (I'm So Happy I Could Cry), a sincere love lyric that wouldn't again, in general; Tiger Roach (2:20). Beefheart, FZ & Co. Don is improvising from a comic book he was reading; Run Home Slow Theme (1:25) from the film score, 1963; Fountain of Love (2:08), from '63 (destined for #5), Ray Collins, Paul Buff on fuzz bass; Run Home Cues, #2 (0:28). This music would eventually become part of Oh No; Any Way the Wind Blows (2:14) from '63, destined for #1; Run Home Cues, #3 (0:11). The first five seconds are in the film, but not the last six; Charva (1:59) from '64, with FZ doing goofy-sounding vocals, a distinctive trademark in the years to come; The Dick Kunc Story (0:46) is one of those feel-good stories from a band or crew member that serves as verbal grout between two tracks; Wedding Dress Song (1:14) and Handsome Cabin Boy (1:21) are both from '67-'68; Cops & Buns (2:36) is pretty funny stuff; The Big Squeeze (0:43) celesta, kazoos, snorks and sped-up wordless vocal -- used for a Luden's Cough Drop commercial; I'm a Band Leader (1:14) is more verbal grout, Beefheart reciting; Alley Cat (2:47) recorded in FZ's basement at the time he was producing Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica ('69); The Grand Wazoo (2:12), Beefheart from 1969, with Zappa overdubbing a contemporary Synclavier track; Wonderful Wino (2:47), destined for #22. Recorded in '72 during the Waka/Jawaka-Grand Wazoo sessions. Ricky Lancelotti (Fifty-Fifty) sings; RDNZL (3:49), destined for #24, Jean-Luc Ponty, Bruce Fowler and Duke solo; Basement Music #1 (3:46) -- circa '77-'78. FZ:

"At the time Warner Bros. made it impossible for me to record anywhere. I had a 4-track and decided to record in my basement. That's me wasting time with a very primitive rhythm box, a Rhythm Acek, fed into a flanger. The music was done on a synthesizer called a Synkey. It was all played live, with no overdubs."

Inca Roads (3:43) destined for #20, this is from '73 recorded at a studio during the Over-Nite Sensation sessions. Fowler and Underwood solo; Lil' Clanton Shuffle (4:48); from the Hot Rats sessions (see #120); I Don't Wanna Get Drafted (3:24), 1980 -- very close to the edit that came out as a single; Sharleena (11:54), the earliest version (1970). Sugarcane Harris on vocals.

68. Läther (3CD, Rykodisc RCD 10574/76, September 24, 1996)

Original cover and 2012 replacement.

Originally intended as a 4LP set in 1977, this sprawling 3CD set has mostly previously released material, but in different mixes.

The lawsuit details take up many pages in The Big Note. The upshot was that in December '77, FZ played all eight sides of Läther on KROQ-FM in Pasadena.

"My future as a recording artist is dangling in mid-air pending court procedures, which in California for civil cases can take anywhere from three to five years just to get a day in court and have your case heard. So since I don't think that anybody wants to wait three to five years to hear my wonderful music, I've taken it upon myself to come down here and advise anybody interested in the stuff that I do to get a cassette machine and tape this album. You can have it for free, just take it right off the radio."

After the marathon radio show, FZ said:

"Well, there is was, all eight sides of the Läther album. This has been Frank Zappa as temporary bogus disc jockey and, ahh, good-bye!"

**

Almost everything on Läther was released on the four "non-Zappa-approved" albums #23, 24, 25 and #27. However, many tracks are mixes unique to Läther, and Zappa freaks got to hear everything in the order he originally intended for the 4LP release.

69. Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa, a memorial tribute (CD, Barking Pumpkin UMRK 02, October 31, 1996)

You could actually touch the fiber of the Zappa beard on the cover!

A touching posthumous tribute with three signature guitar solos paired up in two versions: 1) an early working version; and 2) the "album" version.

Black Napkins from Ljubljana on November 22, 1975 (now on #129) and the album version from #22.

Zoot Allures from Tokyo 2/5/76 and the album version from #22.

Watermelon in Easter Hay from Eppelheim on 2/24/78 and the album version from #29.

An additional track, Merely a Blues in A is an example of Zappa giving his all, despite performing on a very cold night. What pros!

70. Have I Offended Someone? (CD, Rykodisc RCD 10577, April 8, 1997)

FZ-compiled before his death. Are you offended?

"It's pretty easy to hate me for whatever you choose to hate me for because I'm virtually unrepentant, and I just don't care. My insensitivity is pretty evenly spread around." -- FZ

Many tracks are earlier releases re-edited or remixed. Dumb All Over (5:44) is previously unreleased -- from The Pier in NYC on 8/25/84.

FZ9