FZ9

The Complete Works of Frank Zappa -- an American Composer (1940-1993) (Part 9) [by Lewis Saul]

1998-2006

71. Mystery Disc (CD, Rykodisc RCD 10580, September 15, 1998)


Compiled from "bonus" discs included on #44 and #47.

72. Everything is Healing Nicely (CD, Barking Pumpkin UMRK 03, December 21, 1999)


Essentially, a kind of documentary companion to #64, with rehearsals, improvisations and bits that didn't make it on Shark. Having said that, there are some real gems here: Master Ringo (3:35) = Herman Kretzschmar reads a letter to the piercing magazine PFIQ. Now Air Can Get Through ...

Wonderful Tattoo!
(10:01) More of this slightly uncomfortable zaniness. Everything is Healing Nicely ...

This is a Test (1:35) -- originally entitled Igor, was printed off the Synclavier and given to the EM as a sight reading test! It sounds more like Milhaud than Stravinsky.

Using the same conducting techniques he employed with the Original Mothers (hand signals indicated predetermined musical phrases, motifs, cells, time sigs, noises, etc.) Jolly Good Fellow (4:34) sounds like a written-out composition. Ali Askin:

"It looked as though Frank was playing the Ensemble like an instrument."

Library Card (7:42). Todd Yvega:

"Frank assigned several musicians to improvise spoken interaction. Kretzschmar whipped out his library card to use as text. The distinctive timbre of his voice, the German accent, and the humorous pace of his delivery obviously struck Frank as a vehicle to be developed and utilized."

T'Mershi Duween (2:30) -- also found on #55 and #58 -- is given a unique treatment by the EM.

Nap Time (8:03) is unlike anything in Zappa's catalogue! Michael Svoboda plays an alphorn.


Rainer Römer and Andreas Böttger, percussion; Rumi Ogawa-Helferich is on slide whistle and recitation of two ancient Japanese poems, text and translation here.

9/8 Objects (3:06) was recorded in July of '91 at Frank's house, when the EM were visiting, along with L. Shankar. Awesome music.

Naked City (8:42). Yvega:

"The guitar motifs were written in advance as was the primary motif played by the orchestra. The rest -- including improvisations -- were directed under FZ's baton."

Whitey (Prototype) (1:12) is interesting to compare to the final version on Shark.

Amnerika Goes Home (3:00) Edited from three '92 performances in Frankfurt, Berlin and Vienna. Compare this to the Synclavier version on #65 and marvel at how the EM got this complex music down.

None of the Above (Revised and Previsited) (8:38) is longer than the version on Shark and uses additional EM players -- mainly percussion -- in several sections.

73. FZ:OZ (2CD, Vaulternative VR 2002-1, August 16, 2002)


Australia!

As Gail got the posthumous industry going into full gear, she and Joe Travers began diving into the Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark type UMRK vault for unreleased nuggets, like this live concert from Sydney.

To begin with, this five-piece '76 band (FZ, Brock, Lewis, Estrada, and Bozzio) is poorly represented in the catalogue, and they were very tight.

Disc One opens with Horden Intro (Incan Art Vamp) (3:10) segues to Stink-Foot (6:35) a perfect example of how this band beautifully supports Zappa, as he sculpts one of his more interesting solos; Filthy Habits (6:18) -- FZ's solo a sinuous, serpentine, slippery, savage display of guitar-playing improvising-composing rarely matched in a live performance. A gem; Black Napkins (11:57) and Advance Romance (11:17) are both excellent.

Disc Two opens with Canard Toujours (3:22) -- an early sketch of Let's Move to Cleveland (#46); and the previously unreleased Kaiser Rolls (3:17) and a rehearsal -- Kaiser Rolls (Du Jour) (3:00).

I am proud of have my name here.

74. Halloween (DVD-A, Vaulternative/DTS 1101, February 4, 2003)


DVD-Audio. Superior sound. Recorded at the Palladium, NYC, between October 27th and 31st, 1978. Many agree that this is one of Zappa's greatest bands, and as Gail began releasing more and more "start-to-finish" type concerts (even if the effect was sometimes carefully achieved with edits from the various shows), this Halloween conglomeration was seriously welcomed by Zappa fans.

Frank's guitar playing was never better than during this frustrating period of his career, when he was being prevented from releasing any product whatsover. The eight musicians are FZ, Colaiuta, Barrow, O'Hearn, Mars, Walley, Wolf, and Mann.

75. Joe's Corsage (CD, Vaulternative VR 20041, May 30, 2004)


The first of five "Joe's" projects (#77 [Domage], #78 [XMASage], #87 [Menage], and #101 [Camouflage]), named because Joe Travers is the "vaultmeister" for the Zappa Family Trust and Gail honored him with these cute titles.

This initial offering is filled with goodies from pre-Freak Out! days, and its importance lies in the fact that many of these tunes are presented here as premiere recordings -- "warts and all."

Motherly Love (2:21); Anyway the Wind Blows (2:55); I Ain't Got No Heart (3:50); Go Cry on Somebody's Else's Shoulder (3:29); and How Could I Be Such a Fool? (3:00) are all solid demos for #1; Plastic People (3:05) for #2; I'm So Happy I Could Cry (2:43) is You Can Take Your Clothes Off When Your Dance before Frank decided against lyrics about love ...

76. QuAUDIOPHILIAc (DVD-A, Barking Pumpkin/DTS 1125, September 14, 2004)


The second DVD-A (see 74, above). Zappa released two of his greatest albums in the quickly-forgotten quadraphonic format (#17 and #18). Here, Gail, Dweezil, and Joe have dug it all up, given it a nice hot bath, changed its clothes, and put it all into 5.1 surround

The first three tracks Naval Aviation in Art (1:34); Lumpy Gravy (1:05); and Rollo (6:00) are all from the Royce Hall concert (#27) and sound fantastic.

Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay (2:15) from '81. As Watermelon plays in the background, Zappa delivers some sad truths; Wild Love (4:07, from #26) is the quad mix ... hear the close vocals and all the tiny details in this complex composition; Ship Ahoy (5:47) is a remix from #31; Chunga's Basement (11:48) was recorded in Zappa's basement with Ian Underwood, Bennett and Dunbar recorded to four-track, mixed in quad; Venusian Time Bandits (1:54) is an intense, full-throated mix of a guitar solo ripped from Trouble Every Day; Waka/Jawaka (13:23) mixed in quad. What a treat! Basement Music #2 (2:43) Previously, Frank stuck this track behind some visuals in the Baby Snakes film.

77. Joe's Domage (CD, Vaulternative VR 20042, October 1, 2004)


For hard-cores only!

This is a rehearsal tape from 1972; Zappa's in a wheelchair and is teaching a pretty large band this complicated new music destined for #15 and #16.

Perhaps the most interesting track is the final one, "When it feels natural ..." (1:27), where Zappa reveals his plans for this thorny, difficult material. After rehearsal is over, he tells the band:

" ... I'll tell you what the story is on the recording of this material. I don't want to take it into the studio until you can play all that stuff from memory and it feels natural to do the stuff. That's the reason I'm going about it this way rather than just lay charts in front of everybody ..."

78. Joe's XMASage (CD, Vaulternative VR 20051, December 21, 2005)


Another hard-core only release from the vault -- all very early stuff, pre-"Freak Out!"

How old is this stuff? The first track Mormon Xmas Dance Report (1:51) begins with the voice of Kay Sherman, Frank's first wife. Nuggets like the doo-wop Mr. Clean (alternate mix) (2:05) and Why Don'tcha Do Me Right? (5:01) from '63 are of interest; the final track is Frank doing his radio show at KSPC-FM, the student-run radio station of Pomona College: The Uncle Frankie Show (11:42).

79. Imaginary Diseases (CD, Zappa Records ZR 20001, January 13, 2006)


This documents the 10-piece band, known as the "Petit Wazoo," which Zappa took on the road. This 1972 ensemble is represented by only two discs to date -- this one and #111.

Oddients (1:13) from Montreal, 10/27 is FZ conducting both the band and the audience; Rollo (3:21) from Philadelphia, 11/10; Been to Kansas City in A Minor (10:14) is from that town on 12/2. Solos by Gary Barone (trumpet), Tony Duran (slide guitar), Glenn Ferris (trombone) and FZ; Farther O'Blivion (16:01) from an unidentified concert -- this version consists of the "Steno Pool" section of Greggery Peccary, Be-Bop Tango, and Cucamonga; DC Boogie (13:26) from out nation's capital on 11/11. FZ plays two solos, and in between he polls the audience on how the piece should end. Duran on slide guitar; Imaginary Diseases (9:45), Waterbury, CT, 11/1 -- a precious document of a tune that never appears anywhere else; Montreal (9:11), 10/27 -- FZ solo + an excerpt from the same improvisation as Oddients.

80. Trance-Fusion (CD, Zappa Records ZR 20002, November 7, 2006)


A third "guitar" album (#33, #52) which does not disappoint. The majority of these solos come from the '88 band:

1977

Bowling on Charen (5:04) from Wild Love, NYC.

1979

Ask Dr. Stupid (3:20) from Easy Meat, Eppelheim, Germany.

1984

Good Lobna (1:38) from Let's Move to Cleveland, Memphis; Butter or Cannons (3:24) from Let's Move to Cleveland, NYC; Diplodocus (3:22) from King Kong, Providence; For Giuseppe Franco (3:47) from Hot-Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel, Seattle; Light is All That Matters (3:46) from Let's Move to Cleveland, Seattle.

1988

Chunga's Revenge (7:02) from London; A Cold Dark Matter (3:31) from Inca Roads, Allentown; Scratch & Sniff (3:56) from City of Tiny Lights, from Brighton, UK; Trance-Fusion (4:20) from Marque-Son's Chicken, from Stuttgart, Germany; Gorgo (2:41) from The Torture Never Stops, from Stockholm, Sweden; Soul Polka (3:18) from Oh No, Allentown; After Dinner Smoker (4:45) from The Torture Never Stops, Genoa, Italy; Finding Higgs' Boson (3:41) from Hot-Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel, Vienna, Austria; Bavarian Sunset (3:59) from post-I Am the Walrus jam, Munich, Germany.

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