Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, The (Japanese Import) [Digipak] - Frank Zappa

The Title Says It All

Advantages: Superb Musicianship, Superb Music and a sense of humour
Disadvantages: No Bloero (on Mine)

The title is The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life. This is an amazing album. My only complaint is that my version doesnt include their version of Ravel's Bolero. This was masically , the best band that Zappa ever put together, recorded in 1988 and released in 1991. The blurb say that it's "big band arrangements of concert favourites and obscure album cuts along with deranged cover versions and a few premiere recording", which sums up the album. The album opens with "Heavy Duty Judy" basically a jam over three chords with lots of twiddly bits, which segues into a reggae , big band version of "Ring of Fire" complete with spot on Johnny Cash impersonation. The first CD continues in a similar vein , touching down on "I left My Heart in San Franciso" culminating in "Inca Roads" and the sublime "Sofa No 1". The second CD opens ...

mikeydred 03.02.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, The - Frank Zappa

You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore 2 - Frank Zappa

Advantages: a brilliant 1974 concert with a top notch Zappa band
Disadvantages: not quite the whole gig and the instrumentals may be a little off putting to newcomers

YCDTOSA volume 2 is culled from two concerts In Helsinki in 1974, expertly mixed together and presented as one complete set. The band included keyboard wizard George Duke, sax player and vocalist extraordinaire Napoleon Murphy Brock, Chester Thompson on drums (later to be in Genesis) Tom Fowler on bass and Ruth Underwood on all manner of percussion. This ensemble, small by Zappa's standards, is arguably the best he'd ever work with. The show opens with the band vamping on "Tush Tush Tush" as George and Nappy discuss backstage goings on. As soon as Zappa appears he swiftly introduces the band and we're off into "Stinkfoot", one of FZ's preferred opening numbers. A squalling guitar solo at the end and it's straight into "Inca Roads". Now listeners familiar with the studio version of "Inca Roads" on 1975's One Size Fits All will ...

adams66 18.09.2008 · Read full review
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Review of You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol.2 (The Helsinki Tapes) - Frank Zappa

Viva Zappa

Advantages: Easy to read and very informative
Disadvantages: May be difficult to track down

ISBN 0-330-31625-7. This is an important number. It's the ISBN of "The Real Frank Zappa Book" published by Picador. I bought this, read it, loved it, lent it, never got it back, forgot about it , then saw it in Fopps in Glasgow for a paltry £3.50, bought it, read it again, and now I'll tell you about it. Frank Zappa died of cancer about 1992/3 and was a great loss to the art world. He hd been making music since the early sixties , with the Mothers of Invention, and as a solo artist, and also became a respected classical composer. His work "The Yellow Shark" stayed on the classical charts for over twelve months following its release. THe book is a series of recollections about Zappa's early life and how he became who he is and the aquaintances he made along the way. The most fascinating part of this book, and the one that gives ...

mikeydred 05.02.2001 · Read full review
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Review of The Real Frank Zappa Book - Frank Zappa