================================================= 1977 + 1978 Frank Zappa Mixed 1 Disc 1 - 71.51 1 Black Napkins 14.37 77-Jan-27 2 Black Napkins 13.53 77-Jan-30 3 Black Napkins 4.48 77-Oct-17 4 Persona Non Grata 8.59 78-Oct-28 1st show 5 band intros .34 " 6 Watermelon In Easter Hay 8.30 78-Oct-29 7 Easy Meat 7.05 " 8 Yo Mama 13.22 " 77-Jan-27: Philipshalle - Duesseldorf, Germany 77-Jan-30: Rhein-Main-Halle - Wiesbaden, Germany 77-Oct-17: Civic Center - Hartford, CT 78-Oct-28: Palladium - New York, NY 78-Oct-29: Palladium - New York, NY Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 77-Jan-27: A very good show so far, but with the following Black Napkins, it reaches "excellent" status. I'm part of the camp that maintains that this band did the best Napkins of all Frank's teenage combos, and here's a prime example. The first solo is FZ at his eclectic best, switching between aggressive and mellow, between different styles and techniques, but never losing that beautiful Napkins-feeling. Then Eddie's violin solo, and well...how to describe this. I will admit that mr. Jobson's workouts with the bow are among the few things in the Zappa oeuvre that still give me goose bumps. Sure, many of his pyrotechnic effects are the same every night, but I don't care when the outcome is so friggin' beautiful! Together with Terry, Patrick and Ray, he builds two astonishing climaxes, and the whole thing ends with a beautiful violin/bass flageolet duet. The response from the audience is overwhelming, and Frank chooses to return to the head rather than trying to top Eddie's solo off. 77-Jan-30: The next couple songs serve merely as foreplay leading up to the set closing Black Napkins. Jobson’s solo impresses as always, and includes a nice Ponty-esque build-up that leads to an even nicer anti-Pontyesque meltdown. Frank steps forward out of Jobson’s debris and wraps things up with a four and half minute blues mediation that ranks up there with Pink Napkins as one of Frank’s more meditative and reflective solos. It is not until 4 min in that Bozzio begins kicking the solo into high gear, and unfortunately, Frank does not know what to do when this happens, and quickly concludes things. Kind of disappointing, but almost inevitable considering the intensity of everything that came before. 77-Oct-17: The encores dish up the goodies as expected, though sadly my tape lacks the closing Black Napkins, which could be one of those monster solos the '77 and '78 tours typically brought about in that vehicle. 78-Oct-28 (1st show): The opening solo has the Persona Non Grata vamp, and Frank turns in an excellent effort, using the whole guitar. 78-Oct-29: The show starts with Watermelon, which, like Deathless Horsie the night before, wanders away from the structure and barely returns. One wonder if this is why FZ neglected these 1978 shows on the guitar albums - just too wild. This is also perhaps FZ's best overall night of the run guitarwise (even Easy Meat and Tiny Lites get class treatment), and he brings this point home with the much-praised set-closing Yo Mama. ================================================= 1978 + 1981 Frank Zappa Mixed 2 Disc 1 - 79.29 1 Intro Guitar Solo 11.20 78-Oct-15 1st show 2 Easy Meat 5.29 " 3 City Of Tiny Lights 9.47 " 4 A Pound For A Brown 15.34 " 5 Yo Mama 13.26 " 6 Zoot Allures 8.42 81-Nov-6 7 Drowning Witch 8.13 " 8 What's New In Baltimore? 4.06 " 9 Moggio 2.50 " 78-Oct-15: SUNY - Stony Brook, NY 81-Nov-6: Civic Center - Hartford, CT Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Oct-15 (1st show): Another one of those concerts that have earned October '78 a reputation as being one of the best months ever for FZ solos. Tonight we meet a very inspired FZ, who along with the rest of guys delivers some mighty fine playing. What happens in between the instrumental workouts is more or less forgettable, but who cares - we're here to hear the boys play! This is also the first concert after Ike's departure, and I can't say I miss him. As in Passaic two days earlier, the opening solo gives us a hint that FZ is "on" tonight. The vamp is an unusual one, a reggae-tinted little thing in C major, and FZ goes on and on for more than 10 min, ranging from great to excellent. Easy Meat and City Of Tiny Lights bring wonderfully monstrous FZ solos, but they both look like little kitties compared to the beast that jumps out of Pound For A Brown. You can tell that Frank's fingers are itching - he's not supposed to solo here, but after Ed's nice solo, the urge obviously gets to big and FZ mangles out an absolutely sick solo. Cool interplay with Vinnie and the bass players. We also get some of the usual great keyboard adventures, before Bobby Brown takes us back to planet Earth. The set closes with another guitar tour-de-force - a 14 min Yo Mama. Another solo that must be heard to be believed - the old three-step rocket we all know and love - simply amazing! 81-Nov-6: no reviews ================================================= 1978 + 1979 Frank Zappa Mixed 3 Disc 1 - 73.55 1 Persona Non Grata 9.04 78-Oct-27 2nd show 2 Thirteen 19.52 " 3 Suicide Chump 9.08 " 4 Improvisations In Q 9.58 " 5 Treacherous Cretin 7.05 79-Feb-28 6 Easy Meat 7.35 " 7 Inca Roads 11.11 " 78-Oct-27: Palladium - New York, NY 79-Feb-28: Congress Centrum - Hamburg, Germany Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Oct-27 (2nd show): The first tape from this show is pure magic - perhaps the finest 90 min anywhere in the FZ oevre. Three more or less unique performances, and a bunch of songs that are played in their more or less ultimate versions. The opening solo definitely falls into the "unique" category. Half of it has become world famous as the Theme From Sinister Footwear, 3rd Mvt, and the entire 7 min (!) epic is one of FZ's most inspired moments. Must be heard! After Ed's vibes solo in Pound For A Brown, things wouldn't be the the same again for quite a while. It's time for the world premiere of Thirteen. FZ's introduction, hand-clapping instructions and Shankar's solo can all be heard on YCDTOSA vol 6, and is one of my all-time favourites moments in FZ's vast output. The guitar solo on the CD comes from the 10/31 show, a wise choice in my opinion. It's an excellent solo, no question about that, but FZ would grow more comfortable with the environment over the next few days. It's also fascinating to hear the bass players struggle to keep the beat going, while Vinne does his best to tear it apart. The playing is very near total free-form at times, but the rhythm section has grown so tight by now, they manage to come up with new intriguing vamps out of what seems to be chaos. We get a little FZ/Shankar duel, pretty amusing, if not that musically great. At this point, when the jam slowly begins to lose focus, FZ cues the band back to the 13 vamp for a finishing round of keyboard solos. Truly great, and as things get more calm, O'Hearns seems more at ease, and delivers some really great lines. All in all, 20 min of incredible jamming, with almost no dead spots. Things get back to normal for a couple of minutes with Suicide Chump. FZ takes the vocals tonight, giving the lyrics an even more sarcastic tone. And this is another of those far-better-than-usual songs, due to some really good FZ/Walley playing at the end, where even the bass players join in. And I just love the minor/major-dualistic riff that the song ends up in! And it's here that we approach the most unique performance of the night. The "Improvisations In Q" is one of the most famous and beloved unreleased goodies from FZ's live career, and rightly so. This is what this band should have been doing most of the time - just pure improvisation, conducted by FZ. It begins with Tommy Mars solo, before the band joins in on a coool, dreary vamp. Tommy continues with some more pyrotechnics, and invites Shankar for some "dialogue". Magnificent, but Arthur actually manages to exceed this with his solo - a showcase of amazing technique as well as great melodic and rhythmic sense. FZ, realizing this was the climax of the jamming, decides to make an as-bizarre-as-possible turn here, and cues Patrick into playing a surf music/twist type bass line. The rest of the band catch up immediately, and Arthur starts harmonizing Patrick's line with major 3rds - so twisted, but oh so wonderful. Arthur's bass solo continues over this surf jam, and FZ tries to break in with a "OK, back to the real world", but no - the band is having too much fun now, and continue to play for an extra minute. 79-Feb-28: This is one of those '79 shows that it is a good idea to track down and own. It is an orgy of extended Frank guitar solos. From the get go, things are sounding good with my nomination for one of Frank's best opening selections ever, Treacherous Cretins. Once the ominous arpeggio quickly silences the ready-for-action crowd, Frank steps forward with a restrained yet forceful solo. With both Vinnie and Artie playing relatively reserved roles, Frank cautiously explores the Treacherous vamp, slowly escalating his solo to a controlled yet exhilarating peak. We get none of the "where the hell are we now?" frenzy of many of Frank's other '79 solos (see SUNPYG), but instead are treated to a reserved yet thorough exploration of one of Frank's darker themes. As the solo slowly builds in intensity, Frank and company flirt with the wilder regions of improv, but pull themselves back out of respect for the boundaries of the Treacherous theme. Truly, this is one of Frank's more accomplished solos. Easy Meat, the second of the expected '79 highlights- finds Frank's solo starting off rather weakly. Attempting to build his solo on an improvised theme, Frank toys with this theme for approximately a minute, failing to get anything interesting going. Fortunately, he realizes that he is going nowhere, takes a short breather, and then starts up again with a frenzy of metallic notes. Ugliness prevails, and the solo is redeemed. The third of the three expected highlights more than meets expectations, as Frank's Inca Roads solo is an 8 min tour-de-force. Forsaking any thought of slowly building a solo upon an improvised theme, Frank simply starts soloing the instant we enter solo territory, attacking the guitar with an abandon that is in complete contrast with the deliberateness of his opening solo. Vinnie and Artie manage to stay around for the ride, but it is obvious that they are playing catch-up through most of this. Frank has his blinders on, and amazingly enough, manages to keep focused for the duration of the ride. This is another amazing Inca Roads endeavor. ================================================= 1978, 1981 + 1982 Frank Zappa Mixed 4 Disc 1 - 75.40 1 Ancient Armaments 5.39 78-Oct-31 2 Conehead 8.39 " 3 Packard Goose 17.56 " 4 Black Napkins 1 4.34 5 Black Napkins 2 11.24 " (aud) 6 Drowning Witch 8.38 81-Oct-29 7 What's New In Baltimore? 4.15 " 8 Zoot Allures 7.19 82-May-29 9 What's New In Baltimore? 7.11 " 78-Oct-31: Palladium - New York, NY 81-Oct-29: Palladium - New York, NY 82-May-29: Les Arenes - Frejus, France Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Oct-31: SG review: The (opening) solo was released by FZ as Ancient Armaments, one of the few things he chose to release officially from these 6 shows. It's a murky little thing, with Frank abusing the low end of his guitar. The show picks up again around Conehead, feauring a great Shankar solo and a GREAT FZ solo. Then comes Packard Goose. Whoo boy. Words cannot describe the Shankar/FZ duel here. It just needs to be heard. Jason likened it to a boxing match on his page, and that's not far off. It reminds me of Annie Get Your Gun...'Anything you can play I can play better'. And it's over the Packard vamp, one of my favorites. JN review: The opening solo, Ancient Armaments, has a different aroma than the other Halloween openers, more melodic and less far out. Quite nice, but not the one I'd have chosen if I was to release one opening solo from this tour. Conehead is another solo vehicle that would always fit Shankar perfectly. Great solo, but this time FZ outdoes him with a very dynamic workout. He keeps shifting modes and between melodic/aggressive. Packard Goose is another lenghty exercise. The solo section, one of the few with this 'Joe's Garage' vamp, sounds a little hesitative at first. But they grow into the vamp, and things get gradually better, to reach a really intense climax at the end. The best part is when FZ comes up with a line, developed from his ol' fave Rite Of Springs melody, and keeps repeating and building melodies around it. After nearly 4 hours of playing, the boys manage to come up with yet another good jam. It starts out as a regular Black Napkins, with your typical good FZ solo. Then, out of nowhere, FZ whips out the Deathless Horsie vamp, which he and Shankar keeps soloing around for nearly 10 min. Not the greatest jam of the night, but a cool ending to the show. 82-May-29: By now I don't need to go into massive details, you all know what we've got here. A nice, solid 1982 show, with good sound, lots of solos, and the tightest band in show business. Zoot Allures has a wonderful solo, and hasn't settled into the tired patterns it would gain in 1984. First highlight - what I think may be the only post 1981 Baltimore that is an instrumental. No vocals here, just Frank's guitar, and the solo is scorching. ================================================= 1976 + 1975 Frank Zappa Mixed 5 Disc 1 - 79.59 1 Stinkfoot 2.28 76-Feb-4 2 Black Napkins 6.47 " 3 The Torture Never Stops 3.31 " 4 Zoot Allures 6.30 " 5 Ship Ahoy 6.54 " 6 Ms Pinky 1.27 " 7 Black Napkins 8.36 76-Feb-5 8 Zoot Allures 15.12 " 9 Chunga's Revenge 11.34 75-Oct-1 (sbd) 10 Any Downers 8.39 " 11 Black Napkins 8.16 " (aud) 76-Feb-4: Daigaku Seibu Kodo - Kyoto, Japan 76-Feb-5: Nippon Seinen-Kan - Tokyo, Japan 75-Oct-1: War Memorial Gym - Vancouver, Canada Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 75-Oct-1: PB review: This leads to Chunga's Revenge, with another round of entertaining (though not amazingly virtousic) solos including a rather long one from FZ. Next is Any Downers, with a massive FZ solo. Again, in this listener's opinion, FZ started on a steep upward incline to the guitar-playing peak that he reached in 78-81 with this tour, and this song offers the best evidence of that on this tape. Then the set finishes with a Zoot Allures/Sleep Dirt/Black Napkins medley. That might seem like any guitar fan's fantasy, but none of those three songs is at its peak at this point - however, FZ turns in some interesting musings on the tentative Zoot and builds Napkins up to a satisfying climax after a relatively tepid, twangy beginning. ================================================= 1976 Frank Zappa Mixed 6 Disc 1 - 77.43 1 Stinkfoot 3.25 76-Nov-7 2 The Torture Never Stops 6.06 " 3 City Of Tiny Lights 3.01 " 4 A Pound For A Brown 7.02 " 5 Black Napkins 19.23 " 6 Stinkfoot 2.22 76-Nov-25 7 The Torture Never Stops 10.15 " 8 A Pound For A Brown 8.00 " 9 Black Napkins 18.07 " 76-Nov-7: Civic Center - Springfield, MA 76-Nov-25: Auditorium Theatre - Chicago, IL ================================================= 1978 + 1975 Frank Zappa Mixed 7 Disc 1 - 77.46 1 Watermelon In Easter Hay 6.12 78-Feb-7 2 The Deathless Horsie 7.17 78-Sept-15 3 Yo Mama 10.20 " 4 Intro (Twenty-one) 7.31 78-Sept-17 (late) 5 Yo Mama 10.38 " 6 Black Napkins 6.46 75-Oct-23 7 Stinkfoot 2.21 75-Oct-31 (late) 8 Black Napkins 6.11 " 9 Chunga's Revenge 11.20 " 10 Zoot Allures 9.06 " 78-Feb-7: Nouvel Hippodrome - Paris, France 78-Sept-15: Convention Hall - Miami, FL 78-Sept-17: Fox Theater - Atlanta, GA (late show) 75-Oct-23: Music Hall - Boston, MA 75-Oct-31: Felt Forum - New York, NY (late show) Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Feb-7: They got one more, same as last night with a closing Watermelon In Easter Hay, again in double time. Before it starts, FZ comes out alone and just runs scales which is very unusual. He really cranks out a gem to close the show. 78-Sept-15: This is the first show back in the states after a few days off to travel and bring the equipment back to the US. The show starts with a nice Deathless Horsie solo, still in early development. The crux of this show really starts with the encores, a mini show in itself. ..this segues into a real nice Yo Mama, another nice long solo by FZ. 78-Sept-17 (late): Frank must have realized how badly the previous (early) show sucked. Possibly as an apology to those who had to sit through the early show, Frank completely mixes up the set list for the late show, and delivers a show that deviates from the norm even more than any of the "go-for-broke" Halloween shows. While those later Halloween shows would ultimately provide the more satisfying performances, this early in the tour treat is a very welcome change of scenery, and does provide the inspiration for some amazing moments. The surprises arrive immediately, with the first known performance of "Twenty One" occupying the opening guitar solo spot. Frank solos for approximately five-and-a-half minutes, displaying his virtuosity by wringing some intense emotion out of the complex solo environment. ..No matter, though, as all is mended with the middle-of-the-show climax, "Yo Mama". Unlike the "Yo Mama's" from the Spring '78 tour, this "Yo Mama" (and all "Yo Mama's" since) is not your slowly building, guitar epic showcase. While Vinnie and Artie (and in '81 Wackerman and Thunes) are no doubt highly talented musicians, they could never grasp that methodical, well-paced acceleration that Bozzio and O'Hearn employed so effectively during their tenure. Frank seems to know this, because instead of taking the time to slowly build his solo, he simply takes off as soon as the race starts. With full-speed guitar soloing from the second we enter solo territory, this "Yo Mama" is a mad dash to the finish. We get approximately two minutes of solo Zappa six-string fury, before Vinnie and Artie join in. The segue into Phase II is rather weak, and Frank seems to lose track of where his solo is going at this point. Almost immediately, therefore, he calls for the segue into Phase III, and rides the rhythmic wave that the band builds beneath him. The solo peaks before reaching a truly climatic conclusion, but all things considered (the tour, the month, the solos so far), this is a satisfying excursion. 75-Oct-23: Musicwise, this tape shows the band getting closer to the routine it got into by the winter, which is not such a good thing. ================================================= 1978 + 1979 Frank Zappa Mixed 8 Disc 1 - 77.25 1 Opening Solo 11.25 78-Oct-13 (late) 2 Easy Meat 5.39 " 3 Bamboozled By Love 3.31 " 4 Suicide Chump 4.02 " 5 Yo Mama 10.02 " 6 Black Napkins 16.37 " 7 Muffin Man 3.58 " 8 Conehead 11.21 78-Oct-15 (early) 9 Treacherous Cretins 6.27 79-Feb-23 10 Watermelon In Easter Hay 4.19 " 78-Oct-13: Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ (late show) 78-Oct-15: SUNY - Stony Brook, NY (early show) 79-Feb-23: Nouvel Hippodrome - Paris, France Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Oct-13 (late): SG review: It has proved very difficult for me to write this review, mainly because there are only so many times you can say 'amazing' before it gets old. This is one of the best tapes out there for hearing Frank's guitar. The other soloists are no slouches either, and Patrick has joined the band. Like Jason with the Fall 74 tour, I can't find a fault with this tape. For one thing, the opening solo is incredible, quite probably the best opening solo of the run. Frank is all over the place in terms of style, getting middle-eastern, bluesy, and then just pouring out notes. And did I mention Vinnie, Arthur, and Patrick are providing incredible backup that deserves a listen of its own? It even quotes Transylvania Boogie. What more can I say? Easy Meat has a meaner, more feedback-laden solo than we've heard so far in this tour, and FZ seems to actually use the high notes in his range for once. Bamboozled has Ike in good voice, and Denny with the first and better of his 2 slide solos for the evening. Frank apparently slammed some coffee before this show, as his solos are still full of fast, amazing energy. Intense. Suicide Chump has Denny singing (I always liked his vocals here), and a somewhat weak slide solo, before FZ once again tears into his guitar. A shame this song would turn routine. We then get a very fast, bouncy Yo Mama (maybe it's just my ears after listening to the slower Winter 78 versions). This is another incredible solo, which FZ riding the tri-part vamp for all it's worth. Plus, for once, he gets the segue exactly right! One of my favorite Yo Mama performances. But it's not over yet. Now we have the highlight of a highlight-filled show - Black Napkins. I really can't do justice to this performance. FZ plays his heart out for 8 minutes, then begins to wrap it up, and decides he wants to keep playing, so he does. 5 more minutes of Frank, then he hands it to Patrick for a few, then back with more - it's just jaw dropping. GET THIS TAPE, if only for this performance. Camarillo Brillo is its usual self, but Muffin Man sounds quite nasty tonight, with another feedback-filled solo. FZ asks the crowd if they want another song, but we sadly don't get to hear it as the tape ends there. I tried my best, but I probably sounded like a big fanboy. No matter. This tape is a must-have, some of FZ's best live solos. ================================================= 1981 + 1975 Frank Zappa Mixed 9 Disc 1 - 77.11 1 Black Napkins 5.42 81-Oct-7 2 Yo Mama 8.47 " 3 Zoot Allures 10.09 81-Nov-23 (early) 4 Treacherous Cretins 9.39 81-Nov-25 5 Drowing Witch 8.30 " 6 What's New In Baltimore? 7.07 " 7 Moggio 2.27 " 8 Black Napkins 9.43 75-Dec-7 9 Advance Romance 3.27 " 10 Black Napkins 11.36 75-Dec-26 81-Oct-7: Aladdin Theater - Las Vegas, NV 81-Nov-23: Park West Club - Chicago, IL (early show) 81-Nov-25: Cobo Hall - Detroit, MI 75-Dec-7: McMaster University - Hamilton, Canada 75-Dec-26: Paramount Theater - Oakland, CA Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 75-Dec-7: After a Poodle Lecture, Dirty Love and the Freak Out medley, it's time for the first highlight of the evening, Black Napkins. I've really grown to love the opening chord of Napkins. The transition from the ugliness of I'm Not Satisfied into the beauty of the Napkins vamp constitutes some kind of tension/release effect that feels great. Norma goes first, a typically melodic and beautiful solo. Next, Eddie Jobson on the synthesizer, a great solo, better than any of Andre's. FZ's solo ain't bad either, but not one of the better of the tour. No major surprises in the next couple of songs. Pretty typical and good solos in Advance Romance, Enema Bandit and Carolina. 75-Dec-26: Stinkfoot starts things off well with an energetic, straightforward solo, but then brings us all down with a lengthy Poodle Lecture. Filthy Habits is not in the line up yet, so after Dirty Love and the Freak Out! Medley, the show is already starting to bore. Black Napkins arrives to save the day, with Lewis taking a rare BN keyboard solo (typical Lewis solo), followed by a typically excellent BN Frank solo. ================================================= 1982 Frank Zappa Mixed 10 Disc 1 - 76.16 1 Drowning Witch 8.13 82-May-7 2 Truck Driver Divorce 3.10 " 3 Zoot Allures 6.49 82-June-5 4 King Kong 10.09 " 5 Black Page #2 7.35 " 6 Zoot Allures 7.17 82-June-8 7 Drowning Witch 10.16 " 8 Zoot Allures 9.48 82-June-11 (late) 9 Marqueson's Chicken 6.49 " 10 The Illinois Enema Bandit 6.05 " 82-May-7: Isstadion - Stockholm, Sweden 82-June-5: Vechtewiese - Schuettorf, Germany 82-June-8: Congress Centrum - Hamburg, Germany 82-June-11: Alte Oper - Frankfurt, Germany (late show) Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I only picked the parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 82-May-7: While the first show of '82 is unusually strong, this second show is a more typical example of a tour just starting to find its own identity. The setlist is closer to 81 than usual. Also, there are some mistakes and unrefined arrangements, Scott and Chad sound a bit restless, and FZ's solos tend to ramble. Still, it's clear that this band has a great sound and lots of chops, and FZ is in an aggressive guitar mode for the last time on tour. The best solo is Truck Driver Divorce, where his feedback-heavy tone brings back memories of 10/13/78. 82-June-5: This show finds FZ at a festival "out in the weeds on a very hot day", according to my info sources. He acknowledges this in the intros, telling the topless ladies in the audience to be sure that everyone in the band can see them. He points out that Ed and Scott need to see it a lot, Bobby isn't too interested, and "Steve Vai has already seen it" - more clues for inquiring minds. Jokes aside, this is a rocking set. FZ's guitar has an especially sharp, barbed-wire tone, and it shrieks in every solo, though a lot of them seem to peter out rather than end. (Maybe that's why he didn't release anything from this date.) In particular, he, Chad and Scott do some outrageous things in Black Page. It sounds like he's in a good mood. 82-June-8: First Question: Is it me, or does "Zoot Allures" pack a punch on this tour rivaled nowhere else in the annuls of Zappa Opening Song history? Fall '78 may have had some crazier opening solos, and the avant-garde madness of late '71's opening "jams" will forever occupy a special place in my heart, but from start to finish, the 1982 "Zoot Allures" do something to me that no other opening number does. The tight power of the main theme, the slow escalation towards the solo, the breath of fresh air that runs through the opening bars of the vast solo space, and the always intriguing sometimes outrageous solos. All of this combines into a force that satisfies me completely only 8 minutes into a show. What other Opening Song so consistently does that? This show opens with "Zoot Allures" (obviously) which already puts this tape in the plus column. A pretty straightforward solo, but tasty nonetheless. A surprise "Drowning Witch" follows and Frank seems intent on making amends for his "Easy Meat" lameness. The first solo is the highlight of the night: a walking bass line sets up a relaxed jazz atmosphere that Frank's completely rips to shreds, or at least tries to. Frank stabs six-string daggers all over Thunes' patient playing, and while Wackerman gives into the madness and follows Frank down the violent path, Thunes remains calm and steady, and underscores Frank's solo with some wonderfully contrasting playing. The second solo finds everyone returning to your typical aggressive '82 mode, and while no motifs or phrases particularly stand out, the solo pleases. From here on out, Frank hits standard '82 overdrive, failing to produce any more solos as interesting as "Stinkfoot" or DW#1. 82-June-11 (late): We're now in the part of the tour where Zoot Allures and The Mammy Anthem (or "Born To Suck" as it was called at this time) seem to fight about the prestigious opening slot. And ZA, maybe realizing it's about to lose, really shows itself from it's best side these days. Frank seems really focused for the first part of his solo here, and though he loses a bit of it towards the end, this is an excellent solo. The encores kick-start with Marqueson's Chicken (cool solo!), before it's time for the more standard end-of-the-show run of songs. The final solo, in Illinois Enema Bandit, is long and quite good. Altogether, a nice tape with good sound (getting gradually better, ending up A-) and enough good playing to make it well worth having. ================================================= 1981 Frank Zappa Mixed 11 Disc 1 - 77.58 1 Treacherous Cretins (inc) 1.11 82-Nov-17 2 Drowning Witch 8.21 " 3 What's New In Baltimore 6.04 " 4 Moggio 1.12 " 5 Al Di Meola introduction 1.52 " 6 Clownz On Velvet * 6.11 " (world premier) 7 Ride Like The Wind ** 6.39 " 8 Zoot Allures 11.05 " 9 Watermelon In Easter Hay 5.52 " 10 Black Napkins 4.39 81-Oct-9 (late) 11 Drowning Witch 8.07 " 12 What's New In Baltimore 5.38 " 13 Moggio 2.51 " 14 Yo' Mama 8.10 " 81-Oct-9: Main Auditorium, Univ of AZ - Tucson, AZ (late show) 81-Nov-17: The Ritz - New York, NY * w/ Al Di Meola on guitar ** w/ Al Di Meola on guitar + Brian Peters on vocals ================================================= 1976 + 1977 + 1978 + 1982 + 1984 Frank Zappa Mixed 12 Disc 1 - 76.02 1 Black Napkins 12.55 76-Oct-27 2 Advance Romance * 4.52 " 3 Black Napkins 8.18 77-Oct-31 4 The Torture Never Stops 9.11 78-Feb-17 5 Zoot Allures 8.48 82-May-17 6 What's New In Baltimore 4.17 " 7 Watermelon In Easter Hay 5.05 " 8 Black Page #2 8.50 " 9 Sharleena 5.41 " 10 Zoot Allures 5.46 84-Oct-8 11 More Trouble Every Day 2.15 " ******************************************************* Many of these are incomplete songs. I really only like Zappa's guitar playing. The singing kind of sucks (imo). ******************************************************* 76-Oct-27: Leroy Theater - Pawtucket, RI (Dan Lampinski recording) 77-Oct-31: The Palladium - New York, NY (1st gen tape) 78-Feb-17: Falkoner Theatret - København, Denmark (late show) 82-May-17: Nouvel Hippodrome - Paris, France 84-Oct-8: Palasport San Siro - Milano, Italy * w/ In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida excerpt Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I sometimes only pick parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 77-Oct-31: Halloween with FZ, and the last of a series of 6 Palladium shows, something Frank would repeat the following year to even greater effect. This show is the big one (well, perhaps not QUITE as big as 10/30), and provides a ton of highlights for the discerning listener. My tape ends with a cut-off Black Napkins, with lots of echo effects, sounding like it was starting to really get interesting. Perhaps not as wild as 10/30, but still a great show, and worthy of the FZ Halloween tradition. 78-Sept-17 (late): If there's one thing this band could be rightly accused of, it's predictable setlists. For the vast majority of the shows, the only deviation came during the encores. But for a few nights, when they played double sets, FZ decided to rearrange the setlists and throw in a few surprises, presumably so the people who attended both shows wouldn't get to hear two identical shows. This is one of those shows. While it's great to hear a rearranged set, and especially the rare items, there's one sad thing about it: FZ has decided to leave Wild Love/Yo Mama out. As it would turn out, we get more than enough madness to compensate for this loss, but I can only imagine what this show would have been like *with* those two... ...A few minutes later, we get to hear what's probably THE Torture Never Stops solo of the tour, if not the best ever. FZ starts out very passionate, slowly building to more and more energetic levels. 5 minutes into the solo, he throws in a couple of Mo's Vacation quotes, and this is where Bozzio and O'Hearn find new energy. They whip out a new, high-energy vamp, which brings new inspiration to FZ, and the solo goes on and on. At 9 minutes, it must be one of the longest solos I've heard, yet it never gets boring. Awesome. 82-May-17: You can tell what sort of mood Frank is in right off the bat with his Zoot Allures solo. Wwwwhaaaaaaang... rrrrwoooorrrrr... yes, it's feedback night at the Zappa corral. Frank can't seem to decide if he's playing whole notes or 64th notes, so he goes back and forth between them at whim. The other hint of what's to come is Chad doing some really weird fills after Frank completes his solo. Chad's in a mood to play... Sadly, the next expected highlight, Easy Meat, is cut off right away by Frank doing the standard 'Don't throw things on the stage, get me someone here to say it in French' schtick. It seems to bother him more than most nights, as the solo afterwards is short and boring. The show's energy has stopped dead at this point, and despite decent solos in Baltimore and Bamboozled, we're at a bit of a lull. ... going right into Watermelon, where you can feel Frank straining to break free of the sedate melody so he can rock out. Not the stately beauty of the album version, but still fab. Black Page #2 is really getting to be Frank's "let's experiment" song. It starts off slow with some low gronking, then off into fast and bulbous 64th notes again, then getting melodic and quoting Smoke on the Water and Cars. Throughout this weirdness, someone seems to have let Vinnie Colaiuta at the drumset - no, wait, it's Chad! And he's INSANE! Play this tape for anyone who might think the 80s drumming isn't as wacked out (pardon the pun) as its 70s counterparts. Sharleena starts out seemingly normal, a nice refreshing rest after King Kongs's outre antics. "Where'd she go?" quips Zappa as per usual. "Hope it wasn't Brussels" is the reply. Then he opens up and gives us the longest solo of the night... and it's beautiful! After so much fast metal, this is melodic, and stately, and GORGEOUS. And Frank seems to realize he's on to a good thing, as he keeps playing and playing. The band have to force him back to the head. Incredible, perhaps the best Sharleena I've ever heard. ================================================= 1976 + 1978 Frank Zappa Mixed 13 Disc 1 - 76.12 1 Torture Never Stops 6.30 76-Oct-24 (early show) 2 Black Napkins 12.21 " 3 Advance Romance * 6.53 " 4 Persona Non Grata 11.15 78-Oct-15 (late show) 5 Pound For A Brown 24.35 " 6 Pound For A Brown 14.36 78-Oct-27 (early show) 76-Oct-24: Boston Music Hall - Boston, MA (2nd gen) 78-Oct-15: SUNY - Stony Brook, NY (1st gen) 78-Oct-27: Palladium - New York, NY (1st gen) * w/ In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida excerpt Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I sometimes only pick parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Oct-15 (late show): This SBD is one of the must-have tapes from this tour, along with 78-Oct-13 (late) and the Palladium shows. Like all of them, it has its drawbacks (small repertoire, weak vocals) but displays a band ready to cut loose like maniacs whenever it gets half a chance. The opening Persona Non Grata solo is nearly as massive as its counterparts from 78-Oct-13 (late) and 78-Oct-27 (late) - by now, O'Hearn is here (and Ike is gone), and the board tape puts his contributions (tossing many of FZ's most pungent phrases back at him) into sharp relief. At the end, FZ quotes the intro to Mo's Vacation, leading to a mini-Mo's jam led by Barrow (pretty sure) before FZ starts the band intros. Then "Pound," and all hell breaks loose. Aside from the usual percussion and keyboard solos (allowed to go longer tonight than usual), we get just about everything one could imagine (except for Thirteen and Shankar) - a jam between FZ and O'Hearn (with some assistance from the others), O'Hearn's Emperor Of Ohio rap and more. Definitely one of the classic moments of the year. Unfortunately, the SBD cuts during Tommy's solo, though many copies (not mine) have a few AUD-recorded minutes patched in to pick up the story. Incidentally, this is one of the most commonly mislabelled FZ tapes I know of - I received it labelled as "Harvard Square Theatre - Cambridge, MA" 78-Oct-27 (early show): This is another one of those tapes which you might get mostly in order to put everything in perspective. The show is well-played and energetic, but it only hints at the musical madness to come in this run. Aside from a certain leap in confidence and firepower, you'd be hard-pressed to tell how far these guys have come since Saarbrucken. The only true disappointment is the opening solo (over a unique vamp - uptempo reggae in A minor), which simply peters out after a promising start. On the other hand, the only real musical highlight is Pound For A Brown, where Shankar makes his first, unannounced appearance after Ed's solo and turns out some fiery licks, prompting FZ to follow with a thrasing solo using an octave divider, with Vinnie going mad behind him. There would be more and better examples of this Shankar/FZ interaction later. Otherwise, we get the standard fall '78 set, with few extras. ================================================= 1977, 1979 + 1982 Frank Zappa Mixed 14 Disc 1 - 79.34 1 Stinkfoot 6.12 77-Nov-11 2 Black Napkins 5.49 " 3 Deathless Horsie 9.28 79-Mar-5 4 Easy Meat 5.23 " 5 Inca Roads 8.28 " 6 Treacherous Cretins 9.02 " 7 Zoot Allures 9.35 82-May-21 8 Easy Meat 3.46 " 9 What's New In Baltimore? 5.19 " 10 Moggio 2.08 " 11 Drowning Witch 9.42 " 12 Sharleena 4.35 " 77-Nov-11: Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO (2nd gen) 79-Mar-5: Falkoner Teatret - Copenhagen, Denmark (1st gen) 82-May-21: Sporthalle - Köln, Germany Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I sometimes only pick parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 77-Nov-11: This was my first Fall 1977 concert, and was one of the reasons they became a favorite band of mine. Heck, the main reason. After hearing THIS band tonight, Spring 1980 and the like will never seem as satisfying. The opener is a surprise, harkening back to the 74-76 concerts. But fear not, Stinkfoot is ON tonight, as Frank delivers a fabulous solo, with echo effects, building to a climax just like his best solos do. Sadly, the presence of Stinkfoot means we also get a Poodle Lecture, and despite being slightly more interesting than it used to be, it's still a major letdown. The encores are only Disco Boy and Black Napkins, but the latter doesn't lose any of the energy of the show, quoting Zoot some more. An amazing show. You *need* to hear this. 79-Mar-5: This tour refuses to be categorized. One moment Frank can put out a boring, totally uninspired show, such as the 2/24 concert I reviewed previously. Then he turns around and gives us a show like this, filled with energy, flair, and loooong guitar solos that easily match the ones at the Odeon. To start off with, we get The Deathless Horsie, an excellent guitar vehicle for Frank. He gives us a long, drawn-out solo, experimenting with several styles while getting his guitar in gear. Easy Meat is the second biggie of the night, and boy is it tasty, with Frank for once using the top half of his guitar as well. Andy always sounds good with this band, and then...Inca Roads. As has been mentioned, there was no in between for this song in 1979. It was either short and pointless, or long, beautiful and majestic. This is one of the latter, with Frank content to play around the vamp for almost 10 minutes. Then we get the final song of the night, Treacherous Cretins. After Black Napkins, this is my favorite FZ guitar vehicle, always sounding very dark and creepy. Tonight is no exception, with Frank using all the low notes he never got to in Easy Meat. And you gotta love that 11/4 vamp! It frustrates me sometimes that 79 was so inconsistent, that all the shows couldn't be as good as this. Still, we can be grateful for the shows we have. Definitely a keeper, one of the top five 1979 tapes. 82-May-21: No folks, FZ does *not* play it safe tonight - fact is, he does things with his axe tonight that make Charles Manson look like a little school-girl in comparison. I hadn't listened to this show for quite a while, and though I remembered it was one of the better 1982 shows, I didn't expect it to be this astounding. This is Zappa's night - 10 solos, while we only get one solo from another bandmember. The show kick-starts with Zoot Allures, which gives a strong hint that Frank is having one of *those* nights tonight. The first part of the solo is "When No One Was No One", but the mix on Guitar doesn't do it justice, in this reporter's opinion. On this tape, where Frank's Strat is crisp and cutting, the solo becomes much more touching. For the first three minutes, he keeps playing creative and beautiful melodies (including two nice "Squirm" teases), then he seems to be planning where to go next for a minute. The direction he chooses, is one he would follow for much of the evening: loop madness! For 3 minutes, Frank mangles out chords and noises, from which he makes loops, tries out various combinations and plays melodies on top (some of this can be heard on Guitar). Quite cool, and only the beginning. Easy Meat. The first lines in Frank's solo are so beautiful, we begin to believe he's about to compose a new Sinister Footwear. Then, abruptly, he kicks off one of his thunder-like loops, adds another one, and on top of this chaos, he reprises the great first melody. The rest of this great solo continues like this - a big variety of loops, mixed with neat melodies. The beauty and the beast in one! What's New In Baltimore?, a song that would rarely disappoint on this tour, comes with another great guitar solo, which deviates into a boogie jam. Moggio is just as tight as we've come to expect from these guys, and leads us right into the next highlight of the show. Drowning Witch brings us two awesome solos. Frank squeals out some typical Eastern-European-influenced melodies on the first one, utilizing his "Bulgarian Bagpipe" and feedback techniques to great effect. The second one is even better, much because some brilliant support from Thunes. Frank used half of it on Guitar as "But Who Was Fulcanelli?", but he should have used it in its entirety. And once again, I prefer the sound on this tape. Frank is back in gear for Sharleena, though. This time he chooses a straighter R&R-approach, though he skillfully avoids becoming predictable. On the contrary, he uses the old blues scale in very creative ways, over Scott's bouncy bass. ================================================= 1978 + 1979 Frank Zappa Mixed 15 Disc 1 - 76.12 1 Torture Never Stops 7.17 78-Feb-15 2 Yo Mama 9.25 " 3 Deathless Horsie 8.58 78-Sep-21 4 Yo Mama 5.55 " 5 Black Napkins 5.08 " 6 Yo Mama 7.49 78-Oct-27 (late show) 7 Persona Non Grata 7.20 79-Mar-19 78-Feb-15: Deutschlandhalle - Berlin, Germany (sbd, 2nd gen) 78-Sep-21: Mid Hudson Center - Poughkeepsie, NY (sbd, 1st gen ?) 78-Oct-27: Palladium - New York, NY (1st gen ?) 79-Mar-19: FParc de Penfeld - Brest, France Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I sometimes only pick parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 78-Feb-15: This is probably the most famous concert of the tapes circulating on this tour, and with good reason. It's an excellent sounding tape, A- and close to A. It's got the full selection of frequently played 1978 songs, all played very well. It's got some marvelous FZ guitar, as can be heard of Sheik Yerbouti. Details? OK. Starts off with nice, tight versions of Dancin' Fool and Peaches. Then into The Torture Never Stops, with Rat Tomago, as heard on SY. This is a totally bitchin' solo, and sounds even better on this tape than it does on the album. Highlight of the first half. Then comes Yo Mama, which is still discovering itself. FZ ends up playing a long, stretched out solo, ending up with a 3rd 'riff' that sounds a lot like the 'You Are What You Is' riff. 78-Sep-21: Slow. There is really no other way to describe the September 21 show. And on some songs this works wonderfully, while on others it sends the show crashing to a halt. We start off with an interesting Deathless Horsie, with FZ's guitar just all over the map. He can't stay in one style for more than 30 seconds, and the effect is very interesting. We then get two guitar vehicles to end the show, Yo Mama and Black Napkins, both of which have nice, serviceable Frank solos. 78-Oct-27 (late show): But we do get another highlight, a really majestic Yo Mama. This version is right up there with the best performances from the spring tour, and is quite similar to the SY version in structure, the 3-stage-rocket. I think it was on the original "Warts 'n All", and is indeed worthy of release. 79-Mar-19: The opening solo is quite good, with Frank taking a laid-back, relaxed approach he would use throughout the evening. ================================================= 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980 + 1982 Frank Zappa Mixed 16 Disc 1 - 79.52 1 Willie The Pimp 5.09 71-June_5/6 2 Torture Never Stops 5.53 76-Oct-27 3 Advance Romance * 5.26 " 4 Torture Never Stops 7.53 77-Nov-11 5 King Kong 9.39 " 6 Punky's Whips 2.32 " 7 Wild Love 12.02 " 8 Torture Never Stops 5.21 78-Feb-5 9 Improvisations 2.33 " 10 Yo Mama 9.50 " 11 Watermelon In Easter Hay 3.06 " 12 Torture Never Stops 2.17 80-Dec-20 13 Zoot Allures 8.08 82-July-7 * w/ In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida excerpt 71-June_5/6: Fillmore East - New York, NY 76-Oct-27: Leroy Theater - Pawtucket, RI 77-Nov-11: Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO 78-Feb-5: Festehalle - Bern, Switzerland 80-Dec-20: Moby Gym, Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO 82-July-7: Parco Redecesio di Segrate - Milano, Italy Notes on this material from the Frank Zappa Tape Reviewing Society (I sometimes only pick parts of the reviews that actually apply to the tracks above): 77-Nov-11: Torture is at its most relaxed, rivaling the Fall 76 Tortures for sheer laid-back mellowness. Patrick is also excellent in the background, adding a little jam counterpoint to FZ's picking. Then another surprise - no Conehead, but straight into King Kong. Zappa's next, and it's a quite interesting solo, with more band interaction than he usually has. Starts off very slow, but builds itself up to a frenzy, ending with a Smoke on the Water quote. All of Frank's solos tonight are long and melodic, allowing him to get the most from his guitar. When listening to Punky's Whips tonight, I realized just how HARD it is to play, and how talented Frank's bands were to manage it. A cut in the middle sadly deprives us of the beginning of FZ's solo, but we get the end, which kicks ass. And yet (as if that weren't enough), we get surprise #3: it segues into Wild Love. (Note that Wild Love here contains the Fall 77 intro, later dropped, that some say is actually a coda of I Promise Not to etc.). But all of these are merely preludes. We get the 'Yo Mama' drums going, and Frank steps up to begin his solo. It doesn't start with the Squirm, but with a riff very similar to the Winter 76 Zoot Allures. After playing with this for a while, Frank gets back to the Squirm motif, but stays in the relaxed mode. After more echo effects, Terry starts a march-like drum tempo, and the rest of the band picks up on it, but Frank seems oblivious, continuing his solo as if nothing is happening. The result is quite majestic. Finally Frank wakes up and gets grooving, ending the solo by quoting Zoot Allures for real. My notes simply say "My God!" when describing the solo. A short coda, and FZ does the outros. The encores are only Disco Boy and Black Napkins, but the latter doesn't lose any of the energy of the show, quoting Zoot some more. An amazing show. You *need* to hear this. 78-Feb-5: This is your typical Spring '78 show. And for this tour, "a typical show" is definitely a compliment, meaning that it's a great concert, with lots of excellent jamming. First song of real interest is, as usual, The Torture Never Stops. This is the tour for Torture solos, possibly in competition with fall '80. FZ's playing, as well as Terry's drumming, is very powerful. Predictably, Yo Mama proves to be one of the highlights. The solo starts off nearly a capella, with just an organ in the background. FZ's playing is varied and inventive, getting more and more rhythmical and after a while, the rhythm section catches up. Terry and Patrick comes up with a great, wild groove, and the rest of the solo is more R&R than the majestic excursions we're used to. Terrific, nevertheless. Some set lists report a Watermelon at the very end, but it's not on my tape. 82-July-7: The Mosquito show is notable for being one of the best Zappa audience recordings ever, and because FZ released several portions of it. However, after this first time listening to the whole show, it seems that this is not among the top Italy 82 shows, although it's still far beyond the overall FZ average. FZ chose this night to bring out some of the less-often played items, but they aren't the best 82 numbers. An exception to this is Zoot Allures, the only non-Mammy Anthem opener in Italy. FZ is still in Mammy mode for his solo, though, quickly degenerating into furious noise. ================================================= =================================================