Tag Archives: zappa

World News

New Zappa Mudd Club /Munich 3-CD Set Delivers Rich Les Paul-Driven Rock Crunch Throughout Overlooked 1980 Tour

Posted on by Mark Smotroff


If I’ve discovered one factor in all these years reviewing archival releases from the property of Frank Zappa it’s to belief the style, opinion and imaginative and prescient of Vaultmeister Joe Travers. He is the guru who has taken the helm of the Mothers-ship, steering us followers gingerly by way of the deeply rewarding waters into Zappa’s legendary archives. Travers’ passionate drive behind these releases is roughly equal to the affect of the late nice Dick Latvala who initiated the pioneering “Dick’s Picks” sequence of archival releases for The Grateful Dead.

This newest launch comes from an period of Zappa’s music that I’ve truthfully had some misgivings about over time. And apparently Mr. Travers himself admitted that the Spring 1980 tour hadn’t been a giant precedence however he apparently discovered a number of associated tapes that Zappa had been engaged on at one level or one other. So he ultimately discovered time to discover the recordings and located a lot greatness inside. 

Thus we now have this high quality new album referred to as Zappa ’80 Mudd Club / Munich and very like the nice 1981 Halloween performances which I reviewed some time again (click on right here), this recording has gone an extended option to modified my perspective on what Frank was doing right now. Central to this uncommon interval is that Zappa was working with a comparatively stripped down, five-piece rockin’ again up band to tackle tour supporting new materials he was engaged on. This tight environment friendly unit additionally discovered itself sporting an incredible new drummer who was solely with Zappa for a short while, David Logeman.

The first disc of Zappa ’80 Mudd Club / Munich comes from an unique look on the legendary downtown New York hipster venue referred to as The Mudd Club. I keep in mind when this present occurred again within the day and plenty of of my Zappa fan mates have been buzzing about it. This recording comes from Zappa’s Nagra reel-to-reel which he was operating at the back of the membership. It sounds actually fairly good all issues thought of and on it your hear this nascent band coming collectively earlier than your very ears. It is actually fascinating listening to Zappa, whom by this time we’d grow to be accustomed to listening to dwell on giant live performance phases earlier than 1000’s of followers, enjoying for about 240 fortunate followers. You can really feel the shut ambiance on these recordings. 

But actually, that is all a heat up for the whole live performance later on the finish of the tour in Germany. Recorded on the Olympiahalle in Munich on July 3, 1980, this performace is kind of outstanding on quite a few ranges. Part of the present had been broadcast however now we get to listen to the whole present and to this point I’ve been tremendous impressed. Everything concerning the preparations and total sound of this band may be very concise. Adding to pure rock bliss is that we discover Zappa enjoying his lovely Les Paul, so his overdriven sound is fierce and ripping.

This can also be a major launch and that it’s the first all digital recording that Zappa ever made on tour, recorded within the Sony PCM-1600 format on 3/4-inch U-Matic video tape. Happily, it sounds fairly great as CDs go as a result of principally we’re listening to the native unique recording that was laid down at the moment. Even although it’s 16 bit, 44.1 kHz — not coincidentally the eventual normal — the recording sounds wonderful. There apparently was a substantial quantity of restoration work performed fixing dropouts from saftey grasp copies Zappa had made (the PCM video format is seemingly infamous for growing dropouts over time). These recordings have been finally mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman and it sounds it. 

At the top of the day it comes right down to music and the band right here is just about on fireplace. I’m significantly taken with this model of “Easy Meat,” a music which Zappa had been engaged on since 1970 which finally noticed launch on the disappointing Tinseltown Rebellion album (1981). I want Frank had issued this model of the music. No disrespect to keyboardist Tommy Mars, however one of many points I’ve all the time had with Tinseltown typically is that the keyboards have been blended option to excessive for my style — I’m admittedly accustomed to Zappa’s guitar main his sound however there the synthesizer sounds are likely to dominate. That mentioned, this model feels extra balanced and rocking, plus Zappa’s solo is pretty epic.  

Other tracks value noting on this set are “Dancin’ Fool” and “Bobby Brown Goes Down” each of which get significantly robust crowd responses. I’ve learn previously that the latter music grew to become an enormous hit in Europe; the wiki says “It was a number-one-hit in Norway and Sweden and positioned at quantity 4 within the German charts, the place it bought greater than 250,000 items.”  This is kind of superb given the subject material of the music on the time — a couple of mysoginistic closeted dysfunctional Gay file firm govt! However, the group goes audibly bonkers when Zappa launches into the Doo Wop flavored ditty! Zappa continues the frivolities with a scorching model of “Ms. Pinky,” from Zoot Allures (1976) a couple of blow up private leisure doll. Good clear enjoyable, youngsters!  

Seriously, Zappa ’80 Mudd Club / Munich is a joyous three CD set which sounds nice and within reason priced. The recordings are traditionally important, and also you most likely want them in your assortment if you’re a Zappa fan.  I hope to get my palms on the vinyl editions quickly and can report on these as quickly as I get them. You may also discover it streaming on Qobuz (click on right here), Tidal (click on right here) and Apple Music ().  

World News

Frank Zappa’s 1972 Jazz Rock Masterpieces The Grand Wazoo & Waka/Jawaka Featured In New Boxed Set, Waka/Wazoo. Part 2, The Live & Studio Sessions

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

In part one of my review of the fabulous new Frank Zappa five disc boxed set called Waka/Wazoo we explored the fantastic Dolby Atmos Blu-ray surround sound recordings included there. In case you missed Part One, please click here to catch up.  In this second part of my listening report I hope to highlight some of the truly nifty studio and live recordings included on the rest of the the collection.

For those of you reading this not familiar with this music, a paragraph from the official press materials from the Zappa estate may help to shed necessary light on the amazing music in this set:

“In 1972, following the aftermath of being pushed off stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London by a crazed attendee, Frank Zappa found himself recuperating for months in his home in the hills of Los Angeles. Although he was confined to a wheelchair and in immense pain, his work ethic could not be tamed, and he would end up having one of the most prolific years of his hugely prolific career. During this time, he managed, among other things, to assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra.” Ultimately, he contracted a 20-piece group for recording sessions and an eight-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now popularly known as the “Petite Wazoo” toured for almost two months. After all was said and done, Zappa finished the experiment with two albums in the can – Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo – plus two tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand.”

If you are a casual Zappa fan reading this review and wondering where this music fits in the big scheme of things, here is some easy to understand perspective: if you own and enjoyed Zappa’s landmark and immensely popular mostly instrumental jazz-rock fusion album called Hot Rats and have always wondered if there was more of this kind of music from Frank available,  then Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo should be your next Zappa albums to explore.  

Personally, these albums are among my all time favorite Zappa recordings. 

For us deeper Zappa fans, a collection like this is welcome and oft-dreamt-about joy as it not only delivers live recordings from this period  — which a whole lot of us never got to see/hear — but also breaks out rarities from the studio archives which went into the making of the final albums. 

For me, it is precisely that wealth of studio outtakes, alternate mixes and works in progress showing the development of this music from its earliest stages which makes Waka/Wazoo essential listening. 

It is fascinating being the fly-on-the-wall and hearing songs like the bluesy “Your Mouth” in first take form. There, the two vocalists have not quite jelled their performance into the tight blend of the final mix, but it they still have that immediately identifiable sound that is part of that song’s signature.

It is quite amazing to hear the evolution of songs like the title track of The Grand Wazoo album, where we get to hear the early incarnation outtake version titled “Think It Over” which reveals that this tune originally had lyrics sung over it (or at least initial ideas for lyrics on parts of the work)!  

Fans of Zappa keyboardist and singer George Duke will be excited to hear a batch of unreleased recordings made around the same time as these sessions featuring Zappa on guitar. One of the most notable moments in these sessions is an instrumental version of the song “Uncle Remus” which Zappa clearly liked so much that he added lyrics to it and it became a key song on the Apostrophe album couple of years later. But here on Waka/Wazoo we hear that George Duke had the song pretty much fully shaped and thus it would be relatively easy for Zappa to shape it into a full song for his album by adding lyrics and embellishments to Duke’s melody lines.

Speaking of early versions, one of the surprises from the live recordings of the 10-piece “Petite Wazoo” band is that they don’t really do any of the material on Waka/Jawaka or The Grand Wazoo! Instead, the fans in San Francisco attending that concert at the legendary Winterland Ballroom (December 15, 1972) were treated to mostly even newer material Zappa was already working out! 

Included is a great version of “Montana” which would show up on 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation album and a great rockin’ take on “Cosmik Debris” which ended up on the Apostrophe album in 1974. We also get then-unreleased pieces like “Little Dots” and “Farther O’Blivion” (which is a very different piece of music to the like-named “Father O’Blivion” on the Apostrophe album). The set ends with a fine Petite Wazoo impression of “Chunga’s Revenge” (title track from the 1970 Zappa solo album).

Waka/Wazoo comes to you wrapped in a sturdy compact clamshell type box, which no doubt keeps the overhead costs to a minimum allowing them to sell this set for a very reasonable price. 

You can find it for about $60 on Amazon (click on the Waka/Wazoo title anywhere in this review for that) which feels very fair for four jam packed CDs of high quality music and the stellar Blu-ray Disc which gives you both original albums — again, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo — mixed into spectacular surround sound and in high resolution 96kHz 24-bit PCM Stereo. You also get a neat little booklet with background information and photos from the period.

Probably the only thing that is weird to me is that Waka/Wazoo doesn’t include any of the original cover artwork of the original albums printed on the physical packaging. We do, however, get to see the original album covers which appear on your TV or computer when navigating the Blu-ray Disc (shown here above and below this paragraph). 

You can also find Waka/Wazoo streaming on the better services in high resolution audio including Qobuz Hi Res (click here), Tidal MQA (click here) and Apple Music Lossless (click here). 

Waka/Wazoo is a great collection. If you love Zappa’s mostly instrumental jazz-rock fusion music, you really should listen. 

World News

Frank Zappa’s 1972 Jazz Rock Masterpieces, The Grand Wazoo & Waka/Jawaka Come Alive In Multi-Channel Dolby Atmos Surround Sound Blu-ray Featured In New Boxed Set, Waka/Wazoo

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

I’ll be honest folks, I’m more than a little bit giddy right now…

I am not sure if I am more excited about the facts that two of my favorite Frank Zappa albums have not only been given the 21st Century remastering treatment (including all analog vinyl mastered by Bernie Grundman!) … Or that the Zappa estate is opening up their archives further for a deep dive into studio outtakes and alternates that most of us have not heard… Or, that the producers took the time to mix both of these albums into surround sound… 

Or, am I simply more excited that they took the time to mix it into really great sounding surround sound?

I think that latter point is where I’ll start!  

The new Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 versions of The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka are easily the most exciting surround sound mixes I’ve heard in quite some time. These are among the first Dolby Atmos mixes made for home listening which I’ve genuinely enjoyed outside of Stephen Wilson’s more recent works, particularly on his solo albums. 

These mixes are included in the four CD plus Blu-ray Disc boxed set called Waka/Wazoo, out now from Zappa Records and Universal Music.  

On these new surround sound mixes, I think the producers have struck a nice balance between honoring the music, evoking Frank’s adventuresome creative spirit had he been around to supervise this mix all while crafting an engaging listening experience which most everyone should be able to enjoy. 

Both of these mixes keep relatively true to the basic sound of the original albums — they are not overly brightened to sound contemporary. Yet, the producers were not afraid to fully embrace the 7.1 channel surround sound spaces with discrete information that delivers a compelling listening experience.

I recently upgraded my living room home theater system so I could experience Dolby Atmos music, particularly on Blu-ray Discs (which I play over my Oppo UDP-203 universal disc player). Prior to this I’ve certainly heard some very compelling Atmos movie mixes in the theaters and even one for the one off demo of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper in a movie theater. But in general, most of the Dolby Atmos mixes that I’ve heard, at least for those made from vintage archival recordings from the past, have been underwhelming. Most of the mixes I’ve heard (on some pretty major releases from some big name bands) have played it “safe” to the point of being uninspiring and ultimately not worth listening to. Most of those mixes tend to use the surround and height channels for room ambience. It is even more discouraging when the regular 5.1 surround and Stereo mixes on the same disc are more exciting and engaging.

Well, hopefully we can say that this is one of those “that was then, this is now” scenarios…

From the official Frank Zappa website we learn: “The Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo albums themselves will be presented on Blu-Ray Audio disc in a variety of exciting listening experiences: brand-new first-time-ever immersive Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital True HD 5.1 surround sound mixes mixed from the original multi-tracks by Erich Gobel and Karma Auger at Studio 1LA and 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters mastered by Doug Sax with Robert Hadley and Sangwook “Sunny” Nam at The Mastering Lab in 2012. Both albums will also be available for hi-res streaming.” 

Navigation screen from the quAUDIOPHILIAc DVD Audio Disc release

One of the first things I did when I got my copy of Waka/Wazoo in hand was to break out my DVD Audio disc of Frank Zappa’s 2004 release called quAUDIOPHILIAc. This fantastic but sadly short-lived release — featuring recordings of Zappa in surround sound — included some early quadraphonic experiments Zappa made even before playback options were a mass market reality for consumers. One of my favorite tracks on that album is the early quad mix of the song “Waka/Jawaka,” a wonderful listening experience where you get to take a ride with Frank at the controls as he takes some wild chances on his sound design. At one point guitars from opposing angles intersect in the surround fields as if they were doing battle with one another.  It’s a very exciting and engaging mix, actually!

On these new surround sound mixes for Waka/Wazoo, engineers Erich Gobel and Karma Auger don’t quite re-create that but they do aspire to their own adventuresome spirit which I suspect Frank would appreciate. They do keep the basic rhythm section focused mostly on the upfront channels but at times it feels as if you are in the middle of the drum kit — or perhaps sitting on the drummer’s throne! It sort of envelopes in you at times, yet not in an overwhelming manner.  I found it at minimum very enticing and at times quite exhilarating.

Keyboards and sound effects tend to percolate from the rear and sides of the surround fields, sometimes even washing over you front to back. Vocals tend to come from up front while harmonies can sometimes come from the back. Again, they’re not afraid to take some creative chances here. 

Interestingly the mixes were done at 48 kHz, 24 bit but they sound really nice and particularly quite warm which is essential from my perspective.  These are albums featuring lots of horns and jazz flavors, so that is part of the vibe of the original recordings which Zappa captured back in 1972. 

Following are some of my first reflections on fun details I heard while listening to each of the albums, mostly in Dolby Atmos. Please note that these are first impressions and I reserve the right to alter/update my perspective upon subsequent listens (as I ask myself: “Did I really hear what I thought I heard?”). 

Navigation screen for The Grand Wazoo on the Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Disc

Also, an important note of warning as you start to explore this disc: the 96 kHz, 24-bit Stereo (original album) mix is set significantly louder than the surround mixes. So if you are switching in real time between the different options (as I frequently do), be sure to lower your volume settings accordingly before switching to it!  That is a disc mastering issue which probably should be fixed for subsequent pressings. 

The Grand Wazoo

The first thing I noticed was that the height channels are used very effectively not just to deliver room ambiance but the scale of the instruments. Suddenly, the drums are filling a more three dimensional space, with cymbal parts seemingly coming from higher (where they would be in a live situation if you were on stage or in the studio with the band) vs. just coming out of the speakers with everything else.  

As I mentioned earlier, at times it feels that the drum kit is almost filling the room, as if you might be sitting on the drummer’s throne. Listen closely during “Cleetus Awreetus-Awrightus” for Zappa’s mad overdriven guitar parts jumping out from under the horn, which were formerly blended so well into the mix that they were almost a buried sonic texture. I’m glad they brought out that detail because, well, it is frankly super badass! Its all neat how the “tack” piano solo sort of emerges mid-room.  On “Eat That Question,” keep alert for Frank’s repeated string bending moment during his solo which kind of echos, bouncing front to rear, in time with the music. 

Navigation screen for Waka/Jawaka on the Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Disc

“Blessed Relief” is especially gorgeous, bathing you in a lush wash of Fender Rhodes style keyboards and horns. Listening to this song in surround sound, I am realizing that this beautiful composition is about as close as Frank Zappa ever got writing a melody that had that Burt Bacharach kind of flavor — I could hear Herb Alpert covering this (and I mean that as a compliment).

Waka/Jawaka

While perhaps not quite as flirtatious as The Grand Wazoo mix, Waka/Jawaka in surround sound is still a quite active listening experience, from a trumpet solo part which travels around the room, to keyboards padding out from behind you. Once again, the cymbals and drums in general sound uncannily realistic. There are some neat flute-horn combination parts popping up at times which are more audible, formerly buried in the Stereo mix, again as more of a texture. 

I could go on and may update this at some point with other observations. But in general I am very impressed with these mixes and — for me at least — it makes owning this set an essential if you are a fan of Zappa and surround sound.

In 1968, Frank Zappa ran an ad in Marvel comic books promoting his then new release We’re Only In It For The Money. In that ad were some semi-sarcastic-but-not-sarcastic tagline-type words, reminiscent of the kinds of ads run in supermarkets or perhaps a car dealership!  That copy read (roughly in this order depending upon how you read the ad: “Thrilling, clean fun!  Cleans you! Thrills you! Cleans & Thrills you! Expensive! Fun!” 

I think most of that ad copy applies to this new Waka/Wazoo boxed set save for the word “expensive.”  With it selling for about $60 on Amazon, this feels like a bargain for music of this caliber and with it including such a great surround sound mix. You’d pay almost as much for many fancy single disc Pure Audio type releases on Blu-ray or a Criterion movie.

I’ll post my review of the CD portion of the set — the outtakes and live recordings — next week so please stay tuned. But if you are into surround sound and Zappa and want to have a fun holiday gift for yourself (or the Zappa fan in your life) you might want to jump on getting a copy of this sooner than later. 

World News

Frank Zappa’s 1972 Jazz Rock Masterpieces, The Grand Wazoo & Waka/Jawaka Come Alive In Multi-Channel Dolby Atmos Surround Sound Blu-ray Featured In New Boxed Set, Waka/Wazoo

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

I’ll be honest folks, I’m more than a little bit giddy right now…

I am not sure if I am more excited about the facts that two of my favorite Frank Zappa albums have not only been given the 21st Century remastering treatment (including all analog vinyl mastered by Bernie Grundman!) … Or that the Zappa estate is opening up their archives further for a deep dive into studio outtakes and alternates that most of us have not heard… Or, that the producers took the time to mix both of these albums into surround sound… 

Or, am I simply more excited that they took the time to mix it into really great sounding surround sound?

I think that latter point is where I’ll start!  

The new Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 versions of The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka are easily the most exciting surround sound mixes I’ve heard in quite some time. These are among the first Dolby Atmos mixes made for home listening which I’ve genuinely enjoyed outside of Stephen Wilson’s more recent works, particularly on his solo albums. 

These mixes are included in the four CD plus Blu-ray Disc boxed set called Waka/Wazoo, out now from Zappa Records and Universal Music.  

On these new surround sound mixes, I think the producers have struck a nice balance between honoring the music, evoking Frank’s adventuresome creative spirit had he been around to supervise this mix all while crafting an engaging listening experience which most everyone should be able to enjoy. 

Both of these mixes keep relatively true to the basic sound of the original albums — they are not overly brightened to sound contemporary. Yet, the producers were not afraid to fully embrace the 7.1 channel surround sound spaces with discrete information that delivers a compelling listening experience.

I recently upgraded my living room home theater system so I could experience Dolby Atmos music, particularly on Blu-ray Discs (which I play over my Oppo UDP-203 universal disc player). Prior to this I’ve certainly heard some very compelling Atmos movie mixes in the theaters and even one for the one off demo of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper in a movie theater. But in general, most of the Dolby Atmos mixes that I’ve heard, at least for those made from vintage archival recordings from the past, have been underwhelming. Most of the mixes I’ve heard (on some pretty major releases from some big name bands) have played it “safe” to the point of being uninspiring and ultimately not worth listening to. Most of those mixes tend to use the surround and height channels for room ambience. It is even more discouraging when the regular 5.1 surround and Stereo mixes on the same disc are more exciting and engaging.

Well, hopefully we can say that this is one of those “that was then, this is now” scenarios…

From the official Frank Zappa website we learn: “The Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo albums themselves will be presented on Blu-Ray Audio disc in a variety of exciting listening experiences: brand-new first-time-ever immersive Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital True HD 5.1 surround sound mixes mixed from the original multi-tracks by Erich Gobel and Karma Auger at Studio 1LA and 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters mastered by Doug Sax with Robert Hadley and Sangwook “Sunny” Nam at The Mastering Lab in 2012. Both albums will also be available for hi-res streaming.” 

Navigation screen from the quAUDIOPHILIAc DVD Audio Disc release

One of the first things I did when I got my copy of Waka/Wazoo in hand was to break out my DVD Audio disc of Frank Zappa’s 2004 release called quAUDIOPHILIAc. This fantastic but sadly short-lived release — featuring recordings of Zappa in surround sound — included some early quadraphonic experiments Zappa made even before playback options were a mass market reality for consumers. One of my favorite tracks on that album is the early quad mix of the song “Waka/Jawaka,” a wonderful listening experience where you get to take a ride with Frank at the controls as he takes some wild chances on his sound design. At one point guitars from opposing angles intersect in the surround fields as if they were doing battle with one another.  It’s a very exciting and engaging mix, actually!

On these new surround sound mixes for Waka/Wazoo, engineers Erich Gobel and Karma Auger don’t quite re-create that but they do aspire to their own adventuresome spirit which I suspect Frank would appreciate. They do keep the basic rhythm section focused mostly on the upfront channels but at times it feels as if you are in the middle of the drum kit — or perhaps sitting on the drummer’s throne! It sort of envelopes in you at times, yet not in an overwhelming manner.  I found it at minimum very enticing and at times quite exhilarating.

Keyboards and sound effects tend to percolate from the rear and sides of the surround fields, sometimes even washing over you front to back. Vocals tend to come from up front while harmonies can sometimes come from the back. Again, they’re not afraid to take some creative chances here. 

Interestingly the mixes were done at 48 kHz, 24 bit but they sound really nice and particularly quite warm which is essential from my perspective.  These are albums featuring lots of horns and jazz flavors, so that is part of the vibe of the original recordings which Zappa captured back in 1972. 

Following are some of my first reflections on fun details I heard while listening to each of the albums, mostly in Dolby Atmos. Please note that these are first impressions and I reserve the right to alter/update my perspective upon subsequent listens (as I ask myself: “Did I really hear what I thought I heard?”). 

Navigation screen for The Grand Wazoo on the Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Disc

Also, an important note of warning as you start to explore this disc: the 96 kHz, 24-bit Stereo (original album) mix is set significantly louder than the surround mixes. So if you are switching in real time between the different options (as I frequently do), be sure to lower your volume settings accordingly before switching to it!  That is a disc mastering issue which probably should be fixed for subsequent pressings. 

The Grand Wazoo

The first thing I noticed was that the height channels are used very effectively not just to deliver room ambiance but the scale of the instruments. Suddenly, the drums are filling a more three dimensional space, with cymbal parts seemingly coming from higher (where they would be in a live situation if you were on stage or in the studio with the band) vs. just coming out of the speakers with everything else.  

As I mentioned earlier, at times it feels that the drum kit is almost filling the room, as if you might be sitting on the drummer’s throne. Listen closely during “Cleetus Awreetus-Awrightus” for Zappa’s mad overdriven guitar parts jumping out from under the horn, which were formerly blended so well into the mix that they were almost a buried sonic texture. I’m glad they brought out that detail because, well, it is frankly super badass! Its all neat how the “tack” piano solo sort of emerges mid-room.  On “Eat That Question,” keep alert for Frank’s repeated string bending moment during his solo which kind of echos, bouncing front to rear, in time with the music. 

Navigation screen for Waka/Jawaka on the Waka/Wazoo Blu-ray Disc

“Blessed Relief” is especially gorgeous, bathing you in a lush wash of Fender Rhodes style keyboards and horns. Listening to this song in surround sound, I am realizing that this beautiful composition is about as close as Frank Zappa ever got writing a melody that had that Burt Bacharach kind of flavor — I could hear Herb Alpert covering this (and I mean that as a compliment).

Waka/Jawaka

While perhaps not quite as flirtatious as The Grand Wazoo mix, Waka/Jawaka in surround sound is still a quite active listening experience, from a trumpet solo part which travels around the room, to keyboards padding out from behind you. Once again, the cymbals and drums in general sound uncannily realistic. There are some neat flute-horn combination parts popping up at times which are more audible, formerly buried in the Stereo mix, again as more of a texture. 

I could go on and may update this at some point with other observations. But in general I am very impressed with these mixes and — for me at least — it makes owning this set an essential if you are a fan of Zappa and surround sound.

In 1968, Frank Zappa ran an ad in Marvel comic books promoting his then new release We’re Only In It For The Money. In that ad were some semi-sarcastic-but-not-sarcastic tagline-type words, reminiscent of the kinds of ads run in supermarkets or perhaps a car dealership!  That copy read (roughly in this order depending upon how you read the ad: “Thrilling, clean fun!  Cleans you! Thrills you! Cleans & Thrills you! Expensive! Fun!” 

I think most of that ad copy applies to this new Waka/Wazoo boxed set save for the word “expensive.”  With it selling for about $60 on Amazon, this feels like a bargain for music of this caliber and with it including such a great surround sound mix. You’d pay almost as much for many fancy single disc Pure Audio type releases on Blu-ray or a Criterion movie.

I’ll post my review of the CD portion of the set — the outtakes and live recordings — next week so please stay tuned. But if you are into surround sound and Zappa and want to have a fun holiday gift for yourself (or the Zappa fan in your life) you might want to jump on getting a copy of this sooner than later. 

World News

Ripe For Halloween, Frank Zappa’s New 1975 Yugoslavian Concert Set Showcases Rare Transitional Band and Musical Experiments on CD and Streaming

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

Halloween was Frank Zappa’s favorite holiday so it is not surprising that there is a new release recorded in the general vicinity of Dracula’s Transylvania: Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana.

1975 was a bit of an incredible year for this legendary composer, guitarist and all around musical icon. He completed a brand new album – One Size Fits All, widely considered one of his best rock albums – toured extensively, revised and updated his band which was evolving and even found time for orchestral performances of his music. And then along the way he got an invitation to play in Yugoslavia for his first and only time.

The two concerts they perform there in the cities of Zagreb and Ljubljana are the subject of a fascinating new two CD set issued by Universal Music and Zappa Records — called simply, Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana. Taken from restored rare eight-track tapes as well as Zappa’s own stereo line mixes captured on his trusty, portable Nagra Stereo reel-to-reel recorder, the sessions provide a fascinating snapshot not only into the sound of his band in transition but we get to hear many classic Zappa compositions evolving before our very ears.

The short-lived group had not only the newly-anointed and soon-to-be-legendary drummer Terry Bozzio on board but also two briefly-tenured members, Andre Lewis on keyboards and Norma Bell on alto sax and vocals. These players were only in the band for a handful of months, making making these recordings all the more fascinating to hear their takes on the material. Also in the band was Napoleon Murphy Brock from the legendary “Roxy” era of the band on lead vocals and tenor sax. Original Mother of Invention Roy Estrada returned for one last time on bass. Borrowing a phrase from guitarist Robert Fripp, this five-piece assemblage was in its own way a small intelligent mobile unit. 

The interesting thing about these recordings on Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is that Zappa was able to test drive (if you will) many new ideas before a live audience that had never really seen him perform before. Zappa’s bands rarely made obvious mistakes, but if ever there was a location where they could take some risks with new ideas, this was it. And that’s where this set becomes more essential in the grand scheme of Zappa’s history. Now we can hear early versions of new material he was working on at that time, such as the so-called “prototype” version of “Filthy Habits,” which would later appear as part of the Läther-era material issued on the Sleep Dirt LP in 1979. 

We are also treated to early work-outs of then brand new compositions like “Black Napkins” and “Zoot Allures.”  And they play a great version of “Chunga’s Revenge,” again with many new ideas flowing from Zappa’s fretboard and fingertips. Of course the audience is treated to some “greatest hits” as the band breaks out numerous early Mothers of Invention tunes from Freak Out and We’re Only In It For The Money as well as later fan favorites from Overnight Sensation, Apostrophe and then new albums Bongofury and One Size Fits All.

In this light, it is perhaps worth pointing out that the cover of Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana features a photo of Frank tuning his guitar, not really an image we get to see featured very often (at least on an album cover design). Perhaps this subconsciously represents the experimental tune-up nature of these recordings. Just a thought… 

But I digress… 

Overall the sound quality on Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is quite good all things considered. There are some fluctuations in sound, which the producers explain transparently in the liner notes. That these recordings exist at all in this sort of quality is quite remarkable! The eight-track recorder that they were working off of was apparently a very rare half-inch tape format version with special DBX noise reduction employed. This required much specialized tender-loving-care to extract the music from these tapes. And because they were performing at two venues with quite different acoustics, the overall sound quality does vary.   

But, in general, Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana still sounds pretty great and is certainly very enjoyable if you are a Zappa fan (and especially if you are accustomed to listening to the many archival recordings which have been issued over the years).  Between the two shows, producers Joe Travers and Ahmet Zappa have assembled one nice compilation of all the music performed on that mini-tour in best possible quality. 

Some of the performances are  quite astounding particularly Terry Bozzio’s several incredible drum solos — for which he receives credit as composer, separate from Zappa’s work!  You can really hear Terry quickly emerging as the powerhouse center of Zappa’s universe around that time. He is now highly regarded as one of Zappa’s best ever drummers.

You can find Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana streaming on Tidal MQA IN 24-bit, 44.1 kHz fidelity (click here), Apple Music Hi Res Lossless (click here) as well as Qobuz in 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution (click here). But if you like physical media —and want to read the recollections of the tour from Terry Bozzio and sound person Davy Moire — the CD may be your best bet. 

If you are a casual fan looking for high fidelity Zappa sounds like Hot Rats, this album is not for you (check out Waka Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo instead!).  But if you are a hardcore Zappa fan, you’ll want this for the interesting variants and many groovy then-new ideas Frank was test driving before an unsuspecting audience.  Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is ultimately essential listening for the deep Zappa fan.

World News

Ripe For Halloween, Frank Zappa’s New 1975 Yugoslavian Concert Set Showcases Rare Transitional Band and Musical Experiments on CD and Streaming

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

Halloween was Frank Zappa’s favorite holiday so it is not surprising that there is a new release recorded in the general vicinity of Dracula’s Transylvania: Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana.

1975 was a bit of an incredible year for this legendary composer, guitarist and all around musical icon. He completed a brand new album – One Size Fits All, widely considered one of his best rock albums – toured extensively, revised and updated his band which was evolving and even found time for orchestral performances of his music. And then along the way he got an invitation to play in Yugoslavia for his first and only time.

The two concerts they perform there in the cities of Zagreb and Ljubljana are the subject of a fascinating new two CD set issued by Universal Music and Zappa Records — called simply, Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana. Taken from restored rare eight-track tapes as well as Zappa’s own stereo line mixes captured on his trusty, portable Nagra Stereo reel-to-reel recorder, the sessions provide a fascinating snapshot not only into the sound of his band in transition but we get to hear many classic Zappa compositions evolving before our very ears.

The short-lived group had not only the newly-anointed and soon-to-be-legendary drummer Terry Bozzio on board but also two briefly-tenured members, Andre Lewis on keyboards and Norma Bell on alto sax and vocals. These players were only in the band for a handful of months, making making these recordings all the more fascinating to hear their takes on the material. Also in the band was Napoleon Murphy Brock from the legendary “Roxy” era of the band on lead vocals and tenor sax. Original Mother of Invention Roy Estrada returned for one last time on bass. Borrowing a phrase from guitarist Robert Fripp, this five-piece assemblage was in its own way a small intelligent mobile unit. 

The interesting thing about these recordings on Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is that Zappa was able to test drive (if you will) many new ideas before a live audience that had never really seen him perform before. Zappa’s bands rarely made obvious mistakes, but if ever there was a location where they could take some risks with new ideas, this was it. And that’s where this set becomes more essential in the grand scheme of Zappa’s history. Now we can hear early versions of new material he was working on at that time, such as the so-called “prototype” version of “Filthy Habits,” which would later appear as part of the Läther-era material issued on the Sleep Dirt LP in 1979. 

We are also treated to early work-outs of then brand new compositions like “Black Napkins” and “Zoot Allures.”  And they play a great version of “Chunga’s Revenge,” again with many new ideas flowing from Zappa’s fretboard and fingertips. Of course the audience is treated to some “greatest hits” as the band breaks out numerous early Mothers of Invention tunes from Freak Out and We’re Only In It For The Money as well as later fan favorites from Overnight Sensation, Apostrophe and then new albums Bongofury and One Size Fits All.

In this light, it is perhaps worth pointing out that the cover of Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana features a photo of Frank tuning his guitar, not really an image we get to see featured very often (at least on an album cover design). Perhaps this subconsciously represents the experimental tune-up nature of these recordings. Just a thought… 

But I digress… 

Overall the sound quality on Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is quite good all things considered. There are some fluctuations in sound, which the producers explain transparently in the liner notes. That these recordings exist at all in this sort of quality is quite remarkable! The eight-track recorder that they were working off of was apparently a very rare half-inch tape format version with special DBX noise reduction employed. This required much specialized tender-loving-care to extract the music from these tapes. And because they were performing at two venues with quite different acoustics, the overall sound quality does vary.   

But, in general, Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana still sounds pretty great and is certainly very enjoyable if you are a Zappa fan (and especially if you are accustomed to listening to the many archival recordings which have been issued over the years).  Between the two shows, producers Joe Travers and Ahmet Zappa have assembled one nice compilation of all the music performed on that mini-tour in best possible quality. 

Some of the performances are  quite astounding particularly Terry Bozzio’s several incredible drum solos — for which he receives credit as composer, separate from Zappa’s work!  You can really hear Terry quickly emerging as the powerhouse center of Zappa’s universe around that time. He is now highly regarded as one of Zappa’s best ever drummers.

You can find Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana streaming on Tidal MQA IN 24-bit, 44.1 kHz fidelity (click here), Apple Music Hi Res Lossless (click here) as well as Qobuz in 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution (click here). But if you like physical media —and want to read the recollections of the tour from Terry Bozzio and sound person Davy Moire — the CD may be your best bet. 

If you are a casual fan looking for high fidelity Zappa sounds like Hot Rats, this album is not for you (check out Waka Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo instead!).  But if you are a hardcore Zappa fan, you’ll want this for the interesting variants and many groovy then-new ideas Frank was test driving before an unsuspecting audience.  Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is ultimately essential listening for the deep Zappa fan.

World News

Listening Report: Zappa/Erie Live Boxed Set From Pennsylvania

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

I suppose that I was a bit musically spoiled having grown up in the New York area which afforded me numerous opportunities to see one of my all time musical heroes, Frank Zappa. Along the way, I seem to have acquired an admittedly misguided-yet-subtle sense of snobbery, previously leading me to think Zappa was at his best in the Big Apple

His shows there were often great, no doubt.  And compared to the shows I saw while in college in Syracuse, those relatively so-so shows only reinforced my semi-snootiness.

But the more I dig down into these wonderful archive releases which the Zappa Family Trust has been graciously bringing us fans, I realize that Frank indeed played many great shows wherever he could. And sometimes, the great shows were not in big cities like New York or even Los Angeles.

Now, I respect the Zappa Estate’s Vaultmeister Joe Travers immensely to the point where I knew that if he decided to issue a set dedicated to concerts specifically from his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, they were not going to be lackluster.

Simply called Zappa/Erie, this latest in the archive series is fascinating snapshot of — if you’ll excuse me for referencing Ten Years After — a very specific space in time. Across six CDs worth of music culled from a semi-isolated north-western corner of Pennsylvania, we hear several different — and even rare — incarnations of Zappa’s band.

The official Zappa website summarizes it thusly: “Three complete shows from the Vault based on appearances made in and around the Vaultmeister’s hometown of Erie, PA: Edinboro College and Gannon University ’74 with Erie County Fieldhouse ’76.  Also includes bonus tracks from the same tours. Three separate band line-ups, newly mixed from the original 4-Track tapes by Craig Parker Adams and mastered by John Polito at Audio Mechanics. Historical essays by Dan Schell & Joe Travers. Available on 6CD Box Set.”

Exceeding expectations, these Pennsylvania performances are indeed notable and worthy of your exploration. Obviously Zappa was happy with these recordings as he used portions of them to create the versions of “More Trouble Every Day” and “Son Of Orange County” found on the Roxy & Elsewhere album (this was some of the “elsewhere” material!)

Just looking at the track listing for the first show from Edinboro, Pennsylvania (5/9/74), I got super excited.  As it was the 10th anniversary of The Mothers of Invention, Zappa had worked up a medley of his own oldies-but-goodies which take up much of the second CD in Zappa/Erie.

I had always dreamed of seeing a set like this where he does a lot of material from the days of the original first version of The Mothers Of Invention (Freak Out, We’re Only In It For The Money, etc.). Alas, I never got to see one of these shows, but at least now I can listen to one in excellent quality on Zappa/Erie! 

From the 1974 shows we also get bunches — bunches, I tells ya! — of songs which never made it out on to his official rock releases back when Frank was still alive, including “Tush Tush Tush (A Token Of My Extreme),” “Dupree’s Paradise” and “T’Mershi Duween.”  

There are also tremendous moments from 1976 featuring keyboardist / singer Lady Bianca who was only in the band for a month before disappearing from Zappa’s musical landscape. She was in the band for my first Zappa show I saw that year! Also, young Terry Bozzio was still relatively new to the Zappa universe that year.

On the 1976 shows we hear early versions of future Zappa standards like “City Of Tiny Lights.” This segues into a lovely version of “A Pound For A Brown” with — it is worth noting for those not familiar — some epic and always fascinating solo improvisation by Zappa.

Zappa fans know this, but many casual listeners don’t realize that Zappa was one of the great band leaders of our times, customizing his music arrangements and compositions toward the strengths of his players at any given time. This was a practice Duke Ellington was known for and Mingus and others later followed his footsteps.  

That said, there is a fascinating version of “Black Napkins” — then a brand new tune Zappa from his Zoot Allures album which had just been released about a month earlier — featuring Lady Bianca! Here, she contributes a rich bluesy scat-jazz vocal solo before handing over the spotlight to violinist Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, UK, Curved Air). I can’t say I have heard every version of “Black Napkins” out there in the collector’s universe but I have heard many and as far as I know this is only the second version like this to be officially released.  There is a slightly earlier version on the 2009 archive release Philly ’76 which also features the Bianca/Jobson combination. 

Lady Bianca also takes the lead on a fabulous Gospel-soul tinged arrangement of “You Didn’t Try To Call Me,” supported in close harmony from guitarist/vocalist Ray White.

As we’ve become accustomed from the Zappa Estate in recent years, the production quality of the Zappa/Erie set is very high both as a listening experience and a physical memento. This time the producers have taken a slightly different approach to the packaging, housing it all in a lovely hard cover book styled format. This LP-sized package features a fun full color glossy photo of Frank on the cover and many fun reproductions of concert advertisements from the time and other memorabilia.

I’m still working my way though the rest of Zappa/Erie but I think you get the idea that this is a great collection. If you like this mid-70s period of Zappa’s work, you’ll probably want to grab this one soon. 

If you have subscriptions, streamers can enjoy the new Zappa/Erie set in 96 kHz, 24-bit fidelity on Qobuz Hi Res (click here) and Tidal MQA (click here). It is also available on Apple Lossless (click here).

World News

Listening Report: Hermeto Pascoal’s New Live Album Recorded In A Planetarium

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

I remember excitedly reading the news of a live album coming out from one of my more recent musical obsessions, Hermeto Pascoal. But as there are so many releases coming out rapid fire and erratic these days, coupled with all the trials and tribulations of life in these trying 21st Century tymes, I honestly forgot about it. However, the buzz came back to me when scouring the racks at Amoeba Music last week when I found the new release from my new musical hero. 

Planetário Da Gávea is an archival release featuring Pascoal with his then new band (eventually named O Grupo), an assemblage which would last 11 years (some members remain in the group to this day!). Recorded in 1981 in a Rio De Janero planetarium, the album is a terrific snapshot of everything that tickles my fancy about his music and keeps me digging down deeper into his catalog.

The album’s liner notes help to visualize it: “On the Planetário Da Gávea recordings though, Hermeto is cast as the “sorcerer” or the “cosmic emissary” (as the great Brazilian guitarist Guinga once called him), exhibiting an intuitive sense of harmony and melody beyond that of our own world.”

I’ll be more direct: if you’ve ever enjoyed music by Frank Zappa (especially the “Grand Wazoo” and “Roxy” eras of his band), Return To Forever and even Charles Mingus you might well enjoy this music. And if you perhaps wondered how they might all sound together, well — again — you might enjoy this music!  

I have written about Hermeto in the recent past. Please click here for a link to several of my reviews of his albums and related guest appearances on albums by Airto and Sean Khan. 

So, you may be wondering why you need to hear Planetário Da Gávea — which was sourced from a lone remaining soundboard-recorded cassette — in your Hermeto journey? Well first off, the tape sounds excellent all things considered and the performances are exemplary. You can really hear the band finding its groove on the stage and coming together as a tight unit. Apparently Pascoal used to rehearse his bands much as Zappa did, nearly seven days a week, eight hours a day. The band’s collective vision shines on these live-without-a-net recordings.

Again, I’ll reference the liner notes which do a good job of encapsulating this music on Planetário Da Gávea:

“Across the recording of the Planetário concert, wild improvisation meets groovy, virtuosic vamping on progressive, extended psychedelic jams. The tracks are generally built around a beautiful, transcendent melody; instantly recognizable as being Hermeto’s, and for the most part, the musicians then solo over extended two chord vamps. There’s a plethora of powerfully delivered rhythms, wild solos and the performances are punctuated by Hermeto’s unpredictable, at times comical sonic antics.”

That describes what I’d like to imagine a resultant music would sound like if Mingus jammed with Zappa’s band at a Return To Forever festival. 

Many of the songs on Planetário Da Gávea had never been recorded before this concert (many still unique to this concert) including ‘Homônimo Sintróvio,’ ‘Samba Do Belaqua’ and ‘Vou Pra Lá e Pra Cá.’

Wait until you hear his vocal solo with himself and a horn mouthpiece (probably from a trumpet) on ‘Bombardino’!

The vinyl pressing from Far Out Recordings is excellent. Planetário Da Gávea is also available on CD and you can find it on the finest streaming services including Tidal and Apple Music. (click the service name to jump to the recording there if you have access to those services).

Miles Davis once called him “one of the most important musicians on the planet.“  

What are you waiting for?   Check out Hermeto Pascoal’s music and Planetario Da Gavea.

This is the good stuff.

T-shirt available from Pascoal’s Bandcamp page
World News

Why Do You Need Alex Winter’s Frank Zappa Documentary Soundtrack On Vinyl?

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

I struggled a bit getting started on this third part in my review series on the vinyl edition of Alex Winter’s new Frank Zappa documentary soundtrack. You see, by this point in time I’ve already explored most of the key points about what makes this collection great in two prior reviews which I encourage you to read if you missed them (click here for the CD and here for the stream).  

With the odd music distribution patterns during these strange times we presently live in, many albums roll out in staggered release schedules. The vinyl often trails far behind due to manufacturing and shipping delays. So I felt somewhat obligated to follow through for those of you following this thread-like, multi-part series.

The investment of money in a five disc deluxe box set like the Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is significant but not outrageous all things considered.  Still, you have to be something of a fairly serious Zappa fan to really want this collection on vinyl. For the hardcore fan it is a no brainer because here you’ll have the best sounding versions of a lot of the rare tracks that are only available on this set at present. 

From an audiophile perspective, all the good things we have come to expect from these archival releases by Universal Music and The Frank Zappa Estate have fallen right in line: the pressings are excellent, well centered, dead quiet and pressed on thick dark 180-gram vinyl. The mastering is top notch and for the most part the sound is remarkably consistent even when making the jump from early live recordings to full on studio production swagger.  It all works very well on vinyl. 

Some of my favorites still include the stunning solo version of “Black Page #1” performed by Ruth Underwood on the piano which sounds amazing on LP.  And as I pointed out in my earlier reviews, its not exactly the same version that is in the film so that makes having this on vinyl extra special in many ways.

It is also wonderful to hear the legendary jam (the name of which unfortunately I can’t write out here) from the Fillmore East with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1971 in the original Zappa edit. Previously this was only available on the 1992 compact disc Playground Psychotics. This is a significantly different version than you will hear on the parallel release (first issued in 1972) by Lennon and Ono called Sometime In New York City which edits out the vocal-call-and-response between Flo & Eddie and Yoko Ono.  I prefer the Zappa version of the track here as it feels suddenly somehow more complete and no doubt truer to what happened on stage that night. 

If you’re a relatively new Zappa fan, the Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack boxed set may well be a good first deep toe in the waters if you don’t really know where to start beyond, say, Freak Out, Hot Rats and Joe’s Garage.  

In that regard, the Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack gives you a pretty great retrospective of often overlooked album tracks as well as a number of rarities you won’t find elsewhere on vinyl.   And of course there is the poignant companion soundtrack music here which stands on its own right (discussed at some length in the prior CD review)

The physical packaging itself is also quite wonderful featuring the great behind-the-scenes photos of Zappa and a full size full color booklet which is much more satisfying than the CD package. There is also a neat message from Frank awaiting you printed around the inner lip of the box lid. Kudos to the team working on the design of this set for creating such a classy package to compliment and round out what is all around a very classy film project. 

If you missed the film, you can of course buy it on Blu-ray Disc and it is now streaming on Hulu if you have a subscription to that (click here) in addition to many other services (click here). This wonderful documentary goes a long way to put Zappa’s life and work into proper big picture perspective for the ages.  An important film, it is great starting point for those new to Zappa’s music. And yet, at the same time, it is a heart-tugging, tear-inducing memoir for longtime fans to cherish.  

World News

Why Do You Need The Last American Frank Zappa Show On Vinyl?

Posted on by Mark Smotroff

Excuse me while I engage in a bit of steamy vinyl enthusemagorica… 

(ok, I just made up that word)

As I opened the new four-LP boxed set called Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show, the first thing that came to mind is a sense of elegance. This package looks and feels elegant. The vinyl records are packaged lovingly in a high quality, sturdy slimline package (about the same thickness as George Harrison’s three-disc epic All Things Must Pass, for those of you who care about this sort of nuance).

Sure enough, when I took off the box lid there was a sleek, satiny blue ribbon lying across the elegantly packaged vinyl discs and full size booklet. The pastel-hued record labels peeked prodigiously through the polyethylene-lined paper inner-sleeves, prompting me to quickly remove the cover from my turntable. Putting the needle to the groove, the first thing I heard was… silence… giving way to applause. Instantly, I found myself transported to a concert I so wanted to see back in 1988 but couldn’t because I was plotting my move to San Francisco from the New York metropolitan area. I figured I’d catch the tour on the West Coast. 

Those West Coast shows never happened, alas.

I closed my eyes again and enjoyed a moment of mind transport to Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum, imagining myself at this epic concert which turned out to be Zappa’s last show ever in the United States. That fact alone makes this an important document for the Zappaphile to hear, yet given it is a fantastic performance makes it one that you might want to consider owning on vinyl as well as CD (not just streaming).

I am pleased how great Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show sounds, knowing fully that it was made from an early all-digital recording. 

Working my way out of this vinylite dream state, I whipped open the booklet to read the liner notes from Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers. There he confirms my suspicion that these fine sounding recordings were made on Sony PCM 3324 multi-track recorders at 44.1 kHz, 16-bits. 

But, if it’s 16-bit why do I need that on vinyl?, I can hear you in the back row asking…  Yes that was the limitation of the digital audio standard of the time but don’t freak out just yet. You see, since the music was recorded at this level of resolution, they are technically lossless recordings. The CD version and streams (at least on Qobuz and Tidal) won’t have to be reduced from a higher resolution to the 16-bit standard.  It just is all at 16-bit. Now, that’s not to say that 24-bit resolution wouldn’t have been nice if they had the technology then and maybe we might hear a bit more of the musicality within… but, hey, let’s just stick to the reality of the situation. 

Or as my buddy Greg in Pasadena always says, “it is what it is…”

And what it is is a concert that sounds pretty fabulous, newly mixed from those 48 channel master multi-tracks — two 24-tracks were sync’d up — with the vinyl lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. 

Mastering here may be the bigger factor as to why this album sounds as good as it does, more than some may think at least.  I went back to listen to some of my 1988-era Zappa recordings and one thing was very apparent: those recordings sounded very digital even though they were made on the same recorders as this live collection.  What’s the difference? 

Well, I’m guessing here but it may have to do with the processors used at the time both in the final mix down and in making the vinyl lacquers. I played my vinyl copy of Zappa’s Broadway The Hard Way (an earlier album made up of recordings from this tour) and it displayed that uncomfortable sense of digitization which I personally find problematic. Perhaps not surprisingly, the original Rykodisc CD of that same album (which has much more music on it than the single disc LP, by the way) displays much less of that crunchy sonic flavor. So something must have happened on the way from translating those 16-bit masters to the vinyl format. 

This brings us full circle to appreciate that much more how nice Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show sounds on vinyl! I suspect that modern 24-bit (or higher) processors were used along the way which (again, educated guessing here folks, this isn’t hard science) were probably less invasive and more transparent to deliver the essence of what was captured on those original 16-bit, 44.1 kHz recordings.  

I even went back to listen to Barking Pumpkin Records edition CD of The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life and was surprised how thin it sounded, ultimately. 

I then spot-checked versions of Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show on Qobuz (click here) and Tidal (click here) and the new album sounds quite wonderful there… in all its native 16/44 glory. I sampled some newer remasters of material from that late ‘80s period on Qobuz and Tidal such as Make A Jazz Noise Here and The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life and they sound pretty good. The latter sounds quite nice on Tidal, actually. Broadway The Hard Way sounds much better than my old Rykodisc CD, so some new mastering alchemy must have gone into the preparation of these newer versions.

It may be time for me to purge my old CDs!

Anyhow, lets get back to the new live album…

Once all the levels got set (someone’s mic seems a little hot on “Love Of My Life”) the band settles in to remind us why Frank called them “The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life” and even named an earlier album after them. This group which featured Walter and Bruce Fowler from the legendary Roxy-era version of The Mothers of Invention, plus the backbone of the 81-84 era Zappa band (Chad Wackerman, Scott Thunes and Robert Martin) are rounded out with Ike Willis and Ed Mann who rode the Zappa arc from 1977 onward. It is quite an assemblage. 

But wait Zappa shoppers… there is more:  add in then-new stunt guitar wizard Mike Keneally and the resultant band was a monster waiting to roar. 

And roar it did across part of America and Europe before imploding (or being imploded by Zappa actually… it is a long story, you can read about it in the booklet and online, if you’re not familiar with the tale). 

So what impresses me is just how wonderful Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show feels as live albums go, especially Frank’s overdriven incredible-sustaining guitar tone which jumps out of the speakers (check out the solo in “Sharleena”). I mean we knew that the band was fantastic but to have an almost beautifully mixed near complete performance presented as part of his archive series is just fabulous (two tracks come from other shows on the tour).

Oh, did I mention that this band rocks madly? That they can take a quirky track like “Packard Goose” and make it feel like a pop song is quite remarkable. 

Across the four black , 180-gram vinyl LPs — I didn’t get the spiffy purple ones — you’ll hear Zappa and his band take you on a grand journey through “The Royal March” From Stravinsky’s L’Histoire Du Soldat and a theme from Bartok’s “Piano Concerto #3” to the theme from Bonanza (which segues hysterically out of “The Torture Never Stops”) before leading into “Lonesome Cowboy Burt” (from 200 Motels).  

You’ll get exemplary versions of many Zappa classics including “City Of Tiny Lights,” “Inca Roads” and a new age version of “The Black Page.” One of my favorite Zappa tunes is happily included, “A Pound For A Brown On The Bus.” 

Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show marks the first appearance anywhere (officially) of a Beatles-flavored medley (lyrically altered to — ahem — reflect some socio-political news of the moment) which Zappa broke out that tour. They also do a relatively straight cover of “I Am The Walrus” which is quite epic. These have never been released officially before due to copyright issues. Given that the Zappa Estate’s releases are issued by the same parent company that handles The Beatles’ work (Universal Music), they no doubt worked out the nitty gritty to give fans these joys they’ve wanted all these years. 

Two other covers version songs are stand out moments on this set: a six minute version of The Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post” and the ever-more stunning 10-minute take on Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” (sans the reggae intro found on the Best Band You Never Heard… version, btw)  The latter tune never ceases to make my jaw hit the floor and then smile as wide as possible as the full 10-piece band breaks into Jimmy Page’s classic guitar solo note-for-note. Yes, a full horn section playing that epic solo.  Its fantastic and it is worth the price of admission to hear that alone.  

So, do you need Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show on vinyl? If you like the format and don’t mind a couple of segues being interrupted by album side flips, then yes.  Otherwise, the CD version is probably a good option for you. I appreciate the care that went into the making of this set so I’m happy to have this on vinyl, as near a definitive document as we’re likely to get.

Either way, you should buy one of these versions of the album so this project helps to pay for itself — your support allows the estate to keep issuing further archive releases, folks… and you know we want more releases!  Just sayin’ for those who may want to just settle for the streams, Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show is a very nice package worth owning. It pays tribute to a poignant moment in Zappa’s life.  I, for one, am grateful to have it in my collection now.