Published on Sep 12, 2005
Anyone who is even mildly interested in Frank Zappa knows that
he and mainstream record labels got along like oil and water. Much
like his music, Zappa refused to follow the well-established
“rules,” and often ended up at loggerheads with the suits. So it
should be no surprise that
Zappa In New York, the first official “solo” live disc from
Zappa (all others at least shared credit with the Mothers Of
Invention), would find itself under the umbrella of Zappa’s
artistic vision being screwed with by the label (in this case,
Warner Brothers).
Originally supposed to be released in 1977, then edited by
Warner Brothers upon its release, Zappa finally released this under
his own banner in the manner he originally wanted, with all removed
tracks put back on as “bonus” numbers. And, for that, Zappa fans
should be thankful, as this proves to be an enjoyable outing
showing off Zappa’s growing status as a guitar god.
Gaining a new foil for his sardonic, occasionally offensive
humor in drummer Terry Bozzio, Zappa and crew stake their claim to
rock immortality with two numbers, “Titties And Beer” and “Punky’s
Whips,” that may be better known for their appearance on the later
album
Baby Snakes, but absolutely shine here. Perhaps it’s the
occasional addition of legendary announcer Don Pardo (who sounds
like he’s having the time of his life on this release), but having
spent the better part of my adult life wearing out at least two
copies of
Baby Snakes, I have to say that I like these versions much
better. The interplay between Zappa and Bozzio on “Titties And
Beer” is well worth the investment of time.
Zappa’s penchant for the mildly disturbing doesn’t stop there.
Check out “The Illinois Enema Bandit,” a song which, if my memory
is correct, is based on fact, and turns out to be a fairly decent
blues-based number. (Ironically, the one song with a title that
puts it all out there, “I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth,” is an
instrumental.)
This isn’t to say there are no disappointments, though there are
precious few. I can’t say I like the new spin on “Cruisin’ For
Burgers,” a track which, to my tired old ears, had very little in
common with the version immortalized on
Uncle Meat. And the closing track, “The Purple
Lagoon/Approximate,” is a bit anti-climatic in terms of the whole
show. But these are only two minor issues.
In fact,
Zappa In New York can be broken into two distinct segments
divided onto the two CDs. Disc one is the more humor-filled,
scatalogical material, while the second disc is more tuned into the
music. And – oh! – what music, as heard in the live renditions of
“The Torture Never Stops,” “Pound For A Brown” and the two
renditions of “The Black Page”. Simply put, this is Zappa firing on
all cylinders.
It almost makes me wonder why I haven’t made
Zappa In New York a part of my permanent rotation of Zappa,
a la
Apostrophe (‘) or
Sheik Yerbouti – and the simple answer is, I dunno. Then
again, that’s the nice thing about writing for a site like this –
you get the chance to re-discover those forgotten chestnuts, and
Zappa In New York is most definitely one of those.
2005 Christopher Thelen and “The Daily Vault.” All rights
reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without
written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of the
Zappa Family Trust / record label, and is used for informational
purposes only.