Frank Zappa - Entire Catalogue Remastered and Reissued (part3)

I have most of the Ryko releases of the FZ albums, and was initially not planning to dip into the new releases. I also have several of FZ's releases from the 70s and 80s on vinyl.

However, knowing that I had never heard the orginal mix of Hot Rats, I decided to pickup the new CD of it intially.........and I loved the sound of it. Full, warm, and dynamic. The mix was a little jarring as it was so different from what I was used to hearing.

Since I liked this one so much, I picked up several other CDs that were noted as having come from the original analog masters, and I think every one of them I've heard without a doubt is significantly improved over the Rykos. I can crank these up. There is great separation between the instruments and they never sound harsh to me. There is a little boost in the low end, but it's not overdone IMO. In fact, I think these may be the best modern re-masters of any artist's catalog that I have heard. The ZFT got these right IMO.

I'm looking forward to Joe's Garage as this was my first ever Zappa album that I bought on vinyl when I was 15. I can still vividly remember the day I played that album for the first time. I had never heard anything like it in my life. The complex instrumental passages that were sprinkled throughout the album, the bizzare story arc, the voice of "The Central Scrutinizer", the guitar solos, the funny and sexual lyrics..............it was a lot for my teenage mind to take in, but I enjoyed it. It made so much other music I was listening to at the time seem boring and unimaginitive in comparison.

 

I dont like Flo and Eddie, my least favorite period of FZ music.

But based on the great job done on the remastered titles across the board, I ordered Fillmore East and Just Another Band. Best Buy still has them for $9.99 with free shipping.

 

Flo and Eddie can sing like crazy, which makes it a shame that they spent most of their time with Zappa doing unfunny "groupie" skits (were those two really diluged by groupies? Seems hard to believe). In general the whole thing comes off like a really bad early 70's improv hippy theater. It's dated like Godspell but vulgar and stupider.

 

Some o the Flo & Eddie stuff is great. The live Dog Breath is a favorite of mine.

 

Disagree here.

 

In my opinion, the Flo and Eddie years are poorly served by FE and JABFLA. The boots from the period show that band as capable of so much more than groupie jokes. The "music" side of that band was absolutely brilliant, and the aforementioned vocal duo really could sing anything.

There is much of what that band did in concert that never got released. FE and JABFLA are but the tip of the iceberg.

 

Some of the Flo and Eddie stuff is funny, but I came to Zappa with more of a hunger for the instrumental compositions, the players (like George Duke- the "petite wazoo" line up), and Zappas guitar, which is what I gravitate to. Listening to Uncle Meat now, I hear where it is sometimes in a vein like Miles Davis Bitches Brew, which came after....eventhough Miles is often thought of as the progenitor of fusion.

 

I'd take the Flo and Eddie period over most of his work after YAWYI.

200 Motels in particular I love (sound quality aside) and Billy the Mountain

 

Of course George Duke was part of a F&E line up, and not part of the petite wazoo

 

Roxy is my fav....is it worth it to get new version?

 

No, same master as before.

 

I love the Flo & Eddie years. What I really love about Zappa's music is the diversity - you have so many different phases to choose from, or you can like them all.

 

That...plus the Sofa Suite are great fun.

 

I do too, as well as all of FZ's music pre-80's.
I have an unreleased recording from the 70's where the Mothers play "Holiday in Berlin Suite" and Flo & Eddie sing the whole piece with lyrics that tell a great story while making fun of Nazi Brownshirts. Really fun, would be great if it sees an official release.

 

It did sort of see an official release, in the Beat The Boots series.

 

The Grand Wazoo: the drive in my work PC wouldn't recognize it, but my home PC did, so I just ripped a copy, and burned a CD-R. Plays fine in my work PC now.

Zoot Allures: Compared the vinyl vs the new CD. The new CD is very good. I think I still prefer the balance of the vinyl more (the low end appears to have been boosted a small amount for the new CD), but the new CD is very nice sounding.

For Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, I like the Rykos more. I think the low end has been boosted (in comparison) too much for the new CDs.

Love the Flo and Eddie era. I think he has a great guitar tone on side 2 of JABFLA.

 

Agree! I really love the Vaudeville Band! Yes- the lyrics could be juvenile, but no more than Bobby Brown or Stick It Out! F&E are amazing singers, improvisatory geniuses, and one of Frank's favorite ensembles, Check out the Swiss Cheese show and Carnegie Hall. Great energy. And Aynsley Dunbar!

 

I agree with most people here about the Flo & Eddie. I don't own any of the relevant albums but what I've heard on YouTube and such doesn't really appeal to me. I'm not quite sure what Zappa was trying to do during that era.

Haha. That's almost how I felt listening to Freak Out! For the first time a few years ago (I must have been either 14 or 15). I got the same sense of awe as I did when listening to Sgt. Pepper for the first time. My listening habits have never been the same.

According to Sanity's website some of the second batch should be available here in Australia tomorrow. This time it looks like the four we get are Apostrophe, Over-nite, One Size and Sheik, which is good because I've been meaning to get A, OS and OSFA. Like the four from the first batch, I’d imagine JB Hi-Fi would have them for $15. Aussies, get your unused gift-cards out!

 

Well, "Stick It Out" was originally a Flo & Eddie era song (part of the "Sofa Suite").

 

I absolutely agree.

... and "Billy The Mountain" is a monster.

 

Absolutely Free is now available at Sunrise Records in Canada (2 for $18 Deal).

 

oh well. I was thinking of the cd's I have of "the helsinki concert" which I mistakenly thought was a petite line up.

 

Big Swifty is really something on the new remaster. It doesnt get much better than this, a peak.

 

Never sounded better on CD.

 

This post reminded me of one of my favourite of FZ's sounds from that era, the infamous Rainbow concert in London which signalled the end of that line-up thanks to a weird fan.

If I'm not mistaken, the Mothers were playing that gig with rented equipment after the Montreux fire, and Frank was playing a Telecaster about which I read him complaining that was unplayable. Well, unplayable or not he made it work, and what a sweet sound!