Frank Zappa - Entire Catalogue Remastered and Reissued (part3)

Hey! That's what I'm playing right now!

I figure if I play about three hours of really good music before 9 and three hours of really good music after 10, it'll make up for the hour in the middle I spend watching the premiere of 'Glee.' I'd hate to run a deficit so early in the season.

Rockin' good news!

 

That wouldn't begin to make it up for me But, no problem as I don't own a TV. Eliminate the middle man and play music all the time, sez I!

 

Pretty...



Here's a quick rundown of my thoughts on each:

#01) Unchanged.
#02) Massive improvement. Sold Ryko.
#03) Unchanged.
#04) Unchanged.
#05) Unchanged.
#06) Unchanged.
#08) Totally different. Kept Ryko. Both have merits.
#09) Improved. Sold Ryko.
#10) Massive improvement. Kept Ryko only for extended bits only.
#11) Massive improvement. Sold Ryko.
#12) Massive improvement. Sold Ryko.
#14) Improved. Sold Ryko.
#15) Massive improvement. Sold Ryko.
#16) Improved, but there's something about the Ryko I still like.
#17) Improved. Sold Ryko.
#18) Improved. Sold Ryko.
#19) Unchanged.
#20) Improved. Sold Ryko.
#21) Slightly improved. Sold Ryko.
#22) Massive improvement. Sold Ryko.

 

Don't know why, but it bugs me the revisionism to recredit early MOI titles to Zappa/MOI, and also Over-nite Sensation to FZ when it was originally Mothers.
Yeah, I know mothers was essentially FZ's band, but still . . .

 

Yes, in particular not mentioning the Mothers on Overnite Sensation was a slip. However, they do continue to credit the Fillmore album solely to the Mothers.

 

They did the same with The Grand Wazoo. It was a Mothers album, as well.

I actually don't mind the "Frank Zappa/The Mothers Of Invention" credit for the early ones as they have all become Frank Zappa albums at this point. Nobody is going to be filing them under M. I just don't know why they did not credit The Mothers for those two titles.

It should be noted that the original Ryko releases from 1986 to 1990 only credited Frank Zappa on the spine with no mention of the MOI. The only variation was Bongo Fury, which credited "Zappa/Beefheart". I was happy that this was corrected for the 1995 releases.

 

His solo on Dog Breath remains my favorite Frank solo on record. And the one on Call Any Vegetable ain't bad, either.

 

The part I'd like to hear (in great quality) was the earliest shows, when they did some of the Chunga's Revenge stuff, Like Rudy. And the last European tour before the Germany show; they were occasionally doing I Wanna Hold Your Hand, totally straight, no jokes. Talk about throwing people for a loop!

 

I have to admit that I put all of my Zappa CDs into iTunes as "Frank Zappa". Strictly for simplicity's sake, though, with the full knowledge that many were originally released under variations of The Mothers moniker.

 

I try to stick with what is on the label. I don't mind calling the ones after Waka/Jawaka just "Frank Zappa", but the previous ones really seem like they should be credited to the band.

 

I was always under the impression that Mothermania was album #6, not Uncle Meat. Apparently, I was wrong.

 

Me too. If one relies on Wikipedia, "Mothermania", the last of the FZ- authorized Verve albums, got released on March 24, 1969. And "Uncle Meat", the first Bizarre label record, on April 21. My impression was based probably on that chronology, which of course can be wrong...

 

I always considered that the "real" Mothers ended with 'Uncle Meat' (and the posthumous BWS and WRMF). From that point on, it was just Frank and his backup group (which were also, confusingly, also called The Mothers Of Invention, or just The Mothers or, once, Las Mothers). But how to justify 'Chunga's Revenge' being billed as a Zappa album and then issuing 'Fillmore' as a Mothers album when they're the same set of musicians? And 'Grand Wazoo' isn't even by an actual band - there are different hired musicians on each song! And what about 'Lumpy Gravy' - how is that less of a Mothers album than the others?

I don't know about how this "Frank Zappa" guy catalogued his record collection when he was in the privacy of his own home, but his cavalier artist attribution proclivities gave at least one of his fans a major headache. There was almost a sense of relief at the Curr household when the CDs came out in 86 and all the albums could finally be placed together side by side, a family reuinted (and it feels so good) as it should always have been, now and forevermore.

 

FZ said in the Real FZ Book that he thinks they were performing this song when he was knocked into the orchestra pit at the Rainbow Theater.

 

To me, its all Zappa.

Everybody else were his backing band. He was boss from day one.

 

FZ speaks of wishing to include the orchestra pit incident in the Stage 3 liners, but the tape ran out during King Kong.

Never heard the Audience tape, but that tape apparently runs out during King Kong as well, spooky......

So we'll never get to hear Hand.

 

In fact, it runs out just a few seconds after the point where YCDTOSA 3 edits back to 1982.

 

Going back to the Rainbow for a moment Pat, have you heard the audience recording?
Just curious, because FZ teases us during "Playground Psychotics" with the faintest strains of "Sleep Dirt" during one of the tracks, (the name of which escapes me - Don't Eat There, maybe?), just wondering is it a fully formed version?, if so would love to hear it.

 

I think it's the same, except without the dialogue FZ dubbed over it for the CD. Would have to relisten to be sure.

 

OK, cheers, just wondering roughly how long it ran for, FZ edits it pretty swiftly into "Brixton Still Life" after the dialogue finishes - such a tease.

 

I will have to defend Lumpy Gravy as Frank's first solo album. The original Capitol version (available on Lumpy Money) was all played by outside musicians. Not a single Mother to be found. It's only when he cut it up to include dialogue and Studio Z material did any Mothers get included and only peripherally.

Lumpy Gravy is NOT a Mothers album by any stretch.

 

Well, except Bunk Gardner.

 

Meh, I just file it all under Z.

Barring a handful of obvious recognizable input from sidemen, it's been Zappa's vision all along.

From the outside looking in, it appears the Mothers moniker was added, occasionally and randomly, as a branding consideration. Maybe by Frank's dictate, or maybe by the record label du jour. In the 60s and 70s, band identity was still big after the template was established by the Beatles.

I guess there's also the factor of us long-time fans who became attached to the branding on the LP covers when they were released, but my only way to corral this big catalog is in one cabinet drawer with a 'Z' scrawled on it.

 

Hello guys,
I am not familiar with Zappa at all so please could you recommend me "must-have" titles of the new remasters soundwise?

 

Doh!