One Shot Deal — Huh?

A friend finally lent me a copy of the latest ZFT release, One Shot Deal, for review the other day. Although it is always great to hear Frank Zappa, no matter what the excuse, my first reaction upon listening to this compilation was: Huh? What? Why? To any long time listener of FZ (right down to the rabid collector and completist), the tracks on this compilation will all seem quite familiar.

“Bathtub Man” sounds like many of the boogie/jams from the Roxy period (FZ was an obsessive recordist) which found their way onto the bootleg circuit via their road manager, Marty Perellis, who sold many 73-74 soundboard tapes to eager fans. The same can be said for “Space Boogers” and “Hermitage”. I kept getting this feeling that I’d heard these pieces before, or efforts quite like them, from the myriad of brilliant individual solos to be found on so many of FZ’s field recordings from that period of his career.

“Trudgin Across the Tundra” is an early instrumental proto version of the familiar FZ classic akin to the proto versions of Greggery Peccary found on the Wazoo release. “Occam’s Razor (On the Bus – Original Solo)” is one of this compilation’s gems, and the reason that freaks like me collect so many bootlegs and field recordings: to hear the original solos. I first heard “Heidelberg” (opening solo to Yo Mama) on the second disc of the four disc, fan made compilation bootleg, Apocrypha, and again on the cassette tape, The Guitar World According To Frank Zappa, though sounding far superior here.

“The Illinois Enema Bandit” is yet another version of this FZ standard. Probably the weakest point on this compilation is “Australian Yellow Snow”. I have heard better bootleg versions from this tour. The sound, itself, in this recording is really a substandard mix for what is supposed to be an official release. Too often the background vocals nearly drown out FZ’s lead vocals, and the audience chatter becomes very distracting. Perhaps the ZFT are attempting to dumb down our listening standards so they can begin selling us anything with a FZ stamp on it, no matter the quality? If there is one reason, though, for purchasing this CD, “Rollo” is that reason. Wow. I never tire of hearing that song.

Getting back to the premise of this post, though, what was the point of this release? There doesn’t appear to be any, at least none that I can fathom. There is little, if any, conceptual continuity going on. Instead of piecemeal compilations like this one, how about further sequels to the Stage series with complete liner notes? Or the Complete Audio History of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention? Like, Duh?

Woke Up This Mornin’

… shower, brush teeth, tralala. Next:

  • Check snailmailbox:
    • Library reminder I’m late in returning that Stevie Ray Vaughn CD
    • Speeding ticket amounting to €175
    • Click my Google Ads please, thank you
    • Ooooh: Barfko Swill package has arrived!
  • At work:
    • Enter office, hear distinct dripping sounds
    • OMG!11! LOLZ roof is leaking from last night’s rainfall
    • Mop floor, place buckets in strategic places
    • Call janitor
    • “please leave a message after the beep”
  • Back home:
    • Put on “One Shot Deal”
    • Feel slightly underwhelmed.
    • Hey “Occam’s Razor”‘s great though! Aaaah… Rollo.
    • Where the hell did I put that bloody Stevie Ray Vaughn CD?
    • I give up.
    • Add One Shot Deal and TTNS DVD to the FZ discography
    • What’s for dinner, honey?
    • Mmmmh fajitas!
  • Mmmmh fajitas
  • Where the hell did I put that bloody Stevie Ray Vaughn CD?
  • I give up.
  • Nighty night!
  • Mmmmh fajitas
  • Where the hell did I put that bloody Stevie Ray Vaughn CD?

Zappa – One Shot Deal. Status: Released.

Hello and welcome to another episode of “thank god for those unofficial fan blogs we sent cease & desist letters to, because otherwise us ZFT pumpkins would never get our new releases out in the public proper – {chuckle}”:

Zappa - One Shot Deal

One Shot Deal @ zappa.com
One Shot Deal @ Barfko Swill
One Shot Deal ZFT Newsletter Announcement

Update 14/06: Now with tracklist! Amazing.

  1. Bathtub Man (5:43)
  2. Space Boogers (1:24)
  3. Hermitage (2:00)
  4. Trudgin’ Across the Tundra (4:01)
  5. Occam’s Razor (9:11)
  6. Heidelberg *1987 (4:46)
  7. The Illinois Enema Bandit (9:27)
  8. Australian Yellow Snow (12:26)
  9. Rollo (2:57)

One Shot Deal

Dweezil Zappa just hit the “Post” button on the latest Z-newsletter. In case you’re not subscribed, some choice quotes:

The [ZPZ] DVD is available at last in stores now and will be available as a 2 disc set and as a special fan pack that includes both DVD discs plus audio (3) CDs of the same material. A single compilation audio CD will also be available separately.

Wonderful, but I think I’ll just stick with the double DVD…

Public television affiliates will be airing a special One Hour show from the ZPZ DVD as one of their highly acclaimed pledge shows in dozens of markets across the US. The first market to take the leap will be Southern California.

An effort to support public TV, well that’s kinda cool…

[…] an exciting opportunity to pledge your best support of your local public station in exchange for the deluxe version that includes Trance-Fusion (FZ’s final Guitar Recording) as well as “One Shot Deal”, the Exciting and New (and Official #83) Frank Zappa release available on CD

Emphasis mine. “One Shot Deal” is said to become available on the ZPZ Tour de Frank and eventually online at Barfko-Swill…