Friday Mix: Tweezer Glint – Part Four

Here it is my fellow KUR-Meisters — “Friday Mix: Tweezer Glint (Studio-ized Concert Versions) Part IV” — the last in the series. I have endeavoured to leave some of the best tracks for last. Fifty of them in their full unedited glory.

Go ahead. Dig in. Enjoy.

Click here to listen to the mixtape.

Warning/Guarantee: the first five tracks just might lift you into spheres of utter Zappa ecstasy.

About urbangraffito

I am a writer, editor, publisher, philosopher, and foole (not necessarily in that order). Cultural activist and self-described anarchist.
This entry was posted in Frank Zappa, Heh Heh, Miscellany, Music and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

33 Responses to Friday Mix: Tweezer Glint – Part Four

  1. Roland says:

    I was sitting in my kitchen . . .
    Eight o’clock in the morning . . .
    Got up too early . . .
    It was a terrible mistake . . .
    Sittin’ there face-to-face with a
    Home-brewed cuppa cawfee
    About as big as my headache
    And listening to Tweezer Glint – Part Four
    And I said to myself
    “This is the life . . . ”

    Urbangraffito, as I am writing these lines I just listen to the “Rat Tomago” guitar solo within “The Tortures Never Stops” and it gives me the shiver. I didn´t even need five tracks, it started right away with track one. 😉

    I knew, that “Ship Ahoy / Black Napkins” woukd be spared by you to the this amazing part four, but I am overwhelmed by the other tracks, too. Thanks for your effort within this project.

    I´d like to thank you very much for effort within this project . . . I know that ah . . . uh-hum . . . in a way it’s sad that Urbangraffito is closin’ down the Tweezer Glint, but ah . . . I’m sure he’ll get into somethin’ else . . . It’s been lovely, listening to all these tunes . . . good morning . . .

    (altered FZ quote from “Fillmore East June ´71” especially for you, urbangraffito!)

  2. Sharleena says:

    Is part 5 up yet? Can I convert?

  3. Robert says:

    Urbangraffito, you are the MAN! How can i EVER recover from the joy of listening to the Tweezer Glint (TM) on fridays?

    (And, of course, the ability to convert the mix to something persistent on my harddisc would kill me.)

  4. Roland says:

    It would be a real treat to have these tracks (plus the ones from Part 1 – 3) on the harddisc, but I think it is a one time listening experience. Although it´s for a whole week, it will vanish after that period. So it was with the other Tweezer Glints. But we don´t want to manipulate urbangraffito to do something illegal here. 😉

    On the other hand, the tunes were well tagged (venue / date etc.), so with a bit of inspiration, you´ll find the tunes somewhere. At least, I know now, which concerts I (still) have to hunt down. “Sheik Yerbouti Tango” within “The Little House …” – wow, never heard this one before.

    These 4 Fridays were really making my weekends. Even if I start to repeat myself: Thank you, urbangraffito!

  5. Thinman says:

    “Little House” is the lost treasure. I hope there will be some official release someday.

  6. Cotti says:

    I have that Berlin show complete, and it’s by far one of my favorite shows of any Zappa line-up. Little House is indeed an incredible gem, they were really inspired that night. Actually the whole show is breathtaking.

    Some great examples in this mixtape, gotta check them out better later.

  7. voice on the wall says:

    very nice picks-do you have a vault ?

  8. Kevin Hoover says:

    Urb,

    Am I allowed to play any of these on the radio?

    K

  9. urbangraffito says:

    [quote comment=”5874″]Urb,

    Am I allowed to play any of these on the radio?

    K[/quote]

    I don’t see a problem with them being broadcast on the radio, Kevin, though it is important to make the distinction to your listeners that these are field recordings, and that they exist in legal grey area, ethically.

    While the sharing of Zappa field recordings have pretty much destroyed the business of bootlegging Zappa’s music in North America and Europe, the internet and the digital age has created an entirely new breed of digital bootlegger in East Asia and the former Soviet Union which are not just bootlegging Zappa field recordings but his entire catalogue as well.

    Ultimately, this is all the property of the ZFT. We collectors possess it at their discretion.

    I think this is an important distinction.

  10. Bálint says:

    Noooo, nooo!! this is unfair!!! What a beautiful solo in Stinkfoot ’88!!!!! Maybe the most beautiful solo from 1988?… Why was not this released?…
    (btw: this version here is excellent quality..
    btw 02: thanks Urb! 🙂 )

  11. Dr.Funkenstein says:

    Hey,Mr.Graffito….

    Thank you,Thank you,Thank you,and:
    Forgive me,cause I´m stoned.
    DA DA DA DADADA-DA DA DA DADA….

  12. Harmless Ted says:

    Very nice! Much appreciated!

  13. LRonHoover says:

    holy jesus this is the best of the the 4 i think. and that’s not an easy feat to accomplish. it boggles my mind to ponder those folks who don’t “get” the man and his work, especially in light of these performances.

    it takes a massive effort to not crap myself during Torture/Tomago.

    URB: massive effort, results speak for themselves. my most sincere and personal thanks to you. arf.

  14. metafunj says:

    Awesomes! Is the version of “we’re turning again” the basic track for the Mother’s of Prevention album?

  15. voice on the wall says:

    NICE PICKS AND NICE QUALITY

  16. voice on the wall says:

    WHO IS PLAYING THE SOLO ON WIDE LOVE PLS URBAN ?

  17. urbangraffito says:

    [quote comment=”5899″]Awesomes! Is the version of “we’re turning again” the basic track for the Mother’s of Prevention album?[/quote]

    Yes, it is. Very good ear, metafunj!

    [quote comment=”5901″]WHO IS PLAYING THE SOLO ON WIDE LOVE PLS URBAN ?[/quote]

    From Information Is Not Knowledge:

    Wild Love – 1978 Jan-Feb

    To make things easier, I will divide this song into two parts. Part one is what we have on “Sheik Yerbouti”, and this constitutes the first half of this song as it appeared on this tour. Part two is The Solos, a spotlight for several band members that was unfortunately cut from the official release. After the conclusion of the song as we know it from the album, Belew’s chorded guitar riff would be played again, and this would lead us into The Solos. The standard “Wild Love” solo section included a very intense, somewhat manic Belew guitar solo. For this section, a new vamp was introduced, with a short theme that Belew toyed with for the duration of his solo. While Belew got his chance to shine in every “Wild Love”, Mann, O’Hearn, and the keyboardists only occasionally got their turns in the spotlight, and this usually hinged on what tunes the rest of the set contained.

    http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/songs/Wild_Love.html

  18. Bálint says:

    Another find (not a new one, but I feel it again and again): the 1982 version of Zoot Allures is probably the most beautiful, its a pity that only the solo section was released. Rich orchestration, nice sound, Vai’s sitar is beautiful.

    On the other hand one might have the feeling that these “dirty” recordings are even a bit more fun to listen than the released versions: more lively athmosphere, more instruments (sometimes). But I might be wrong – anyway: this is fun to listen to. 🙂

  19. metafunj says:

    Is this solo from ” The Torture Never Stops” from “Rat Tomago” AND from the YCDTOSA Vol 1? if so omg what an incredible sculpture indeed.

    I also am wondering if the solo from “Outside Now” became the solo for “He used to cut the grass” or the Joe’s Garage “Outside Now.” I’ll have to check soon.

    I hope you don’t take this down as soon as the other TGs.

  20. urbangraffito says:

    [quote comment=”5988″]Is this solo from ” The Torture Never Stops” from “Rat Tomago” AND from the YCDTOSA Vol 1? if so omg what an incredible sculpture indeed.

    I also am wondering if the solo from “Outside Now” became the solo for “He used to cut the grass” or the Joe’s Garage “Outside Now.” I’ll have to check soon.

    I hope you don’t take this down as soon as the other TGs.[/quote]

    The solo from “Rat Tomago” only originates from version of “The Torture Never Stops” in the “Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany, 15 Feb 1978” show and not from the version from YCDTOSA Vol 1 (which is a completely different show, though from the same tour, and perhaps even the same month).

    As for the solo from “Outside Now”, I agree with your assessment, although I cannot prove it. Indeed, both “City of Tiny Lites” solos became part of Joe’s Garage “Outside Now”, so it’s not very much of a step that solos from Munich (31 Mar 1979, Late Show) also found their way onto the studio album. Much of Joe’s Garage original source material is still uncredited, unfortunately.

    Part 4 of TG will be up for at least several weeks.

  21. LRonHoover says:

    question re: “Pick Me, I’m Clean” (10/17/1980) – is there a full recording of that available? it’s tragic, the way the track ends mid-solo. i’m thinking that’s a concert i should be glad to have in the collection.

  22. [quote comment=”5996″]question re: “Pick Me, I’m Clean” (10/17/1980) – is there a full recording of that available? it’s tragic, the way the track ends mid-solo. i’m thinking that’s a concert i should be glad to have in the collection.[/quote]
    (OT: thx LRonH for posting more KUR-related tweets than me, as of late! 😉 )

  23. Roland says:

    [quote comment=”5995″]Part 4 of TG will be up for at least several weeks.[/quote]

    Glad to hear this one, urbangraffito!

  24. LRonHoover says:

    @BIP: anytime amigo! i’m a bit of a Z-junkie, and everyone knows it’s no fun to dose alone. glad this is gonna be up for a while!

  25. Sharleena says:

    Is part 5 up yet?

  26. metafunj says:

    [quote comment=”5995″][quote comment=”5988″]Is this solo from ” The Torture Never Stops” from “Rat Tomago” AND from the YCDTOSA Vol 1? if so omg what an incredible sculpture indeed.

    I also am wondering if the solo from “Outside Now” became the solo for “He used to cut the grass” or the Joe’s Garage “Outside Now.” I’ll have to check soon.

    I hope you don’t take this down as soon as the other TGs.[/quote]

    The solo from “Rat Tomago” only originates from version of “The Torture Never Stops” in the “Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany, 15 Feb 1978” show and not from the version from YCDTOSA Vol 1 (which is a completely different show, though from the same tour, and perhaps even the same month).

    As for the solo from “Outside Now”, I agree with your assessment, although I cannot prove it. Indeed, both “City of Tiny Lites” solos became part of Joe’s Garage “Outside Now”, so it’s not very much of a step that solos from Munich (31 Mar 1979, Late Show) also found their way onto the studio album. Much of Joe’s Garage original source material is still uncredited, unfortunately.

    Part 4 of TG will be up for at least several weeks.[/quote]
    Ok I just didn’t think “Rat Tomago” was that long, I guess there are some edits in there.

    So no one knows where the “Keep it Greasy”, “He Used To Cut The Grass”, and “Packard Goose” solos are from?

  27. Empire Hancock says:

    @metafunj – The solo in “Keep It Greasy” is also on “Guitar” – “Outside Now (Original Solo”). At any rate, for more information, you should consult Roman’s fabulous FZ website, specifically http://www.globalia.net/donlope/fz/lyrics/Joe%27s_Garage.html

  28. urbangraffito says:

    Sorry, I didn’t quite understand your original question, metafunj. You might have something, there, after all, although the version of “The Torture Never Stops” from YCDTOSA Vol 1 is uncredited. The Rat Tomago solo in in the “Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany, 15 Feb 1978″ show wasn’t as long as the album version, so their are definitely additional edits there. I am going to have to listen to all this versions many times before I can make any conclusions.

    Anyone else game?

    And, yes, EH, Roman’s fabulous FZ website was a major resource in compiling Tweezer Glint.

  29. metafunj says:

    I listened to the YCDTOSA Vol 1 solo again and i don’t think its the same now. In fact that solo is nothing compared to Rat Tomago.

  30. LRonHoover says:

    ah, the 2nd IL Enema Bandit (a/k/a/ Soup + Old Clothes from SUNPYG)… bitchin.

    that Rat Tomago source was the inspiration behind my suggestion (which pales in comparison to the final work, sort of like saying “i told a friend to vote for obama back in ’07”) to Barry for this theme.

    as for the tomago edits, it’s sort of like the edits on YCDTOSA 2 Inca Roads vs. the OSFA version – the parts that are cut out are the scariest ones in the solo.

  31. LRonHoover says:

    is it just me or is that Drowning Witch mp3 from 11 Dec 81 corrupt? doesn’t seem to play for me (WMP wasn’t hip with it either)

  32. urbangraffito says:

    [quote comment=”6050″]is it just me or is that Drowning Witch mp3 from 11 Dec 81 corrupt? doesn’t seem to play for me (WMP wasn’t hip with it either)[/quote]

    Never fear, LRon, a fresh crisp copy of Drowning Witch from Santa Monica, 11 Dec 1981, Early Show has just been uploaded.

  33. Cotti says:

    [quote comment=”6014″]Ok I just didn’t think “Rat Tomago” was that long, I guess there are some edits in there.

    So no one knows where the “Keep it Greasy”, “He Used To Cut The Grass”, and “Packard Goose” solos are from?[/quote]

    Like Inca Roads in OSFA, Frank did cut his favorite parts of the solo of TTNS from Berlin ’78 into Rat Tomago.

    As for Greasy, Grass and Goose, IINK says that for its origins:

    Greasy:
    Guitar solo from City Of Tiny Lites
    Rudi-Sedlmeyer Sporthalle, Munich, Germany
    March 31, 1979 (late show)

    Grass:
    Unknown AFAIK, probably a studio solo like Watermelon, anyone can confirm this?

    Goose:
    Guitar solo from:
    Easy Meat
    Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
    April 1, 1979
    and
    Opening Solo
    Rhein-Main-Halle, Wiesbaden, Germany
    March 27, 1979 (late show)

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