FM TV — Documentary

A special type of entertainment for a specialized audience. That’s how Frank Zappa describes his own music in this obscure FM TV documentary first broadcast on July 13, 1982 — featuring interviews with FZ, Don Preston, Adrian Belew, and Terry Bozzio; plus footage of “You Are What You Is” as well as videoclips of “Punky’s Whips” and “Black Napkins” from Baby Snakes.

28. 10. 1977 New York City, Late Show

A few days before the Baby Snakes show, with a setlist quite similar to that one. From aaafnraa.de. Though the Tape Reviewing Society says:

This is one of the few tapes of this band that I don’t recommend. I can only think of two reasons to have it: completism and Wild Love. The main drawback is that it’s far from complete – the taper seems to have turned his deck on and off, leaving out most of the really interesting songs (= solo vehicles). (…) But as I hinted above, there is one exception, spelled Wild Love.

Well, who knows? Lets check it.

Live from The Pier in NYC 1984

On the sixth month anniversary of my divorce judgement, and fulfilling the requests of two KUR aficionados, here’s an excellent cover of The Allman Brothers Band classic “Whipping Post” by Frank Zappa’s 1984 band (solos and all). Hey, don’t you feel better already…

Wolfgang’s Vault: Fillmore West, 11/06/1970

Like a tidal wave of total weirdness, the Mothers of Invention splashed down on the Fillmore West for a series of shows in November of 1970, then washed back into the seedy ocean of L.A., leaving the landscape forever changed (or at least confused and slightly offended).

And all this happens now at Wolfgang’s Vault – a great show, great sound, with a fine accompanying text. You can listen to it online after a simple registration.

Dub Room Special: The CD Version

Apparently, a CD version of The Dub Room Special DVD is being sold at ZPZ concerts. Tracklist:

  1. A Token of My Extreme (Vamp): 2:29
  2. Stevie’s Spanking: 5:54
  3. The Dog Breath Variations: 1.42
  4. Uncle Meat: 2:16
  5. Stink-Foot: 3:58
  6. Easy Meat: 6:51
  7. Montana: 4:24
  8. Inca Roads: 9:46
  9. Room Service: 9:15
  10. Cosmik Debris: 7:44
  11. Florentine Pogen: 10:13

Zappa-List member Chris Foreman writes:

Not included from the video: Approximate (from the ’74 band) and Flakes, Cocaine Decisions & Nig Biz (from the ’81 band). A Token of My Extreme wasn’t on the video, but is on the CD. And, of course, the track order is completely different.

Continue reading “Dub Room Special: The CD Version”

Saturday Boot: 1977, Copenhagen

The “page that was previously called frankzappa.at” is now presenting a show from 1977: Copenhagen, Falkoner Theatret. Die neue name ist, by the way: aaafnraa.de.
(Surprise: they’re playing ‘Montana’! Yes, this is the last time until that strange week in December of ‘84, that Frank solos in this song. Oddly enough, Frank decides not to play the “I ride a little tiny horse” section that follows the solo, and thus manages to sabotage this version nonetheless.)

Capt. Cheese-Beard & The 7 Sisters Of Prevention

A nice version of Black Napkins to liven up your drab Thursday, brought to you by Capt. Cheese-Beard & The 7 Sisters Of Prevention:

Via zappafan.net via urbangraffito. PS: Anyone interested in joining my new band, President Garlic-Breath & The 24 Brothers-In-Law Of Commutation?

The Gigantic Spoken Word Project

This looks to be a very cool project, aiming to compile a very large collection of Frank Zappa spoken word releases.

There will be some music in there but there won’t be any live concerts in the GSW Project. They consist of radio interviews and journalist reporter type personal interviews.

I know people who will salivate over this, starting right about… now.

Rare FZ Acetate: The Weasel Music

From Zappateers:

It’s a one-sided acetate featuring 19 minutes or so of an album called The Weasel Music. This is one of the unreleased albums from the legendary 1969 12-LP set The History And Collected Improvisations Of The Mothers Of Invention.

It was apparently aired on KABF Radio yesterday, and the show’s host has promised to seed it.
A rundown of the contents:

  1. Spoken Intro from Royal Albert Hall London 1969
  2. New composition #1, title unknown, studio recording
  3. Mozart Ballet (YCDTOSA 5, this time in an alternate, longer edit)
  4. Improvisation (“with studio embellishment”)
  5. New composition #2, studio recording, title unknown

Gentlemen: fire up your bittorrent clients…

YouTube: M.O. Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation

I don’t know how long this is going to be available on YouTube, but for now you can find the entire “Making of Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation” docu there. As it says “aired 21/4/07 on SBS Australian TV”, I reckon this to be the original TV-broadcast, not the DVD-version.

Part one:

Parts 2, 3, 4, 5.