ROXY & ELSEWHERE

In the early Eighties I bought this 2-LP on the famous Champes Elysees in Paris, in a record store with prices that matched with the luxurous atmoshpere in that era. Until then I only had heard good stories about Frank Zappa his music, at that moment in Paris I decided that it was time to buy something from this unique personality. The decisive factor to buy this 2-LP was the presence of musicians like Georg Duke, known for his amazing Minimoog play. And imagine that drummer Chester Thompson (soon with Jean-Luc Ponty) was years away from his later work with Genesis and Steve Hackett!

The music on this exciting live double album is not progressive rock in the tradition of the symphonic rock dinosaurs but it is genuine progressive rock: a dynamic and captivating mix of jazz, rock and classic. The guitarplay from Frank Zappa is so distinctive: flowing, fiery and biting with the use of several effect-pedals. The integration of the percussion from Ruth Underwood and the brass instruments makes the sound from Frank Zappa very vivid but also very complex and not really accessible. Another typcial ingredient is the humor, for many people a reason for a cult-following and in my opinion this made from Frank Zappa a bit of a hero for the more intellectual part of the nation in especially the USA but also here in Holland. But back to the music, this 2-LP showcases a very good and inspired Frank Zappa and his Mothers, it is a perfect start to discover Franz Zappa!