DOES HUMOR BELONG IN MUSIC?

Frank Zappa

RIO/Avant-Prog

2.81 | 69 ratings

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Matti
Prog Reviewer

Note: take this as a friendly warning if you're unsure whether you like Zappa or not. DO NOT start here! All the others are adviced not to waste their time reading my angry 'review'.

Several times I have given Frank Zappa a chance to get me interested in his music, but it never has turned out right for me. I believe I might enjoy One Size Fits All or other albums in that style ('Inca Roads' was OK on some V.A. compilation), but the ones I've listened from start to end have been more or less junk to my ears. But this very concert material (shot in New York 1984) that I happened to borrow from library is my ultimate "I CAN'T STAND FRANK ZAPPA" -experience. I nearly threw up.

The opening instrumental 'Zoot Allures' was pretty good and intelligent jazzy piece, but the rest is awful "humorous" riff-raff with fast-paced vocals, both solo singing and 'barbershop'- type ensemble singing, and complex time signatures just for the sake of it. Often it really doesn't sound any better than an improvisatory joke singing emphasized on the lyrical content would sound. The playing is skilful, no doubt of that, but WHAT they play is mostly irritating to me. And when they are tastelessly mocking gays on 'He's So Gay', my measure was full (I don't know any gays personally, but it looked VERY offensive).

If I can help someone like me to decide NOT to waste his/her time on this stuff (guaranteed to unplease if sharing my taste), this silly review is justified. Besides, the visual quality can be judged quite poor objectively too. Anyway, I still have perspective enough to think that this probably was the worst possible item for trying to get into Frank Zappa's music. IF I come across into some more suitable album, I'll give him ONE more try.

Matti | 1/5 | 2007-3-29

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