THE ROXY PERFORMANCES

Drum roll please, Maestro... For my money, this - and nothing else - is the Holy Grail of 1970s progressive rock. I'll gladly admit I've cherished YESSONGS, GENESIS LIVE, BURSTING OUT, King Crimson's USA and even WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS for many and many a year, but this glorious set tops them all. After all those decades I still don't understand why proggers tend to call HOT RATS their favourite Zappa album when the band you'll hear on THE ROXY PERFORMANCES (featuring George Duke, Bruce Fowler, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Chester Thompson, Ralph Humphrey and FZ) easily accomplish far greater miracles. For what have we got? Classic Zappa tunes such as 'Penguin in Bondage', 'Cheepnis', 'Inca Roads', Village of the Sun' and 'Montana' receive pristine performances here. The players' enthusiasm is palpable and their virtuosity is second to none, especially on breath-taking instrumentals like 'Echidna's Arf', 'RDNZL' and 'Big Swifty'. Should you worry about duplication? Well, if you're NOT a massive Zappa fan, you can do without this box set; you'll probably be very happy with the one-disc ROXY BY PROXY, which features some of the best bits from these gigs, as well as superb (highly detailed and illuminating) liner notes by percussionist Ruth Underwood. But if you've got some money to spare, or you can take the time to listen to all this music on streaming platforms, just don't hesitate - give the music a go and ENJOY!!! Why, the 21 minute performance of 'Dupree's Paradise' from December 10th's first show ALONE is worth your money and/or attention! That particular performance (not included in ROXY BY PROXY, by the way) showcases George Duke as one of prog's keyboard supremos. I simply don't understand why he's not more appreciated, since he's obviously in the same league as Patrick Moraz or Tony Banks... Just one caveat, perhaps: I could do without THREE separate performances of the annoying 'Dickie's Such an Asshole' and I'm sure many Zappa fans will agree. But let's not stare ourselves blind on a minor defect; let's just be grateful for all the riches.