FZ:OZ

I have them all but this one tops the lot. The Ozzy guy on the harmonica is just so funny, and the intro for enima bandit tops the lot. The best live show on cd. Buy it now or forever hold your Jawaka. Listening to Uncle Frank will be the best thing about going to heaven. John Glasgow Scotland

A typically brilliant live show by FZ. Not my favourite line-up/period and there are better versions of many of the tracks on the "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore" series. The Big Plus of this tasty little sucker is the 'authentic' concert experience which we don't get with the YCDTOSA discs; as they are the BEST versions from various shows (except volume 2) If you like this line-up then you will just love this disc. I prefer more of Frank's soloing or the earlier line-up with Ruth Underwood and George Duke etc, as on YCDTOSA vol2, but that's just me.

Taken from a concert in Australia in 1976, this album features one of the most stripped down versions of Zappa's touring bands, featuring just one guitarist, bassist, drummer, saxophonist, and keyboardist. Fortunately, all the musicians are capable of playing the material well and some of the best mid-70s material get represented on this album. Most of the setlist is derived from the Zoot Allures/Bongo Fury albums, but there's a lot of material from earlier albums and even a few unreleased songs at this point. The one thing about this album that sets it apart from most of the other Zappa live ventures I've listened is the down-to-earth nature presented throughout the entire show, and the band's cohesiveness also allows for a dynamic and very intuitive live excursion.

Early versions of The Illinois Enema Bandit and Keep it Greasey show Zappa experimenting with pieces before they get their official release (for the first one it was Zappa in New York, and the latter was released in a slightly more complex version on Joe's Garage). My favorite pieces are the instrumentals Black Napkins and Zoot Allures, which have wild extensions and Zappa really sets the mood for the entire album with his fluid, emotive guitar solos that rip up the stage. Other songs like Chunga's Revenge and Advance Romance show the versatility and the fluidity of the band.

The more vocal pieces like Wind of Workin' in a Gas Station and Dinah-Moe-Humm don't disappoint either, although there are better versions of the latter, it's nice to see a live version of the first one (it's a rarity on live albums from what I've gathered). The ending medley of Camarillo Brillo and Muffin Man is also one of the best live concoctions Zappa would create (watch the Baby Snakes version of this piece and you'll see what I mean).

Overall, this is a great live set, that while a bit difficult to find, is definitely something to look out for. Fans of the mid-70s version of Zappa's music will definitely find a lot to enjoy with this album. I can't say it's the best live album from him I've listened, but let it be know that this is one of the better ones.

This was the first of the "Vaulternative" series, where the ZFT began releasing less than pristine recordings for their historic value. And this one provides quite a bit to Frank Zappa's history.

In 1976, Zappa toured with one of his smallest bands (and I believe this may have been the last tour where he was the only guitarist). With only drums, bass, keyboards and sax, this two CD set provides pared down versions of many of Frank's seventies classics. And there's an added bonus. Original Mother Roy Estrada is back on bass. While he is not as polished on the instrument as most of the bassists since he left, and a few bad notes are apparent, he manages to keep up with Zappa's difficult compositions. Also, his distinctive falsetto, and the chance for Zappa to play him like an instrument, are always a treat.

While there is a fine array of Zappa's sixties and seventies music, the real gems are the early arrangements of then-unreleased songs. The Torture Never Stops is faster, not as eerie as the later versions, but has some cool harmonies that don't appear on other recordings. Wind Up Workin' In A Gas Station has some silly audience participation stuck in the middle. Keep It Greasy is much more sparse than later versions.

Canard Toujours is one of my favorites here. It actually is made up mostly of the original theme that eventually was reworked into Let's Move To Cleveland. Kaiser Rolls, a song that as far as I know only appears on this album (so far), is a fairly simple pop song.

The sound quality is very good, although in a couple of spots the master tape was deteriorated, and snippets from lesser recordings (bootlegs?) were expertly inserted to keep continuity. Luckily, these sections are short. Kaiser Rolls was one of the affected songs, and Gail insisted a complete rendition of the song should be on the album, so a better recording is tacked on at the end.

This is an excellent concert, with fine performances of material that cannot be found elsewhere.

And my wife & I are mentioned in the insert that came with the CD (that's not as impressive as it sounds).

The sound quality may not be pristine, but this 1976 recording in Sydney pulls out all of Frank's tricks. In addition, this small five piece band is not properly documented live until this particular 2 CD set. Many of the old favorites are here, but the real highlights are the as yet unreleased tunes like "Canard du Jour" and "The Torture Never Stops". Lengthy versions of "Black Napkins" "Chunga's Revenge" and "Zoot Allures" stop the show. This is the definitive live version I've heard of Chunga's Revenge. Roy Estrada shows up on bass, and several early Mothers songs make an appearance. Tight playing and extreme audience energy ramps up the voltage. It's great to hear Roy on bass, and Napoleon Murphy Brock is always a treat. A fine entry into the Zappa catalog.

This is a live recording of most of the show performed at Sydney, Australia in January of 1976. The line up is one that is a rare one when it comes to live documentation, but it consists of one of the smallest live line-ups in FZ's discography. The band was pared down to the bare minimum here and the timing was right between the Bongo Fury album and the Zoot Allures album (which utilized this line up for the most part). The album was released posthumously by the Zappa family trust and was quite an anticipated release because of the rareness of releases of this time in Zappa history, unless you didn't mind having a bootleg.

The line up isn't bad, but it was just before the best line up would be formed. The concert itself has some songs on it that were rarely heard live plus one song that was not recorded anywhere else. This fact heightened the anticipation for the release. The recording isn't too bad as far as quality most of the time, but it isn't as good as some. The tape used had to be changed throughout the concert and this left some spots in the show that were not recorded, so, in order to release this show, the gaps had to be filled in with whatever bootlegs were available, thus resulting in a few spots in the recording that are obviously not as well recorded as others. But, the fact that most of the release was from mostly one show was an exciting prospect and in fact, is the most attractive thing about this recording. Other than that, there are much better recordings of the staple songs on other albums, but there are also a lot of rare performances on this that might make it worth while for Zappa-philes.

This album starts out with an introduction of the small band and a little goofing around before slipping immediately into a decent rendition of "Stinkfoot", moving on to "The Poodle Lecture" and on to "Dirty Love". These first songs fit together because of a common theme and are usually performed together on plenty of other live albums. Next comes a less often heard instrumental called "Filthy Habits" which comes from the "Sleep Dirt" album which wouldn't be released until 1979. This shows that many songs existed before being officially recorded, that FZ would often try out songs in concert to perfect them before officially releasing them. Thus you get an early version of this great instrumental. This is the first reason to find this album. Next comes some very early r&b style music from the debut Mothers album "Freak Out!". Brock at this point takes over the lead vocals from Frank and it brings a new feeling to these songs that were originally sung by members of the original Mothers line-up, so these songs can really sound different from the originals, namely "How Can I Be Such a Fool", "I Ain't Got No Heart" and "I'm Not Satisfied". After this trio of songs, the band plays some tracks from the then future "Zoot Allures" and it is interesting to hear these tracks in their early development. An almost 12 minute version of the classic guitar barn burner "Black Napkins" kicks in and the instrumental is awesome here. The theme is pretty much the same as the official studio version, but the improvised keyboard and later guitar solos are amazing. Then comes an 11 minute version of "Advance Romance" (from Bongo Fury) but without Captain Beefheart singing, this falls once again to Brock. He does a good job and the soloing in the middle is in fine form once again. The famous "Illinois Enema Bandit" comes next, but there are better recordings of this out there. Going back again to the future past, the band picks from unreleased material and plays a mediocre "Wind Up Workin at a Gas Station" and a shortened and quicker version of "The Torture Never Stops" which you can tell is underdeveloped, but enhanced with a harmonica solo instead of what would later be a hallmark for the killer guitar solos in future shows. The harmonica is played by a local Aussie talent who throws in an attempt at humor.

Disc 2 continues where we left off with the rare short instrumental piece "Canard Dujour" followed by an otherwise unavailable live version of the ultra rare song "Kaiser Rolls". Is it worth the search of this album for this track.....not really, but Zappa-philes will have to have it you know. Another track from the future "Zoot Allures" follow in "Find Her Finer" which is just annoying as usual, then the ever popular concert staple "Carolina Hard Core Ecstasy" which is an okay version but has a great guitar solo in it. The rare live version of "Lonely Little Girl", "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" (with vocals!) and "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body" all from "We're Only IN it for the Money" follow, but the versions here are again a bit lackluster, so not really worth the trouble. After this, a great version of the rare "Chunga's Revenge comes next with a very long sax solo and finally a drum solo, this after 15 minutes flows into another long instrumental off of Zoot Allures (the title track) and this is also great, but it turns into what will be known as "Ship Ahoy" with the echoing effects of the guitar giving a great ambient sound. The show was supposed to end after the usual "Keep it Greasy" but after a demand for encores, the band comes back and ends with the excellent 1 - 2 -3 punch of the showstoppers "Dinah Moe-Humm" which had been requested numerous times through the show by some demented fan and in this case has a nice doo-wop section, then "Camarillo Brillo" followed by "Muffin Man". This was a favorite encore set for the fans and the band in that it ended the show on an upbeat and exciting way. On this album, we are treated to another version of "Kaiser Rolls (du jour)" which is the rehearsal of the song recorded a few weeks before the actual show, again this song is not available elsewhere.

So is it worth it? To the casual listener, it might be okay, but there are better choices out there with better sound. For the Zappa-phile, there is quite a bit to get excited about though. For me, I have to average it out to 3 stars. It is entertaining enough and there some great bits here, but for the most part, there are better recordings out there.