I was aware of Zappa throughout my youth, and even remember Dancin’ Fool on Radio 1 during university days, but he hadn’t really made an impact on me. Then one late night about 30 year ago, I saw the Does Humor Belong In Music concert footage from 1984 and really enjoyed what I saw.
So feeling the need to investigate, and not knowing where to start, I purchased this budget priced live set. It’s part of the ‘Beat the Boots’ series, where Zappa beat the bootleggers at their own game reasoning “if they’re going to buy shit, they may as well buy it from me”. It’s not a classic Zappa band, but under Frank’s direction, they do as they’re told. And the sound quality isn’t too bad, there are worse official live albums about.
But it’s also peak uncomfortable in the Zappa catalogue. Easy Meat and Keep It Greasy sound misogynist, and Bobby Brown homophobic. Zappa made spirited defences of these songs, but his unyielding nature (stubbornness, pig headedness?) meant he was right, even when he wasn’t. Yet there’s enough to merit interest. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing points to a later more political Zappa, there’s enough virtuoso guitar for the enthusiast, City Of Tiny Lites rocks, Pound For A Brown showcases Zappa’s composition and the three Nanook songs from Apostrophe are good to hear again.
I suppose it’s a snapshot of where and what Zappa was at one point in time, probably past his peak pop music creativity, moving towards being a more serious musician and political commentator, showing both his genius and his faults.
3* - it is what it is, a snapshot. And they don’t always flatter, but there are far worse live records of one of Zappa’s less known line ups
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