dcooper wrote:
I would recommend you start with the 6 volumes of You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore.
Hey. I actually disagree (mostly due to the fact that the Stage series seems to be skewed heavily towards the '80s era bands, which are Not My Favorite), but to each his own.
Zappa faithfully recorded most of his concerts - particularly in the 70s and 80s - and in fact some of his "studio" albums, such as Sheik Yerbouti, were actually recorded live and then heavily overdubbed in the studio. Since neither of the comps, "Strictly Commercial" and "Have I Offended Someone?", come anywhere near being comprehensive overviews, the YCDTOSA volumes are a great place to go and sample his material and get a sense of the terrific bands he assembled over the years.
"Commercial" has its faults--it misses several obvious completist inclusions for several bizarre choices (does that much Overnight Sensation really need to be there? Why "Let's Make the Water Turn Black" instead of the single of Lonely Little Girl? Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?), but I think it's a perfectly servicable comp. And "Offended" is mostly collector-fodder, being as it's around 60% alternate versions.
I stand firmly behind my site's wisdom, though, in heralding the awesomeness of the "Left of the Dial" promo compilation. That thing is AMAZING in its breadth, and if you can find a copy cheap, go for it!
Also, IMHO, the 1988 band, dubbed "the best band you never heard in your life," was the pinnacle of FZ's stage work. There are 3 volumes of this band live - "The Best Band...", "Broadway the Hard Way," and "Make A Jazz Noise Here." This band is also has several tracks on the YCDTOSA volumes. I would definitely recommend you check out those 3 live CDs.
Once again, I kind of disagree. I like some of the late 80s stuff, but IMO he was still attempting to rise above the absolute nadir of the '84 tour, and he really doesn't sound that into it. The '88 tour isn't as sterile and perfunctory as the '84 tour, but...
If I may digress for a second...some people enjoy pointing out that Zappa is a scornful, hateful bastard. I don't think this is true at all. Listen to the '70s live stuff, for example...he's having a great time, isn't taking himself too seriously, etc. (his detached, '60s persona was mostly an "act," as is painfully obvious most of the time).
Problematically, as the 80s approach, this situation changes for the worse. He's no longer pretending to be a jerk to get a reaction; he actually *becomes* a jerk. Throughout the mid-to-late 80s tours he is sour, looks unwell, and takes himself way too seriously. By '88 he's beginning to lighten up somewhat, but that doesn't save "Broadway the Hard Way" from being an absolute bore to listen to (nevermind poorly produced! That album really Does Not Sound Good. Listen to "Why Don't They Like Me" and ponder why it sounds so bad, and why all of the edits are clear as day).
damiann wrote:Is the Ryko CD of We're Only In It For The Money that bad?
I mean, yes it does sound like shit, but did that album ever sound much better?
I've never heard the vinyl or any other CD issue (if there were any), but seeing how the final master sounds like it was assembled out of a thousand tiny pieces, how good could it be expected to sound, really?
It's not really that bad. Could parts of it sound better? Maybe. Lots of it sounds better than it ever did on vinyl, though.
The remix would suggest that the multitracks could be remixed into a higher-fidelity listening experience.
Dudelsack wrote:I have a mono yellow-label radio promo. It doesn't sound a heck of a lot better, frankly.
WHAATTTTTT?
Do you have the ability to transfer it to CD?
