FZ:OZ

13 thoughts on “FZ:OZ”

1. This album kicks ass! The ’76 band rocks. Andre Lewis- whatever happened to you. Funkiest Chunga’s Revenge ever!

2. I saw this band perform in Fayetteville, Arkansas,in October 1976, in the old Barnhill Fieldhouse basketball arena on the University of Arkansas campus. They were having problems with the moniters and the sound system and acoustics were less than satisfying, but the band cooked anyway, in spit of an unruley crowd; so I was looking forward to a complete show by this particular band. I wasn’t disappointed by the content of the shows. The band rocks and the rearrangements of the old Mothers material was good. FZ’s guitar solos were unbelievable, inspired improvisations, not the gawdawful riffing that most 1970’s “guitar gods” perpetrated upon their audiences. My only complaint is the packaging. For 32 dollars American, plus shipping, I think the cheap cardboard sleeve is a rip-off. I guess it is suppose to replicate the old vinyl album sleeves, but at this high price, I think that delux packaging that at least protects the discs better would be appropiate.

3. Correction to the above review: It was October 1975, not 76, when this particular group of Mothers came through town. (The mid 1970s are sort of a purple haze blur these days, one year flows into another and the sequence of events often gets jumbled. Guess I’m getting “old timers'” disease.)

4. When I first heard about this CD was led to believe it was from an earlier tour,but having read this I was at the Hordern Pavillion to see FZ on this tour, he was fantastic, there were bootlegs for this concert available here in Sydney the week after the concert, I did not get one, but I will be getting this to add to my memory of that night,but it will cost $100 aus,which is a bit steep.

5. At first listen I thought this sounded a little thin, it being a small band and all. I had never heard this band before. But the guitar player in me has grown to love this. Frank’s playing on here is totally jaw dropping. I brought this over to another guitar playing friends house and we kept backing up the solo on “Carolina Hardcore Ecstacy” because we had never heard anything like it. The man is truly inspiring.

6. The quality of the sound aren’t the best. But it’s my favorite live album.

7. This is a great album. Because the band is so small and there are many solo’s, they try (and succeed) to vary the soloing approach as much as possible.
   When there are more players, they all get one change to do something BIG and EFFECTIVE, usually something with a lot of notes. Here Andre, Nap and Frank really take their time to develop something distinctive per song.
   It leads to a new listening experience every time.

8. FZ:OZ was pretty much the first unedited full concert recording released since Zappa himself released the “Helsinki Concert” of the ’73-’74 band as part of the “Stage” series.

   What is great about this release is that it prominently features a band that is arguably undocumented anywhere else in the Zappa cataglog, but hardcore fans remember it well.

   This is also arguably a “transitional” band for Frank: the final “greasy/sweaty/horny/young players” phase of Frank’s late 70’s output hadn’t really gelled yet (Bozzio is in place, but the rest of the “Baby Snakes” guys haven’t gotten on board yet), and it is interesting to see Frank still organizing and creating such beautiful, cohesive and powerful performances out of the strange hodge-podge of players. It’s literally the old-band-starts-to-become-the-new-band that’s happening here, and I feel it is downright fascinating.

   I have to stop here and take a moment to praise bassist Roy Estrada. From the minute I first heard the old Mothers recordings, I always personally felt that Roy Estrada was one of the most accomplished and solid musicians Frank ever worked with. His bass parts feature such solid, meaty and foundational playing, I still savor them (i.e. the basslines in “Orange County Lumber Truck”, etc…) he really got into Frank’s sense of humor, Frank obviously always loved and cared about Roy, and consistently found places to continue to feature and use Roy throughout his entire career. Much has been written and made of Roy’s emotional instability and fraility, but just listen to this concert: the boy kicks ass always.

   So this concert is filled with Conceptual Continuity stuff like “Kaiser Rolls” which has inspired some to write whole articles just on this one live song, but listen to this concert as a whole. It has been (until now) a much ignored Zappa line-up, and the playing is really solid, cohesive and top notch, with the arrangements completely tailored to the unique abilities of every single player present. This is something only Frank Zappa had the love of music to continue to do. Other bands and solo artists would probably just tell new players: “Here is how you play these songs of mine….: Frank re-made them all new, every time a new player came into the fold. A great release.

9. Frank’s guitarplaying is what saves this one.

10. I have an urge to comment here. Marco J mentions Roy Estrada’s playing, and I have to wholeheartedly agree. Get in the car, turn up the bass, and listen to Advance Romance (yes, really, Advance Romance)….

    ‘Nuff said.

11. I like the sound of this cd. Raw, with great sounding bass and drums! I was a little underwhelmed by Black Napkins. A low key rendition sounding more like the sister variation, Pink Napkins. Andre Lewis’s solo doesn’t do much for me. It’s not FZ’s best moment either. Overall it’s an enjoyable listen with an interesting set list.

12. I like this album a lot, but more than a few other grey/black market releases (Eyes Of Osaka) have spoiled me as far as the track listing goes.

    Still, great concert, great band…love the tones on “Filthy Habits,” and I know some people aren’t thrilled with Napi here…I think he’s great as usual. Terry Ted on drums, Roy Ralph on bass. Memorable, and the last technical FZ + Mothers lineup.

13. What would Shelley say?

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