Released: October 1996
Tracklist
- Black Napkins
- Black Napkins “Zoot Allures” album version
- Zoot Allures
- Merely A Blues In A
- Zoot Allures “Zoot Allures” album version
- Watermelon In Easter Hay
- Watermelon In Easter Hay “Joe’s Garage” album version
Line-up
Dweezil Zappa (producer), Gail Zappa (executive producer), Spencer Chrislu and FZ (mix engineers), Dweezil Zappa and Spencer Chrislu (sequencing and editing), Spencer Chrislu (mastering), Dave Dondorf and Spencer Chrislu (analog tape resuscitation), Joe Travers (vault meistering and research), Mike Keneally (preliminary research), Dweezil Zappa (liner notes), Ahmet Zappa (hair displacement guidance), Tracy Veal (art direction and design), Matt Groening (cover manuscript art)
can somebody deliver his opinion?
I bought this album only because I love FX guitar solos to a fault. Was I angry that I bought 3 songs I already have? Kind of, but the fact that WATERMELON is slightly different made it okay for ne. The solos themselves outside of the released stuff are amazing. Not only do you see how the songs developed and became what we now know, but you see how FZ could change styles in mid-song. This ZOOT ALLURES is the full 17 minute (or so) version that includes all three parts of the original song. BLACK NAPKINS is, as always, a huge treat. His little intro to the song is pretty funny to boot. MERELY… is a jam that shows the versatility of the bands and Frank’s style–and includes a little vocalising near the end. The live WATERMELON is wonderful, as all versions of this song, and hearing the album version against the live version shows a definite change in the song. All in all a good purchase, but don’t expect another SUNPYG from the four unreleased songs.
CORRECTION: FX should be FZ, I was typing quickly to get in a review for Patrick.
Good but a little stupid. I mean this recording is geared toward die hard Zappa fans so why put tracks in we already have. I know you are trying to put them side by side to Demonstrate Franks playing but getting the message across robs us fans of a couple of more unrealesed tracks or a shorter ( cheaper )CD.
Unless you are a die hard Zappa fan, or a fan of guitar solos in shapes and sizes (which, if you are, you probably have this CD – along with all the other posthumous releases – already) pass on this release and go directly to the albums some of the tracks were originally released on: Zoot Allures, Joe’s Garage (heck, check them all out, buy them, then come back to this little nugget and ask yourself the same question everyone else seems to be asking: why?).
Waste o time
WHY , DZ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????//
I could not live without this CD. It’s like a memorial stone for Zappa the guitarist, and to me it’s worth the price only for the magnificent early versions of Black Napkins, Zoot Allures and Watermelon. I really like the variation between the canonized versions and the early takes, as well. This is one posthumous Zappa record that I can play in any mood and enjoy tremendously. And it’s my wife’s favourite Zappa album, because you have all this wonderful playing and none of the obscenity (apart from that opening line about the complet woman – kudos to Dweezil for keping it in).