Napoleon: This Is What Frank Zappa Heard – Just In Case You Were Wondering

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Balint

News from the Idiot Bastard, that might bring some tiny smile on your face:

…in December, Napoleon Murphy Brock will release This Is What Frank Zappa Heard – Just In Case You Were Wondering. Recorded live at The Red Noodle in Waikiki, Hawaii on 8 August 1973 on a TEAC 4-track reel-to-reel, the CD has been digitally enhanced and “will put you at the next table to where Frank was sitting, and you will experience what Frank Zappa experienced and what later was described as ‘the audition of a lifetime’”. By pre-ordering now, you can save yourself shipping charges, so you’ll pay just 15 Euros on its release. Email nmubrock@pacbell.net for more.

Of course you know this beautiful interview already in which Nappy tells the whole story (Idiot Bastard, again, from 2002).

Posted in Alumni, Music | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Get Yer Persuasions!

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Got an email yesterday from Julie Lawson, whose husband is Jerry Lawson, former lead singer, arranger & producer of The Persuasions. She writes:

We wanted to let your readers know that the Persuasions tribute to Zappa is out of print & we have the last of them if anyone is interested. They are only $15 & bound to be a collector’s item if you care to let your readers know.

Get your copy here, while they last.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Thing-Fish Live: Highlights

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

In 2003 Stagecraft Entertainment managed to stage an authorized (!) adaptation of Thing-Fish. Here’s, quote: “a very roughly edited selection of scenes of the unforthcoming DVD release”:

Takes me back to the weekend of my 35th birthday, when Tommi presented us with a full screening of this performance! Good times…

Posted in Frank Zappa, Movies, Music, YouTubery | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Musicians Play FZ – Part II

Posted on August 26, 2009 by urbangraffito

Alas, I’ve saved the best for last. “Musicians Play FZ – Part II“, a compilation of FZ songs performed by various musicians, from Sting to The Persuasions and many in between (plucked from my own collection). Enjoy this mix for the next two weeks, at which time the “Son of Tweezer Glint” series will resume.

Click here to listen to the mixtape.

Note: if we are infringing on anyone’s copyright, contact KUR and we’ll remove the offending material.
Posted in Alumni, Frank Zappa, Mike Keneally, Music | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Tom Fowler Interview, Los Angeles, 1996

Posted on August 24, 2009 by urbangraffito

Interviewed by Juha Rompannen, in Los Angeles on April 24th, 1996, Tom Fowler — who played bass guitar in Frank Zappa’s touring and recording band between 1973 and 1975 — talks about his background, time with Frank, other collaborations, and current projects in this 5 part interview:
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The Circle Of Fifths

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

There is a reason why Barber Shop / Doowop singers shy away from instrumental accompaniment:

A little thought will show why no sequence of Perfect Fifths can ever exactly equal a sequence of Octaves, no matter how far you carry out both sequences: when you go up by Octaves, you’re multiplying the starting pitch by a 2 raised to a power equal to the number of Octaves. Going up one octave means multiplying by 2¹ = 2. Two octaves = starting pitch × 2² (= 4×), three octaves = starting pitch × 2³ (= 8×), and so on. But going up by Perfect Fifths (or, rather, Octave + Perfect Fifths) means raising powers of three. × 3¹ = 3× and takes you to the Octave + Perfect Fifth. × 3² = 9× and takes you to two octaves + Pythagorean Major Second (or one octave + Pythagorean Major Ninth, if you prefer). × 3³ = 27× and takes you up to three octaves + Pythagorean Major Sixth, and so on.

Notice something? The multipliers for Octaves are always even numbers (2×, 4×, 8×, 16×, …), while those for Perfect Fifths are always odd numbers (3×, 9×, 27×m etc.). No matter how far you carry out the sequences, you’ll never have an odd number equal an even number!

This means that the Circle of Fifths, the very basis for all of Western Civilization music, just plain doesn’t work!

Bonus clips:

For more, be sure to read this MeFi thread.

Posted in Music, Pop Cult | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Philly Cheez

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

This just in by way of Andrew:

In a very recent interview, Dweezil said a live FZ concert circa 1976 will be released soon featuring Terry Bozzio and “a female singer”. Word is, Vaulternative will issue a CD of the Spectrum Theater in Philadelphia show from 29 October that year. Band was FZ, Bozzio, Ray White, Patrick O’Hearn, Eddie Jobson and Bianca Thornton.

Set list was:

  1. Purple Lagoon intro
  2. Stink-Foot
  3. Poodle Lecture
  4. Dirty Love
  5. Wind Up Workin’ In A Gas Station
  6. Tryin’ To Grow A Chin
  7. The Torture Never Stops
  8. City Of Tiny Lites (incl. The Sanzini Brothers Pyramid Trick)
  9. You Didn’t Try To Call Me
  10. Manx Needs Women
  11. Titties ‘N’ Beer
  12. Black Napkins
  13. Advance Romance
  14. Honey, Don’t You Want A Man Like Me?
  15. Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink
  16. Would You Go All The Way?
  17. Daddy Daddy Daddy
  18. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?
  19. Dinah-Moe Humm
  20. Purple Lagoon reprise
  21. Stranded In The Jungle
  22. Find Her Finer
  23. Camarillo Brillo
  24. Muffin Man
  25. Purple Lagoon outro.

No word on the 40th anniversary edition of Cruisin’ With Ruben yet.

Posted in Frank Zappa, In The News, Official Releases | Tagged , , | 51 Comments

Holiday In Berlin, 1970

Posted on August 21, 2009 by urbangraffito

Another appealing aspect of Frank Zappa’s music was his ability to self mythologize what occurred in his life into his music. This is seen quite a lot in literature, but rarely in music (which, I might add, is part of Zappa’s unique genius). Zappa’s composition, “Holiday In Berlin” is an excellent example.
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The Loudness War in Modern Audio Mastering

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Balint

A note by Thinman:

And if you are interested where recent CDs from our beloved composer’s work suffer from [the Loudness War], just listen to Buffalo or Trance-Fusion. I suffer physically when listening to productions of that kind.

See the rest of his entry for details and illustrations – and what Joe Travers had answered:

Well critics, here’s the deal. In the case of “Trance-Fusion”- we sent the album master to Bob Ludwig to do final tweeks, but the level on that title was already maxed out by Spence Chrislu. FZ was alive & authorized a final CD ref (I listened to it with him during his last days). So, in other words, FZ knew about it.
In the case of “Buffalo”, Frank Filipetti sent us a finished mix already mastered that way. That is how he works & so there was no additional mastering after the fact. If you don’t like how that sounds, blame it on him.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Official Releases | Tagged , , , | 39 Comments

Flo & Eddie – Live at The Bottom Line, 1977

Posted on August 18, 2009 by urbangraffito

Raunchy, raw and lewd – Flo & Eddie: Live at The Bottom Line, 1977 is Flo & Eddie “in-your-face”. If you’re a fan of Zappa’s Vaudeville Mothers, or simply a fan of Flo & Eddie’s manic musical parody and satire, you’ll love this 6 part concert.
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