Frank Zappa - Roxy & Elsewhere
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CD Details
Artist: Frank ZappaBrand: Rykodisc
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Live, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1995-05-02
Music Label: Zappa Records
Soundtracks:
- Penguin In Bondage
- Pygmy Twylyte
- Dummy Up
- Village Of The Sun
- Echidna's Arf (Of You)
- Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?
- Cheepnis
- Son Of Orange County
- More Trouble Every Day
- Bebop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)
Music reviews of Roxy & Elsewhere
Music Review: the best live album Zappa ever made
Rating: 5 Stars
Despite being Zappa's best live performance during the Mothers of Invention days, you definitely need Bongo Fury as well. Keep that in mind.
Just to let everyone know, I bought the audio CD version released on January, 28 1992. I believe this is the very first CD version of the album. I mention this because, despite being old, the sound quality is actually pretty good. It's loud and clear. If you have to buy an older version to save a few bucks, this version wouldn't be a bad idea. I've heard plenty of bad sounding early 70's live performances, but this doesn't count as one. Good job to everyone involved in that regard.
Roxy & Elsewhere contains Zappa's usual brand of intelligent and whacky sense of humor along with his unique style of creative and sophisticated songwriting.
His instrumental playing is another highlight, though never blows me away like on many of his studio albums. I'm not sure why exactly. Perhaps because Zappa ever rarely keeps his guitar solos going for a *lengthy* period of time to really build into something magnificent. I can think of a couple exceptions though. On the flipside however, you will get to experience Zappa's humorous side in all its glory.
"Penguin In Bondage" is actually based on a clever and humorous take on the blues style in both the vocal melody and guitar solo. It's a weird song. I sure wish that guitar solo was longer, though. It needs an additional two minutes for sure. "Pygmy Twylyte" follows it up. It's basically a fairly normal song when you consider just how outrageous Zappa's whacky ideas are usually like.
I can *definitely* do without "Dummy Up" however. It's basically a 6-minute story song with a quiet groove tapping along in the background while constant bickering between two characters takes place (one of which played by Frank himself) dealing with the subject of drugs and smoking. Not much of a song to me, but I guess you're supposed to take in the clever lyrics and the overall atmosphere of the live performance.
"Village of the Sun" is really the first song that actually wins me over. The previous three didn't do a whole lot in the department. The motown-inspired vocal melody concerning the subject of turkey farming is unique to say the least, and it's a very *good* melody too. It sounds too sincere to be funny to me, however.
"Echidna's Art (Of You)" is a relatively fast-paced flurry of instrumental chops galore. It's pretty good too. It's instrumental playing performed in Zappa's typically goofy and slightly off-putting kind of way so you're never really sure whether to take it as a joke or as a legitimate display of talented, creative genius. The entire 4 minutes of this track reminds me of the intro to the title song from "Waka/Jawaka" or "Big Swifty" if you wish.
The best song on the entire album is easily "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" Well *do* you? It needs washed badly! It's turning yucky! Okay enough of that. This song actually appears immediately after the previous song ends, so if you're not paying attention (in other words, not watching the digital time or track number on your CD player) you'll never recognize when it officially starts up.
The Chicago-inspired brass instrumental jam is quite professional indeed, and melodic enough. The keyboard jam around the 4-minute mark is pretty melodic and reminiscent of the early 70's. Overall, a great song despite some throwaway jazzy bits (and drumming) in between the brass and keyboard solos. Nice guitar solo near the end, too. A step down in terms of Zappa's normally more melodic and outrageous guitar style, however. Small complaint!
"Cheepnis" is the only time on the entire album I really enjoy hearing Zappa's communication with the audience. He tells a great story about the cheapness that is old-fashioned horror films. He really rips one movie in particular to shreds here. He picks on the low budget/low quality of a film called "It Concurred the World". It's really hilarious!
The actual song is pretty good too. Zappa sings obnoxiously about eating hot dogs, but it's creative enough that it's worth hearing. It's not as pointless as it initally sounds, let's put it that way. It grows on you over time.
"Son of Orange County" has a wonderful (though VERY dated) vocal melody. It's the kind of vocals that you'd *only* hear from a song created in the early 70's. I personally love it to pieces. Of course Zappa's probably mocking that style here, but either way, it's memorable. GREAT guitar solo too. Haven't said THAT a whole lot during this review, but this particular guitar solo definitely blows me to pieces. It's the kind of solo where Zappa must have been in some kind of deep concentration to make it come across this exciting and soulful.
"More Trouble Every Day" has a vocal melody deliberately executed in a lazy and slow-paced kind of way, but it's memorable mainly for the lyrics. It leads way to the second best guitar solo on the entire album. Weird how the vocal melody comes back RIGHT before the song fades away.
The one very questionable song out of the entire concert performance is the 17-minute "Be-Bop Tango" tune. Musically there's not a lot to be gained from this... the actual music takes up about 30% of the song (the first 5 minutes). The REST of it deals with audience participation that probably makes total sense at the concert but for everyone else... listening to something like this is sort of, well, pointless and even annoying. You get tired of hearing Zappa pretty much humiliate a few people from the audience by asking them to dance to certain beats, and when they can't dance to them... Zappa takes advantage of the situation. Not a particularly good song. It needed trimmed by a good 8 minutes.
Overall, the best live Zappa album, but he has about 8 studio albums more worth your time.
Description of Roxy & Elsewhere
IMPORTED FROM JAPAN BY RYKODISCThis collector?s dream set completes our 20-disc series of limited edition Frank Zappa Japanese imports. Packaged in deluxe mini-album jacket sleeves, these 10 classic albums are packaged to re-create the original vinyl packaging in miniaturized form!
This mostly live set features Zappa performing with the popular Mothers of Invention line-up of the early 70's--including jazz-funk meister George Duke, Napolean Murphy Brock on saxophone, and Ruth Underwood on percussion. Highlights include the souped-up funk of "Pygmy Twylyte," burning renditions of favorites "Penguin in Bondage" and "More Trouble Every Day," and the hilarious monster movie tribute "Cheepnis." Duke steals the show on several tracks, and Zappa's guitar work and "master of ceremonies" showmanship is in top form. --Andrew Boscardin
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