Winston Legthigh Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Edit: Sorry, It took me 1 minute to go get the liner notes and Sneaky Pete is undoubtedly credited for the solo. I guess now I know where I got my facts. Wikipedia is wrong. I'm still trying to figure out what you're seeing on wikipedia that you're claiming is wrong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Every time I see the name Sneaky Pete, I am reminded of this:http://youtu.be/t2I7No0xAXU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedling Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I'm still trying to figure out what you're seeing on wikipedia that you're claiming is wrong.Well shit! Maybe I was so shocked that Simmons was noted and Sneaky Pete wasn't that my mind inserted "solo" when they mentioned the Hawaiian guitar. Oh well, I've enjoyed my dive into that record. (and it bumped this thread) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Well shit! Maybe I was so shocked that Simmons was noted and Sneaky Pete wasn't that my mind inserted "solo" when they mentioned the Hawaiian guitar. Oh well, I've enjoyed my dive into that record. (and it bumped this thread) Ah. Makes sense. And your question also got me to dive into the record as well. Been a while. Thanks for that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 As promised (threatened?), I am bumping this thread to talk about the "new" FZ release, Road Tapes, Venue #2. The ZFT have done a stunningly lousy job of marketing and distributing Zappa's works (Thanks, Gail!), but the Road Tapes idea is a real winner. Unbelievably, they announced the long-awaited Roxy DVD and an accompanying CD, Roxy by Proxy, then announced the second Road Tapes release - and got Road Tapes out to fans - while postponing/delaying the shipping date on Roxy three or four separate times. So, if you're having problems with something from Rhino, trust me, nobody can fuck it up like Gail Zappa. Fortunately, this Road Tapes release is a beast. My only complaint about it is, Why the hell did you not release this sooner? First of all, it's from 1973, an absolute banner year in the FZ discography. Think Overnight Sensation, Roxy & Elsewhere, and the first seeds of One Size Fits All and Apostrophe'. Zappa's guitar work is phenomenal all year long. Every live solo ranges from good to holy schnikes. The Road Tapes 2 discs are put together like one big show, although they are actually taken from two shows: August 23-24, 1973. Yes, that means you get both Jean-Luc Ponty and George Duke in the band, not to mention Ruth and Ian Underwood, who were still together at this point. The first disc features songs like RDNZL and an early Montana, but things really get cooking with a nice, meaty 15-minute Dupree's Paradise. It takes a while to get to hear FZ shred, but it's well worth the wait. I could listen to these solos all day. The disc concludes with a uniquely hilarious one-time event in Zappa history, which the powers that be have named All Skate/Dun-Dun-Dun (The Finnish Hit Single). It features Zappa talking about cheesy monster movies, and explaining how every monster movie has a part in the soundtrack when the monster first appears: DUN-Dun-dun. Then he gets the audience to do it. Priceless. But things really get cooking on disc two: after note-perfect versions of Village of the Sun and Echidna's Arf, we get a classic 10-minute Don't You Ever Wash that Thing? followed by a 13-minute Big Swifty in which Zappa just lets loose with a blistering solo. I never think of Big Swifty as a place where I'm looking to hear Frank shred, but this one does it. With that nice, dirty 1973 guitar sound. Just when it's over, and you think it will get boring, Big Swifty is followed with a Farther O'Blivion that runs nearly 23 minutes. All these long songs feature great solos, whether it's Ponty, Duke, FZ himself, or a combination thereof. I cannot for the life of me understand what took them so long to decide to release this. Problem with Ponty? Waiting for George to die? Seriously, this has so much great material on it, and had never been heard by the general public in any format before. (The old Zappa Gig List site jumps from 8/23 to 8/26 - no record at all of the 8/24 show - and there was never a record of either concert on the old Zappateers list of all unofficially circulating shows.) This was a left-field winner of huge proportions. I guess the Road Tapes series is supposed to a warts-and-all archival release series like Dick's Picks, but you know what? I couldn't hear any warts on this. It's fantastic. By far the best ZFT release in ten years or more. I'll buy Roxy by Proxy whenever they finally get it out - the preorder has been backed up multiple times, as I said - but at this point, it will be like an addendum. This Road Tapes release kicks ass. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Nice write-up. I tried scanning the zappa.com forums for a decent review but lost patience. Was Napoleon not part of the band yet, obviously? When did he join? Half the stuff I love from that era is the on-stage banter between Napoleon and George. Who is drumming? Yea, Gail sucks. There's absolutely no write up on the Road Tapes purchase page - you'd think at the minimum they'd post a tracklist. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Nappy joined the following year at some point. There were two distinct '74 tours, both amazing. This has Ralph Humphrey on drums, and he is incredible on it too. The tracklist and personnel can be found here:http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/lyrics/Road_Tapes_Venue_2.html Edit: looks like Napoleon's first shows were February of 1974. George was still doing more lead vocals than him at that point. To date, this has not been a well-documented tour, something I hope they remedy in 2014, like they're doing in 2013 (with '73). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Right, I really wish they'd put out a show with Zappa doing Stinkfoot with the vocoder. I may have missed it though. It's hard to keep up. Incidentally, I love joking with my kids that they have Dromidrosis. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I read somewhere (Jambase?) that Dweezil played on Halloween and did "Watermelon In Easter Hay" for the first time. It might possibly be his most beautiful tune imo. Dweezil did a GREAT job with it. He also said in an interview that his Dad considered Easter Hay, Black Napkins, and Zoot Allures to be his 'signature' pieces. Hard to argue. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 Right, I really wish they'd put out a show with Zappa doing Stinkfoot with the vocoder. I may have missed it though. It's hard to keep up. Incidentally, I love joking with my kids that they have Dromidrosis. I think he is using it during the Dub Room Special version. I actually like it better when he just sings it straight, but I like Frank's singing voice better than he did, I suspect. On Watermelon in Easter Hay etc.: I believe that when Frank died, the estate said those songs could not be played by anyone but Frank, and never would be played by anyone associated with his groups. I guess if you outlive your dad long enough, Mom will agree to let you do whatever you want. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 For 9 million, you can fund a documentary about Zappa and end up owning his house. Who the Fuck is Frank Zappa? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 For 9 million, you can fund a documentary about Zappa and end up owning his house. Who the Fuck is Frank Zappa?Wow. So fucking sad.Gail guarded that shit for over 20 years like a grieving spider while it slowly rotted. What a waste.Glad these guys are interested in it, but fuck a documentary; we want to hear the tapes! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Dweezil is on Maron this Thursday. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 That is a shame. I wonder why they don't partner with Rhino or somebody. I can only guess they want total control. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted May 18, 2018 Author Share Posted May 18, 2018 This makes me unreasonably happy: Dweezil Zappa Announces Reconciliation With His Siblings & Zappa Family Trust After Years-Long Feudhttps://liveforlivemusic.com/news/zappa-family-trust-dweezil-reconcile/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Not much of a fan at all, but I've heard enough about this to smile. Family discord sucks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 This makes me unreasonably happy:Dweezil Zappa Announces Reconciliation With His Siblings & Zappa Family Trust After Years-Long Feudhttps://liveforlivemusic.com/news/zappa-family-trust-dweezil-reconcile/ This is great news. I just saw Dweezil live for the first time last Sunday. (I don't count the 10 minutes I caught at Summerfest in Milwaukee years ago). I was blown away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted May 19, 2018 Author Share Posted May 19, 2018 This is great news. I just saw Dweezil live for the first time last Sunday. (I don't count the 10 minutes I caught at Summerfest in Milwaukee years ago). I was blown away.Cool! I’ve seen a few Zappa Plays Zappa shows, and they were all good. God bless the Zappas. Been home with a sinus infection and skipping around YouTube I came across the Valley Girl video. That sent me down a rabbit hole of interviews with FZ’s kids. I discovered that Dweezil and Moon played siblings in a sitcom with Max Gail and Cindy Williams as their parents. And yes, I watched all the available episodes. Fooking surreal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted May 19, 2018 Share Posted May 19, 2018 I think she was in some movies also. That is good to see they got together. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share Posted May 20, 2018 Since I've been home all weekend, I've been taking a deep dive into what's online about FZ & co. Had never noticed before, but the official FZ website has a bunch of podcasts dating as far back as 2013. I see in this thread that around that time, I mentioned that the '74 tours haven't been well-documented; ironically, some of these podcasts address that, as #10 begins a series that discusses One Size Fits All and other stuff from around that time. I've already got most all these "fan club recordings," but it's nice to see some of them on the official site, available for listening if not for download: https://www.zappa.com/news/zappacast-episode-10-one-size-fits-all Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Cool! I’ve seen a few Zappa Plays Zappa shows, and they were all good. God bless the Zappas.Been home with a sinus infection and skipping around YouTube I came across the Valley Girl video. That sent me down a rabbit hole of interviews with FZ’s kids. I discovered that Dweezil and Moon played siblings in a sitcom with Max Gail and Cindy Williams as their parents. And yes, I watched all the available episodes. Fooking surreal. What was the name of this sitcom? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Normal Life Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 Normal Life Thanks. I'm definitely going to watch some of that next time I hang out with my friend who is a Zappa nut. Hopefully he hasn't already seen it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 It’s pretty weird, but interesting. Kind of a typical late 80s/early 90s sitcom. Moon was a bit of a cutie! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 And yes, I watched all the available episodes. Wow, that's some dedication. I couldn't make it 10 minutes. Max Gail reminds me of Chevy Chase. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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