The Roxy Performances (Live)

Frank Zappa

explicit

Released on 02/02/2018 by Frank Zappa Catalog
Main artists: Frank Zappa
Genre: Rock

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In forty-four years, this isn’t the first time that the recordings from December 8, 9 and 10, 1973 at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood have been released one some form or another. First, there was the double album Roxy & Elsewhere in 1974, then Roxy by Proxy in 2014, Roxy the Soundtrack in 2015, and finally this The Roxy Performances which covers the entirety of the four concerts, as well as the filmed rehearsals from December 8 and 10, not forgetting a preparatory session of the Apostrophe (') album in Ike Turner’s Bolic Studios, on December 12th. Is it really useful to remind you that Roxy & Elsewhere is one of the finest in history, all genres included? Consequently, we were entitled to wonder if bringing back what was sidelined by Zappa himself was worth it. Aside from Zappa’s biggest fans, would the average person appreciate for what it’s worth five versions of Pygmy Twylyte, of which one lasts almost 25 minutes (split into two parts), or four variations of Penguin in Bondage or Uncle Meat? More than ever, we’ll remind you one of the golden rules to apply to Zappa more than to any other form of music: you have to have your mind open as much as your ears and let yourself get carried away.

You’ll surprise yourself by starting listening to this copious compilation of 84 tracks (Zappa’s monologues included)—that is to say almost eight hours—telling yourself that you’ll only do three or four extracts before moving on to something else, to finally discover that Zappa’s magic is such that you’ll have the greatest difficulty letting go of it. The master’s excellence and one of the best Mothers formations reach such heights that you’ll have difficulties finding any redundancies here. If we had to keep only one significant example, it would probably be Don't You Ever Wash that Thing?, whose different versions wonderfully demonstrate the perfect blend of high skills and collectedness which keep the music from ever getting dull or monotonous. At most, you might switch off a bit during Be-bop Tango (Of the Old Jazzmen’s Church), where the interaction with the audience lasts a bit too long, even if the many musical gags are worth the detour. But you’ll be tempted more than once to take on more lessons with Professor Zappa, especially in the studio section, in which he leads his Mothers with as much firmness as dexterity. Finally, it wouldn’t be superfluous to insist on the exceptional sound take of these “performances”. Planned at first for a quadriphonic version, these recordings have been particularly polished, just like their transition to digital. ©JPS/Qobuz

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The Roxy Performances (Live)

Frank Zappa

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