Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ WHISKY A GO GO, 1968 ZAPPA 20045 (Barcode: 602458671568) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2024 This is the 128th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2024. As the title suggests, it compiles all the material recorded live with his Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist at the iconic LA club Whisky A Go Go on July 23, 1968. The 3CD album offers almost three hours of music (32 tracks), carefully re-mixed and restored, and a couple of bonus vintage mixes. Most of the music is previously unissued, except a few tracks / fragments that “sneaked in” on other Zappa albums. The recordings feature the following lineup: Zappa on guitar and vocals, vocalist Ray CollinsFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, Bunk GardnerFind albums by this artist and Jim SherwoodFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don PrestonFind albums by this artist, bassist Roy EstradaFind albums by this artist and drummers Art TrippFind albums by this artist and Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Kim FowleyFind albums by this artist guests on four tracks and the all-girl group GTOsFind albums by this artist guest on one tracks. The music is absolutely sensational and shows Zappa’s untamed brilliance at its wildest, incorporating anything between Free Rock Improvisation to Doo-wop, spaced with unadulterated humor and pure musical Genius. The entire show is an orgy of musical ideas and sparks with the pleasure of performing, unabridged by conventions and pseudo-ethical rules. Although Zappa obviously developed over time as a composer and musician, changing his focus and stylistic preferences on the fly, these early recordings already clearly exemplify his out of the box musical attitude and openness, as well as moral and social ideology, which always steered his career and made him such a fascinating figure. Overall, this is an absolutely essential piece of the Frank Zappa legacy and a fitting tribute to his brilliance. These early Avant-Garde Rock recordings are a perfect example of the emerging idiom and are brilliantly executed by the ensemble. Considering that all this happened over fifty-five years ago clearly proves that Zappa was a visionary / prophetic Genius.

Updated: 26/09/2024Posted: 26/09/2024

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