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Audience 9.1 - Both shows are excellent, Zappa seemed to be in a very good mood, even extending the first night’s show length to accommodate late arrivals. Very cool. I think these are some of the best of the US leg of the ’88 tour. Frank Zappa Bushnell Memorial Hall Hartford, CT. February 16, 1988 Disc 1 1. The Black Page 2. Band Intro 3. Frank Speaks Out 4. Dickie's Such an Asshole 5. When the Lie's So Big 6. Planet of the Baritone Women 7. Any Kind of Pain 8. Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk 9. Trouble Every Day 10. Penguin in Bondage 11. Hot Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel 12. The Orange County Lumber Truck Medley Disc 2 1. Frank Talks 2. What's New in Baltimore 3. Packard Goose Medley 4. Inca Roads 5. Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up 6. Happy Birthday to You 7. Who Needs the Peace Corps 8. King Kong 9. Stairway to Heaven 10. I Am the Walrus 11. Sofa 12. Cruising for Burgers Frank Zappa Bushnell Memorial Hall Hartford, CT. February 17, 1988 Disc 3 1. Frank Speaks 2. Stink-Foot 3. Band Intro 4. We're Turning Again 5. Alien Orifice 6. Why Don't You Like Me - Bacon Fat - Stolen Moments 7. Montana 8. City of Tiny Lites 9. A Pound for a Brown on the Bus 10. Cosmik Debris Disc 4 1. Packard Goose Medley 2. I Ain't Got No Heart 3. Love of My Life 4. Any Kind of Pain 5. The Torture Never Stops 6. Joe's Garage 7. Why Does it Hurt When I Pee 8. Watermelon in Easter Hay 9. Peaches en Regalia 10. Eat That Question 11. Black Napkins -
Soundboard 9.0 - Aside from a weird high frequency buzz that lasts for a few minutes at the beginning, and one or two minor tape faults this is a crisp, airy recording that EVERYONE is going to LOVE! Good bite on the guitar which seems to have a lot more “space” in the recording, yet maintains definition when it isn't too buried. Keyboards are really pronounced which helps this tape. Several cuts exist here and there, but it’s still a very interesting tape! -
Audience 9.4 - This to me is what keeps me in the game. When I thought I had every 79 show (my favorite period) and this comes along…and….it…smokes…everything! Maybe not a perfect score in the audio dept. which by the way it is excellent (a little pegging of the meters when the band is in full on rage but it’s minor, a minor issue) but it delivers in just about every possible way. Frank’s playing is off the charts and his tone is evil. He sounds relaxed, and satisfied – all is going well. Maybe he forgot about this gig a day or two later, but I can’t get the CD out of my player (and not because it is stuck!). This just rules. Period. Frank Zappa 1979-03-26 Hannover, Germany Eilenriedhalle Disc 1 01. Persona Non Grata 09:37 02. Dead Girls Of London 02:27 03. I Ain't Got No Heart 02:05 04. Brown Shoes Don't Make It 06:57 05. Cosmik Debris 03:56 06. Tryin' To Grow A Chin 03:21 07. City Of Tiny Lites 10:07 08. Dancin' Fool 03:15 09. Easy Meat 04:25 10. Jumbo Go Away 04:57 Disc 2 11. Andy 05:18 12. Inca Roads 09:23 13. Florentine Pogen 05:08 14. Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me? 04:20 15. Keep It Greasey 03:23 16. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing 03:21 17. King Kong 17:08 Encore: 18. Montana 05:10 19. Dirty Love 04:14 ________ 01:48:32 -
Audience 9.3 - This recording has excellent timbre, it’s pleasing to the ears with a great balance of low and high, the highs are very articulate, impressively so. It’s a very very good recording and will be enjoyed immensely. Frank Zappa 6-May 1988, Congress Centrum Hamburg, Hamburg, West Germany Frank Zappa's Band: Paul Carman - alto saxophone Bruce Fowler - trombone Walt Fowler - trumpet Mike Keneally - guitar, keyboards, vocals Ed Mann - percussion Robert Martin - keyboards, vocals Kurt McGettrick - baritone saxophone Scott Thunes - bass Chad Wackerman - drums Ike Willis - guitar, vocals Albert Wing - tenor saxophone Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals Setlist: Disc 1 00 Taper Intro [0:24] 01 Black Page #2 [9:24] 02 Mr. Green Genes [3:46] 03 Florentine Pogen [7:18] 04 Andy [5:53] 05 Inca Roads [9:17] 06 Eat That Question [1:53] 07 Black Napkins [7:50] 08 Sharleena [8:09] 09 Dupree's Paradise [4:14] 10 Let's Move To Cleveland [9:36] 11 Ain't Got No Heart [1:59] 12 Find Her Finer [2:43] Disc 2 13 Big Swifty [14:21] 14 Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up [3:14] 15 Orange County Lumber Truck Medley [10:25] 16 Stairway To Heaven [10:02] 17 The Torture Never Stops Medley [20:01] 18 I Am The Walrus [3:51] 19 The Illinois Enema Bandit [9:40] 20 Bolero [6:21] Total time 150.21 min -
Audience 8.8 -
Audience 8.5 - A legendary vinyl boot back in the day, this comes from a tape source and features a good recording capturing all the action in reasonable clarity and fidelity. A really fine set too! -
Soundboard 8.6 -
Soundboard 9.2 - Super clean if just a tiny little bit of over-driving happening in the extreme lows, which will probably be cool if you are playing through a very high end system that can filter that out a little. It’s not a real “spacious” board but 90% of the time board feeds are not going to be very atmospheric. -
Audience 8.6 -
Audience 8.7 - 9.2 - Compilation of 5 shows, all from 1988 (see back cover) -
Audience/Soundboard 8.5-9.0 - A composite of shows from different locations, all from 1984; NYC, Kansas City, and Seattle (see back cover). -
Audience 8.2 (both shows) -
Audience 8.8 - Another great Halloween show at the Felt Forum in NYC. This was Franks favorite Holiday and so I think he always enjoyed playing at his best and with the help of whatever line up he chose to have, the performance was always top notch. -
This set contains both shows recorded on Halloween night at the Felt Forum in NYC back in 1974. Early Show - Audience 8.5 - Right in the middle of the road, its good, not great. Late Show - Audience 8.9 - The only way I can explain this tape is that it starts off similar to the early show and at some point the taper moves to a hotter spot and the tape explodes with Frank’s amazing guitar right in your face. Even Frank himself makes a comment about his incendiary guitar work, I won’t spoil it though. -
Audience 8.2 - I’m probably being overly critical, I find this tape on the “harsh” side, meaning it is strong in the higher end, almost brittle. The good news is that having all your highs intact you can add filters and EQ and season to taste without losing anything in the process. -
Soundboard 9.6