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Audience 9.0 - This is the first of 2 nights at the Auditorium in Chicago (3-3-88). Sting (The Police) does a song with Frank (Murder by Numbers) which makes for an added, rare surprise. -
Early Show - Audience 8.8 - Superb for an audience tape really, the only real flaws are some lack of low end depth and instrument separation but it’s not a deal breaker at all. Late Show - Soundboard 9.7 - So good, I mean it is as if they recorded it for official release. Great mix, great fidelity. -
Early Show Audience 8.8 - Not to be confused with another Chicago ’81, this is from the Uptown Theatre on November 27th, and it’s relatively new to circulation. The sound quality is very good, with especially nice meatiness on drums, and a close, warm guitar tone and presence which makes this one to have in the collection.
Late Show Audience 8.8 - Very similar to the early show, maybe just a touch less defined due to being in a different spot, but at times it’s also just a touch clearer – so this leads me to believe it’s just a matter of where the microphone is at any given time. Must have been a good recorder though, because the sound is good on the low end and the mids, and highs are not excessive but rather kind of toned down in a good way. It’s the kind of recording that you can turn up real loud.
Frank Zappa Chicago 1981
Disc 1 Uptown Theatre Chicago, IL. 11-27-1981 Early show 1. -Treacherous Cretins 2. -Cosmik Debris 3. -You Are What You Is 4. -Mudd Club 5. -The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing 6. -A Pound For A Brown 7. -The Dangerous Kitchen 8. -The Blue Light 9. -Sinister Footwear 10. -Stevie's Spanking 11. -Cocaine Decisions Disc 2 12. -Nig Biz 13. -Tinsel Town Rebellion 14. -Alien Orifice 15. -Teenage Prostitute 16. -Flakes 17. -Broken Hearts Are For Assholes 18. -Yo' Mama 19. -Joe's Garage 20. -Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? 21. -The Closer You Are 22. -City Of Tiny Lights Disc 3 Uptown Theatre Chicago, IL. 11-27-1981 Late show 1. -Zoot Allures 2. -Montana 3. -Easy Meat 4. -Fine Girl 5. -Teenage Wind 6. -Harder Than Your Husband 7. -Bamboozled By Love 8. -King Kong (q: Rite Of Spring) 9. -Sharleena (q: Little Drummer Boy) Disc 4 10. -Drowning Witch 11. -What's New In Baltimore? 12. -Moggio 13. -Dumb All Over 14. -Goblin Girl 15. -The Black Page (q: Fernando) 16. -Strictly Genteel
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CD 1 - Chicago 1973 - Audience 8.2 (10-31-73) ~ Halloween CD 2 - NYC 1973 - Audience 8.6 (11-4-73) -
CD 1 - Audience 8.7 - A good and vibrant sound with maybe a touch of tape noise, but not enough of it to ruin the experience at all. CD 2 - Audience 9.1 - A much crisper and clearer tape than the first set, Both are highly enjoyable, the second set is really well done! -
Audience 8.8 - Someone did their homework on how to capture a great sound on their recording device. Guitar especially, very defined and crisp. Drums are somewhat behind the action but everything is still clearly heard. Good job! -
Audience 8.4 - A weird sound mix on this show, the kick drum is up front, and then vocals, with an indistinct full band behind it all. A recording that lacks a lot of mid range kick, so an EQ boost in that range would help a lot. That all being said, it seems taper did eventually move to a better spot because it gets clearer as it goes, and Frank’s guitar does shine at many intervals as well. Note: Also features a pre show interview with Frank on WGRQ 97 Rock. -
Soundboard 9.3 -
Audience 8.7 - It’s not necessarily a keeper but it is still a very good sounding tape that has maybe a touch more “atmosphere” than your used to. I could hear everything fine, although it isn’t the best in terms of instrument separation – it’s part and parcel sometimes when listening to audience recordings. I still can recommend this one, because it’s good enough that you won’t abandon it and it will sit nicely in your collection. Frank Zappa Vorst Nationaal Brussel, Belgium 1984 Sep 07 Disc 1 01 Audience 02 Chunga's Revenge - introduction 03 More Trouble Every Day 04 Penguin In Bondage 05 Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel 06 I'm The Slime 07 City Of Tiny Lights 08 You Are What You Is 09 Mudd Club 10 The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing 11 Advance Romance 12 He's So Gay 13 Bobby Brown Disc 2 14 Keep It Greasey 15 Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me 16 Ride My Face To Chicago 17 Let's Move To Cleveland (Kreegah Bondola) 18 Camarillo Brillo 19 Muffin Man 20 Cosmik Debris 21 Filthy Habits 22 Whipping Post Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals Allan Zavod - keyboards, Robert Martin - keyboards, tenor saxophone, vocals Scott Thunes - bass, vocals Ike Willis - guitar, vocals Chad Wackerman - drums Ray White - guitar, vocals -
Audience 8.6 -
Audience 9.3 - Expertly recorded with a keen awareness of level, position, and direction. One of the best of the European Tour! Frank Zappa 1988-04-24 Bremen, Germany Stadthalle Disc 1 01. The Black Page 06:53 02. band introductions 01:27 03. Advance Romance 06:26 04. Any Kind Of Pain 05:59 05. Find Her Finer 02:50 06. Who Needs The Peace Corps? 03:17 07. Stick Together 01:58 08. My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama 03:32 09. Willie The Pimp 01:52 10. Montana 04:01 11. City Of Tiny Lites 08:40 ^ Disc 2 12. Pound For A Brown 05:40 13. The Dessicated Number 09:09 14. Cosmik Debris 04:32 15. Cruising For Burgers 08:13 16. Keep It Greasey 04:08 17. Sofa 03:17 18. Bolero 06:09 19. Crew Slut 06:05 20. Joe's Garage 04:08 21. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? 02:52 22. Peaches En Regalia 02:54 23. Stairway To Heaven 08:48 ________ 01:52:50 -
Audience 8.5 - Slightly more echoey than the early show but otherwise about the same. (Late Show) -
Audience 8.6 (Early Show) -
Early show - Audience 8.3 / Late Show - Audience 8.5 -
Audience 8.8 - I like these kinds of audience recordings where the taper is kind of close to the speakers yet the sound does not distort. It makes for a very realistic and intense sound, closer to what it would have been like in person, rather than the soundboard feed which is not representative of the sound that came out of the PA system. Also, I like the Jean-Luc Ponty period, the jazzy workouts were sometimes incredibly intense and not necessarily traditionally jazzy, but progressively jazzy. This is one such gig. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention Palasport Bologna, Italy 1973 08 30 Line-up: FZ, George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Ian Underwood, Bruce Fowler, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Ralph Humphrey Set list: 01 opening 02 Dupree's Paradise 03 band intros 04 Cosmik Debris 05 preamble 06 Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue 07 Kung Fu 08 Penguin In Bondage 09 Dog Meat 10 RDNZL 11 Farther Oblivion 12 encore preamble 13 Brown Shoes Don't Make It -
Audience 8.9 - Great atmosphere and really what I would call an "in-the-pocket" live mix. Frank really shines as the band introduce new songs to an audience they hope responds well because these versions are played with some serious intention. Frank's solos are spot on, he's not missing notes or going way off on meaningless tangents and that makes for some spellbinding moments. A very worthwhile listen...a keeper!
Frank Zappa Broome County Arena Binghamton, NY. 1-May 1974 Disc 1 01 Band Intros 02 Cosmik Debris 03 Pygmy Twylyte 04 Idiot Bastard Son 05 Cheepnis 06 Penguin In Bondage 07 RDNZL 08 Montana 09 Dupree's Paradise Disc 2 10 It Can't Happen Here 11 Hungry Freaks Daddy 12 You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here 13 How Could I Be Such A Fool? 14 I Ain't Got No Heart 15 I'm Not Satisfied 16 Wowie Zowie 17 Let's Make The Water Turn Black 18 Harry You're A Beast 19 Orange County Lumber Truck 20 Oh No 21 Son Of Orange County 22 More Trouble Every Day 23 Camarillo Brillo