One of Zappa's best! | Roxy & Elsewhere

One of Franks's Best Live Compilations | Roxy & Elsewhere | Frank Zappa

popular music:


	• Roxy & Elsewhere Frank Zappa Zappa Records, 1995 average customer review:based on 68 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Roxy and elsewhere

This is one of my favorite Zappa albums. It was this band with George Duke, Chester Thompson, Ruth Underwood, Ralph Humphrey and the always amazing Napolean Murphy Brock that seemed to take Zappas music to a different place than other bands he had. I would buy this CD just for the song (Village of the Sun)but it is packed with many gems along side it. It is Franks amazing compostional skill at work and the talent of the fore mentioned players that can pull it off and they are doing it LIVE baby. Something that is really missing in todays performers can be found right here if you really want to look. A must for all Zappa fans and a great one for first time Zappa listeners too. Get it, don't hesitate

for more information click here

One of Zappa's best!

A great collection of live tunes from the Master. If you love Zappa's material like Hot Rats, Overnite Sensation, Apostrophe, this one won't disappoint you. A must-have for your Zappa collection!

One of Franks's Best Live Compilations

I'll keep this one short, as most of the other reviewers have done an excellent job on this one. I think I have just about all of Franks's music. Just wanted to add that "Dont you Ever Wash that Thing?" stands as one of my favorite works of Frank. A rendition that will leave musicians with their jaw agape with envy of the mind-blowing talent of this particular ensemble. "Pigmy Twilight" is pretty darn fine as well! If you are a Zappa fan, DO NOT HESITATE and add this one to your collection!

for more information click here

Excellent and a half

Before CDs allowed Zappa to issue massive ammounts of live archive material, Roxy and Elsewhere was the only live document of the 1973-75 band. That unit may have been Zappa's best on a technical level.

And if you listen to "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing," you immediately hear how the group--especially Duke, Folower and the amazing Ruth Underwood--lock together for complex rythmic clusters that would intimadate even the most die hard art rock musican. Remember, this is pre-digital recording, so everything was done with timing and eye contact.

Not that Roxy is a grutitous art rock fest. "Penguin In Bondage" is fantasticly funky blues, and "Village Of The Sun" may have been the closest Zappa ever came to breezy jazz, although the chord changes demonstate this is no smooth muzak. The update of "Trouble Every Day" could be a Funkadelic track

If not for the reissues, this would be absolutely essental. You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore - Vol. 2 is probably the most comprensive listen to this amazing band, but Roxy will never, ever disappoint.

The variations between the two means you should get both.

for more information click here

Possibly the best Zappa album and place to start! Get it!

I'm probably not as big of a Zappa fan as some of the other reviewers here, but having been a musician and an avid listener and fan for the last 22 years, I can easily say this is the best Zappa album of the ones I've heard. Many Zappaphiles (you know who you are) will say the same thing. This is Zappa album goes back to the CD player every year or two. The album from beginning to end is like going to see a movie, with various scenes and settings. Sometimes a Zappa record can be blatantly "Zappaesque". Not that that's a problem, that's what you bought the album for in the first place. However, there are times on Roxy that I forget that I'm listening to a Zappa album. I think that's a plus and a shows how dynamic this show/tour/album really was.

First of all, it's live (with a few overdubs), showcasing the band's talent, for sure. Enchinda's Arf (Of You)/Don't You Ever Wash That Thing? immediately come to mind. The trombone (which makes my hair stand on end) and Rhodes solos are highlights. The "tennis match" drum solo between Chester Thompson and Ralph Humphrey is a drummer's delight.

Second, some of Frank's best "song" writing is here, as well. Next to the blistering musicianship you might find on a jazz/fusion record, Roxy also has great SONGS. Meaning, there's a great pop sensibility found on certain tracks. Village Of The Sun and Pygmy Twylyte come to mind.

Those of you who have a affinity for Soul and R&B will especially like Roxy because this is the funkiest of all the Zappa lineups. There are two drummers here but, being a drummer myself, Chester Thompson lays down some ultra-funky, tight backbeats. Geoege Duke adds his amazing jazz and soul background. Napoleon Brock and Bruce Fowler's extensive jazz backgrounds are apparent here, as well.

There is, of course, all comedy you expect from a Zappa recording. This album is, again, pleasantly unique in that being live, Frank interacts with the audience so you not only have hilarious song lyrics but there is also banter that is reminiscent of a stand up comic. There ultimate being Bebop Tango, with it's great crowd participation and, as the jazz/noise climax comes near, the band busts into a bouncy blues staple. Whether it was done live or spliced in the studio, it's still a side-splitting moment.

This is where I tell everyone to start with Zappa. You should too.

for more information click here

IMPORTED FROM JAPAN BY RYKODISC

This collector?s dream set completes our 20-disc series of limited edition Frank Zappa Japanese imports. Packaged in deluxe mini-album jacket sleeves, these 10 classic albums are packaged to re-create the original vinyl packaging in miniaturized form!