I'm listening to Roxy as I type this.
I might've mentioned this on here before, but I don't really have the connection to this album that most Zappa fans have. Not to say it's bad, but I heard The Helsinki Tapes first which contains most of the material on Roxy and more. So when I finally got to Roxy, it felt like a lesser version of what I already heard. So this,
Totally and completely agree with you. A masterpiece, and one that I will recommend to anyone. To me, this is the definitive highlight of Zappa's records. (Well at least the ones that he himself put out, after his death there have been some great great releases too)
is more how I feel about The Helsinki Tapes. I think the big kicker for me is of the unique tracks on both albums, I'd take the ones on Helsinki. Stuff like RDNZL and (imo) the definitive Inca Roads.
With that out of the way, Roxy is still a great album. It's still
the Zappa band. The slower versions of these songs took some time to get used to, but IMO a lot of music loses something when sped up too much, and this material is no exception. So once I finally got used to the new tempos, I started noticing a lot of new things to appreciate about these tunes, especially Village Of the Sun. In general this is something I love about Zappa's music, no matter how many times he records a song, there's always something new to take from it. He never played the same thing twice. Compare this to a band like Dream Theater who strive to sound as close to the album as possible, which is admirable in its own right, but lacks the zaniness and unpredictability of a Zappa show.
On the other hand, I still feel like Don't You Ever Wash That Thing drags a little bit, although the solos on this recording are awesome.
I really like how the vinyl version of this album is divided. Like Orbert, I can't really imagine listening to it any other way. It's like each side is its own suite. Everything flows together really well.
It really can't be said enough, the musicianship in this band was incredible. They could play impossible written music but were also pros when it came to improvisation. They really fused together what you'd expect from the top musicians in the jazz, rock, and classical genres. Listening to this stuff never fails to blow my mind. This time around I'm really appreciating the rhythm section. There are a lot of killer bass lines and drum fills on this album.
I love how seamlessly Oh No goes into Trouble Every Day. Very interesting revamp of those songs.
Overall, a very fun album that deserves its legendary status, even if my go to album for this band is YCDTOSA 2.