Official Release #23 'Zappa In New York' (Released 03/1978)
Background Information:Recorded in New York (well… duh) at the end of 1976 (four shows between Christmas and NYE), and praised as one of Zappa’s big Live Works, Zappa in New York is a tasteful blend of mind bending compositions and impossible-not-to-tap-along-to pseudo-hits.
Since Zoot Allures Zappa had been busy playing on SNL, touring with any combination a lot, and has been busy writing most of all. The work he was focused on the most was Läther, a (then unseen) 8 sides Magnum Opus, consisting of anything anyone would even remotely call ‘music’. Orchestral ballets, live R’n’B, elaborate studio pieces and many combinations thereof. Now Zappa wanted to release this box-set to show the diversity in his music, but not only that. Zappa said in an interview with Michael Branton in December 1977:
“You gotta understand how this thing came about,” he says. “I had a contract with Warner Brothers Records, and it was supposed to expire on December 31st of this year. I had to deliver four units to them by December 31st. A unit is one completed album.
“So, I proceeded to deliver four completed albums to them in March of this year. And the contract specified that upon receipt of the tapes they had to pay me.
“It also specified that they had six weeks in the United States and six months outside of the United States to release these albums. They didn’t pay me, they didn’t release the albums, and they haven’t paid me the royalties on other albums that have already been released. Therefore, I claim breach of contract.”This album was just a way for Warner to put pressure on Zappa. He wasn’t getting out of his contract by giving them four full albums in that short amount of time. In this interview in December 1977 (the album wasn’t out by then) Zappa in New York is still just a threat:
Both Zappa and his estranged company have copies of the recordings, so now it’s up to the judicial system to grant release privileges. “I know who has the rights to them. I do!”Meanwhile everything for the album was done. Overdubbing had been taking place in April 1977, and in June the album was announced as
‘imminent, but delayed’. Before the album actually came out there was quite the time gap. To put things into perspective, between Zappa stating the album was ‘delayed’ and the album actually coming out, this happened:
Zappa got an almost entire new band (with Adrian Belew, Tommy Mars, Ed Mann and Patrick O’Hearn amongst others) and started writing the songs on Sheik Yerbouti, recorded Baby Snakes (movie and album), played a couple of shows at the Hammersmith Odeon in London (which became most of the backing tracks on Sheik, as well as being released entirely posthumously) ánd decided to play Läther in its entirety on a small radio station, for people to tape.
Finally in March 1978 the first version of Zappa in New York was released. First version, because there were still a lot of versions to come. (It wasn’t until January 1979 that the final piece of Läther was released, but more on that later.)
The Album Itself:The double album featured a lot of new music at that time. The sound of the album remains the same throughout, mainly because it was recorded with the same gear, at the same venue, in the same week, but the content differs very much. Tracks like Big Leg Emma and Manx Needs Women don’t have anything in common musically.
The record starts off with a comedy routine by Zappa and Terry Bozzio about the devil being a mammalian protuberances enthousiast. In other words ladies and gentlemen, a titty-fan. It features a lot of great stuff, mainly when one of the two guys crack up themselves.
After a long guitar solo (Cruisin’ For Burgers), one of Zappa’s rare moments of pure beauty shines through. I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth is a wonderful track, with a wonderful half-solo, possibly arranged in the overdubs.
Punky’s Whips (the middle point in the differences between track lists of the different version of this album) is a track that has it all. Wacky instrumental bits, crazy lyrics and a rockin’ guitar solo.
After a short pop-esque tune (Honey…), The Illinois Enema Bandit is a crazy track about a criminal from ‘Right around Chicago’ with a near as makes no difference 4 minute blues guitar solo a third into the track.
Side two is even more of a rollercoaster. The most extreme organisms on either side of the spectrum live on this second disc. I’m The Slime is a rocking track, Pound For A Brown/Manx Needs Women/Black Page #1 is one of the most instrumentally challenging series of tracks ever recorded. And although The Black Page (named after how the page looked black with white dots for having so many notes on it) is one of the most famous ‘hard pieces’ Zappa ever wrote, every listen makes the amount of respect for both the composer and the players bigger. Manx Needs Women needs an extra heads up too, for being possibly even denser.
Big Leg Emma and Sofa make you go on a trip, from foot-tapping to floating. The Black Page #2 is an amazing remake of the aforementioned track.
The album closes with one of the ultimate versions of The Torture Never Stops, the 5 minute improvisation shows Zappa at the top of his on-the-spot guitar composing. The Purple Lagoon/Approximate is the place where other members of the Rockin’ Teenage Combo get their solo spots. The Brecker Brothers are on fire on this track, the first sax solo is out of this world.
Essential Tracks:I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth
Punky’s Whips
Manx Needs Women
The Black Page #2
The Torture Never Stops
(But really listen to the entire album)
Topic: The Frank Zappa Discography Thread - #39 - 'The Perfect Stranger' (Read 69059 times)