Zappa In New York

Zappa In New York

Frank Zappa

Rykodisc, 1978

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/12/2005

Anyone who is even mildly interested in Frank Zappa knows thathe and mainstream record labels got along like oil and water. Muchlike his music, Zappa refused to follow the well-established"rules," and often ended up at loggerheads with the suits. So itshould be no surprise that Zappa In New York, the first official "solo" live disc fromZappa (all others at least shared credit with the Mothers OfInvention), would find itself under the umbrella of Zappa'sartistic vision being screwed with by the label (in this case,Warner Brothers).

Originally supposed to be released in 1977, then edited byWarner Brothers upon its release, Zappa finally released this underhis own banner in the manner he originally wanted, with all removedtracks put back on as "bonus" numbers. And, for that, Zappa fansshould be thankful, as this proves to be an enjoyable outingshowing off Zappa's growing status as a guitar god.

Gaining a new foil for his sardonic, occasionally offensivehumor in drummer Terry Bozzio, Zappa and crew stake their claim torock immortality with two numbers, "Titties And Beer" and "Punky'sWhips," that may be better known for their appearance on the lateralbum Baby Snakes, but absolutely shine here. Perhaps it's theoccasional addition of legendary announcer Don Pardo (who soundslike he's having the time of his life on this release), but havingspent the better part of my adult life wearing out at least twocopies of Baby Snakes, I have to say that I like these versions muchbetter. The interplay between Zappa and Bozzio on "Titties AndBeer" is well worth the investment of time.

Zappa's penchant for the mildly disturbing doesn't stop there.Check out "The Illinois Enema Bandit," a song which, if my memoryis correct, is based on fact, and turns out to be a fairly decentblues-based number. (Ironically, the one song with a title thatputs it all out there, "I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth," is aninstrumental.)