Sunday, June 11, 2023

Frank Zappa - 1992 "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 5"


You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 is a double compact disc collection of live recordings (except for "German Lunch" and "My Guitar" which are studio recordings) by Frank Zappa. Disc one comprises performances by The Mothers of Invention spanning the period from 1966 to 1969. "My Guitar" had been previously released as a single in 1969. Disc two comprises performances from the summer 1982 tour of Europe. It was released in 1992 (see 1992 in music) under the label Rykodisc. The last track on this collection ends with Zappa's anger at some audience members tossing cigarettes on stage; after a warning to stop was not obeyed, the disc ends with Zappa stating, "Houselights! The concert's over!"

For the fifth volume in the You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore series, Frank Zappa prepared two unrelated discs. Disc one features the original Mothers of Invention in unreleased live and studio recordings mainly from 1969 (but also one from 1965 and a couple from 1967-1968). Disc two documents the 1982 European tour. There is something wicked -- almost obscene -- in this pairing, and it surely was intentional. Throughout the 1980s, fans of the early Mothers had attacked Zappa's integrity in the case of the re-recorded CD reissues of We're Only in It for the Money and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets, and often despised the scatological antics and straightforward rock stylings of his latter bands. This was a calculated move, a way to say: "So you want unreleased material from the early Mothers? OK, but you'll have to pay for the 1982 band -- and hopefully listen to it, too." The material on the MOI disc occasionally features meager sound quality (as expected), but it contains many gems for the aficionado ("Run Home Slow," the hilarious "Right There," and "No Waiting for the Peanuts to Dissolve" stand out). This is a place for fans to salivate over bits and pieces, not for newcomers to get the full picture about Zappa's pre-1970 career. On the other hand, the performances on disc two are of more general appeal. Although the 1982 band had not really been documented yet (left only a few tracks on Vol. 1 and Vol. 4 of this series), it was not the case for its repertoire. Of historical significance are "Dead Girls of London" and "Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?" The other tracks show good performances but don't stand out as particularly original or essential.

Track listing:

All tracks are written by Frank Zappa, except where noted.

Disc one

No.    Title    Recording date and venue    Length

01.    "The Downtown Talent Scout"    Fillmore Auditorium, June 24–25, 1966    4:01
02.    "Charles Ives"    McMillin Theater, February 14, 1969    4:37
03.    "Here Lies Love" (Martin, Dobard)    McMillin Theater, February 14, 1969    2:44
04.    "Piano/Drum Duet"    The Ark, July 8, 1969    1:57
05.    "Mozart Ballet" (Zappa, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)    Royal Albert Hall, June 6, 1969    4:05
06.    "Chocolate Halvah" (Lowell George, Roy Estrada, Zappa)    Thee Image, February 7–9, 1969    3:25
07.    "JCB & Kansas on the Bus #1" (Kanzus, Jimmy Carl Black, Kunc, Barber)    Greyhound Tour Bus Interior, 1969    1:03
08.    "Run Home Slow: Main Title Theme"    McMillin Theater, February 14, 1969    1:16
09.    "The Little March"    McMillin Theater, February 14, 1969    1:20
10.    "Right There" (Estrada, Zappa)    Thee Image, February 7–9, 1969
Criteria Studios, February, 1969    5:10
11.    "Where Is Johnny Velvet?"    The Factory, February 28, 1969    0:48
12.    "Return of the Hunch-Back Duke"    The Factory, February 28, 1969    1:44
13.    "Trouble Every Day"    The Factory, February 28, 1969    4:06
14.    "Proto-Minimalism"    McMillin Theater, February 14, 1969    1:41
15.    "JCB & Kansas on the Bus #2" (Kanzus, Black, Kunc, Barber)    Greyhound Tour Bus Interior, 1969    1:06
16.    "My Head?" (Mothers of Invention)    Sunset Sound Studios, September 10, 1968 (Art Tripp's birthday)    1:22
17.    "Meow"    Whisky à Go-Go, July 23, 1968    1:23
18.    "Baked-Bean Boogie"    The Ark, July 8, 1969    3:26
19.    "Where's Our Equipment?"    Falkoner Theatret, October 1, 1967    2:29
20.    "FZ/JCB Drum Duet" (Black, Zappa)    Fillmore East, February 21, 1969    4:26
21.    "No Waiting for the Peanuts to Dissolve"    Thee Image, February 7–9, 1969    4:45
22.    "A Game of Cards" (Zappa, Motorhead Sherwood, Art Tripp, Ian Underwood)    Dressing Room, Providence, Rhode Island, July 5, 1969    0:44
23.    "Underground Freak-Out Music"    Thee Image, February 7–9, 1969    3:51
24.    "German Lunch" (Mothers of Invention)    Criteria Studios, February, 1969    6:43
25.    "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama"    A & R Studios, June, 1969    2:11

Disc two

No.    Title    Recording date and venue    Length

01.    "Easy Meat"    Les Arenes, May 29, 1982
Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982
Stadio Luigi Ferraris, July 5, 1982    7:38
02.    "The Dead Girls of London" (Zappa, L. Shankar)    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982    2:29
03.    "Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?"    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982    1:44
04.    "What's New in Baltimore?"    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982
Stadio Luigi Ferraris, July 5, 1982    5:03
05.    "Moggio"    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982    2:29
06.    "Dancin' Fool"    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982    3:12
07.    "RDNZL"    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982
Stadio Communale La Favorita, July 14, 1982
Ex Mattatoio di Testaccio, July 9, 1982    7:58
08.    "Advance Romance"    La Patinoire, June 1, 1982    7:01
09.    "City of Tiny Lites"    Hammersmith Odeon, June 19, 1982
Les Arenes, May 30, 1982
Grugahalle, June 10, 1982
Stadio Comunale, July 3, 1982    10:38
10.    "A Pound for a Brown on the Bus"    Stadio Communale, July 3, 1982    8:38
11.    "Doreen"    Alte Oper, June 11, 1982
Olympiahalle, June 26, 1982    1:58
12.    "Black Page, No. 2"    Olympiahalle, June 26, 1982    9:56
13.    "Geneva Farewell"    Patinoire des Vernets, July 1, 1982    1:38

Personnel:

Frank Zappa – conductor, guitar, lyricist, remixing, producer, main performer, liner notes, vocals
Dick Kunc – vocals, voices, engineer
Kanzus J. Kanzus – vocals, voices
Dick Barber – vocals, voices, sound effects
Lowell George – guitar, vocals
Ray White – guitar, vocals
Steve Vai – guitar
Elliot Ingber – guitar
Tommy Mars – keyboards, vocals
Don Preston – electronics, keyboards
Roy Estrada – bass guitar, vocals
Scott Thunes – bass guitar
Billy Mundi – drums
Art Tripp – drums
Chad Wackerman – drums
Jimmy Carl Black – drums, vocals, voices
Ed Mann – percussion
Ray Collins – tambourine
Ian Underwood – clarinet, alto saxophone, electric piano, piano
Bobby Martin – saxophone, vocals, keyboards
Bunk Gardner – tenor saxophone, trumpet
Motorhead Sherwood – baritone saxophone, vocals
Noel Redding – dancer

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