Chunga's Revenge

Frank Zappa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 31, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zappa Records
• ASIN: B008BDZP30
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,382 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Official Release #11
Originally Released: October 1970
Produced by: FZ

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank's Revenge On Mediocrity Lives On August 25, 2012

By Sebastian Gerber

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

As helpfully stated previously, this album has been improved and restored in sound in this reissue; remastered directly from the original analog master, it is warm, clear, has better distinction/separation between instruments and vocals, and more emphasis on the low end; so, a huge upgrade on previous CD releases- this is the one to get...or get again.
For those unfamiliar with the album, Frank took the controversial risk of transplanting singers 'Flo & Eddie' from 'Turtles' (of course not a risk for Zappa; he just felt like it) into a far different dimension and put them to good use with a deliciously talented line-up of musicians to create a mash of intelligently satirical songs whilst swiftly moving into intense movements of his beloved blues roots, some great heavy rock (sorry Frank; I know you didn't care for the word "heavy"), a little doo-wop essence, a couple of relatively poppy numbers (quality, though) and makes a jazz noise here and there that shows:
Hey..No gimmick here; I play, create, interpret and compose real music and have fun doing it - take it or leave it.
Flo & Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) are not the main event here; they contribute some good vocals on some tracks, but oh: the music!
There is great eccentricity and craziness here no doubt (thanks and awe, beautiful life/curse-you pendulum swing!), but...
There are beautiful melodies; funny and biting lyrics; and of course tremendous musicianship (including Frank's often overlooked facility for unique and stunning blues, jazz and...well...Zappa guitar) from his then current line-up, including the enormously gifted Ian Underwood- blessedly still present then; the majestic George Duke; prolific and versatile drummer Aynsley Dunbar; Don "Sugarcane" Harris supplies some great Jean Luc Ponty-like electric violin (I ain't sayin' Mr.Sugarcane ain't his own man- his work on 'Hot Rats' of course is phenomenal); there is solid bass work from Max Bennett and Jeff Simmons and a recording quality, including studio and live cuts, that results in a successfully symbiotic smorgasbord of treats sure to impress those who will dig it.
This is another historic musical treasure that I'm glad not to have overlooked.
An impressive, fun, significant and joyous part of Frank Zappa's massive output.
Live on Mr. Zappa.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic upgrade of underrated album November 4, 2012

By David Goodwin

Format:Audio CD

Chunga's Revenge ushers in the controversial "Flo and Eddie" era of Zappa's catalog, and while albums from this period have their detractors, "Chunga's" is a tasty slice of surprisingly ferocious, unpretentious rock, programmed next to some fantastic instrumental pieces ("Twenty Small Cigars," the title track) and the lengthy "The Nancy and Mary Music." The vocal songs, meanwhile, are not nearly as bawdy as on the later live releases from this incarnation of the group, and display both a conciseness and a melodicism that Zappa would embrace only sporadically after the notorious incident at the Rainbow Theater (and, as an aside: it's striking to note how different Zappa's voice was before the accident. This Zappa could not have pulled off the style he would later adopt on "Apostrophe" and other albums). In sum, "Chunga's Revenge" is an underrated work that serves as a great overview of the Flo and Eddie period's oft-underappreciated charms.

Previous CDs of "Chunga's" used a digital master that Zappa prepared in 1989/1990, and which suffered from an overuse of bad compression, dropouts, and a wash of digital effects (mostly reverberation) that made the entire album sound like it was recorded in a cave with really poor acoustics. UMe's 2012 reissue is nothing short of miraculous, returning to the original analog master and, like many of the other Zappa reissues, presenting the album without any of Zappa's ill-advised modifications. It now sounds pretty much like it sounded on vinyl: dry and inviting. The lack of reverb also ensures that "Tell Me You Love Me" rocks at least 10% more.

Verdict: Do you like "Chunga's?" Own an earlier CD? Buy this one and get rid of your old CD. Leery of the Flo and Eddie era? This is a wonderful place to start.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally fixed! What a difference! December 23, 2012

By jim

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

The prior version by Ryko had all sorts of weird channel drop outs, which made me not listen to it. One of the FZ/Bob Stone remaster screw ups. Now this has been issued from the original analog masters, and I now can listen to this CD in its original intended glory!! So much better, it's not even funny.