Customer Reviews

Does Humor Belong in Music [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm happy that Zappa stuff is finally starting to get to DVD but disappointed by this one. Not only do they decide to put less than an hour of music from a "very long" show but then they cut into some of the songs and only have "snippets" of some of them. The cuts are done by going to two very short Zappa interview segments that would have been fabulous if presented in their entirety as bonus materials.

Don't the video masters of this show exist? Zappa was pretty good at saving things. Why not put the whole show on DVD or at least more than this sampling? My guess is that this video was meant, at the time, to be a "teaser" to get newer fans interested in Zappa's more accessible stuff and to promote the, very great, skills of his later live bands. Perhaps this is why that this is one of the first releases to DVD. If so, I was wrong to spend the money on it as I am a long LONG time fan of Zappa's who finds most of this material unchallenging and of limited interest.

It *is* great to see the band making the music and seeing Zappa being "into it" that night. I only got to attend one Zappa concert. It was the Zappa/Beefheart tour when it stopped in Cincinnati around 1976 (or about). He was just "phoning it in" that night and only played for 50 minutes.

The recording and video is well done for the time and the material is picked from songs that are MUCH better to see/hear performed live than to only listen to on CD. There is some good Zappa music on this however a main point that Zappa seems to want to get across is "musical chops are good" and he proves his point by having a number of tunes that have no real value other than the impressive skill that his band shows in performing them.

I used to have a roommate in college that had this in the VCR format. We used to watch it and just giggle and be amazed all at the same time. FZ was simply a brilliant composer and a grand band leader.

You can watch FZ play, conduct and simply sizzle through some of the really great songs from his career on this DVD. Songs like ZOOT ALLURES and TINSLETOWN REBELLION are done so well, and I must mention that the Allmand Brothers song WHIPPING POST is really done great by the band.

Needless to say, due to this being a DVD produced by EMI and not by the ZFT, it is most likley edited to someones taste within the INDUSTRY.. which never suited FZ anyway when he was alive... so why do him justice in his death???!!!

Great sound on the DVD. The sound was done correctly, so that much FZ can take delight in.

A couple of bad notes. There is a different lineup of songs on the CD version of this, and one of the songs that I would have liked included was LETS MOVE TO CLEVELAND as well as C@SUCK3RS B@LL. Also, the packaging is well, non existant. For a great release, there is nothing in the DVD case but the DVD. When you see how Gail Zappa and the ZFT has done the past two DVD's by FZ (Halloween and Baby Snakes -www.zappa.com-) you will not like the EMI no frills bare bones approach to this DVD. EMI should be ashamed releasing this to FZ fans in such a disrespectful way.. FZ fans are used to having a lot of things to look at and read with each release- I know, I have all of his releases.

However, buy it, and watch it and hope that Gail can get it and put it out without anything missing.

I have mixed feelings about this DVD. I'm a huge Zappa fan, and I've seen him three times, including a show from this tour. I was really looking forward to seeing what I remembered to be a fantastic concert. One of the things that I enjoyed most about his concerts (and the one from this tour in particular) was when they played his more elaborate compositions. FZ conducted the band while we watched this wonderfully complex music being choreographed. It looked like organized chaos set to amazing music. It was truly memorable. I also relished Frank's searing and captivating solos.

For me, the problem with the DVD is that there's not enough of his virtuoso performances. Yeah, it's fun to see the band and hear the music, but it seems almost as if he's walking through some of the songs revue-style. He's always been humorous, but I don't remember him being so casually campy when I saw him. He practically ran through The Dangerous Kitchen and Tinseltown Rebellion.

On the other hand, there are some great solos on Cosmic Debris and Whipping Post, and of course, Zoot Allures. However, I remember many of his solos being much longer than we get to see here.

I'm not unhappy with the purchase, but I just don't think it's representative of Frank's best performances. I suspect that there's better stuff in the vaults. I just hope we see some more soon.

If you're one of those people who hates FZ's 1984 tour STOP READING NOW !

So, now the nay-sayers have left, we can go on....

I'll make no secret of the fact that I _love_ the 1984 band. Admittedly, there are no FZ bands that I really dislike, but together with the Duke/Brock/Underwood/Fowler/Thompson band, the 1984 band is my dearest FZ band.

I think that much of the criticism that was heaped upon this band stems from the fact that many people misunderstood FZ's intention. It's interesting to compare this band with the 1981/1982 band (featuring a/o Steve Vai). Where that band was to a large extent a very 'cool' band, which radiates an air of "look how completely relaxed we are whilst almost casually playing this extremely complex music", the 1984 band has more of a "Look what a completely over-the-top show we are giving whilst still playing this extremely complex music".

The title of this DVD is also to a large extent the idea behind the tour : "Does humor belong in music"...I.e. who can stand art that is hilarious _and_ very enlightening at the same time. FZ and his partners-in-crime succeed magnificently in this. There are no houses of the holy left standing, no sacred song is safe and no outrageous idea is left unexplored. If you expect the 'same old same old', you're bound to be left disappointed, but if on the other hand, you're open to FZ's over-the-top parody of 80's rock shows, this one should be very pleasing.

A lot of the humor of this band is captured on YCDTOSA 3 (for example the (in)famous Bobby Brown/Keep it Greasy heigh-ho Silver fest) and that attitude is prevalent on this DVD too. The musicians all play a stage role parodizing the extremely choreographed rock shows of the day, and have a tremendous amount of fun in doing the parody and making it as outrageous as humanly possible....

Musically this band is impeccable. I don't have a clue why Alan Zavod always gets the bad reviews...He's a fantastic keyboard player and is enjoying the hell out of himself. (Listen to his work with Ponty, if you're still not convinced about his keyboard skills). I have no problems at all with Chad Wackerman's electronic drums and handclaps...again, it should be seen in the light of being a parody of 80's trends. The joke is that the handclaps come at the weirdest moments (when you least expect them) and are conciously meant to desecrate "sacred" Zappa songs, just because Zappa wants us to understand that he, of all people, was completely able to laugh at himself and prevent himself becoming over-serious. The electronic drum sounds might be electronic, but who cares if it's Chad Wackerman playing them...I don't ! Moreover, it kind of fits with the whole sound of the band. The same goes for the reggae versions of many classics...it's all part of the show.

Another shining light in all 80's tours is Scott Thunes, who performs not only physical, but also a lot of instrumental stuntwork. Compare his laidback role in the 81/82 band with his high-octane performance in 84 if you're still not convinced they are putting up a comedy show ! The guy is a stunning bassist and might be my favorite FZ bass player.

Vocally, this band is a marvel and the talents of Ray White, Bobby Martin and Ike Willis shines throughout the DVD. Ike Willis is often hoarse, but his musicianship and sheer energy are intoxicating. Ray White and Bobby Martin both have some of their finest moments (and that says something), both together and solo (special marks to Bobby for his Whipping Post rendering on this DVD). The harmony vocals are gorgeous and sound marvellously together and altogether it's the stuff (wet) dreams are made of.

The downside on this DVD, however, is that it's so excruciatingly short. Zappa mentions that 'tonight is going to be a long show' and all of it was taped, so I hope that somewhere in the ZFT there's more material waiting...We'll see and pray. The editing in of some interview sections is annoying, but I can live with it....Sound and video quality is fine and I like the crispness of the camera work.

Incidentally, I hate attacking reviewers personally, but what one of the guys below wrote about having problems with Zappa wearing shorts is simply ridiculous. Why on God's good earth should it make any difference even if he were performing nakedly....I give scientific talks whilst wearing a heavy metal t-shirt occasionally...it's called "not caring about what others think of you", and that's what Zappa is all about....

This band and DVD is a big finger to the subset of his fans that is too serious to be able to take Zappa making fun of himself. Maybe this is not kind, but Zappa wasn't in business to be kind and he hated fans who liked him for (what he perceived as) the wrong reasons, which is his good right.

All in all, a must-have DVD for any FZ fan who is serious about collecting the man's music.

5 stars for band and music, 1 star subtracted bc the DVD is so ghastly short.

This DVD is very entertaining and it doesn't contain any dull moments, unlike Baby Snakes. It showcases one of FZ's greatest vocal groups. Ray White, Ike Willis and Bobby Martin are all dynamic, soulful and amazing singers who do a great job of singing these humorous classics with everything they got, beautiful harmonies too. Zappa's totally into the mood as well, much more so than in Baby Snakes where it seemed like he was just going through the motions on certain songs. The band here is VERY tight. The timbre of the band is particularly interesting too, it just sounds so electronic, bouncy, plinky and humorous, suiting the concept of the DVD beautifully.

Wonderful addition to my already huge Zappa music collection. I wore out the VHS of this concert so having the DVD allows me to sleep better and stop worrying.
Frank with one of the most amazing bands I've ever heard is truly a wonder to see as well as hear. Do yourself and your senses a favor and GET THIS DVD NOW! great music and commentary, what else do you need?

I'm glad this video is back in print and all, but Frank's 1984 touring band wasn't exactly the source of his most timeless work. Plagued with cheesy (and I mean CHEESY) keyboards and electric drums, this DVD is not representative of his best work. To make matters worse, a few of the band members go out of their way to act "crazy" for the cameras, with keyboardist Alan Zavod being the main perpetrator. In every frame he's in, he's sticking his goofy mug in the camera, making you feel like you're watching a bunch of middle-aged guys trying a bit too hard. Also, the picture quality of the DVD isn't great, looking like it was transferred directly from an old VHS copy. The image is often soft, and there's a lot of color bleeding. On the positive side, we get a good performance of "Zoot Allures" with some nice guitar playing from Frank. Plus, the short little interview bits are funny and entertaining, albeit clumsily edited in (sometimes in the middle of a song). I personally would have enjoyed seeing the band play some more serious, complex stuff, but almost all of the DVD is devoted to Frank's lighter novelty songs. There are fun moments, but I'll take the also imperfect Baby Snakes over this stuff any day of the week. Sure, Does Humor Belong In Music has less filler, but the good stuff in Baby Snakes beats the crap of of this.

Classic footage of frank zappa with what has been said to be one of his best live bands interspersed with some great interview segments.
All up no major revelation to a real Zappa fan, but this is a great introduction to Zappa for those who are maybe not so familiar with the man or the music

Easily one of the greatest guitar stranglers to ever live. One of my complaints with other FZ vids is the lack of views of him actually working his fretboard magic. It's as though he goes to lengths to avoid footage of himself playing. But this video shows more actual hands-on guitar work than anything I've seen to date.

It is usually a treat to view Frank Zappa in his prime. His premature demise has left a hole in modern music. He was a humorist and a serious composer at the same time. The live music is still fresh and engaging even though it is twenty years old. The only disappointment is that there wasn't more of the concert to view. It is highly edited and interspersed with interview segments that highlight his views on life in general and humor in particular. The void that remains behind after his death will never be filled appropriately. The world lost a visionary when it lost Zappa who even in death remained cynical as he was buried in an unmarked grave in Golden Gate Park. Who will tweak the uptight and bloated souls of society now that he is gone? At least we can see this video and remember clearly how perceptive and biting his humor was. There will never be another one like him. Does humor belong in music? I think everyone knows the answer to that question.