Customer Reviews

Does Humor Belong in Music?

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

goes nicely with that great video, on this album there are completely different performances to the ones on the video.(the songs are grafted together from different shows). There is also a lot more guitar playing and also it has lets move to cleveland which has alan zavod solos. Very good album, the highlights are penguin, tinseltown rebellion, zoot allures, cleveland(frank solos awesomely here). The other songs are enjoyable; none of the versions here are definitive versions though. There's a heck of a difference between this album's 'what's new in baltimore?' and the version in stage volume5, (the miraculous 82 band. we are not worthy..i like the 82 band, correct.) But you definitely need to get this album. Pretty good value, it's over 60 minutes . Thank you

The liner notes would tell you that Frank Zappa pieced "Does Humor Belong In Music?" from miles of tapes across his 1984 tour; guitar solo from Philly, vocal from London. This approach removes some of the LP's cohesion, but brings every good performance from Zappa's band (one of his best)to the fore.

Fans of Zappa's guitar playing and razor-sharp jazz/fusion/progressive rock have much to enjoy here. "Let's Move To Baltimore," and "Hot Plate Heaven" feature fiery guitar solos and a rhythm section (including drummer Chad Wackerman, who turns in outstanding work throughout) which keeps up with FZ's experiments. Son Dweezil turns in some fine blues guitar on "Whippin' Post," but his vocal, and the end result, is a too speedy and showy against the Allmans' pain-wracked original.

Answering the CD's title question... yes, but not all humor to all music. "Tinseltown Rebellion" quotes "I Love Lucy," the Doors, Culture Club, Kajagoogoo, and Woody Woodpecker in a much-needed satire of MTV (at its first peak). But Zappa also introduces "Trouble Every Day" with an MTV verse, updating the target but robbing the original of its raw nerve. He dedicates an obscenity-laden song "to all the Republicans in the audience," then follows with a straight doo-wop take on the Four Dueces' "WPLJ." The songs, with trademark satirical lyrics and skillful presentation, capture in miniature all that made Zappa maddening, and great. It also makes "Does Humor Belong In Music?" a minor but worthwhile entry in Zappa's prolific library.

This is a must-have for Zappa-philes if only for the version of 'Whippin' Post', where Dweezil helps out the old man during a blues jam that is quite different from other officially released versions of this song. Also notable for the Chad Wackerman acoustic/electronic drum solo during 'Let's Move to Cleveland'. In 1986, this was the first CD I ever bought. The 1993 Ryko reissue has different artwork and much improved sound. By the way, the other review on this page is of the Video, not the CD. ie 'Dancin' Fool' and 'Dinah-Moe Humm' do not appear on the CD. The Video is from a concert in New York and has no performances in common with the CD. It (the Video) is out of print in all formats, except as a Japanese Laserdisc - well worth hunting down.

I generally prefer Zappa's studio albums to the live compilations since so much of Zappa's talent is in the abrupt juxtaposition of material of different genres, or in the exploration of complex multilayered rhythms or musical ideas. If you break out his elements to five minute tracks each with a uniform style, then the music is more likely to devolve into generic comedy rock, generic fusion music, generic 1980s West Coast jazz sweeping up after Miles Davis and his former sidemen, etc. That's a particular risk with this 1984 tour band that had an uncharacteristically slick and commercial sound (for Zappa). Compare the timbres to many of the 1960s/1970s confabulations that featured mallet instruments, analog synthesizers and other rawer and more unusual sonorities. The highlight of the album, its redemption really, is the extended "Let's Move to Cleveland" track, a more representative display of Zappa's inter-track eclecticism, built from a combination of band-executed segues and digital edits. About midway through is an interesting timbrally-oriented section featuring sampled sounds that culminate in a sample-and-hold generator pattern before a cadence and segue to a generic 80s piano jazz episode that quickly leads to something else. The actual "song" is finally heard, briefly, at the end.

I've enjoyed hearing this CD as I do practically any Zappa album, but this is not a CD that I've returned to over and over again.

What can I say, you either like Zappa or you don't. It's really hard for some people to "get" Zappa, but if you do, you will be a fan for life. This is yet another classic by Zappa with lots of his best songs. One word of advise, snatch up as many live albums as you can from Zappa. I normally do not like live albums, but when it comes to Zappa, it is very likely that you will like the live version better than the original. He, and the rest of his group, thrive off live perfomances, like Rock musicians should.

This was the second FZ album I ever owned (and the first one I got on CD), and it remains one of my favorites. It has funny songs ("Penguin in Bondage"), and it has killer instrumentals (such as "Let's Move To Cleveland"). I love the version of "Whipping Post" on here, too. There's not a weak track on this album. My favorite track is "What's New In Baltimore?" It contains what may be my favorite Zappa guitar solo ever. Great stuff. I really like Chad Wackerman's drumming throughout the album, too. This album is essential material for FZ fans.

This is a great cd. I think FZ put it together so tight in an effort to make some good light come out of the 84 band ensemble. This particular lineup did not have the best sound, and it shows on a lot of the live recordings from the era... and considering it followed the classic lineup of 82-83, it was falling into some tough competition. But frank found some wonderful performances to bolster this great lineup. Well worth your time, and frank guitar playing is totally powerful, if not totally brilliant.

There is a DVD release of this concert, but songs are missing. Still, even though it is released by EMI and has been edited as not to offend someone (C@cksuckers B@ll removed)it is still worth purchasing because the music is fun to watch and listen to.

Give it a try.

"Lets Move to Cleveland" sends chills down my spine with every play. I caught this tour in Saratoga, NY and remains to this day, one of my favorite bands/tours that Frank did.

Great great live cd from Zappa (as usual). The deal makers for this album are TinselTown Rebellion, Trouble Every Day, Let's Move..., and MOST IMPORTANTLY What's New In Baltimore. Would recommend this cd because of Baltimore alone. Not the album for you if youre looking for instrumentals, buy Imaginary Diseases for that. This has some of Frank's lighter songs and are mainly showcasing the tightness of his 1984 band. Fun and impressive. Good as a possible intro to his music.

This cd goes a long way to rehabilitate the 1984 band, not known for its distinctive playing, as evidenced on most of YCDTOSA 3 for instance (singing is great in the 1984 band however).

On this cd we get the definitive versions of Tinsel Town rebellion, Let's move to Cleveland (several versions merged into one), Whippin' post and even Trouble every day, for the great drum sound. A very good record..