Customer Reviews

Just Another Band From L.A.

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

4.5 Stars, rounded up because Frank was a genius.

As the 60's melted into the 70's, Frank Zappa was moving towards change. This recording is a sort of predictor of that change. Upon hearing it back in '72, I couldn't help but feel that the innocent age of the Mothers was about to come to a close. It was as if the Mothers had gone full circle and were, in a way, a parody of their former collective self. Still, this disc is excellent, if for nothing but an historical document. But I like the music and in many ways prefer these live performances to the original studio versions.

Who among us cannot relate to a song about a mountain named Billy who's wife Ethyl is a tree growing off his shoulder? And when the song's self proclaimed hero (Studabaker Hawk) serves up an ultimatum to Billy and Billy responds by unleashing a rock slide on him, we feel Hawk's pain as he exclaims: "Oh ****, I'm gonna need a truss!"

And who among us cannot relate to a song that implores us to "Call any vegetable, call it by name" ? Personally, I'm glad I cannot relate to the character singing "Magdelena", since I have no interest in molesting children, but many in the day dismissed it as an indicator of Frank's sickness, rather than seeing it for what it was: social commentary. So don't buy this for it's sound quality - many later Zappa live albums have much better sound. And I don't think of it as one of the better performances from the virtuoso rock band point of view, which evolved in Frank's bands during the 70's. No, buy this disc because it is a window into a point in time when rock and roll was allowed to be goofy, silly and sleezy while still having a foundation of intelligence and informed perspective.

The album begins with the 25-minute "Billy the Mountain", an astoudingly clever construct which presents itself as a mini-operatta where draft-dodging, air-force bases, las vegas, an economic superhero with a most amusing method of levitation, and SO much more, all tie-in to one of zappa's most hilarious pieces of social commentary. After this the listener is pummelled with a storming suite of songs covering issues such as how to treat your vegetables, double knit pants which stretch in all the right places, and father-daughter paedophilia. Inane advertising jingles and slogans serve as a conceptual theme throughout the album - Zappa absorbs this stuff and spits it back in our face. And we take notice 'cause it's so damn funny. The reason why this and most of the other Zappa albums with Flo & Eddie were live recordings seems to be so as to capture their frenetic, spontaneous energy and endearing charm. They had an enthusiastic dyanimsn about them which later more high-brow Zappa line-ups where never quite able to recapture. I love this album!

As a child of the late sixties and early seventies, this album brings back fond memories. The saga of Billy the Mountain, Ethel the Tree and Studebaker Hawk is silly and vulgar and reeks of the anti establishment fervor that was rocking our country during that time.

This isn't an album you can enjoy as background music all day. This is an album you listen to intently, in order to enjoy its wonderful weirdness. It's a twisted time machine.

Along with the 'Filmore" album, these were my two favorite albums by Frank Zappa. In my mind he was at his best when enteracting "live" with other musicians, especially the "Mothers". Lyrically, Zappa's music could be cynical and quite sacreligious, but at the same time respectful and sensitive. For instance, the way he handles the topic of incest in the song "Magdalena" I find quite touching. In the beginning the song is funny, almost silly, but eventually Frank paints a pretty grimm and pathetic picture of a man involved in that type of behavior. I can almost remember feeling sadness towards the end of the piece. Frank had a certain empathy and compassion in his work that I really liked. I would put Frank up there with any of the great "Classical" composers. Both albums feature some very creative, spontaneous, unique and reflective work. There is some really funny stuff here for the open minded. Frank's writing and arrangements show an incredible amount of wit, intelligence and originality. This is the type of music that must be listened to with an open mind and an open heart. A lot of people in "Popular" Music today talk about being artists, these guys were Artists. I remember the first time I heard "Billy the Mountain", I laughed till I cried.

Say what you will about Flo and Eddie, they're showmen, they know their stuff and I think they're freakin' hilarious.

Here, they basically get set loose by Frank Zappa and while they do overdo it a bit, this is probably the best album of this band available.

My only quibble with "Billy the Mountain," even after all these years, is the same quibble I have with a lot of Frank's story songs: There's no end. It just stops. (He admitted frequently that he couldn't write endings to save his life.) Just like Joe's Garage, or "Baby Don't You Want A Man Like Me," or Greggary Peccary, the wrap-up is the worst part of the song. That said though, this is probably the best version of "Billy" you're going to hear (compare this to the New York version on "Playground Psychotics" for fun).

Now, while this version of "Call any Vegetable" was the second appearance for this song on a Zappa LP, to me, this is the quintessential version. I recently saw the Grandmothers in concert and while Don Preston was the only guy from the Flo and Eddie years in the group, THIS was the arrangement that Don and Bunk and Jimmy Carl and the rest performed.

"Eddie Are You Kidding?" Well, yeah. Sure, the song doesn't make much sense if you didn't know what they were talking about, but hey, it's only three minutes long.

Now we come to "Magdalena." I will admit that when I first bought this album back in 1974, as an unwitting, dorky Catholic teen who still believed in God and all that, that I REALLY had a problem with this song. The VERY idea that they could poke fun at incestual rape (even interruptus, as it is) just shocked my St. Christopher medal off my speakers. But I got over it. (As it turns out, Howie's "confession" in the role of the naughty dad is just a stretch from his "rock star" confession on "Magic Fingers" on 200 Motels.) Also, you have to admit that Magdalena doesn't take any crap from dad, does she?

Finally, the track that sells this LP. "Dog Breath." Certainly one of the top five Zappa solos ever released, and it's all of what, a minute? One of those moments when Zappa, Pons, Preston, Dunbar and Underwood all found the same musical "zone" and just sailed on it.

Say what you will about this album; I like it.

"Just Another Band" is certainly not Zappa'a best work, but it's still very entertaining. It's the first FZ album I ever owned (back in 1972), so I have a soft spot for this one. Some fans can't stand the vocal antics of Flo & Eddie, but I think they're very funny. This version of the Mothers is not a bunch of virtuosos like FZ's later bands, but they get the job done. "Billy the Mountain" is 25 minutes of hysterically funny insanity. For those who don't know, "Eddie, Are You Kidding?" parodies an L.A. clothing store commercial. Even if you don't know the commercial (and I don't), the song is pretty funny. "Magdalena" is another twistedly funny song that I love. And the finale, "Dog Breath", kicks butt. All in all, it's a fun ride.

People criticze this album for being too hard to listen to thanks to either Eddie & Flo or "Billy The Mountain" itself. On the other hand, I see it as what it was meant to be--music, without any proper place/time other than whenever/where ever. So, an analysis of the album for those wanting another opinion:
1.) "Billy The Mountain"--For most, a track that takes up one side of an album (see "Studio Tan") is utterly dull and boring. But with the tale of Billy and Ethell, a tree growing off of his shoulder, not one second is used up with superfluous sound. Being familiar with California and the '70s helps, but [...]has a great link to a reference page that explains all those places and catchphrases that don't make sense. A catchy theme is repeated for the verses, and the music under the dialogue is beautiful. The timing of Don Preston and Ian Underwood [my idol next to Bunk Gardner] is impeccable. Little snatches of other songs catch the ear off-guard and are usually funny in the context of the song. Volman and Kaylan are great as Studebaker Hoch and narrators, and the bass voice of Jim Pons mixed with the breathy lowering of Volman/Kaylan's voices for Billy himself are great. Unforgettable moment in this song: the "Stoodlebaker Hoch" section of the song.
2.)"Call Any Vegetable"--A nice cover version of the song on "Absolutely Free." After a while, Volman and Kaylan have a rap session with such questions as: "Where can I go to get my poodle clipped?" and "Where can I go to get my jeans embroidered?" with answers like, "At Ralph's vegetarian poodle clippin'" and "At Jeans North where nothing fits," are pretty funny. Also, the theme of the show is revealed.... Unforgettable moment: Howard (Kaylan) doing his falsetto for the questions.
3.) "Eddie, Are You Kidding?"--A song about Zachary All's, a now-closed clothing store is a quick listen, and a great one at that. All about double-knits and 60 tailors in the back, this song comes off as doo-wop infused with cheesy late-sixties music. A take-off on "16 Candles" at the end is pretty good, and garners the applause of the crowd. This song will stick in your head when listened to over 3 times in the same day. Unforgettable moment: the "16 Candles" quote.
4.) "Magdalena"--Nothing to say, other than I consider this to be the weak point in the album. Still, incest is made funny in this song, but the spoken-word section this time feels unwelcome next to "Call Any Vegetable." Unforgettable moment: the line about maple syrup (a bit of a call-back from "Billy The Mountain").
5.) "Dog Breath"--A nice version of "Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague" from "Uncle Meat." Sans Nancy Welker's soprano, Volman and Kaylan have a great set of vocals in this song, and the chorus stands out. Frank's solo (or solo-ette due to its length) is still fantastic. A great closer to a great album. Unforgettable moment: Frank's solo.

This lineup of the Mothers centered around the incredible pop vocals of Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan (aka the Fluorescent Leech & Eddie), formerly of the Turtles ("Happy Together"). Kaylan & Volman had an outrageous and very smutty sense of humor which appealed to Zappa hugely. Therefore, Frank let them run wild with off-color improv and tailored his compositions to suit them and their fantastic voices. As a result, the music is a lot more straight ahead rock/pop oriented. So, despite the presence of such top-flight musicians as Ian Underwood (Frank's chief co-conspirator on "Hot Rats"), Aynsley Dunbar (next to Terry Bozzio, one of Frank's best drummers), and Don Preston on keyboards (another ex-Turtle, Jim Pons, rounds out the group on bass), musical adventurousness takes a back seat here. However, the band could play their butts off and rock with the best of 'em. It's just that zany R-rated comedy is the going concern on this album and on "Fillmore East." If that's your cup of tea, you'll love it. If it's not, you may still find much to enjoy, especially on the searing version of "Dog Breath" (originally from "Uncle Meat") and a souped-up "Call Any Vegetable" (from "Absolutely Free"). "Eddie, Are You Kidding?" is enjoyable but requires a knowledge of the cheesy TV ads of the now-defunct Los Angeles men's clothing store "Zachary All." "Magdalena" is a good rocker that upsets most people with its jokes about attempted incest but most folks are far too sensitive. The centerpiece of the disc is "Billy the Mountain" which, while entertaining, proves to be a bit difficult to sit through regularly (you'll like it the first time and then must be very much in the mood for it for future listenings). Again, it helps if you're familiar with L.A. to find it more than marginally humorous. The music is, as always, solid but much of the piece consists of comedic dialogue from Frank, Flo, & Eddie. But then again, if you're able to kinda sit back and chuckle absent-mindedly, it's good for an airing from time to time. So, all in all, it's a pretty solid Zappa title (with "Dog Breath," in particular, standing out), miles above "Man From Utopia," for instance, but not a stone-cold classic like "One Size Fits All."

I can't believe that nobody has written a review of this albumn! This little performance gem features the comedy / vocal stylings of Flo and Eddie (a.k.a. the Turtles). The music is funny and the lyrics are tasteless. Billy The Mountain is a rolicking opus about (you guessed it)....a mountain that decides to go on vacation with his wife Ethel (a tree). The story evolves into an anti-war protest. Bizarre? Yes. Funny? Definitely. Call any Vegetable, Eddie are you Kidding and Magdalena round out the evening. The comedy is dated now, but still funny as hell.

This album always gets a bad rap. It was released after the flo and Eddie incarnation of the Mothers got sidelined when a fan almost killed Zappa by throwing him offstage.(He spent a year in a wheel chair, and fortunately, used this time to make Waka/Jawaka and Grand Wazoo) A lot of critics and fans who like Uncle Meat and Hot Rat's high minded jazz and avant gaurde sweep think this is lowbrow.

It is not. Comidy is just one aspect of this album. Listen to "Billy The Mountian," or the retooled "Call Any Vegitable." What Zappa does here is take the attention he has always applied to his composition and is focusing on Flo and Eddie's vocals. The harmonies, dialouge and call and response here are disciplined and tightly arranged.

This was the time of Hair and Oh Calcutta!, when hippie rock on broadway used the same type of tightly arranged staging to make is appear spontainious. Zappa is working in this medium here, and the results are elaborate and, yes, the material does work.

Magdalena: well, this is sure not an easy listen, but part of Zappa's art was to raise issues that happened that no one else talked about, and in 1971, NOBODY went near childhood sexual abuse. I don't think Zappa is promoting this, just bringing the issue to light..

Don't let the humour on this album obscure the stage onslaught Zappa is putting together on this album.