Roxy & Elsewhere

Frank Zappa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zappa Records
• ASIN: B008I34ZUM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,350 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Official Release #19
Originally Released: July 1974
Produced by: FZ

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless Jazz-n-Roll Live In Concert December 5, 2012

By Robert

Format:Audio CD

Frank leads his '73-'74 band through complex musical twists and turns resulting in a flawless jazz-n-roll concert album. With the exception of "Son Of Orange County" and "Trouble Every Day", this album followed Frank's tradition of presenting previously unheard songs on his live albums, rather than releasing live versions of songs we've already heard. Musicianship is top notch, overdubs are minimal and there's even some audience participation. If you like Frank's music, you need to get this. To add more of this sort of entertainment to your library, pick up "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore- Volume 2 (The Helsinki Concert)". It's the perfect companion to "Roxy & Elsewhere"...the same band playing a lot of the same material, but even faster...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Zappa's Jazz Isn't Dead,It's Just Smelling Funny November 18, 2012

By Andre S. Grindle TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

No need to go into what an incredible showman Frank Zappa and the Mothers were in any time period,any lineup change. The years 1973 and 1974 were extremely good years for Zappa. Not only had he released two commercially successful and creatively satisfying,but he had a band with personalities as energitic,eccentric and witty as himself in saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock and of course keyboard extraodinaire George Duke. Recorded live in Hollywood at the Roxy during both 1973 and Mothers Day 1974 shows there,this album was reissued on CD a few times before this,often remixing some of the songs (though Zappa itself makes it clear in the notes presented here many of the live tracks were overdubbed and remixed at the time anyhow). But all the same this documented the live experience of one of Zappa's most bountiful periods.

The album begins with "Penguin In Bondage",which Zappa introduces as one of his many songs with a sexual back round before going on into "Pygmy Twyltye" and specifically "Dummy Up",three of the most exciting funk style numbers FZ ever put his name to. The latter is especially fascinating in it's play between Zappa and Brock comically comparing contemporary high education to a drug habit. "Village In The Sun" takes the groove to a slower,wonderfully reverbed kind of place as Zappa's intro reflects on the songs relation to his growing up. After this he heads into the spastic symphonic fusion of his classic "Echidna's Arf" before heading into the extend jazzier epic "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing". On "Cheepnis" Zappa's intro talks about is love of B-level monster movies on a witty and deliciously funky satirical number. "Son Of Orange County" and "More Trouble Every Day" offer up two more challenging jazz-rock numbers.

The album ends with my favorite number "Be Bop Tango (Of The Old jazzman's Church)" in which Zappa discusses modern day outlooks on human sexuality,it's relation to the tango and invites different people onstage to dance to George Duke's scatting,with some hilareous results. His conceptualisation here of what it is people are attuned to dance to in music illustrates a central point about this particular album. This album in many ways represents Zappa's live presentation when his music was likely at it's most funk oriented. Zappa's attitude,expressed on this albums closing number with Zappa instructing one of the dancers to loosen up rather than free their bodies,shows that his understanding of the funk era was actually quite high. Some might say this had to do with his exposure to George Duke and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Likely it was the other way though. Zappa always loved doo-wop and R&B. And continued to find ways to expand it to make it greasier in tone. So by providing that flavor himself,with intellectualy talented musicians much like himself to help deliver that he had the perfect recipe for his own grooves and messages

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Zappa Experience April 13, 2013

By Dave

Format:Audio CD

This album is just phenomenal. It has great humor, musicianship and just has a certain something that cannot be described. If I had to recommend a FZ cd i would have to say this is it. If you like this, get You Can't Do this on Stage Volume 2.

aarf!