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The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life
 
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The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life [LIVE] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Frank Zappa
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews) More about this product

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (May 30, 1995)
  • Original Release Date: April 1991
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Format: Live, Original recording remastered
  • Label: Zappa Records
  • ASIN: B0000009TJ
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,087 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #48 in  Music > Rock > Live Albums > Progressive Rock

Listen to Samples

To hear a song sample, click on "Listen" by that sample. Visit our audio help page for more information.
Disc: 1
1. Heavy Duty Judy
2. Ring of Fire
3. Cosmik Debris
4. Find Her Finer
5. Who Needs the Peace Corps?
6. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
7. Zomby Woof
8. Bolero
9. Zoot Allures
10. Mr. Green Genes
See all 14 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Purple Haze
2. Sunshine of Your Love
3. Let's Move to Cleveland
4. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
5. "Godfather Part II" Theme
6. Few Moments With Brother A. West
7. Torture Never Stops, Pt. 1
8. Theme from "Bonanza"
9. Lonesome Cowboy Burt [Swaggart Version]
10. Torture Never Stops, Pt. 2
See all 14 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This double live set showcases the peerless calisthenics abilities of the 1988 Zappa big band on a collection of crowd-pleasing favorites, concert staples and cover songs. Zappa's crystalline Stratocaster sound (a far cry from the "squank" of the '70s) highlights some of the most lyrical and inspired solo guitar work of his life. Highlights include an adrenaline charged version of "Zomby Woof" a thoroughly rocking turn at Ravel's Bolero, and a horn arrangement of Jimmy Page's "Stairway to Heaven" guitar solo. --Andrew Boscardin

From the Label
Yes, this is the one with "Stairway to Heaven" on it. It's the second release from the '88 tour, a double live CD originally released in 91. Also heard on MAKE A JAZZ NOISE HERE and BROADWAY THE HARD WAY, this band featured a five-piece horn section and was perhaps the most versatile and technically accomplished touring band that FZ ever had. This is demonstrated in the boggling range of material heard on this album.

The recordings are from performances and soundchecks, and feature old favorites and premiere recordings. Along with the deranged version of "Stairway" (FZ claimed he'd never heard the original version!), there's an equally deconstructed "Ring of Fire" and a live cover of "Bolero" -- yes, the Ravel one. There's also a "Jimmy Swaggart medley" including "Lonesome Cowboy Burt," "More Trouble Every Day" and "Penguin In Bondage;" with new lyrics inspired by Swaggart's sexual misadventures.


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Customer Reviews

45 Reviews
5 star:
 (34)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The title has it, October 22, 2003
By Patrik Lemberg (Tammisaari Finland) - See all my reviews
This is the first FZ album I ever heard. My electric bass teacher lent it to me after I keenly asked him "Whose song is this?" at a concert where a band played "Let's Move To Cleveland." I loved the song immediately, and upon listening to it on disc I didn't only love it for its [to me, at the time] eccentric melody, but also for the guitar solo, which I was to find a typical example of Zappa's personal way of soloing.
At close to 130 minutes of music this may be the perfect (and a "light") Zappa introduction to no-know-persons. Although most of the material is taken from FZ's late 60's through mid 70's repertoire, or what some might call his hey day rock material, big variations (thanks to re-arrangements) are being made, and styles vary. There's also a bunch of classic rock covers, such as "Purple Haze," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Stairway to Heaven" among others - even the "Bonanza" theme is included. All cover songs are worth listening to - they're extremely extreme! After listening to any of them for the first time there is NO WAY the words "Just what I expected" will escape from your sincere mouth.
What differs the old FZ studio songs from these 15-to-20-years-later-live-versions are the arrangements and the lyrics. A lot of the lyrics are humorously replaced on the spot (the band seems to have a really good time) and close to all songs on this album feature a horn section armed with five men who handle 10 different horns.
From what I understand, the '88 tour band (the last of Zappa's rock bands) knew 196 songs - songs that Zappa could call off at concerts at any time, and it truly shows that this band have practiced A LOT! The musicianship is, as on many of Zappa's albums, EXTRAORDINARY.
As a musician I can deeply recommend it for inspiration to anyone involved in musical activities.
As an "innocent bystander" I recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor who wants to enjoy well performed quality music, but if you're looking for an album to cry to while enjoying a bowl-size glass of white wine and looking out the window at the pouring rain, questioning the meaning of life and death, then this is ABSOLUTELY NOT it.
To Zappa-fanatics who don't own this album I must ask "Fanatic, are you kidding?"
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best entry-level Zappa recording, November 22, 1999
Thinking of getting into FZ? If contemplating your first foray into the world of Frank, buy this recording. It's accessible on many levels, primarily due to the numerous covers of rock, country, movie, and classical pieces. There are also the FZ standards, such as "The Torture Never Stops," "Penguin in Bondage," "Florentine Pogen," "Inca Roads," and "Sofa." If you enjoy this album then you'll enjoy any other recording in the vast FZ catalog.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar arrangements, essential songs, October 31, 2005
This title, recorded before the BWTHW touring band disintegrated in a flurry of slap-fighting and mean-spirited "slam books," offers an extraordinary glimpse of where Zappa could have gone if he had lived another fifteen years. By this time in his career, Zappa was the undisputed champion of writing impossible compositions and then flogging his musicians into playing them. Thus, with this tour Zappa settled into a more relaxed set that emphasized showmanship along with the musical feats.

Considering the number of musicians on stage during this tour, there is an amazing amount of space in these songs. It is almost as though the whole thing was produced in a studio, with some musicians contributing a note or two per chorus. The wide-open spaces on the album make a fantastic palette for Zappa to really emphasize his strengths as a guitar player, and they also leave room for the other greats in this band to express themselves.

The song list includes stellar versions of some Zappa classics, like Florentien Pogen and Inca Roads, along with a few suprises. Who knew that Stairway to Heaven's guitar solo would sound so good as a horn arrangement? Who but Zappa would have equated "Ring of Fire" with some sort of fungal (possibly sexually transmitted) infection?

I agree with the other reviewers that this is a good intro to Zappa, with one caveat: this is an extraordinarily cynical album. Maybe all of the parody of Johnny Cash seems over the top in light of his recent passing, and you can probably forgive Zappa for devoting so much time to dissecting the sexual indescretions of Jimmy Swaggart. In any case, there are lots of points in this album where the easy facade of playfulness seems to give way to a very dark underbelly. All I am saying is, don't put this in the CD player until you've had your morning coffee.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible musicians
These people know what they are doing. It doesn't matter if you're into classical or more popular genres. Read more
Published 21 days ago by M. D. Maner

3.0 out of 5 stars Some up's and some down's ...
I ordered this CD based on the strength of a few songs I had heard elsewhere, namely "Ring of Fire" and "Bolero". Read more
Published 9 months ago by JohnnyNinetyNine

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing
The material has been treated in friveless manner and does not have the emotive content or passion of the studio albums. I found it raucuss and not worth listening to. Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. W. Ferguson

4.0 out of 5 stars you never heard?
i saw a couple of shows on this tour the last two times i saw frank perform. it is a great band, did he ever have a bad one or an uninspired one? Read more
Published on May 26, 2007 by rainman

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite FZ album
The way Bolero flows into Zoot Allures is very clever. In your face, Maurice, you no talent hack. And imagine the guitars of Stairway To Heaven done in horns. Read more
Published on April 6, 2007 by Hans Castorp

4.0 out of 5 stars A little confusing what to make out of this...
This package is quite loaded with Zappa gems. But at the same time, drummer Chad Wackerman, literally, in my opinon, ruins some songs. Read more
Published on February 26, 2006 by Shawn Carter

5.0 out of 5 stars Disk 1 - Track 7 to the end.
I agree with some reviewers that Frank is "over the top" in some of his more commercial music - and I do not mean that as a compliment .... Read more
Published on November 4, 2005 by James D. Rockefeller

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece.
I'd give it 10 stars if I could. Man, do I miss Frank (I guess it is a one shot deal). But this is the next best thing to having him back amongst us. Read more
Published on April 3, 2005 by tahoejim

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny...
I am the biggest Zappa fan in the world, but I never really liked all of his 80's stuff ("You are what you is" and on)as much as the rest of his catalog. Read more
Published on March 17, 2005 by L. Weeks

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best live zappa
I think that this is one the best live zappa
that I have heard,it just rocks,I love his version
of ring of fire and the live versions of zomby woof,
florentine... Read more
Published on September 1, 2004 by gale obrien

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