Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.07 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 899 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 312 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968-78, 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71017~023
Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock

This is the second (and final) bootleg-gone-legit box that was actually sanctioned by Frank Zappa. But rather than go to the expense and time to use better sources – which the artist presumably had access to – he simply ripped off the illicit recordings that had been doing the same to him for decades. And voila, Beat the Boots was born. Zappa enlisted Rhino Records to manufacture and distribute the anthologies – which were packaged to appear as if the contents were being sold in a low budget cardboard box. However once inside Beat the Boots!, Vol. 2 (1992), consumers were treated to a full LP jacket-sized 40-page memorabilia scrapbook, a black felt beret and a red pin/badge bearing the hammer-in-fist artwork emblazoned on it.

The musical main events are the seven different titles that collectively span just over a decade of live Zappa and Mothers of Invention (MOI) (1968 – 1978) performances. Electric Aunt Jemima was gleaned from three different 1968 gigs at the Family Dog in Denver, CO on May 3, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on October 20, and at the Grugahalle in Essen, Germany on September 28. While certainly not audiophile quality – none of the entries are – fans of the seminal MOI will find lots to love. Our Man in Nirvana hails from California State College at Fullerton, November 8, 1968 and is noteworthy as it boasts contributions from Larry "Wild Man" Fischer (vocals) and Don Cherry (sax). The rare cover of the R&B obscurity "Bacon Fat" by Andre Williams, the "Wild Man Fischer Story," and Fischer's "I'm the Meany" should be considered essential listening for inclined parties. Tengo Na Minchia Tanta is an excellent – if not pitched slightly fast – document of the Phlorescent Leech & Eddie era band at the Fillmore in 1970. The readings of "Sharleena," and the 200 Motels (1971) tunes "What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening?," "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," and the ultra rare "Holiday in Berlin" with vocals are all primal Zappa. Disconnected Synapses finds the band in Paris, France at the Palais Gaumont on December 15, 1970 and the assembled crew is joined by Jean-Luc Ponty (violin). The half-hour "King Kong" suite as well as "Who Are the Brain Police" are standouts. Swiss Cheese/Fire is a double-disc set capturing the infamous Casino gig in Montreux, Switzerland on December 4, 1971. At some point while Don "Uncle Meat" Preston was several minutes into his synthesizer solo during "King Kong" – as Deep Purple so eloquently put it "…some stupid with a flare gun/burned the place to the ground." The audience tape is excellent and quite clearly captures the ensuing mayhem, but not before more 200 Motels tunes, such as "She Painted Up Her Face," "Half-A-Dozen-Provocative Squats," and a blistering rendition of "Magdalena." Conceptual Continuity is another above average sounding audience-derived collection from November 19, 1976 in Detroit, MI. This is the same evening that Flo & Eddie, Ralph Armstrong, and Grand Funk Railroad's Don Brewer came out on-stage, but are missing here. Parties who can locate the bootleg Marvelous Stunner will be treated to those guests. Up last, but not least, At the Circus divides its time between audio lifted from the made-for-Bavarian television show We Don't Mess Around filmed at the Circus Krone in Munich, Germany on September 8, 1978. It aired on July 1, 1980 and from that broadcast come prime renderings of "Baby Snakes," the debut of "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? " and the tag-team of Vinnie Colaiuta and Tommy Mars on "Seal Call Fusion Music." Inserted willy-nilly in the middle of the proceedings are "Mother People" and "Wonderful Wino" from Uddel in the Netherlands on June 18, 1970.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - Disconnected Synapses (1992) {Beat The Boots II - Disc One]
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71017

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It features an hour-long performance by The Mothers in 1970, the "Flo & Eddie" edition of the band. As such, it contains much of the 200 Motels/Fillmore East–June 1971 material, and is therefore redundant for most Zappa fans. Sound quality is only okay. There are nice versions of the older songs "The Air" and "Mother People" that benefit from Flo & Eddie's superior singing. There's also a version of "King Kong" that runs nearly 32 minutes, but it's not very impressive.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - Tengo Na Minchia Tanta (1992) {Beat The Boots II - Disc Two]
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71018

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It contains a live performance by The Mothers from June 1971, the same period that produced the legitimate album Fillmore East–June 1971, and like that record, it contains comedy routines by lead singers Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, plus some instrumentals originally recorded by the previous edition of The Mothers in the late '60s. Hence, it will be of primary interest to collectors, but not to average Zappa fans. Collectors should note that this is one place to hear "Holiday In Berlin" with lyrics, which detail The Mothers' experience with a left-wing riot in Germany in 1968.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention - Electric Aunt Jemima (1992) {Beat The Boots II - Disc Three]
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71019

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It contains a performance by The Mothers of Invention in 1968, at a time when the group was evolving from its primarily vocal pop-rock sound of 1966-1967 into a more instrumental, jazzy approach. (In fact, this album is almost entirely instrumental.) Much of the material played later turned up on the 1969 Uncle Meat album. In that sense, this album is redundant, although it does provide an interesting look at a particularly inspired period in the band's career. Sound quality is good, and the disc runs 63:42.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - At The Circus (1992) [Beat The Boots II - Disc Four]
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71020

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat the Boots! #2 boxed set. For the most part, this is a live recording made on July 1, 1978, in Munich, although, in true random bootleg fashion, there are two tracks performed by the 1970-71 edition of The Mothers. Otherwise, this is a typical late '70s Zappa performance, with songs like "Baby Snakes" and "Dancin' Fool" that can be heard in better sound quality on Zappa's legitimate albums of the period.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - Swiss Cheese and Fire (1992) [2CD] [Beat The Boots II - Disc Five]
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71021

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It's a two-CD set that presents a nearly complete live performance by the 1970-71 "Flo & Eddie" edition of The Mothers, featuring lead vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, and recorded December 4, 1971. As such, it begins with an extended instrumental introduction leading into "Peaches En Regalia," and then there is a combination of 200 Motels material and oldies like "Call Any Vegetable." Sound quality is good, and the performance level is high.

Hence, the critical verdict is: good, for a bootleg. Of course, this recording also has historical value, apart from its musical attributes. The show, which occurred at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, ended in a fire that destroyed The Mothers' equipment. The following week in London, Zappa was pushed off the stage by a deranged fan, and this edition of The Mothers was history.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - Our Man In Nirvana (1992) [Beat The Boots II - Disc Six]
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71022

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It's a shame that the sound quality is sometimes dodgy (which may be a function of the sound at the show where this was recorded), since the album captures The Mothers of Invention at an interesting point. It was recorded on November 8, 1968, a time when The Mothers were in their Uncle Meat phase, playing music as innovative as any Frank Zappa would come up with. Wild Man Fischer, a street singer whose debut album was about to be released on Zappa's Straight Records label, guest stars. Consider this a companion to Uncle Meat, forgive the acoustics, and it's a notable release.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention - Conceptual Continuity (1992) [Beat The Boots II - Disc Seven] {Rhino} + Complete Scrapbook BTB2
© 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71023

This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It captures a concert performed in Detroit on November 19, 1976. At this point, Zappa was touring with a relatively small band featuring singer/guitarist Ray White, keyboard player Eddie Jobson, bassist Patrick O'Hearn, and drummer Terry Bozzio. This is not one of Zappa's more memorable units, and the album is not one of his more memorable performances. It does have a hard rock edge, which may please some fans, but they can get a better appreciation of the sound on the then-current Zoot Allures album.

These albums were not distributed as individual items but only in box sets.
The box set contains a 40-page 12" x 12" scrapbook and a black beret with a "Beat The Boots #2" pin.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}

Close