Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 542 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 200 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 35 Mb
© 2012 UMe / ZFT | ZR 3854 / ZR 3855
Rock / Experimental Rock / Jazz Rock

Bongo Fury captures Captain Beefheart aka Don Van Vliet with Frank Zappa during their brief reunion for a series of shows in the spring of 1975. This album is a pastiche of both live performances – taken from two evenings at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, TX – and studio recordings that were almost a year-and-a-half old. This is the last album to feature the highly technical jazz fusion of Mothers of Invention, whose roots can be traced back to 1973 circa Over-Nite Sensation. The live portions are highlighted by the latest addition to the band – frenetic percussionist extraordinaire Terry "Ted" Bozzio, who would stay with Zappa for a majority of the '70s. Most Zappa enthusiasts either love or hate Bongo Fury. Much of the disparity has to do with the lack of the extended fusion-based instrumentals that had graced their predecessors One Size Fits All and Roxy & Elsewhere as much as it does with the inclusion of Captain Beefheart. Conversely, those consumers whose passions tend toward both Zappa and Captain Beefheart consider this disc as a mutual zenith. Either way, there is a little something for every element. The album plunges directly into the ballsy rocker "Debra Kadabra." Although the track is credited solely to Zappa, the schizophrenic animation given by Van Vliet is an inspired combination of singing and spoken word – as might be delivered by an amphetamine-drenched preacher. Zappa and the Mothers give the multi-tempo song a full-throttled workout, which is met headlong with "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy." This track comes from Zappa's long tradition of "tales from the road" involving various encounters with female enthusiasts. The song also includes some fiery fretwork from Zappa during the waning moments. Additional stellar guitar work can be found on "Advance Romance," as the best elements of this particular band occur here. The track grooves with a force similar to that of "Florentine Pogen" from One Size Fits All and contains a memorable Napoleon Murphy Brock vocal. The song also features the most extended instrumental interaction on Bongo Fury, running at over 11 minutes. Likewise, the two Captain Beefheart penned spoken-word selections, "Sam With the Showing Scalp Flat Top" and "Man With a Woman Head," are key entries into his anthology of surrealistic prose.

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, The Mothers - Bongo Fury (1975) [ZR 3854]

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa - Zoot Allures (1976) [ZR 3855]

Zoot Allures, released in October 1976, is mostly a studio album (there are some basic live tracks, as in the title track and "Black Napkins") featuring a revolving cast of musicians who, oddly, do not correspond to the ones pictured on the album cover (for instance, Patrick O'Hearn and Eddie Jobson did not contribute). Compared to previous releases like One Size Fits All, Roxy & Elsewhere, or even Over-Nite Sensation, and to upcoming ones such as Zappa in New York, Studio Tan, or Sheik Yerbouti, Zoot Allures sounds very stripped down to bare essentials. Zappa focused on limited instrumentation, lots of bass, and whispered vocals to create a masterpiece of dark, slow, sleazy rock. Except for the opening and closing numbers ("Wind Up Workin' in a Gas Station" and "Disco Boy"), all the material is slow to medium tempo with Zappa delivering the closest he'll ever get to a crooner vocal performance. "The Torture Never Stops" is the highlight, ten minutes of suggestive lyrics, crawling riffs, searing solos, and female screams of pain. That song and "Disco Boy" became classic tracks; "Black Napkins" and "Zoot Allures" rate among the man's best guitar solos. Historical note: The album was first devised as a two-LP set and would have included "Sleep Dirt," "Filthy Habits," and "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution," which all also fit the mood. Although humor has not been completely evacuated, Zoot Allures comes through as a much more serious rock record. Yet, it is more than a transitional album; it represents one of Zappa's strongest accomplishments.

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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Frank Zappa - Bongo Fury (1975) + Zoot Allures (1976) {2012 UMe Remaster}

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