Oggi presento un cd live di Frank Zappa, che rispetto ad altri antecedenti (almeno per pubblicazione) è meno conosciuto. Si chiama "Does Humor Belong in Music?": questo titolo, che letteralmente significa "Lo humour appartiene alla musica?", potrebbe essere il riassunto di praticamente tutto il lavoro che Zappa ha svolto nella sua (troppo breve) vita.
Ogni suo cd, strumentale o parlato che sia, è intriso di quell'umore perfido e sbeffeggiante che caratterizzò l'artista. Inoltre grazie a lui è possibile rispondere alla domanda posta come da titolo. L'humor appartiene DEFINITIVAMENTE alla musica, ed è solo grazie allo zio Frank.
Procediamo alla descrizione dell'album. E' stato registrato dal vivo nel 1986 al Pier di Manhattan e presenta una tracklist di 10 brani: il primo è l'acclamatissimo "Zoot allures", tratto dall'omonimo album, per una durata di 5:27. Si procede con Tinsel Town Rebellion, che denota la parte divertente dell'album (e in questo Frank va parecchio forte). Si prosegue con Trouble Every Day (non ricordo esattamente di che album, ricordo MORE trouble every day) e Penguin in bondage, un grande brano già presentato in "Roxy & Elsewhere" (very simpatico). Hot Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel è il quinto brano, mentre il sesto è What's new in Baltimore, altro ottimo pezzo.
L'ultima parte è quella più scoppiettante ed emozionante. Due piccoli brani come Cock-suckers' Ball e una versione accelerata di WPLJ, che personalmente ho apprezzato molto ('Burnt Weeny Sandwich' è uno dei miei preferiti di Zappa). Il penultimo brano è il più lungo (15 min. e qualcosa), ed è Let's move to Cleveland, con un pazzesco assolo dell'artista. Ottimo finale con Whippin' Post, altri 8 minuti e mezzo.
Il mio invito è quindi di riscoprire questo live passato in ombra (con lo stesso titolo troviamo un Dvd, ma con tracce differenti da queste), ma che si rivela davvero molto simpatico e, come sempre stra-originale. Anche se non arriva al livello dello storico "Zappa in New York", sicuramente non ha nulla da invidiare a "Fillmore East", "Roxy & Elsewhere" e "Bongo Fury" (ovviamente tutti grandissimi album, di cui consiglio sentitamente l'ascolto).
Voto 8 e mezzo/9
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Zoot Allures (05:27)
Terry Bozzio (drums, background vocals)
Davey Moire (vocals)
Andre Lewis (organ, vocals)
Roy Estrada (bass, vocals)
Dave Parlato (bass)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (saxophone, vocals)
Ruth Underwood (synthesizer, marimba)
Donnie Vliet (harmonica)
Louanne Neil (harp)
Ruben Ladron De Guevara (background vocals)
Sharkie Barker (background vocals)
(Instrumental)
04 Penguin in Bondage (06:50)
Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
George Duke (keyboards, synthesizer, vocals)
Tom Fowler (bass)
Ruth Underwood (percussion)
Jeff Simmons (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Don Preston (synthesizer)
Bruce Fowler (trombone)
Walt Fowler (trumpet)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor saxophone, flute, lead vocals)
Ralph Humphrey (drums)
Chester Thompson (drums)
Debbie (background vocals)
Lynn (background vocals)
Robert Camarena (background vocals)
Thank you.
Brian, I could use a little bit more monitor.
Hello hello, can't you turn up any more than that?
Hello hello, hey!
Alright!
Pardon me folks.
The name of this song is Penguin in Bondage,
An' it's a song that ah, deals with the possible variations on
a basic theme which is...well,
You understand what a basic theme is.
And then the variations include ah, manoeuvres that might be
executed with the aid of ah, extra-terrestrial gratification
and devices which might or might not be supplied in a local
department store or perhaps a drugstore but at very least in
one of those fancy new shops that they advertise in the
back-pages of the free press.
This song suggests to the suggestible listener that the
ordinary procedure ah,
That I am circumlocuting at this present time in order to get
this text on television,
Is that ah, if you wanna do something other than what you
thought you were gonna do when you first took your clothes off
and you just happened to have some DEVICES around...
Then it's, it's not only okay to get into the
PARAPHERNALIA of it all but...Hey!
What did he say? Ready?
She's just like a penguin in Bondage, boy
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, Oh...
Rennenhenninnahenninnenninahennn
Way over on the wet side
Of the bed (Knirps for moisture)
Just like the mighty Penguin
Flappin' her eight ounce wings
Lord, you know it's all over
If she comes atcha on the strut & wrap `em
all around yer head
Flappin her eight ounce wings, flappinumm
She's just like a Penguin in Bondage, boy
Shake up the pale-dry
Ginger ale
Tremblin' like a Penguin
When the battery fail
Lord, you must be havin' her jumpin' through
a hoopa real fire
With some Kleenex wrapped around a
coat-hang wire
She's just like a Penguin in Bondage, boy
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, Oh...
Rennenhenninnahenninneninahenn
Howlin' over to some
Antarcticulated moon
In the frostbite nite
With her flaps gone white
Shriekin' as she spot the hoop across the room
Lord, you know it must be a Penguin bound down
When you hear that terrible screamin' and
there ain't no other
Birds around
She's just like a Penguin in Bondage, boy
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, Oh...
She's just like a Penguin in Bondage, boy
Oh yeah, Oh yeah, Oh...
Rennenhenninnahenninneninahennn
Aw, you must be careful
Not to leave her straps
TOO LOOSE
`Cause she just might box yer dog
She just might box yer doggie
An' leave you a dried-up dog biscuit...
08 WPLJ (01:30)
Frank zappa (vocals, guitar)
Lowell george (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Roy estrada (bass, vocals)
Bunk gardner (woodwinds)
Ian underwood (keyboards, woodwinds)
Don preston (keyboards)
Motorhead sherwood (woodwinds, vocals)
Jimmy carl black (drums, percussion)
Arthur tripp (drums, percussion)
I say wplj, it really tastes good to me
Wplj won't you take a drink with me
Well, it's a good good wine
It really makes me feel so fine, so fine, so fine, so fine
I went to the store when they open up the door
I said: "please please please gimme some more"
White port & lemon juice, white port & lemon juice,
White port & lemon juice, ooh what a good to you!
You take the bottle, you take the can, shake it up fine
You get a good good wine.
White port & lemon juice, white port & lemon juice,
White port & lemon juice, ooh what a good to you!
The w is the white, the p is the port
The l is the lemon, the j is the juice
White port & lemon juice, white port & lemon juice,
White port & lemon juice, ooh what a good to you!
Well I feel so good, I feel so fine
I got plenty of lovin', I got plenty of wine
White port & lemon juice, white port & lemon juice,
I said white port & lemon juice, ooh what a good to you!
10 Whippin' Post (08:27)
Bobby Martin (lead vocals, keyboards)
Frank Zappa (guitar)
Steve Vai (rhythm guitar)
Ray White (rhythm guitar)
Tommy Mars (keyboards)
Ed Mann (percussion)
Arthur Barrow (bass)
Chad Wackerman (drums)
I been run down
Lord, I been lied to
And I don't know why
I let that mean woman make out a fool
She took all my money
Wrecked my new car
Now she's with one of my good-time buddies,
Drinkin' in some cross-town bar
Sometimes I feel
Sometimes I feel
Like I been
Tied to the whippin' post
Tied to the whippin' post
Good Lord, I feel like I'm dyin'
My friends tell me
That I been such a fool
But I got to stand there an' take it
All for loving you
Drown myself in sorrow
As I look at what you done
Nothin' seems to change;
That bad times stay the same,
And I can't run
Sometimes I feel
Sometimes I feel
Like I been
Tied to the whippin' post
Tied to the whippin' post
Good Lord, I feel like I'm dyin'
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