• Voto:
Fra qualche anno la discografia postuma di Frank Zappa sarà ancora più estesa della pur mastodontica discografia originale, visto e considerato il ritmo di due-tre pubblicazioni inedite annuali, curate dalla famiglia Zappa che getta in pasto al pubblico di aficionados zappiani qualsiasi cosa esca fuori dagli sterminati archivi del baffone, siano esse discutubili rarità, siano essi live album (per la maggior parte) o ancora vere e proprie pubblicazioni "inedite". Molte cose, fosse stato per Frank, probabilmente, sarebbero rimaste ad ammuffire, ma tant'è: lo sfruttamento scientifico di un mito è lucrosa prassi comune.
Questo "The Lost Episodes" è la seconda pubblicazione postuma di Zappa, datata 1996, ma fu da lui stesso curata nel '92, giusto un anno prima della sua scomparsa. Una vera e propria operazione nostalgica questa complilation, che va a coprire tutto l'arco della sua carriera, partendo da un mesolitico 1958 (!) fino alla fine del '92, con una predilizione per la prima parte della carriera. Nostalgia che si evince dall'accurata descrizione autobiografica delle varie canzoni, "spiegate" nel fornito booklet del cd, che si rivelano quantomeno necessarie per poter capire le numerose outakes e parti parlate presenti nel disco, che assumano più che altro un certo valore "storico" che non musicale in senso stretto. Ne sono esempio le primissime collaborazioni con Captain Beefhart come la stramba parodia blues di "Lost In Whirpool" (dal solito testo irriverente...ma nel 1958!), il delirio vocale dello stesso Beefhart in "Ronnie sings", "Tiger Roach", "The Big Squeeze" (roba per hardocore fan, decisamente), o ancora le parti parlate di "Kenny's Booger Story" e "I'm a Band Leader". Tra le varie outtakes, la più "sorprendente" è senza dubbio "Cops&Buns", registrazione di una vera conversazione tra la band dei Mothers ( a New York nel '67) e un poliziotto che implorava di non doverlo costringere a dover rispondere ad alcune denuncie di gente infastidita dalla band che provava la propria musica. Già me lo immagino Zappa più impegnato a registrare all'insaputa di tutti la faccenda piuttosto che ad ascoltare le suppliche del poliziotto. Quando si dice cogliere l'attimo.
C'è comunque spazio anche per la musica vera e propria, che tra episodi trascurabili come "Charva" o lo scorcio orchestrale live di "Mount St.Mary's Concert Excerpt", e versioni demo di "Any Way The Winds Blows" e "Fountain Of Love", propone delle autentiche gemme nascoste del calibro di "Sharleena" (qui in una fantastica versione definitiva da 11 minuti) e la jazzata "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance". Degne di nota anche una primordiale versione di "Inca Roads" e la jam di violino di "Lil Clanton Shuffle", proveniente dalle sessions di "Hot Rats" e degna di tale capolavoro se non fosse per la presenza di una certa "The Gumbo Variations" in quell'album.
"The Lost Episodes" non può definirsi come opera fondamentale o irrinunciabile ma è certamente è un buon prodotto che non spiega il genio di Zappa, ma ne dà un'assaggio o un'approfondimento, a seconda della persona che si accinge ad ascoltarlo, sia essa un neofita o un zappiano convinto.
P.S: Per la cronaca, la teoria Frank Zappa > Nirvana rimane ovviamente immutata.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
08 Tiger Roach (02:20)
Captain Beefheart (vocals)
Frank Zappa (guitar)
Janschi (bass)
Vic Mortenson (drums)
This album is not available to the public ...
Even if it were, you wouldn't wanna listen to it!
[mouth noises]
Iron Man!
[screams]
That's fine!
Tiger spine!
Work out!
Monza blocks!
Light switch!
Roaches' smocks!
Ice cream!
What a dream!
Memories of
Flyin' machines!
Green Lantern!
Funny lizard!
Three-way!
Out'sight!
Buddy learns!
See Spot run!
Work out!
Have some fun!
Yeah ...
[screams]
[screams]
Wilhelmina!
Mildew!
[screams]
Billboard!
Night light!
Hammerhead!
Outta sight!
In Baghdad
Roaches fly!
Outta sight!
'Cross the grassy sky!
Anvils fly!
Mountains burp!
Turpentine!
[Deano/Duno/Tuna/Tina werp?]
Lord gosh!
Oooh ...
[Rush eye / Musheye?] ...
[harp imitation, screams and coughs]
What's that noise?
Looks like green!
Maybe it's purple?
[Spotlight / Spot eye?]!
Hammer law?
Bend iron!
So fine ...
Tiger Roach!
14 Charva (01:59)
Frank Zappa (vocals, piano, bass, drums)
Charva, I loved you
I loved you through and through
I loved you since in grammar school
When we were sniffing glue
I loved you purty baby doll
And I don't know what in the world
to do about it
Boppa-bah-boppa-choo-wah
Charva, my darling
The only love I had
I hope you will forgive me dear
For punching out your dad
I loved you, I loved you
And I don't know what in the world
I'm gonna do about it
Ooohh-oh-oooh
Lahm-buh-buhm-buhm
I remember, remember the junior prom
And I remember the time I broke your father's arm
And I remember, remember all the love we shared
Every place and everywhere
Oh Charva, Charva
I love you more and more
I swear it aint because your father owns a liquor store
Charva, my baby
I love you and I don't know what to do about it
Oh-oh Charva
Ooooohh
Oh-oh Charva
Ooooohh
Come back my little darling Charva
I love you so much honey
Come back to me Charva
Please Charva, please come back to me
I miss you so much
18 Cops & Buns (02:36)
Patrolman Lefemine: Now, we don't come up here because we feel like walkin' four flights at three o'clock in the morning. FZ: Yeah. Patrolman Lefemine: We were up here last night. Now for us . . . FZ: Last night? Patrolman Lefemine: Yes. FZ: I wasn't here last night. Patrolman Lefemine: For us to continually come up to this here place every night and not show no action other than to say, yes a corrective indictment . . . Guy #1: Oh, sure this is ridiculous. Patrolman Lefemine: We look kinda bad. I mean, let's be honest. Now if you had to give me any kinda reccomendation, or mark my word, you'll say, "Who the hell's kiddin' who? This guy's a mistake, every night, 3 to 4, 2 to 4, betwen those hours you guys are at 53 E 10 st, what are you doin' there every night? You mean you, you permit this condition to continue on without once giving a summons?" Alright, your lawyer said to knock it off! Uh, we're puttin' ourselves over backwards with these people. Do you know what we're doin'? Do you know what we're doin'? FZ: No, tell me. Please tell me. Patrolman Lefemine: Alright. Well this is, if we're up here once we're up here twenty times. I know that little guy, like a, like the guy at the, like a long-lost brother. Now if we ever get called down, if this ever goes to a big explosion, and they say, "Officer, what did you do, did you issue summonses?" They get, this is all in the rekkid book, how many times we've been up here. This is all rekkids. FZ: M-hmm. Patrolman Lefemine: Now if these people wanna subpoena these rekkids, they can subpoena these rekkids. An' they can find out how many times we've been. This is us on, wait! This is us alone! An' they say, "Officer, what did you do? Warn 'em? You mean to tell me you were up here about twenty times an you never issued a summons?" Guy #1: There have been summonses. Patrolman Lefemine: Well, WE never issued em! How many summonses have you gotten for noise? Guy In Charge: What, me personally, or the studio? Patrolman Lefemine: The studio! The studio. Guy In Charge: I don't know how many, but there's a court case pending right now . . . Guy #1: We've gotten one. Patrolman Lefemine: ONE! ONE! And how many times have I, eh, uh, hey listen! As I say, if I've been up here once I've been up here twenty times already. FZ: Hey look, stop it, pack that stuff up, stop making NOISE you guys! Guy In Charge: Yeah, well, I understand, he didn't know . . . Patrolman Lefemine: Well, who's in charge here at the studio? Guy #1: Here he is. Guy In Charge: In charge? Patrolman Lefemine: IN charge Guy #1: He's more or less in charge Patrolman Lefemine: Are you in charge? Guy In Charge: I don't run the studio, I just . . . Patrolman Lefemine: Alright, listen, lemme tell you one thing . . . Guy In Charge: I'm in, I'm in charge Patrolman Lefemine: You're in charge at this point Guy In Charge: Right. Patrolman Lefemine: My name is Patrolman Lefemine FZ: Here, have a BUN. Patrolman Lefemine: Now, as of tonight . . . Guy In Charge: Right. FZ: You want a BUN? Patrolman Lefemine: If I come back here, and every night that I do come back here, I don't care who says he's in charge, I will issue a summons. Guy #1: I'm issuing you a bun Patrolman Lefemine: An' anybody thinks it's a great joke, you can all laugh in the court. Guy #1: Yeah, I issue it. Guy In Charge: But, uh . . . Patrolman Lefemine: You guys ain't got one hit record by now, my goodness. Guy In Charge: We have, we have to . . . Guy #1: It takes a long time. Patrolman Lefemine: You know what I mean. This is ridiculous! FZ: Are you sure you don't want one of those breakfast rolls on your way down the stairs? Guy In Charge: Yeah . . . Patrolman Lefemine: You better believe that I don't want nuthin' Guy In Charge: Who gets, who gets the summonses, is the, the organization? Patrolman Lefemine: Whoever it is in charge at the time. He could say Joe Blow, I don't care what kind of a name he gives me. Then if the courts decide, if they wanna know who he's takin' orders from, they'll summons that person to court. That's all there is to it. Guy #1: Alright. Take care. Guy In Charge: Right. Guy #1: Okay. FZ: Nighty-night!
22 The Grand Wazoo (02:12)
We haven't lyrics of this song. Please, add these lyrics for other users. Use "Correct". Thanks to you.
24 Kung Fu (01:06)
Bolic Sound, Inglewood
late 1973-early 1974
George Duke--keyboard
Ruth Underwood--percussion
Bruce Fowler--trombone
Tom Fowler--bass
Chester Thompson--drums
Ralph Humphrey--drums
30 Sharleena (11:54)
Frank Zappa (guitar, vocals)
Ian Underwood (grand piano, tenor saxophone)
George Duke (organ)
Jeff Simmons (bass, vocals)
Aynsley Dunbar (drums)
The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie (vocals)
I'm crying,
I'm crying,
Crying for Sharleena.
Don't you know?
I called up all my baby's friends
and asked them,
where she done went.
But nobody around here seems to know,
Where my Sharleena has been.
Where my Sharleena has been.
I'm crying,
I'm crying,
Crying for Sharleena.
Can't you see?
I called up all my baby's friends
and asked them,
where she done went.
But nobody around here seems to know,
Where my Sharleena has been.
Where my Sharleena has been.
Ten long years I been lovin' her.
Ten long years and I thought deep down in my heart she was mine.
Ten long years I beloved her.
Ten long years and I would call her my baby.
And now, I'm always crying.
Ugh!
Ugh!
I would be so delighted.
I would be so delighted.
If they would just
Send her on home to me.
I would be so delighted.
I would be so delighted.
If they would just
Send her on home to me.
Send my baby home to me!
Send my baby home to me!
Send my baby home.
Send my baby home to me!
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