Zappa, "Finer Moments"

**Oreb** · 12-14-2012

This looks like a no-brainer: can't wait.

I'm not familiar with the material: any seasoned Zappaphiles care to comment?

1. Intro 1:20 from 6/6/69
2. Sleazette 3:33 from 6/6/69
3. Mozart Piano Sonata In Bb 6:21 from 6/6/69
4. The Walking Zombie Music 3:23 from 6/6/69
5. The Old Curiosity Shoppe 7:07 from Chicago 5/21/71
6. You Never Know Who Your Friends Are 2:20 studio cut
7. Uncle Rhebus 17:45 7/7 or8/69 (the Ark)

1. Music From The Big Squeeze 0:42 studio
2. Enigmas 1 Thru 5 8:15 Sept 68 just FZ and A Tripp
3. Pumped And Waxed 4:19 FZ basement 72
4. There Is No Heaven From Where Slogans Go To Die 4:37 68/69 10 piece band with guest Dave Samuels on vibes
5. Squeeze It, Squeeze It, Squeeze It 3:17 Ct 2/16/69
6. The Subcutaneous Peril 19:41 Carnige Hall 10/11/71

**mogrooves** · 12-14-2012

I don't know the titles, but the recording dates make this an auto-buy for me. (Interesting to see Dave Samuels).....

**Dave (in MA)** · 12-15-2012

Uncle Rhebus is part of the Uncle Meat that was on The Ark (Beat the Boots):

**Mister Triscuits** · 12-15-2012

A few of these tracks have been released already. "Mozart Piano Sonata in Bb" is on YCDTOSA Vol 5 under the title "Mozart Ballet" (although it looks like we are now getting a longer edit), "Squeeze It" is on Mystery Disc, and "The Big Squeeze" (no relation) is on Lost Episodes. I believe "The Subcutaneous Peril" is a long jam that would have been on the unreleased 2LP version of Just Another Band from L.A.

**Dave (in MA)** · 12-15-2012

Here's a site with audio clips.

http://www.bol.com/nl/p/finer-moment...product_images

**polmico** · 12-15-2012

Is this a new release?

Whoops. So it is. Thank you, interwebs.

http://www.weirdomusic.com/2012/11/1...t-in-december/

**FrippWire** · 12-15-2012

Autobuy.

**Hobo Chang Ba** · 12-15-2012

Sound quality?

Because all signs are pointing to awesome.

**Andre C** · 12-26-2012

Listening right now on Spotify. I subscribe so it's CD-quality feed, sounds great.

Material-wise, not much new, tho the opening guitar solo doesn't ring a bell (and I have 100s of Zappa bootlegs). It's one of those times when you go "Aha Frank had been practicing". I love how you can see the leaps and bounds in his playing - AND his sound - in the 69-72 live stuff.

Yeah..this is cool, but not ground breaking. Lots of overlap with the extended "Weasels", "Burnt Weeny", "Ahead Of their Time" releases. Don? Ian? starts playing the "Uncle Meat" and "King Kong" melodies a third of the way thru "Uncle Rhebus"

At 15:37 I even hear a proto-'Montana' lick!! Hmm. Interesting.

'Big Squeeze' is a quick experimental clip, a la the stuff right before 'Guitar Wants to Kill' on "Weasels".

'Enigmas 1-5' : cool, Varese-ian heavily percussion and drums aleatoric piece. Again, great but nothing groundbreakingly new to anyone familiar with a lot of the live Mothers stuff. GREAT that it's finally coming out tho and filling in the blanks.

'Pumped and Waxed' is a great early synth/ (some kind of electric organ?) improv..sounds like Don Preston. Freeform electronic keyboard music. I love it - not for everyone, and really, besides the historic interest, it's 2012.... and there's just SO MUCH MUSIC AVAILABLE now... this isn't as mind blowing off the wall !! as it was when I first heard them do it when I was 16. But I'm not complaining.

'Squeeze it...' - is the Roy Estrada (??) singing operatic snippets and crying out "oh god! oh god! more!! more!! do it again! stuff, with some free jamming. Although, Roy pretending to be tickled and/or fucked isn't as funny as it once was....

'Subcutaneous Peril' is quite interesting in that there's almost 10 minutes of Zappa guitar soloing...again some nice foreshadowing stuff of what he'd be doing 2-3 years later. Some very tasty, great sounding guitar work, pushing twds the 'Inca Roads' type of stuff that was just a few yrs in the future.

All in all....a fun listen, but very little that a moderate or heavy-duty Zappa fan hasn't heard before, or that isn't all over YCDTOSA Vol. 5

But - great that it's out -- even better to be able to hear it legally via Spotify subscription, and have the rights holder be paid.

There's no way it's worth $30.... Let's get to some unreleased 1975-84 stuff, please.

**Andre C** · 12-26-2012

Originally Posted by Hobo Chang Ba

Sound quality?

Because all signs are pointing to awesome.

on par with the live stuff on "Weasels" or "YCDTOSA 5"

**Andre C** · 12-26-2012

Aha...'Subcutaneous Peril' also has a snippet of the "Swallow My Pride" lick, which would become a song 5-6 years later. This is what 19 min Zappa jam tracks are often good for..... detective work!!

**Hobo Chang Ba** · 12-26-2012

Bought it, love it.

**polmico** · 12-27-2012

I ordered this, Bat Chain Puller and the other new live Zappa from zappa.com about a week ago. The other two shipped, but Finer Moments hasn't. In fact, Finer Moments isn't even up on the front page of zappa.com. I only found it by doing a search. Weird.

**Adm.Kirk** · 12-27-2012

And it's available on vinyl! When was the last FZ release pressed on vinyl? Broadway the Hardway?

Bill

**Jerjo** · 12-27-2012

Zappa is the one guy I could never get into. The trouble is his lyrics and fondness for doo wop. Is there a collection of instrumental pieces that I should seek out?

**Andre C** · 12-27-2012

there's hardly any doo-wop, over the 70-some albums.

there are hundreds of instrumentals. the lyrics are all over the place. is it the 'toilet humor' stuff you don't like? the social commentary/political stuff? there's many categories.

nevertheless:

If you like guitar solos with a ripping live band: Shut Up N Play yer Guitar , Guitar, TranceFusion

If you like orchestral music: Orchestral Favorites, London Symphony Orch. Vol I. Actually --Strictly Genteel is great - that covers many years of instrumental stuff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strictly_Genteel

If you like jazz, jazz rock, horn based stuff: Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka

If you like electronics, computer based stuff: Jazz From Hell, Civilization Phaze III

If you like avant garde/experimental, varese orchestral music meets spike jones: Lumpy Gravy

This is where Spotify is a great candidate -- you could surf around and check out some instrumentals, and Gail gets paid. Then if you like you can pick up one of the new reissues from UME.

**Jerjo** · 12-27-2012

Isn't "Shut Up" just a collection of guitar solos? But yeah, instrumentals would be my thing. Such a massive catalog to search through it's a bit intimidating. Kind of like when I started exploring Eno.

**Andre C** · 12-28-2012

Originally Posted by Jerjo

Isn't "Shut Up" just a collection of guitar solos? But yeah, instrumentals would be my thing. Such a massive catalog to search through it's a bit intimidating. Kind of like when I started exploring Eno.

Yep, as stated, all of these three records are guitar solos with a live band.

Shut Up n Play: Pretty much from 1977-1980 concerts. There is a FZ-bouzouki/Jean Luc Ponty-violin duo, and perhaps 1-2 studio tracks.
Trance-fusion has stuff '77 thru '88
Guitar is '79-'84

**Adm.Kirk** · 12-28-2012

Back in 1983, I was the first of my friends to discover the wonders of FZ. I played The Man From Utopia, my first FZ album, one night and they looked at me like I had lost my mind. Then, a few weeks later, I picked up the 3 LP set of Shut Up n Play and they lost their minds and their wallets became increasingly lighter in their scramble to get their hands on Zappa records.

Bill