You Cant do that on stage anymore Vol. 3

You cant do that on stage anymore Vol.3

Three volumes into the series and we finally get a live version of "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee," plus a version of "Dickie's Such an Asshole," recorded while it was still timely (it would turn up on BROADWAY THE HARD WAY, once Dickie was safely out of the way). These 25 tracks were recorded between 1971 and 1984 (5 songs were premiere recordings), although MOST of it's from the 1984 tour. Of special interest is the first track, "Sharleena," recorded December 23, 1984. On it, 15-year old Dweezil joins his father on guitar, the first time they played together onstage.

Also of special interest is a live version of "King Kong" that includes FZ's guitar solo from the notorious Rainbow Theater show of 1971. It was during this very number that an overreacting audience member, whose girlfriend claimed to be in love with Frank, chose to jump onstage and knock FZ into the orchestra pit; he wound up in the hospital and wouldn't perform for the remainder of the year. (This solo is deftly edited into a 1982 performance of the same tune). On the lighter side, there's an '84 performance of "Bamboozled by Love" where the band slides into a Yes riff that you'll probably recognize. Volume 3 of the "'Stage' series" is not for everybody. You have to be able to tolerate the in-jokes ("secret words" in Zappa-lingo) and the thin texture of the synthesizer-heavy 1984 band (which dominates the album). And you may find, as I did, that improvisationally the first disc is a total write-off. IMHO 1981-4 were not good years for Zappa's guitar playing - and while, fortunately, there's not a lot from the '81-2 tour where he tended to make ugly noises for no reason at all, the 1984 solos sound to me like haphazard noodling.
But on the first disc, you get the unassailable `Drowning Witch', a bit of rock 'n roll fun called `Ride My Face to Chicago', the infectious nonsense of `Chana in de Bushwop' (with a good keyboard solo from Bobby Martin and a funny one from Zappa and Zavod), and the marvellous `Carol You Fool' - a doowop song about a girl who'd been stalking the sound engineer, which reminds us that when they weren't joking around these 1984 guys could REALLY sing! (Especially Ray, in the difficult middle-eight)
The second disc, and especially the 24-minute `King Kong', is the real reason for buying. The original and best version of `Dickie's...' - even though purchasers of the `Stage sampler' album will know that a few lines have been inexplicably edited out, and the song remixed (poorly).
Terry's unique way of constructing a drum solo, leads us to the original (and best?) arrangement of `Zoot Allures'. But it edits to 1982 for the solo - damn! To get an idea of what the 1976 solos were like, consult `FZ:OZ' or, better still, `FZ Plays The Music Of FZ'
From the riot show we have the fabulous `Nig Biz' - Ray White singing like a good'un and, better yet, leading off the solo sequence. The `You Are What You Is' medley is always a pleasure to hear. And then...
The `King Kong' extravaganza. Part 1, a short Ed Mann noise-solo followed by the band shouting something unmentionable, functions mainly as light relief after the hectic music that precedes it on this album. Part 2 - Ian Underwood demonstrating his godliness as the rhythm alternates 4-4 and 3-4. Part 3 - one of the best Zappa solos you've ever heard. Uncharacteristically mellow and reflective (think of the `Sleep Dirt' title cut), partially unaccompanied, including quotes from `Big Swifty' and `Zoot Allures' (and you thought they hadn't been written yet!) as well as a hint of `Toads of the Short Forest' as the band shifts into a jazz waltz. Parts 4 and 5 - some hot keyboard action from Tommy Mars, plus the William Tell Overture and a bit of Zappa/Hammersmith stage-folklore. And, Part 6, a Zappa solo from '82 that's actually not bad at all (thanks to Scott and Chad).