Carnegie Hall
In October 1971, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention played two shows in one night at New York City's Carnegie Hall. For the first time ever, those recordings are available as a four-disc set. The album, Carnegie Hall, celebrates that night's two shows and is "recorded Live in glorious mono," But the sound is so warm & smooth you will swear it's a stereo mix.
Extensive liner notes in which Gail Zappa describes these shows as they represent the only time Frank Zappa, with or without the Mothers of Invention, appeared at Carnegie Hall. Promoter Ron Delsener, who had to convince the venue's booker that Zappa was "a very accomplished classical musician of several wind instruments like the cello, viola and harp," says "enjoy genius and smile, Frank is smilin' at you." For a final thought all i can say is this is now my favorite live zappa vault recording of them all. Bravo Frank & thank you Zappa family for putting out this true gem.
Addendum Notes found for this concert at Rolling stone site:
"This is Such an Auspicious Occasion"
According to New York promoter Ron Delsener's Carnegie Hall liner note, Zappa and his '71 Mothers – keyboard players Don Preston and Ian Underwood (the latter also on alto sax), ex-John Mayall drummer Aynsley Dunbar and three former Turtles, bassist Jim Pons and singer-jesters Mark "Flo" Volman and Howard "Eddie" Kaylan – only got through the backstage door because Delsener told the venue's booking manager that the boss Mother "was a very accomplished classical musician." Which was true, although the only strings in this band were on Zappa's guitar.
The complete 7:30 and 11 p.m. shows in this box were recorded by the leader in mono with a single microphone and concealed tape machine (probably to avoid union hassles). The fidelity is remarkably clear and full-bodied, even with the inevitable room echo. This is also a rare chance to hear the "Flo and Eddie" Mothers' full range of operatic lunacy and underrated small-combo instrumental drive. An LP-sized dose, Fillmore East – June 1971, had been issued shortly before these concerts; another, 1972's Just Another Band from L.A., had just been taped.
But Carnegie Hall is all that fun at length – the bawdy rock-star mockery of "The Mud Shark," reprised from Fillmore East; an even longer "Billy the Mountain" than the one on Just Another Band – plus surprising excavations from Uncle Meat, a long new piece called "Divan" (about a sofa and a magic pig) and a weirdly funky rewiring of the paranoia in Freak Out!'s "Who Are the Brain Police?" A chunk of "King Kong"'s 30 minutes goes to an overlong drum solo, but such were the times. In rich compensation, half of the first disc goes to an opening set by the Persuasions, the a cappella do-wop masters recently discovered and recorded by Zappa. Their first medley is the history and glory of Fifties street-corner-song in a pure, dazzling nutshell.
Ironically, Zappa's orchestral work was never performed in Carnegie Hall in his lifetime. After his death, though, I got to hear Zappa's long-form fable, "The Adventures of Greggary Peccary" (issued on 1978's Studio Tan), rendered in full, by an orchestra. Carnegie Hall marked Zappa's first and last night on that stage. He never left the building.
Extensive liner notes in which Gail Zappa describes these shows as they represent the only time Frank Zappa, with or without the Mothers of Invention, appeared at Carnegie Hall. Promoter Ron Delsener, who had to convince the venue's booker that Zappa was "a very accomplished classical musician of several wind instruments like the cello, viola and harp," says "enjoy genius and smile, Frank is smilin' at you." For a final thought all i can say is this is now my favorite live zappa vault recording of them all. Bravo Frank & thank you Zappa family for putting out this true gem.
Addendum Notes found for this concert at Rolling stone site:
"This is Such an Auspicious Occasion"
According to New York promoter Ron Delsener's Carnegie Hall liner note, Zappa and his '71 Mothers – keyboard players Don Preston and Ian Underwood (the latter also on alto sax), ex-John Mayall drummer Aynsley Dunbar and three former Turtles, bassist Jim Pons and singer-jesters Mark "Flo" Volman and Howard "Eddie" Kaylan – only got through the backstage door because Delsener told the venue's booking manager that the boss Mother "was a very accomplished classical musician." Which was true, although the only strings in this band were on Zappa's guitar.
The complete 7:30 and 11 p.m. shows in this box were recorded by the leader in mono with a single microphone and concealed tape machine (probably to avoid union hassles). The fidelity is remarkably clear and full-bodied, even with the inevitable room echo. This is also a rare chance to hear the "Flo and Eddie" Mothers' full range of operatic lunacy and underrated small-combo instrumental drive. An LP-sized dose, Fillmore East – June 1971, had been issued shortly before these concerts; another, 1972's Just Another Band from L.A., had just been taped.
But Carnegie Hall is all that fun at length – the bawdy rock-star mockery of "The Mud Shark," reprised from Fillmore East; an even longer "Billy the Mountain" than the one on Just Another Band – plus surprising excavations from Uncle Meat, a long new piece called "Divan" (about a sofa and a magic pig) and a weirdly funky rewiring of the paranoia in Freak Out!'s "Who Are the Brain Police?" A chunk of "King Kong"'s 30 minutes goes to an overlong drum solo, but such were the times. In rich compensation, half of the first disc goes to an opening set by the Persuasions, the a cappella do-wop masters recently discovered and recorded by Zappa. Their first medley is the history and glory of Fifties street-corner-song in a pure, dazzling nutshell.
Ironically, Zappa's orchestral work was never performed in Carnegie Hall in his lifetime. After his death, though, I got to hear Zappa's long-form fable, "The Adventures of Greggary Peccary" (issued on 1978's Studio Tan), rendered in full, by an orchestra. Carnegie Hall marked Zappa's first and last night on that stage. He never left the building.
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