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 We'll take what we can get from the vaults Jan 31, 2010
4.6 stars
Apostrophe was one of the first rock albums I got as a kid, mainly for Stinkfoot. It was 1974 and it took me a while to realize how amazing the rest of the record was, but Frank had his way with my brain from moment one, and I've been Zappafied ever since. It's interesting to hear the perspectives of those who were part of that killer line-up from '73 and '74, still my favorite period for live tapes of FZ, and while this isn't the best show in the Classic Album series, it's certainly well worth watching for any fan of Frank, or intelligent rock music in general.
Ruth seems as fun as ever, as do Napoleon (he was the highlight of the Zappa Milks Zappa show I saw in 2007, before the Evil Queen declared him unfit) and Duke...which brings up my main gripe here: no mention of my absolute favorite Zappa tune, Uncle Remus! Say what?! One of Frank's best guitar solos, crisp and concise, and one of the best vocals and lyrics on any tune he ever wrote, and they ignore it completely. Sigh. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
Most of the other tunes from ' and OS are covered, but this is mainly about FZ hisself, which is fair enough. They show us the much-coveted Roxy footage (but no Penguins, despite the footage's constant bondage), and the Non-Talent who decrees who is allowed to play Frank's music rears her ugly head from the Den of Decision to add very little to the proceedings. I can only imagine that she was kept on the payroll because she let Frank shag all the groupies he desired. Now she has her revenge on all of Frank's fans by making sure Ike and the boys can't play the music they helped make so special. Sigh.
In any case, this is a treat for any Zappaphile, though I'd much rather hear more from Ruth or George or Brock or Little Stevie the Spanker than from the Z folks, who really don't add much of value except the keys to the vault.
While nowhere near the sheer joy that is the '74 live footage from the Dub Room Special, this dvd does have some fine moments, and a few choice words from the man himself, so check it out.
And sign some online petitions so that Ike and everyone who wants to can play Frank's music, just like Beethoven or any other composer's works can be played at will. Counting the days 'til the fridge finally takes its toll.....
FZ: Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation DVD Dec 15, 2009
Buy It! If you are a fan you should own this. Dweezil, is a good host and presenter of his fathers legacy. If you are new to Zappa's work this is a good starting point and a good historical rock document. Zappa, was doing things others were not and never were going too.
There's a spot that makes me hot...but they didn't quite get to it. Apr 25, 2009
Owning the Classic Albums DVDs for Lou Reed, Sex Pistols, Cream, Deep Purple, Doors and Zappa; I have to say this is worthy, but ain't a classic within the series. Only a handful of songs from Overnite Sensation and Apostrophe are covered here, and only fleetingly in most cases. There are plenty of people interviewed, but it ranges from the half sentence blurbs of the shortest Alice Cooper interview ever done and the chuckling "I don't really have anything to say about that" style of George Duke to the episode stealing interviews with Ruth Underwood and Billy Bob Thornton. Steve Via and Dweezil are insightful and gracious, but few seem to know how to talk about this complicated guy. Though Moon Unit's basic comment that he was a "musical monk...who liked groupies" gives another angle, it reeks a bit of her personal issues more than something helpful to understanding the guy's music. When you've finished the Machine Head Classic Albums DVD, you feel you've learned something new about every song and the circumstance of the recording (hell, they even go further in depth with the Zappa origins of the Smoke On The Water story than most anything here). Never Mind The Bollocks Classic Album is chock full of info and depth. The Fleetwood Mac episode of this series goes so far, for so long it's overwhelming! But this one just doesn't feel complete. It's undoubtedly worth getting for the rare footage (including Halloween Zappa on SNL), but if you own these albums you'll get more about the songs from putting on your headphones than watching this. The "Vaultmeister" as he's introduced, seems to have just gotten the keys to the vault, as all he knows is the location of said album, and the history of the format it's recorded on. Both he and Dweezil seem genuinely surprised when they encounter an interesting bit on the master tapes, as if they'd never thought of sitting down and examining what was there. At least they could've done a dry run before the cameras got there, so they'd appear to know SOMETHING! There's plenty of talk about Tina, but she's not on here. At least Gail gets some camera time and knows how to use it. Maybe it's because Frank is so very different and dead, that they were unable to completely capture the essence of what these recording sessions were all about. But it seems like they didn't do enough research into the original studio, or engineer or enough of the musicians involved to give a concise statement about these truly Classic Albums. Sadly; three and a half stars out of five.
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 A lot seems to be missing Apr 22, 2009
This is the unedited version of the program shown on VH1 Classic. The only material omitted from the version aired on TV was a more in-depth discussion on "Dinah Moe Hum," for obvious reasons, but it is the same program, nonetheless.
It would be, one would expect, a track-by-track discussion of these two pivotal LPs in Zappa's career, and where there is some discussion of them, it is more a cast of characters telling the viewer what a cut-up Frank was. His wife Gail speaks briefly on his work habits and the burden of doing certain songs he didn't prefer doing over and over and over... while Moon Unit speaks briefly on being embarassed by a lot of his music's toilet humor. But Dweezil, it seems can never tire of talking about, or listening to, his late father's music. He really loved the man, without a doubt. Steve Vai talks about Frank's sensibilities as a composer and performer, Elliot Ingber, guitarist with the original Mothers Of Invention, talks about the music of his time in the band not just being another guitar jam band, and Warren Cucurullo just says what it was like to live in that world.
As for the sessions themselves, several band members from the time give their own thoughts about what it was like making these records, but the final product is far from complete. A lot of the material isn't even mentioned, but as a saving grace, Ruth Underwood (phenomenal percussionist, by the way) uses her marimba to give a brief tutorial about chord structure, and Zappa's approach to it, as well as an impromptu performance of the percussion solo from Apostrophe's "Father Oblivion." She claims afterward to have made a mistake playing it, but it isn't apparent. It's an amazing thing to see, such a complicated line, done with what looks like very little effort, but that's the kind of talent Frank demanded from his musicians.
But, apart from Dweezil toying with the sound board showing how the various arrangements in certain pieces change the piece when accentuated or deleted, there is very little in the way of the music itself. As I said earlier, it's just a bunch of people waxing about how much they liked playing Frank Zappa's music. I'm not sure why, but these interviews include Billy Bob Thornton's thoughts. While what he says is true and obviously heartfelt, I just can't figure why he's even in there. He wasn't on the record, nor was he in the band. Whatever, I just don't get it. At least Alice Cooper, also on this video, got his start because of Frank's efforts.
But, for the real gems, go to "Features," and look for his 1976 appearance on "Saturday Night Live," when the show was worth something, to see him play "I'm The Slime." Also, watch the clip of "Montana," from the show recorded for "Roxy And Elsewhere." It wasn't on the record for some reason, but it couldn't be for lack of good performance. Excellent band. But I got a little sad watching Dweezil's band playing "Camarillo Brillo." They played it well, but something seemed to be missing. Of course, Frank is missing, but it just felt like something was wrong. I can't really explain it, it was like something needed to happen. Whatever it was, they played it well, so maybe it's just me.
The whole thing has some good stuff, it's just not essential.
A must have for Zappa fans Mar 28, 2009
Been a Zappa fan since the first Mothers of Invention but, I agree, you either love him or you don't like him. If you love him you must have this DVD. If you don't like him, pass this by and get something you like, this will just be more slime from the video
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