Joe's Menage - details here

[Milhouse G]

In article

http://www.idiotbastard.com/news.htm#Hot

So much for our dreams of the summer '75 band.
At least we get Norma Jean Bell, previously represented on official
releases by just one track on FZ Plays The Music Of FZ.

She's not extremely well represented on this recording, either, but she
has a little funky vocal improv spot on "Chunga's Revenge".

[Milhouse G]

The album first germinated when Frank Zappa gave friendly fan Ole
Lysgaard several cassette tapes, including this one, in 1978. In 2004,
Lysgaard sent the tapes to Gail Zappa and she decided to release the
1975 music, which was restored and mastered by John Polito.

That's one thing I find kind of neat about this recording. It comes from
an uncirculated tape. FZShows doesn't list it, so if it ever circulated
at all, it couldn't have gone very far. For years and years, the only
people that really would have ever heard this recording are Ole and
maybe some of his friends. It makes me wonder what other tapes out there
might have come from fans like Ole who were given a couple of random
tapes by FZ, be they somewhat well known or totally unknown.

[Milhouse G]

I'm looking fwd to heaing it but Zappa's "scaled down" groups to me
always have a kind of eerie-ness to them. Like when John Cleese left
Monty Python and those few episodes felt "odd". Should be cool though.
Looking fwd to Chunga & Zoot!

"Honey, Don't You Want A Man Like Me" has that kind of weird
stripped-down quality to it on "Menage". Andre Lewis' keyboard part with
a kind of clavinet sound really stands out and Bozzio's drumming is
really restrained for him. Pretty cool rendition of a song we've all
heard plenty of times (which I, for one, still enjoy.)

[Milhouse G]

More info on zappa.com
http://www.zappa.com/flash/joesmenage/index.html
1. Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me? 3:57
2. The Illinois Enema Bandit 8:42
3. Carolina Hard-Core Ecstacy 6:02
4. Lonely Little Girl 2:46
5. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance 2:10
6. What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body? 1:16
7. Chunga's Revenge 14:18
8. Zoot Allures 6:41

Only 45 minutes...
And they possibly trimmed out Black Napkins, Any Downers,
Swallow My Pride usw.
Or maybe the original tape had only 45 minutes.

I think what's on the CD is what was on the tape, as-is. There's an
unexpected fadeout and return in "Zoot Allures", I'm guessing due to a
tape flip.

[Milhouse G]

"Charles Ulrich" wrote...

More info on zappa.com
http://www.zappa.com/flash/joesmenage/index.html
1. Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me? 3:57
2. The Illinois Enema Bandit 8:42
3. Carolina Hard-Core Ecstacy 6:02
4. Lonely Little Girl 2:46
5. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance 2:10
6. What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body? 1:16
7. Chunga's Revenge 14:18
8. Zoot Allures 6:41

Do we expect this to sound much different from FZ:OZ (other than the
inclusion of HDYWAMLM?)?

The big difference will presumably be the presence of Norma Jean Bell,
in her first performance as a member of the band (having guested on a
few numbers the night before).
And the guitar solos, of course.

If this is a mirror of a cassette. I thought FZ:OZ was sourced from some
master tapes. Wasn't it?
I would image the sound quality is less than stellar.

According to one zappateer who has received his copy already, it "sounds
unbelievable".

It basically sounds like a really, really good aud recording close to
the stage, and I don't mean that as an insult at all. I like the very
"live" sound of the recording. FZ:OZ almost sounds sterile by comparison.

[Milhouse G]

"Charles Ulrich" wrote...

"Charles Ulrich" wrote...

More info on zappa.com
http://www.zappa.com/flash/joesmenage/index.html
1. Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me? 3:57
2. The Illinois Enema Bandit 8:42
3. Carolina Hard-Core Ecstacy 6:02
4. Lonely Little Girl 2:46
5. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance 2:10
6. What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body? 1:16
7. Chunga's Revenge 14:18
8. Zoot Allures 6:41

Do we expect this to sound much different from FZ:OZ (other than the
inclusion of HDYWAMLM?)?

The big difference will presumably be the presence of Norma Jean Bell,
in her first performance as a member of the band (having guested on a
few numbers the night before).
And the guitar solos, of course.

If this is a mirror of a cassette. I thought FZ:OZ was sourced from some
master tapes. Wasn't it?
I would image the sound quality is less than stellar.

According to one zappateer who has received his copy already, it "sounds
unbelievable".
What did you think of the two cassette-sourced tracks on Imaginary
Diseases?

That wasn't bad. A previous release from cassette; Joe's Domage did however
have less than stellar quality. This one seems to be from a concert, not a
rehearsal, and a courtesy tape that FZ himself floated out to a fan. I'm
just saying; Why not dig for the source tape and release the whole show?

According to the liner notes, they hunted for a recording of the show in
the Vault but it didn't turn up.

[Milhouse G]

In article

That wasn't bad. A previous release from cassette; Joe's Domage did however
have less than stellar quality. This one seems to be from a concert, not a
rehearsal, and a courtesy tape that FZ himself floated out to a fan. I'm
just saying; Why not dig for the source tape and release the whole show?

There may not be another tape. Joe has mentioned that there isn't
much of the 75/76 band in the vault. See also FZ's comment that the
Osaka version of Zoot Allures on YCDTOSA 3 is "the only surviving
tape" of that band performing it.

FZ:OZ having been recorded on wax cylinders.

The FZ Plays FZ version having been recovered from the grooves of a clay
pot someone was spinning during the concert.