Frank Zappa Roxy & Elsewhere CD

Full performer name: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention.
The Mothers Of Invention: Frank Zappa, Jeff Simmons (vocals, guitar); Napolean Murphy Brock (vocals, flute, tenor saxophone); George Duke (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Walt Fowler (trumpet); Bruce Fowler (trombone); Don Preston (synthesizer); Ruth Underwood (percussion); Tom Fowler (bass); Chester Thompson, Ralph Humphrey (drums).
Additional personnel: Debbi, Lynn, Ruben, George, Froggy (background vocals).
Engineers: Wally Heider, Kerry McNab, Bill Hennigh.
Pricipally recorded live at The Roxy, Hollywood, California from December 10-12, 1973; the Auditorium Theater, Chicago, Illinois in 1974; Edinboro State College, Edinboro, Pennsylvania on May 8, 1974.
Digitally remastered by Stephen Marcussen.
Personnel: Frank Zappa (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, keyboards); Jeff Simmons (vocals, guitar, electric guitar); Napoleon Murphy Brock (vocals, flute, saxophone, tenor saxophone); George Duke (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Debbie (vocals, background vocals); Lynn, Robert Camarena, Ruben Guevara (vocals); Walt Fowler (trumpet, bass trumpet); Bruce Fowler (trombone, dancer); Don Preston (keyboards, synthesizer); Ruth Underwood (keyboards, percussion); Tom Fowler (electric bass); Chester Thompson , Ralph Humphrey (drums); Froggy, Ruben (background vocals).
Audio Remixer: Kerry McNabb.
Recording information: Auditorium Theater, Chicago, IL (12/10/1973-05/08/1974); Edinboro State College, Edinboro, PA (12/10/1973-05/08/1974); The Roxy, Hollywood, CA (12/10/1973-05/08/1974).
Photographer: Coy Featherstone.
After his affair with jazz fusion (Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, both released in 1972), Frank Zappa came back in late 1973 with an album of simple rock songs, Over-Nite Sensation. But the temptation for more challenging material was not long to resurface and, after a transitional LP (Apostrophe, early 1974), he unleashed a double LP (reissued on one CD) of his most complex music, creating a bridge between his comedy rock stylings and Canterbury-style progressive rock. Three-quarters of the album was recorded live at the Roxy in Hollywood and extensively overdubbed in the studio later. Only three tracks ("Dummy Up," "Son of Orange County," and "More Trouble Every Day"), taken from other concerts, are 100 percent live. The band is comprised of George Duke (keyboards), Tom Fowler (bass), Ruth Underwood (percussion), Bruce Fowler (trombone), Walt Fowler (trumpet), Napoleon Murphy Brock (vocals), and Chester Thompson (drums) -- drummer Ralph Humphrey, keyboardist Don Preston, and guitarist Jeff Simmons appear on the non-Roxy material. The sequence "Echidna's Arf (Of You)"/"Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" stands as Zappa's most difficult rock music and provides quite a showcase for Underwood. Other highlights include "Penguin in Bondage" and "Cheepnis," a horror movie tribute. All the pieces were premiere recordings, except for "More Trouble Every Day" and "Son of Orange County," a revamped, slowed down "Orange County Lumber Truck"/"Oh No." Compared to the man's previous live recordings (Fillmore East, June 1971, Just Another Band From L.A.), this one sounds fantastic, finally providing an accurate image of the musicians' virtuosity. For fans of Zappa's intricate material like "RDNZL," "The Black Page," or "Inca Roads," this album is a must-have. ~ François Couture
It's no secret that one of the most powerful weapons in Zappa's arsenal was his sense of humor, which was at its height in live performance. Consequently, there's no better way to get a feel for the full scope of Zappa's music than on the live ROXY & ELSEWHERE. This set finds Frank at his mid-'70s peak, working with Ruth Underwood, Don Preston, George Duke, etc. While all the tunes are technically impeccable (often featuring trademark feats of counter-intuitive derring-do), it's Zappa's humorous interaction with the band and the audience that puts the real spark into this reQ (8/95, pp.150-151) - 3 Stars - Good - "Pyrotechnic live album..."