Frank Zappa Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life CD

Personnel: Frank Zappa (vocals, guitar, synthesizers); Ike Willis, Mike Keneally (guitar, synthesizers); Kurt McGettrick (contrabass clarinet, baritone & bass saxophones); Paul Carman (soprano, alto & baritone saxophones); Albert Wing (tenor saxophone); Walt Fowler (trumpet, flugelhorn, synthesizers); Bruce Fowler (trombone); Scott Thunes (Mini-Moog synthesizer, electric bass); Bobby Martin (keyboards); Chad Wackerman (drums, percussion).
Digitally remastered by Bob Stone (1993).
Recorded live in 1988.
Personnel: Frank Zappa (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer); Ike Willis, Mike Keneally (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Bobby Martin (vocals, saxophone, keyboards); Scott Thunes (vocals, synthesizer, mini-Moog synthesizer, electric bass); Chad Wackerman (vocals, drums, electronic percussion); Ray White (guitar); Kurt McGettrick (e flat clarinet, saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone); Paul Carman (saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Albert Wing (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Walt Fowler (trumpet, flugelhorn, synthesizer); Bruce Fowler (trombone); Ed Mann (vibraphone, marimba, percussion, electronic percussion).
Editor: Frank Zappa.
Arranger: Frank Zappa.
This two-CD set is the second of three albums of material Frank Zappa compiled from the 1988 tour. While Broadway the Hard Way (released in 1988) mostly presented the new songs performed during that tour, this set focuses on older songs (Make a Jazz Noise Here would contain mostly instrumental pieces). This is the best band you never heard in your life because the 12-piece group disintegrated after only four months of touring through the U.S. East Coast and Europe. These shows took place during the Jimmy Swaggart scandal, when the televangelist was caught with a prostitute. Thus, many of the songs' lyrics were rewritten to refer to this situation (the whole 1988 tour was strongly anti-preacher oriented). There are a lot of strong performances of old favorites and obscurities, all rearranged to include the horn section, and a few improbable covers. Highlights include Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" (hilarious), the unexpected "Who Needs the Peace Corps?," "Mr. Green Genes," and "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue," and an extended rendition of "The Torture Never Stops" that includes the theme from the TV show Bonanza and a Swaggart version of "Lonesome Cowboy Burt." To top it all off, the group performs a very entertaining reggae version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." This band was incredibly talented and professional, and the selection of songs spans Zappa's entire career. In short, this is one of the man's best live albums. ~ François Couture
One of three collections from the 1988 world tour, THE BEST BAND YOU NEVER HEARD IN YOUR LIFE is a portrait of one of Zappa's most accomplished bands. Unfortunately, this band self-destructed in mid-tour and never completed their scheduled appearances. Hence, the title stands for the fans that couldn't see this amazing group live. The vocals of Ike Willis and Mike Keneally, the rhythmic acrobatics of Chad Wakerman, Ed Mann and Scott Thunes, the powerful horn section including the Fowler brothers, keyboardist/vocalist Bobby Martin--it all adds up to one of the most musically agile bands Zappa ever commanded.
There are the usual Zappa favorites on disc one with "Cosmic Debris" and "Zomby Woof." The band also gets to flex its muscles on the instrumentals "Zoot Allures" and "Sofa #1." Disc two captures all the zany behavior that could be preserved on tape as bizarre covers of "Purple Haze" and "Sunshine Of Your Love" start things off. Snippets of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," "The Godfather Theme" and "Bonanza" escalate into a diatribe by right-wing character Brother A. West and several songs denouncing televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. The finale of "Stairway To Heaven" ties everything back together in grand Zappa style.Q (6/91) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Bristling with musical jokes and his most potent satires since Vietnam..."