If there’s anything I’ve learned about Frank Zappa over the
course of doing this retrospective, it’s that he rarely said
anything he couldn’t back up.
So, when Zappa titled an album
The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, you could be
sure of two things. First, this was indeed a band that was rarely
heard, as this is the second disc featuring performances from the
short-lived 1988 band. Second, the title is stunningly accurate.
While this collection is a bit heavy on the cover versions, it does
portray what could have been Zappa’s finest group ever.
Over the course of the two CDs making up this set, Zappa and
company do two things right. First, the stops are pulled out and
tracks rarely heard in concert are dusted off for your auditory
pleasure. I mean, “Who Needs The Peace Corps”! “Florentine Pogen”!
Even one track I’m not particularly fond of, “The Eric Dolphy
Memorial Barbecue,” rears its head in a surprising move. This
really was a collection of tunes that the long-time Zappa fan could
celebrate, as all aspects of his career are considered.
Second, the band is as tight musically as ever, and they show
it. What other rock group could get away with performing Ravel’s
“Bolero” and make it sound so good? Likewise, the group takes on
“Stairway To Heaven,” a track which is almost inviolate in the
music world, and do a respectable job tackling it with a reggae
feel.
What also makes this set special is that Zappa’s darkest vitriol
is saved for a subject who damned well deserved it at the time –
namely, the Reverend (and I use that term loosely) Jimmy Swaggart.
Having just been caught taking the parable of the good seed to
heart – albeit with a hooker in a motel room – Zappa and company
let all the ammo loose towards Swaggart, releasing versions of
“Lonesome Cowboy Burt,” “More Trouble Everyday” and “Penguin In
Bondage” with lyrics taking direct aim at the tele-fakir. Never has
taking potshots at some poor bastard (though, in this case, remove
the term “poor”) sounded so good.
The group almost tries to prove itself a little too hard,
though, as they jump from cover tune to cover tune. Their version
of “Ring Of Fire” is a lot of fun (and makes me wish that Johnny
Cash had been able to make it to the show to sing live with the
band), but other tracks, like “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,”
“When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and “Godfather Part Two Theme” are a
little too liberal.
At times, it sometimes feels like
The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life runs a little
long, but the pure musicianship and energy save the day. Like the
previous release featuring the ’88 touring band,
Broadway The Hard Way, Zappa finally sounds like he’s having
the time of his life on stage again – something that had been
missing for a while.
Zappa rarely blew his own horn without having a good reason to –
and in the case of
The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, that reason is
most definitely there.
2005 Christopher Thelen and “The Daily Vault.” All rights
reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without
written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of the
Zappa Family Trust / record label, and is used for informational
purposes only.
