| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Feet Light Up | | | | ||
| 2. Bacon Fat | | | | | |
| 3. A Pound For A Brown On The Bus | | | | | |
| 4. Sleeping In A Jar | | | | | |
| 5. The Wild Man Fischer Story | | | | ||
| 6. I'm The Meanie | | | | ||
| 7. Valarie | | | | ||
| 8. King Kong | | | | | |
Recorded live in Fullerton, California, 8 November 1968, this concert was available as a bootleg for several years before being released on the "Beat The Boots, Part Two" box set in 1992.
Although recorded only a week and a half after the concert which was subsequently released as Ahead Of Their Time, Our Man In Nirvana isn't quite as impressive of a set. For one thing, it is taken from a bootleg recording, and the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired (that the concert took place in a high school gymnasium doesn't really help matters either ... perhaps the band didn't feel much an incentive to go all-out). The source tape stops and starts a number of times during the show, most irritatingly in the middle of "King Kong". The set list isn't quite as impressive either -- though, to be fair, this probably wasn't the entire show. And, last but not least, Ian Underwood doesn't seem to have made it to the concert, for reasons which truly hardcore Zappophiles might know of but which aren't immediately apparent to me.
If you only buy one Mothers concert from late 1968, make it Ahead Of Their Time, not this one. If you're a completist, though, there's enough good stuff here so that you won't be entirely disappointed.
"Feet Light Up" doesn't feature any real music as such, aside from some instrument tuning in the background. Zappa gets three stars for warning the audience about the electrical cables running out from the stage -- a responsible PSA, all things considered. He then introduces the first song of the night, an Andre Williams tune from 1956 ... one can only imagine the expressions on the faces of audience hipsters as the message came through ...
In any event, "Bacon Fat" isn't a bad number at all; in fact, the introductory section sounds oddly similar to the music which would later emerge as "Peaches En Regalia"(!). The vocals are almost impossible to hear, and Estrada's harmonies are a bit annoying ... but still, it's not a bad slab of '50s r'n'b. The (truncated) horn section deserves a mention here.
After a few snide comments about gyms and teenagers, Zappa introduces the next track as "The String Quartet" (we, however, will know it as "A Pound For A Brown On The Bus"). As FZ succinctly notes, the track does sound a bit funny without Underwood's alto saxophone presence; it also sounds a bit rough around the edges at times, and its certainly more of a "straight-ahead" version than the one on AotT. A fairly wacky improv by the horn section improves the overall rating, and Zappa's "underwater" guitar solo is an interesting touch; on the other hand, there are times when the drums can barely be heard at all. Taken in sum, this version of "Pound" is good, but hardly definitive.
"Sleeping In The Jar" can be summarized in much the same way. Broken down, though, this track does have a few advantages over the AotT version -- the dirgelike section goes on a bit longer, and makes a bit more sense accordingly. Estrada gets in some interesting variations on the main theme at one point, Preston gets in a decent solo towards the end, and the horn section shines whenever they get a chance (and I swear that I can hear a hint of "The Torture Never Stops" in the mix). It's possible that the Mothers never really managed to create a definitive version of this track -- still, they deserve some credit for the effort they put in here.
Then comes one of the more curious moments of the show, as Zappa allows special guest "Wild Man" Larry Fischer to take the stage for two a capella novelties. "The Wild Man Fischer Story" is a semi- autobiographical look back on his decision to become a, um, professional musician (after a number of stints in a mental institution); "I'm The Meanie" describes his hatred of The Beatles, and his anti-social behaviour towards his girlfriends. This is funny the first time, and considerably less so once the shock wears off. Every Zappa fanatic should hear these numbers once; after that, there shouldn't be any burning need to hear them again. (Rumour has it, by the way, that Fischer still asks for royalties on these performances once in a while ...)
"Valarie" (possibly from an entirely different part of the concert, as the tape cuts out after Fischer's spot) consists mostly of an amusing interchange between Zappa and the audience, with a few references to punch bowls, Alice Cooper, and the smoking of banned items. The actual "Valarie" joke isn't nearly as funny as the improv stuff, sadly.
Whatever the problems of this album, however, most of them can be forgiven for the excellent version of "King Kong" which closes off the disc. Clocking in at an amazing 30 minutes (and that's only the recorded parts -- the actual jam may have gone much longer!), this work offers an amazing look into the skills possessed by Zappa and his sideman. Sherwood and Gardner bring out some solo that Anthony Braxton would have appreciated; Zappa himself gets a number of impressive leads, emphasizing the low-end notes for the most part; and the actual "King Kong" bits work well too. The sound quality is still terrible, but there's so much good music here that it doesn't really matter.
In short: Ahead Of Their Time is better, but this is worth getting too. Recommended.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 3 Feb 2000)