Frank Zappa Song By Song Thread (1966-96)*

This is a fine album.
It is probably my favourite Trex album.
I ended up getting the Slider/Rabbit Fighter double disc, and I reckon it is a good disc. The Rabbit Fighter version is excellent also.


for anyone interested - https://www.amazon.com/Slider-Marc-...RAWJ7V2STD1&psc=1&refRID=78RDG3VGMRAWJ7V2STD1

 

Pure Food & Drug Act, Choice Cuts:


Now that other album called Choice Cuts for us to cover, this one by Pure Food And Drug Act. Pure Food and Drug Act was a band formed by Sugarcane in the early seventies and initially consisted of himself, Paul Lagos on drums, Larry “The Mole” Taylor on bass, and Randy Resnick on guitar. Taylor and Resnick eventually departed (the former allegedly due to Sugarcane’s chronic lateness and irresponsiblility) and would be replaced by Taylor’s former Canned Heat bandmate Harvey Mandel and future Tower Of Power bassist Victor Conte. This album was released in 1972 on Acadia and was recorded at one of the band’s performances in Seattle earlier that year.
If you already have Sugarcane's other albums, these songs will already be familiar to you. However, this is still a really good live album. For a band that apparently didn't rehearse too much, they nevertheless come off as a powerful live band. The grooves are fat and heavy while Sugarcane is as impassioned as ever both in vocals and violin. Before I discovered Sugarcane, I had no idea a violin could sound like his did, except maybe in bluegrass or country. But man, his playing just oozes sex, oozes cool and passion. And his voice can really tug at the heart, he delivers every word and every note as if he's fighting for life. I love Ponty, love Eddie Jobson, love L. Shankar, but to me, Sugarcane is the Zappa violinist that truly speaks to me on a deeper level. Ponty and Jobson are great, very fluid and graceful, they are pitch perfect. But Sugarcane has such an organic feel to his playing, it's like the two Rays. Ray White has some powerful pipes and is so spot on, but Collins is just so heartfelt and passionate that it gets to me.
If you love Harvey Mandel or Sugarcane, this is a solid addition to the collection.

 

Jean-Luc Ponty/Don “Sugarcane” Harris/Michal Urbaniak/Nipso Branter, New Violin Summit:


How bout another violin summit? This was recorded at the 1971 Berlin Festival and was later released the following year on MPS.
Though I enjoyed the first Violin Summit, this one tops it for me. Maybe it’s Sugarcane’s presence, maybe it’s how much further Ponty has come since then, maybe a better chemistry amongst the players, maybe a bit of each, but it’s a super cool record to spin every once in a while. While it’s probably not the first I’d recommend to somebody, it’s definitely a record worth having for a fan of any of these players or just somebody who likes them some jazz violin.

 

Roxy Music, Stranded:


Now we get to glam rock/art rock icons and New Wave precursors Roxy Music. This is their third studio album Stranded, released November 1, 1973 on Island/Polydor in the U.K. and Atco/Reprise, this marks their first without synthesizer/sound treatment man Brian Eno, with his replacement being our very own Eddie Jobson. This also marks the first with bassist John Gustafson and the first with writing contributions by guitarist Phil Manzanera and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Andy MacKay. Despite relatively slow sales, the album has garnered critical acclaim and even Eno considers it the band’s best effort.
For whatever reason, I never looked into Roxy Music until the last year and a half, but when I did, I was pleasantly surprised at what I heard. The artsiness is certainly there and adds a level of sophistication but without being pretentious. The hooks are rock solid and keep the music compelling and engaging at all times. I love Eno and I do enjoy the first two albums with him, but like Lowell or Belew, he needed to do his own thing. And of course, in the place of a self-described “non-musician” is Eddie Jobson, a virtuoso on both piano/keyboards and violin. And Jobson and Gustafson take the band to another level musically. In addition, Bryan Ferry delivers on vocals and songwriting as always, drummer Paul Thompson is rock solid, and MacKay and Manzanera prove themselves as writers.
I can definitely recommend this album.

 

I guess I'll nominate an album for the "good 70's records with distant Zappa connections" series:



Denny Bruce (briefly a drummer for the 60's Mothers) produced this and Kottke's next few albums, Roy Estrada plays bass on one track and sometime Zappa associate Kim Fowley contributes a Beefheart-style guest vocal to the track linked below under the pseudonym Jukebox Phantom. While Kottke's folk style doesn't have much in common with Zappa's music, his guitar virtuosity and quirky lyrics might appeal to a similar audience.

 

Buddy Miles, Chapter VII:


Let’s revisit Mr Buddy Miles, shall we? This is Chapter VII, released in 1973 on Columbia. Produced by Miles and Mike Stone, the band on here consists of Miles on vocals/organ/guitar/bass/drums/arrangements, guitarists Adrian Curtis, James Bradshaw, and Marlo Henderson, Andre on organ and piano, Robert Hoggins on organ and backing vocals, Duane Hutchings on piano, Richard Aplanalp on tenor and baritone saxophones, Billy Sprague on trumpet and flugelhorn, David Dhalston on trombone and congas, Ron Johnson on bass and guitar, Denise Pantos Miles on drums, Willie Bobo on timbales, and Victor Panjota on congas.
Man, this is a smoking album. Buddy Miles is in fine form both vocally and instrumentally. The album alternates between Stax soul, funk, Latin music, rock, and proto-funk metal, and delivers each with the same conviction. Its a very strong album overall and I can definitely recommend it.

 

Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Listen:


We now come to one of Frank’s heroes, Mr Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and this is Listen, released in 1973 on Fantasy. Produced by Watson himself, the band on here consists of Watson on guitars and lead vocals, Hank Redd on rhythm guitar and tenor saxophone, J.D. Reed on alto saxophone, Rudy Copeland on organ and backing vocals, Andre on bass and clavinet, Andre’s wife Maxayn on backing vocals, and Emery Thomas on drums.
First off, Johnny “Guitar” Watson-great blues player, had a good feel on the instrument, very distinct voice on the instrument, and that’s on top of being a charismatic singer. I can definitely see why Frank loved him so. Overall, it’s a pretty solid slice of 70s blues/soul, and worth a shot for anybody curious about Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

 

...haha! Yeah, just hit’em with Trout, man.

 

Maxayn, Mindful:


We now come to Maxayn’s second album, released in 1973 on Capricorn Records. Produced by Andre and Jack Adams, The lineup on this album consists of Maxayn on lead and backing vocals/clavinet/electric piano/percussion, Andre on organ/clavinet/bass/piano/backing vocals, Marlo Henderson on guitars/backing vocals/tenor saxophone/percussion, and Emry Thomas on drums and percussion, along with additional contributions by horn player Stemsy Hunter and backing vocalists Clydie King, Venetta Fields, Pat Arnold, Elaine Cole, Claudia Lennear, Lalonie Washburn, and Tony Maiden.
Another slice of 70s soul, Maxayne once again shows some powerful pipes. The band is immensely tight, with Andre showing himself to not only be a strong keyboardist but also a very talented bassist with a great pocket feel.
If you’re a fan of Maxayne’s session work as a background singer or into 70s funk or soul, this is a pretty solid addition to your collection.

 

Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Sugarcane’s Got the Blues:


Returning to Mr Sugarcane Harris himself, and he’s got the blues. Released in 1972 on MPS, the album was produced once again by Joachim Berendt and features Sugarcane on violin and vocals, Robert Wyatt of Soft Machine fame on drums, guitarist Terje Rypdal on “Song For My Father” (with jazz rock pioneer Volker Kriegel handling guitar duties on the remaining tracks), keyboardist Wolfgang Dauner, and bassist Neville Whitehead.
Largely recorded live, the album shows some solid performances from all involved. The band, though clearly one with chops, I don’t think is as solid as the ones on previous records, and the album somewhat suffers as a result. However, for a Sugarcane fan, this still proves a solid addition to the collection.

 

I've never heard Violin Summit or Got The Blues, but I read a quote from Wyatt describing the summit gig as a nightmare because the drums weren't set up properly and he couldn't hear the violins.

 

Mick Ronson, Slaughter on 10th Avenue:


Why yes, we are covering Bowie’s guitarist. And this is his solo debut, released in February of 1974 on RCA. The album, produced by Ronson himself, features Ronson on lead vocals/guitar/piano/arrangements, our very own Aynsley Dunbar on drums, Ronson’s Spiders from Mars bandmate Trevor Bolder on bass/trumpet/trombone, Bowie’s then-keyboardist Mick Garson on piano/electric piano/organ, Ronson’s sister Margaret and engineer Dennis MacKay on backing vocals, and Sidney Sax on strings, with David Hentschel contributing ARP to “Hey Ma Get Papa”.
The album starts out kind of crappy with the cover of “Love Me Tender”. Granted, that’s not song I’ve ever thought that highly of to begin with, and Ronson’s version does nothing to change that. With that said, the rest of the album is pretty solid and will certainly please those who are fans of Mick Ronson and/or his work with Bowie; Helps that Bowie even contributed to songwriting on here.
Not essential unless you’re a Mick Ronson or Bowie fan. Good record.

 

Well, I’m knocking them out!

1. John Mayall, USA Union (Sugarcane) [1970]
2. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Sugarcane (Sugarcane) [1970]
   
3. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Keep on Driving (Sugarcane) [1971]
   
4. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Fiddler On The Rock (Sugarcane) [1971]
5. Nolan Porter, No Apologies (Lowell George, Roy Estrada, Jimmy Carl Black) [1971]
6. Bob Smith, The Visit (Don Preston) [1971]
7. T. Rex, Electric Warrior (Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan) [1971]
8. Maxayn, Maxayn (Andre Lewis) [1972]
9. Nolan Porter, Nolan (George, Estrada, Black) [1972]
10. Domenic Troiano, Domenic Troiano (Bunk Gardner, Buzz Gardner) [1972]
11. Nicholas Greenwood, Cold Cuts (Bunk) [1972]
12. John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Sometime In New York City (Live Jam/tracks 3-6 featuring Frank, Mark and Howard, Ian, Don Preston, Bob Harris #1, Jim Pons, Dunbar) [1972]
13. T. Rex, The Slider (Mark And Howard) [1972]
14. Pure Food & Drug Act, Choice Cuts (Sugarcane) [1972]
15. New Violin Summit (Sugarcane, Ponty) [1972]
16. Roxy Music, Stranded (Jobson) [1973]
17. Buddy Miles, Chapter VII (Lewis) [1973]
18. Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Listen (Lewis) [1973]
19. Maxayn, Mindful (Lewis) [1973]
20. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Sugar Cane’s Got the Blues (Sugarcane) [1973]
21. Mick Ronson, Slaughter on 10th Avenue (Dunbar) [1974]
22. Roxy Music, Country Life (Jobson) [1974]
23. Howdy Moon, self titled album (Lowell George, Roy Estrada) [1974]
24. Luis Gasca, Born to Love You [1974]
25. Billy Cobham, Crosswinds (George Duke) [1974]
26. Maxayn, Bail Out For Fun! (Lewis) [1974]
27. Roger McGuinn, Peace on You (Mark And Howard) [1974]
28. Dave Mason, Dave Mason (Sal Marquez) [1974]
29. Herbie Mann, London Underground (Dunbar) [1974]
30. Freddie Hubbard, High Energy (Ian Underwood) [1974]
31. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Cup Full Of Dreams (Sugarcane) [1974]
    
32. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, I’m On Your Case (Sugarcane) [1974]
33. Junior Hanson, Magic Dragon (Lewis)
34. Roxy Music, Siren (Jobson) [1975]
35. Jean-Luc Ponty, Aurora (Ponty, Tom Fowler) [1975]
36. Freddie Hubbard, Liquid Love (Ian) [1975]
37. Billy Cobham, A Funky Thide Of Sings (Walt Fowler) [1975]
38. Down And Dirty Duck Soundtrack (Preston, Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan, Pons, Dunbar) [1975]
39. Mick Ronson, Play, Don’t Worry (Dunbar) [1975]
    
40. Nils Lofgren, self titled (Dunbar) [1975]
41. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Keyzop (Sugarcane) [1975]
42. Mallard, Mallard (Art Tripp) [1975]
43. Journey, Look Into The Future (Dunbar) [1976]
44. Jean-Luc Ponty, Aurora (Ponty, T. Fowler) [1976]
    
45. Roxy Music, Viva! [1976]
46. Spirit, Farther Along (Ian) [1976]
47. Jean-Luc Ponty, Imaginary Voyage (Ponty, T.Fowler, Allan Zavod) [1976]
48. Grand Funk, Good Singin, Good Playin (Produced by Zappa) [1976]
49. Billy Cobham, Life & Times (Duke, Zavod) [1976]
50. Air Pocket, Fly On (T. Fowler, Bruce Fowler, W. Fowler, Thompson) [1976]
51. Stephen Stills, Illegal Stills (Mark And Howard) [1976]
52. Ian Hunter, All American Space Boy (Dunbar) [1976]
53. Flo and Eddie, Moving Targets (Mark, Howard, Ian) [1976]
54. T. Rex, Futuristic Dragon (Mark and Howard) [1976]
55. Nils Lofgren, Cry Tough (Dunbar) [1976]
56. Carmen MacRae, Can’t Hide Love (Ian) [1976]
57. Sammy Hagar, Nine On A Ten Scale (Dunbar) [1976]
58. Alphonso Johnson, Moonshadow (Ian) [1976]
59. Marathon Man Soundtrack (Ian) [1976]
60. George Duke, Liberated Fantasies (Duke, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Ruth) [1976]
61. Jean-Luc Ponty, Live in Hamburg (Ponty) [1976]
62. Jean-Luc Ponty, Imaginary Voyage (Ponty, T. Fowler) [1976]
63. Don “Sugarcane” Harris, Flashin’ Time (Sugarcane) [1976]
64. Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band, Bat Chain Puller (Beefheart, Denny Walley) [1976]
65. Seals & Croft, Sudan Village (Ralph Humphrey) [1976]
66. Chunk, Ernie, & Novi, Chunk, Ernie, & Novi (Ian) [1977]
67. George Duke, From Me to You (Duke, Glenn Ferris) [1977]
68. Demon Seeds Soundtrack (Ian) [1977]
69. Journey, Next (Dunbar) [1977]
70. Jean-Luc Ponty, Enigmatic Ocean (Ponty, Zavod) [1977]
71. Little Feat, Time Loves A Hero (Lowell) [1977]
72. Genesis, Seconds Out (Thompson) [1977]
73. Quincy, Jones, Roots (Ian) [1977]
74. Mandré, Mandré (Lewis) [1977]
75. Alphonso Johnson, Spellbound (Thompson) [1977]
76. Journey, Infinity (Dunbar) [1978]
77. U.K., self titled (Eddie Jobson) [1978]
78. Lynda Carter*, Portrait (Humphrey) (*yes, the same one who played Wonder Woman) [1978]
79. George Duke, Reach For It (Duke) [1978]
80. George Duke, Don't Let Go (Duke) [1978]
81. The Brecker Brothers, Heavy Metal Be-Bop (Bozzio) [1978]
82. Jean-Luc Ponty, Cosmic Messenger (Ponty, Zavod) [1978]
83. Billy Cobham, Inner Conflicts (Duke, Ruth Underwood) [1978]
84. Steve Hackett, Please Don’t Touch (T.Fowler, Chester Thompson) [1978]
85. David Bowie, Stage (Adrian Belew) [1978]
86. Alice Cooper, From the Inside (Mark And Howard) [1978]
87. Ambrosia, Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled (Ian, Ruth) [1978]
88. Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela, Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela (Ian) [1978]
89. Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band, Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (Beefheart, B.Fowler, Tripp) [1978]
90. Lao Schifrin, Gypsy (Ian) [1978]
91. Barbara Streisand, Songbird (Ian) [1978]
92. Little Feat, Waiting For Columbus (Lowell) [1978]
    
93. Mandré, Mandré Two (Lewis) [1978]
    
94. Karen Alexander, Voyager (Humphrey) [1978]
95. U.K., Danger Money (Jobson, Terry Bozzio) [1979]
96. Jean-Luc Ponty, Live (Ponty, Zavod) [1979]
97. David Bowie, Lodger (Belew) [1979]
98. Big Sonny and the Lo Boys, In Heat (Black) [1979]
99. Apocalypse Now Soundtrack (Preston) [1979]
100. The Residents, Eskimo (Preston) [1979]
101. Jefferson Starship, Freedom at Point Zero (Dunbar) [1979]
102. Lowell George, Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here (Lowell) [1979]
103. Peggy Lee, Close Enough For Love (Ian) [1979]
     
104. Little Feat, Down On The Farm (Lowell) [1979]
105. George Duke, Follow the Rainbow (Duke, Nappy) [1979]
106. George Duke, Master Of The Game (Duke, Nappy) [1979]
107. Tony Banks, A Curious Feeling (Thompson) [1979]
108. Jean-Luc Ponty, A Taste for Passion (Ponty, Zavod) [1979]
     
109. Freddie Hubbard, The Love Connection (Thompson) [1979]
110. Lalo Schifrin, No One Home (Ian) [1979]
111. The Warriors Soundtrack (Ian) [1979]
112. Mandré, M3000 (Lewis) [1979]
113. Ray Pizzi, The Love Letter (Humphrey) [1979]
114. Leroy Hutson, Unforgettable (Thompson) [1979]
115. David Pritchard, City Dreams (Thompson) [1979]

 

Roxy Music, Country Life:


Back to Roxy Music, we get the first album cover I've had to censor in this threadAt. Released November 15, 1974 on Island/Polydor in the UK and Atco/Reprise in the US, the album was produced by Chris Thomas and John Punter. The album was named after the Country Life magazine and the two models on the cover are Constanze Karoli (sister of Can guitarist Michael Karoli) and Eveline Grunwald (Michael’s then girlfriend).
Man, what a killer record. The band is so on point musically, the songwriting is fantastic. I wish I didn’t take so long to look into these guys, because they are the perfect art rock group. The hooks are there, the experimentation is there, the rock is there, the musicianship is there (one of them did play with Zappa after all). Bryan Ferry, what a voice. What presence, what cool and charisma. Andy MacKay, his sax blasting like a foghorn. Paul Thompson and the late great John Gustafson, what an immaculate rhythm section, funky and danceable while tight and nimble. Phil Manzanera’s guitar is like shards of glass being shot out a canon. And of course Mr Eddie Jobson, brilliant keyboardist and violinist.
I can’t recommend this album enough.

 

Oh, and a happy birthday to the amazing Walt Fowler (AKA Fowler Brother #3)

 

Had T.Rex recorded this album, everybody would be praising until Judgment Day (by the way, I have nothing against T.Rex, not at all). But then again, that's the story of the usually overlooked Ronno.

 

Yeah, it’s a shame he gets overlooked. Granted, Bowie fans know how great he was, but he slips under the radar compared to Bowie.

And now, only one Spider (Mick Woodmansey) is still here.

 

I played the Horace Silver tune on my jazz radio show years ago. Also became a huge Volker Kriegel fan. If you haven't heard his 1972 album, Inside: Missing Link, go to YouTube and give it a listen. A great double album featuring Albert Mangelsdorff, and a pre ECM Eberhard Weber playing some really funky bass lines. John Marshall of Soft Machine is on drums. Great stuff!

 

Aynsley also played in Mick's following album, Play Don't Worry (which in my opinion is good, but inferior to the previous one), but he's not the sole drummer there.

 

I will cover that one since Aynsley is on it.

 

I know I am repeating myself quite a bit, but I insist...

...that anyone who is a fan of George Duke as a (jazz) acoustic piano player needs to hear the not so common album below, recorded in March of 1969, and which I have never seen any other version/format of.

GD already amazes easily anyone with ears on just anything else, Zappa or not, but this concert is ridiculous... My using the word jazz in parenthesis above is because at this level of playing, genre becomes irrelevent...

Couln't find nothing on Youtube to showcase it. Of course great also for post-hard bop Ponty too. Not a bad live recording either.

 

There's always some unavailable/out of print great music.

 

Howdy Moon, Howdy Moon:


We now cover a little known band called Howdy Moon. The group, consisting of singer Valerie Carter and guitarists Richard Hinley and Jon Lind, came to California and signed with A&M. The album is produced by Little Feat frontman (and one time Mother) Lowell George, Robert Appère, and Michael James Jackson, who I know of from his work with KISS and Paul Williams. Besides Lowell, we also have Bill Payne, Sam Clayton, Richie Hayward, and Roy Estrada from Little Feat, as well as Dave Parlatto from the Wazoo band.
If you’re into the mid seventies California country rock/folk rock, this is a pretty cool addition to the collection. Obviously, there’s some top notch players here, but Howdy Moon themselves are a pretty damn solid group vocally. And of course, Feat fans will be interested giving that all the original members and Sam are involved.

 

Indeed.

 

I'm not volunteering, but I believe the Hamilton Face Band albums featuring one Ruth Underwood as a drummer haven't been mentioned yet, have they?