Tag: Frank Zappa Live Albums

Live Albums By Frank Zappa

Strange, funny, surreal but extremely talented Frank Zappa has released plenty of live albums. Was he a genius? Some say yes and point to the sheer variety of music he created and his constant drive to improve or was he just crazy?

Where do you start finding one or a handful of Zappa live albums to add to your collection? It’s said that Zappa recorded all his concerts.

We have concert/tour albums released by Zappa himself, compilations put together by Zappa, concert/tour albums released after his death by the Zappa estate and the various radio broadcasts that have slipped out of copyright in Europe.

Zappa, probably more than anyone else, has obscured the difference between studio albums and live albums because:

live snippets and especially guitar solos played live were incorporated into studio songs.
some of his live albums have received considerable doctoring in the studio.
he didn’t have small core of songs that he played live but instead there are plenty of songs that only appear on his live albums, sometimes just on one but other times on multiple live recordings (this website is a major help in finding out where songs come from http://www.globalia.net/donlope/fz/songs/index.html)

I have to warn you, I’ve found these live albums strangely addictive and I started out wanting one or two to give me a taste. Now I’m hoping to keep my Zappa collection to a limit of ten as I’ve come to appreciate the different bands and the different styles of performance.

The wide variety of music he played is captured in the series of live compilations:

1969 to 1984 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1
1971 to 1984 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3
1969 to 1988 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4
1966 to 1969 & 1982 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5
1970 to 1988 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6

Or perhaps you’d prefer to sample the concert/tour albums:

1971 Fillmore East June 1971 (released as The Mothers)
1971 Carnegie Hall
1971 Just Another Band From L.A.
1973 & 1974 Roxy & Elsewhere
1974 You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 Helsinki – this came from a few concerts performed in the city in 1974
1975 Bongo Fury with Captain Beefheart
1976 Zappa in New York
1976 FZ:OZ
1976 Philly 76
1977 Baby Snakes
1977 & 1978 Sheik Yerbouti
1978 Hammersmith Odeon
1980 Buffalo
1988 The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life
1988 Make A Jazz Noise Here
1988 Broadway the Hard Way

There are many more to be added.

Rolling Stone magazine recognised Zappa as the 22nd best guitarist so you might prefer to try one of his albums where he’s selected one guitar solo after another:
1972 to 1980 Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar

What Are The Best Live Albums By Frank Zappa?

Which are the best? Below is a poll to find the best live albums by Frank Zappa that should help help anyone interested to listening to more of Zappa’s music.

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

What Are The Best Live Albums Of All Time?

In many ways, Zappa is like the Grateful Dead, his music has its own category rather than neatly fitting into a genre. However I have included some of his most respected live albums in the art rock poll and some of the more instrumental based albums in the prog rock poll.

Please vote in the poll to find the best art rock live albums.

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

Please also vote in the poll to find the best prog rock live albums.

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You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

Because there are so many great progressive rock live albums I have split the poll into two and you may find some of your favourites in the second division. Albums will be promoted when they get enough votes.

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.

You can see the complete list of readers polls at Live Album Polls.

Frank Zappa The Yellow Shark 1992

The Yellow Shark is a live album where Ensemble Modern perform Zappa’s songs and some of the songs were conducted by Frank Zappa.

This was recorded at Alte Oper in Frankfurt, at the Philharmonie in Berlin and the Konzerthaus in Vienna in September 1992. By this stage Zappa was seriously ill from cancer and he died on December 4, 1993, a month after this album was released.

Zappa was only well enough to appear at two of the concerts in Frankfurt where he received a 20 minute standing ovation. These were his last public appearances.

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The Mothers Of Invention Ahead of Their Time 1968

Ahead of Their Time is a live album by The Mothers Of Invention.

It was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in London on October 25, 1968.

The first part of the album captures the band performing a musical theatre play and seeing must have helped understanding what was going on. The band are supported by members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

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Frank Zappa Wazoo 1972

Wazoo is a live album by Frank Zappa.

It was recorded at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts on September 24, 1972.

Shortly after The Mothers lost their equipment in the fire in Montreux made famous by Deep Purple’s song Smoke On The Water, An idiot pushed Zappa of stage at a concert in London and he was badly injured. This stopped him from touring for about nine months but he was creative in the studio with the albums The Grand Wazoo and Waja/Jawaka.

This album captures the final night of his 12 concert comeback tour when he was playing with a 20 strong big band.

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Frank Zappa Does Humor Belong in Music? 1984

Does Humor Belong in Music? is a live album by Frank Zappa.

It was recorded between October and December 1984.

I’ve seen two different covers for this album.

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Frank Zappa Road Tapes Venue #1 1968

Road Tapes Venue #1 is a live album by Frank Zappa.

It was recorded at the Kerrisdale Arena in Vancouver on August 25, 1968.

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Frank Zappa Imaginary Diseases 1972

Imaginary Diseases is a live album by Frank Zappa.

It was recorded between October and December 1972. After the 12 concert Grand Wazoo tour (captured on the Wazoo album) with a big band of 20 personnel, Zappa cut back to a smaller band for the rest of 1972 on what is known as the Petit Wazoo tour.

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Frank Zappa Tinseltown Rebellion 1978 to 1980

Tinseltown Rebellion is a live album by Frank Zappa.

It was mainly recorded in late 1979 and 1980.

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Frank Zappa FZ:OZ 1976

FZ:OZ is a live album by Frank Zappa.

It was recorded at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia on January 20, 1976 and was released in August 2002.

It is notable as the first of the albums released on the Vaulternative Records label by the Zappa Family Trust.

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Frank Zappa Just Another Band From L.A. 1971

Just Another Band from L.A. is a live album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers.

It was recorded at the Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles on August 7, 1971.

This is another Flo & Eddie album.

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Frank Zappa Philly 76

Philly 76 is a live album by Frank Zappa and it’s notable for including the soulful singing of Lady Bianca.

It was rare for Zappa to work with a female singer and her presence helps to make this album very special and with a clear place in a collection of Zappa’s live recordings.

It was recorded at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on October 29, 1976.

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