Frank Zappa – Cucamonga

For every FZ fan out there curious about uncle Frank’s earliest recordings prior to the forming of The Mothers Of Invention in the mid ’60s, this new FZ CD Cucamonga /Del-Fi pretty much sets the story straight. This album features 14 very ‘cheesy,spiffy & loony songs that our man FZ was involved in as writer, producer or performer or all the previous mentioned. These tunes all saw the light of day on labels during the years ’63-’64 and now Del-Fi have compiled this lil’ prize we now have for our FZ collection. A number of tunes standout as ‘highlights’ but I’m not mentioning any (buy it). If you are planning on having a realwild kooky pizza party…I suggest you put this CD on and FREAK OUT the guests/neighborhood!

Aphrodites Child- 666

666 (The Apocalypse of John, 13/18) is a double album by psychedelic/progressive art rock group Aphrodite’s Child. It is one of the early cult albums in rock history, and is still popular among fans today. It was released in 1972, and was the primary vehicle/effort for the Vangelis project. It had a minor Album Oriented Radio hit in “The Four Horsemen”, and a nearly pop hit with “Break”. The album was ostensibly an adaptation of Biblical passages from the book of the same name, but was also very experimental in lyrics and composition, including a curious piece of performance art in which Greek actress Irene Papas performs a struggle to chant a mantra while in the throes of hysteria and sexual climax.
Essentially, 666 was Vangelis’ concept, created with an outside lyricist, Costas Ferris. The music that Vangelis was creating for 666 was much more psychedelic and progressive rock oriented than anything the band had done before. The music itself was an impressive display of Vangelis’ abilities, combining psychedelic and progressive rock with ethnic instruments, choral chanting, recitations, and very advanced use of synthesizers and keyboards for the time. In time the album became recognized as one of the most important early progressive rock works, and a defining example of the concept album. 666 also made Vangelis an underground name to watch, and in 1974 earned him an offer from Jon Anderson to join Yes following the departure of Rick Wakeman.
The content of the album caused concern within Mercury (Philips) Records due to its controversial content.
Mercury Records were most displeased with the track “Infinite” as they interpreted it as blasphemous.
It resulted in the release intitially being shelved and then swapped to Vertigo, Mercury’s sister company.
They asked vangelis to cut out five minutes and he refused. The British record company said: “This is not good. It’s pornographic, it’s terrible and we’re not going to release it.
Vangelis refused to take the track off, but edited the work through 1971 to reduce its length. Eventually, twelve month later (It was forbidden for one year) it was released in 1972, but was censored in some countries (such as Spain). “Infinity” got “666” banned from radio airplay when it was first released.
The cover of “666” also seemed to reinforce the claims of blasphemy due to the comment on the sleeve: “This work was recorded under the influence of “sahlep”.
Fundamentalist Christians interpreted this as Evanghelos (the bringer of good news) being possessed by Satan and the possibility that “sahlep” was perhaps a black magic sect…
Personnel:
– Vangelis (Evengelio Odyssey Papathanassiou) – organ, piano, flute, percussion, vibes, backing vocals, arranger, producer
– Demis Roussos (Artemiros Ventouris Roussos) – lead vocals (1-02, 1-04, 2-06), backing vocals, bass
– Lucas Sideras – lead vocals (1-15, 2-08), backing vocals, drums
– Silver Koulouris (Anargyros Koulouris) – guitars, percussion
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– Harris Halkitis – bass, tenor saxophone, congas, backing vocals
– Michel Ripoche – trombone, tenor saxophone (1-02, 2-06)
– Irene Papas – female vocals (2-05)
– John Frost – english text narration
– Yannis Tsarouchis – greek text narration

Ginger Baker – In Concert

Peter Edward “Ginger” Baker (born 19 August 1939 in Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and Public Image Ltd.
Baker’s drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship and his use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single bass kick drum (following a similar set-up used by Louie Bellson during his days with Duke Ellington). Although a firmly established rock drummer and praised as “Rock’s first superstar drummer”, he prefers being called a jazz drummer. Baker’s influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham, Peter Criss, Bill Ward, Ian Paice, Nick Mason, and John Bonham. AllMusic has described him as “the most influential percussionist of the 1960s” and stated that “virtually every drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed since that time has sought to emulate some aspect of Baker’s playing.”
While at times performing in a similar way to Keith Moon from The Who, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early days as a drummer, he performed lengthy drum solos, the best known being the five-minute drum solo “Toad” from Cream’s debut album Fresh Cream (1966). He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the flam, a drum rudiment in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound.
This is a very rare album recorded live in London in 1982 , ripped from vinyl.
Many thanks to our friend Filopimin for giving it to Granazi…

Frank Zappa – Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa – A Memorial Tribute

This 1996 CD compilation was the first one put out privately by the Zappa family following Frank Zappa’s death in 1993. The music includes three new versions of familiar Zappa works, followed bytheir better-known counterparts that have previously appeared on both LPs and CDs. As Dweezil Zappa explains in his liner notes, this previously unreleased excerpt from “Black Napkins” is not yet fully formed; oddly enough, like the version that follows from Zoot Allures, the Napoleon Murphy Brock sax solo has been edited out. The new version of the next instrumental, “Zoot Allures,” fares better in comparison to the well-known take from the Zoot Allures CD, in spite of some distortion inadvertently added by the Tokyo PA system during its recording. “Merely a Blues in A” marks the initial release of a gritty blues likely improvised during a 1974 Paris concert. Finally, two versions of Zappa’s sensational blues “Watermelon in Easter Hay” close the CD. The early 1978 concert version features a slightly faster tempo with minimal accompaniment by his band, although Zappa’s solo ideas are already well conceived. Zappa’s solo on the studio version, originally heard on the release Joe’s Garage Acts 2 & 3, was taken from a concert recording and mixed with a sparse yet effective studio backing; it remains one of Zappa’s most fascinating guitar solos. Unlike the posthumous new Zappa CDs that have appeared on Rykodisc after 1993, this one carries a rather high price tag, although it consists of only four new recordings among its seven tracks. The fancy package includes a removable stick-on moustache and goatee like the late composer’s own facial hair. Zappa fans will likely enjoy this limited-edition CD, which is available exclusively through http://www.zappa.com, although they would have likely preferred all previously unreleased songs and alternate takes instead.

Frank Zappa-The Lost Episodes

A 30-track compilation of rarities, spanning much of his career, but in the main confined to the 1960s and early ’70s (some date from as early as the late ’50s!). Much of it’s previously unreleased, or extremely hard to locate. It’s not just a collection of fan-oriented odds and ends, though. The material, for one thing, is extremely diverse, ranging from collaborations with Captain Beefheart and primitive teenage garage recordings to comic dialog to progressive instrumentals and orchestral pieces. The pre-Freak Out stuff in particular is revelatory, in the sense that it finds Zappa’s sophisticated compositional and arrangement skills in full bloom years before he made his proper debut. There’s also good old rock and roll, in an early version of “Any Way the Wind Blows,” and an early ’60s take of “Fountain of Love” with explosive fuzz bass. The cuts range in duration from 11 seconds to 11 minutes, often connected by amusing bits of spoken patter or nifty instrumental links. The effect is somewhat like Uncle Meat or Lumpy Gravy, meaning that those who appreciate that period of Zappa’s evolution will find an immediate affinity with this anthology.

Damon – Song For A Gypsy

California psychedelic singer/songwriter Damon’s privately pressed and much sought-after 1968 album Song of a Gypsy has seen several incarnations since vinyl collectors became obsessed with its scarcity — and many were bootlegs. Few versions, however, including the original, were ever presented properly. As an album, Song of a Gypsy was overrated by fanatics who claimed it was a psych masterpiece with songs that eclipsed the recordings that influenced it. But heard properly, its period innocence, naivete, and ambition — not to mention Charlie Carey’s killer guitar playing — are more clearly articulated. [Reissue packages released by Now-Again up the ante considerably, with complete remastering from vinyl and acetate sources (since the master tapes weren’t available), pitch correction, and additional material.]

Frank Zappa – The Best band you never heard in your life

This double live set showcases the peerless calisthenics abilities of the 1988 Zappa big band on a collection of crowd-pleasing favorites, concert staples and cover songs. Zappa’s crystalline Stratocaster sound (a far cry from the “squank” of the ’70s) highlights some of the most lyrical and inspired solo guitar work of his life. Highlights include an adrenaline charged version of “Zomby Woof” a thoroughly rocking turn at Ravel’s Bolero, and a horn arrangement of Jimmy Page’s “Stairway to Heaven” guitar solo