More of the Music of Frank Zappa
We’re big fans of this album, and Zappa in general, but it’s incredibly difficult to find copies that do justice to the music.
So many pressings don’t let you hear INTO the music. This is a live recording with musicians sprinkled all over the stage — three-dimensional transparency is absolutely KEY to the best pressings, the ones that let you immerse yourself in the spectacle, never losing sight of the individual performances of Zappa and his merry band of obscene nut jobs. This band works BLUE. It will have you in hysterics if you get into the down and dirty spirit of the show. If that doesn’t sound like your thing, steer clear of this one. It’s raunchy as hell, and the raunchiest bits are the most hilarious.
- More recordings that are good for testing transparency
- Warning: do not attempt to play this album on any system that looks like this one
The Greatest Rock Opera Ever
As for the music, it’s a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. This to me is the ultimate rock opera. In point of fact it’s actually a parody of a rock opera, which makes it doubly enjoyable.
The two former leaders of The Turtles (aka Flo and Eddie) variously play groupies (What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are) and members of the band. As the saying goes, hilarity ensues.
What makes this album so special is that the rock songs that are generated out of this story are actually great rock songs. They’re not filler. They’re not connecting tissue. They’re good songs with strong melodies that stand up on their own. Moreover, connected to each other through this crazy story sung by men pretending to be women, they become something even greater: a True Rock Opera. Better than that: A True Rock Opera Parody that’s as hilarious as it is musically satisfying. Zappa missed his calling — he should have dedicated himself to musical theatre. He has a real gift for it. This album is proof.
The entertainment value of this record is as good as it gets. Off the scale. If you’re a fan of The Firesign Theater, Zappa, improv comedy and such like, you will love this album.
Fillmore East – June 1971 checks off some important boxes for us here at Better Records:
- It’s a personal favorite
- It’s a Must Own title from 1971
- It’s an album we think should be more popular with audiophiles
- It’s part of the core collection of well recorded rock & pop albums
Side One
Little House I Used to Live In
The Mud Shark
This is the place where the super spacious wall to wall sound found on the Hot Stamper copies can really be heard. Your speakers should disappear at about this point. Let the games begin.
What Kind of Girl Do You Think We Are?
Bwana Dik
Latex Solar Beef
Willie the Pimp, Pt. 1
Side Two
Willie the Pimp, Pt. 2
Do You Like My New Car?
Happy Together
Lonesome Electric Turkey
Peaches en Regalia
Listen for rich full keyboards on this track, with solid bass below. Most copies thin out these instruments and those copies are what we refer to as Not So Hot Stampers.
This track should also ROCK. It needs to be dynamic and punchy to convey the energy of the music. We love Hot Rats and this is the only way to hear Hot Rats Live (other than a bootleg), so turn it up and let it rock out man!
Tears Began to Fall
Further Reading