FRANK ZAPPA — Fillmore East - June 1971 (The Mothers) (review)

FRANK ZAPPA — Fillmore East - June 1971 (The Mothers) album cover Live album · 1971 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Warthur
A live concept album that gives an accurate portrayal of the Mothers' theatrical stage show at the time, Fillmore East sees Zappa and crew (featuring Flo and Eddie) playing the roles of both egomaniacal rock stars and dizzy groupies. Lyrically, the album is a reasonable take on the concept, replete with smutty jokes - including a recounting of the infamous Mud Shark urban myth which gives a clear idea of the participants involved but, cleverly, doesn't actually give any details on precisely what transpired, leaving that part down to the listener's own filthy imagination Whether this is a problem will depend on your own tolerance of juvenile comedy and off-color jokes.

Musically speaking, whilst the band on show is alright, it doesn't come across as being quite as tight and technically proficient as the original incarnation of the Mothers, or indeed previous recording ensembles of Zappa's. This is most evident in the renditions of earlier Zappa material, like The Little House I Used to Live In, or Willie the Pimp, which are notably slower and more careful than the blisteringly fast original versions of those tracks.

On the whole, the album is a fun and amusing listen, but it's hardly Zappa's most cutting-edge experimental work. Still, it's worth a listen if you enjoy crude sexual comedy - it's like the audio equivalent of one of the American Pie films.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Jonesville Eclectic Fusion
ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ivo Perelman + Tom Rainey : Duologues 1 - Turning Point Avant-Garde Jazz
IVO PERELMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Yet Ari Tarlans (Ետ արի թառլանս) / Lover Come Back World Fusion
LUCY YEGHIAZARYAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Aura Safari - Jimi Tenor : Sensory Blending Exotica
JIMI TENOR
Buy this album from MMA partners
Rewilder 21st Century Modern
BORDERLANDS TRIO
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Miles Away
ALEX MERCK
js· 23 hours ago
Stablemates
RON BLAKE
js· 2 days ago
Critique of Swing in Two Parts, Pt. 1
PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI (PIANOHOOLIGAN)
js· 3 days ago
FULL ALBUM - Oliver Lutz - Utopia w/ Leif Berger, Constantin Krahmer
OLIVER LUTZ
js· 3 days ago
Lift
DAVE WILSON (US/NZ)
js· 5 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed