Product Description
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'This is where you go to find every aspect of Frank's
music squeezed into two perfectly formed records.' - Dweezil
Zappa. This new addition to Eagle Vision's accled Classic
Albums series focuses on Frank Zappa's early '70s albums
Overnight Sensation (1973) and Apostrophe(') (1974). Together
they encapsulate Zappa's extraordinary musical diversity and were
also the two most commercially successful albums that he released
in his prolific career. As ever, the program uses interviews,
musical demonstrations, rare archive and home movie footage plus
live performances to tell the story behind the conception and
of these groundbreaking albums.
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History will show that Frank Zappa (1940-1993) was one
of the greatest American composers of the 20th century in any
musical form, and this superb episode of the Classic Albums
series offers ample proof of Zappa's genius. As Zappa's reverent
son and musical heir Dweezil Zappa rightly points out, Over-Nite
Sensation ( /dp/B0000009SG ) (1973) and Apostrophe (') (
/dp/B0000009SI ) (1974) are the albums that epitomize Zappa's
masterful jazz/rock fusion, virtually defining a unique musical
genre that can only be called "Zappa." The of both
albums is chronicled here not simply because they best represent
the dazzling complexity of Zappa's music, but also because they
were recorded simultaneously in a burst of creativity, proving
beyond any doubt that Zappa was more than simply a mischievous
provocateur. While the world may know Zappa from his mainstream
novelty hit "Valley Girl" (with daughter Moon on vocals), any
devoted Zappaphile will tell you that this is the real Zappa, in
full musical bloom, working miracles in the studio with The
Mothers of Invention and a stellar variety of topnotch musicians
who cite their time with Zappa as the most rewarding period of
their careers.
The Classic Albums series strives to be definitive, and this
must-have DVD is fully authorized in the of its coverage.
With complete cooperation and participation from the remaining
Zappa family (sons Dweezil and Ahmet, daughter Moon, and widow
Gail are all extensively interviewed) and additional interviews
with Billy Bob Thornton, Alice Cooper, guitarist Steve Vai,
veteran Rolling Stone critic David Fricke, and many of Zappa's
closest associates and collaborators, this 97-minute documentary
is packed with highlights and fascinating revelations, like the
pristine precision of Zappa's hand-written compositions, Zappa's
childhood fascination with the compositions of Edgard Varèse, and
his diligent, prolific, and disciplined, drug-free approach to
and touring. Zappa's studio process is amazingly
revealed when Dweezil and Zappa "Vaultmeister" Joe Travers sit
down at a mixing table to analyze the master tapes of classic
Zappa tracks like the hilariously controversial "Dyna-Moe Humm."
In addition to vintage archival clips of Zappa discussing his
music and career, and home movies of Zappa's band on tour during
the mid-1970s, this DVD also includes the complete video of Zappa
performing "I'm the Slime" on Saturday Night Live in 1976, live
footage of a 1973 performance of "Montana," and a new performance
of "Camarillo Brillo" by Dweezil's tribute band, Zappa Plays
Zappa (with Dweezil playing one of his her's favorite Gibson
guitars). Bonus features also include a Travers-hosted trip into
the massive Zappa archives, and further deconstruction of Zappa
tracks "Dirty Love" and "Nanook Rubs It." If you're a casual
Zappa fan, this DVD will turn you into a passionate convert. For
those who've loved Zappa all along, it's a little bit of heaven
here on Earth. --Jeff Shannon