Search - Frank Zappa: Apostrophe / Over-Nite Sensation on DVD

ROXY teasers driving us NUTS!!

C. Ross | Colorado, USA | 05/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best Classic Albums episode - right up there with The Band episode IMO. There's lots of vintage footage included that I'd never seen (and I have a so-called comprehensive collection), and wonderful interviews with former band members like George Duke, the Underwoods, the Fowler brothers, Steve Vai, Ralph Humphrey, Dweezil and Gail, and of course the man himself Napoleon Murphy friggin Brock. IMO Ruthie steals the show but they're all good. The whole package tells an amazingly comprehensive story of the 73-74 period with lots of passion and humor.

Dweezil sits behind the board for a number of songs and lets us really dig in and hear the more tender nuances and demonstrates how the combinations of instruments and voices fit together (listen for Tina Turner - wow). I must say the Dweeze gets a little wordy, often talking over the music rather than letting it speak for itself. Small complaint though. There's also snippets of ZPZ rehearsals for the Summer 07 tour (BTW, WHY ARE YOU SKIPPING DENVER THIS YEAR?!?! )

The highlight for me (and probably many others) are the extended video clips of the '73 ROXY shows. These concerts are considered by some as the 'holy grail' of live Zappa. We know the tapes exist, we know there's been talk of releasing them for several years now, I don't care how grainy they are or even if they're edited poorly... PLEASE OH PLEASE STOP TEASING US AND RELEASE ALL THIS IMPORTANT, PRECIOUS CONCERT FOOTAGE ASAP!!! (are you listening Zappa Family Trust?)

Lastly, the extended and deleted clips are all gems not to be missed.

There are probably other details I'm forgetting, but definitely pick this one up even if you're just a casual fan of THE MAN HIMSELF. This DVD is an education for olde tyme fans as well, so Enjoy(tm) !
"

A Great Album Documentary

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 05/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Throughout his career, Frank Zappa thumbed his nose at commercialism. He never let the marketplace dictate his direction, and his instincts (and taste) almost always ran contrary to whatever was `popular'. In fact, if Frank liked what you were doing, it was a sure sign that you would suffer commercially; just ask Captain Beefheart, or Wild Man Fisher, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, or Alice Cooper in his early days. The name `Frank Zappa' may now be copyrighted and a household name, but few people really ever knew his music. His albums were tailored to appeal to those who were outside of society, so what went wrong with "Apostrophe (`)" and "Over-Nite Sensation" that allowed them to become hugely famous?
For a short period of time in the early seventies, Frank Zappa and the counterculture experienced something akin to acceptance by the media. Perhaps this was due to the huge success of FM radio, or maybe it was the zeitgeist that enveloped the globe after the late-sixties meltdown of hippie culture. Either way, Zappa's music was at a creative peak, and the world was willing to pay attention. "Apostrophe" and "Over-Nite Sensation" followed one another within a year's time, and each of them featured pretty much the same line-up of musicians. They represent his most accessible work, and this `album documentary' tells the story of how they got made.
If you are familiar with Frank Zappa's work, then I highly recommend this DVD. If you are not familiar with Zappa's work, buy each of these albums and then buy this DVD. The information contained herein is invaluable to any fan. I've seen many, many of these `album documentaries', but none come close to the authoritative entertainment of this package. The fun facts alone are outstanding. Did you know that Zappa rehearsed his band six hours a day, five days a week? Show me another band with that type of work ethic. Did you know that the backup vocals were by the Ikettes (with Tina Turner)? Did you know that Zappa has a library of recordings that could rival the Grateful Dead in its breadth?
The editing between live performance (including a killer version of "Montana") and studio analysis is brilliant. Son Dweezil takes us deep into recording analysis, sitting at a mixing board and moving the faders while making insightful observations. The documentary is relatively short - only one hour - but there's another hour of extras that convey just as much information, while focusing on all aspects of Zappa's music, including its topicality, its technique, and its humor. Frank Zappa was a thoroughly unique character, incapable of being categorized or lumped into a box. If you know these albums, you may think you already understand how his mind worked. See this documentary and you'll understand why. In a word, it's astounding.
A Tom Ryan"

Fantastic, worth the price. If only there were more to come.

Clem | Somewhere | 05/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one great documentary. The Zappa family really went out of their way to make this a fabulous product. It has interviews with the 73' band George Duke, Napoleon, Ralph Humphrey, Bruce Fowler, Ruth! And Ian Underwood, as well as others, the most surprising person to appear was Eliot Ingber. The documentary is fabulous, lots of studio footage, road movies, still photos. Dweezil's enthusiasm is apparent, and his points of interest on the multitrack tapes really demonstrate what gives Franks compositions their depth of character. The bonus material, much like on other DVDs in this series, is as good as the program it self. (Ruth playing St. Alfonzo)
This DVD is highly recommended! I'm sure there won't be any more Zappa albums in this series but if there were I'd buy them with out hesitation."

Best behind the scenes look at Frank yet!

Themuddman | Milwaukee | 05/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow. I was riveted to this DVD. To see the faces and hear the voices of the band members reminicing about Frank and these two great albums was just fantastic. Kudos to the Zappa family for finding them to make this documentary. You could see it in their eyes how much they respected him and how much they miss him. The scenes with Dweezil behind the sound board were extra special for me. To hear some of the individual tracks off of the masters blew me away. An absolute must have for every Zappa fan. My favorite ( non concert ) Zappa DVD to date!"