Search - Does Humor Belong in Music? Frank Zappa Live on DVD

What an amazing misuse of talent

Charles Platt | Arizona, USA | 08/09/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The band is flawlessly rehearsed, tight, and hugely talented. And they stand on stage for maybe 90 minutes doing all of the most foolish songs that Zappa wrote in his "dumbed down" period, where pandering to teenage potty humor and getting a hit record seemed to be his primary concerns.

The set opens with Zoot Allures, allowing one long Zappa guitar solo. After that, none of the fine musicians really has a chance to play much more than filler licks, with the possible exception of bass player Scott Thunes (who is well represented) and Chad Wackerman (who sits above the band with an air of calm detachment, so relaxed he makes his playing look effortless). Bobby Martin does a great vocal on the closing number, Whipping Post, but otherwise, it's silly songs all the way, and although the band delivers the goods with impeccable precision, no one looks as if he's having a whole lot of fun. The clowning is unspontaneous at best.

As for the video footage itself, it's well shot, impeccably edited, but with far too many closeups of Frank Zappa's face, and a strange absence of longshots of the stage (the audience-eye view is missing).

How unfortunate the no video seems to exist of the final Zappa tour, when they were tackling the most ambitious, complex, and beautiful compositions, with truly amazing jazz soloists and less of a focus on Zappa and his tendency toward self indulgence.

This DVD will satisfy anyone who wanted to know what a Zappa concert looked like, but the material is among the most trivial he wrote. Certainly humor belongs in music--but only if it's funny."

Tight and Hugely Entertaining

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How can someone who purports to be Frank Zappa fan not be energized by the tight and hugely entertaining concert that is featured on Does Humor Belong In Music? All you have to do is listen to this DVD closely and you will be mesmerized by the mathematical precision of Zappa's band. And for humor just watch the facial expressions and antics of some of the band members as they play through some of Zappa's more suggestive songs like He's So Gay, Bobby Brown, Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me, Dinah-Moe Humm, and Dancin' Fool. Zappa is famous for mocking anything and everything and here he does it with a special panache.
Zappa's oeuvre is huge and deciding which Zappa CD to listen to can be an occasion for indecision. So if you are in need of a quick Zappa fix, why not try this DVD out? Its only an hour long, its inexpensive and is packed with variety. It even closes with an unexpected but expertly played Allman Brothers cover! This is certainly one I will be watching frequently.
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