Search - Frank Zappa :: The Muffin Man Goes To College

Of all the Frank Zappa tours, the spring of 1975 is the most unusual and frustrating. The performances could range from absolutely exhilarating to rather drab with slopping renditions of composed core pieces like Advance Romance and Willie The Pimp played in the midst of brilliant improvisations by Zappa, Captain Beefheart and the other musicians in the band. Add to this the paucity of really good recordings, and the frustration is obvious. As a radio broadcast however this is the best sounding show from the tour, it's a tight and enjoyable performance. Capturing the chaotic, eclectic turns in the set starting off with an atonal cacophony of noise in the beginning improvisation, Zappa comes on stage at about a minute and a half in, and beginnings playing at about five minutes, starting the band off with 'Camarillo Brillo.' It is performed as in other tours with the first half at normal tempo and the second slowed down. 'Pound For A Brown' is the big monster song of the tour. Stretching close to ten minutes, Fowler and Duke take solos before Zappa, all in a jazz/funk vein. It segues right into the long 'Why Doesn't Someone Give Him A Pepsi?' (a.k.a. 'The Torture Never Stops'). The long improvisations after Montana begin with Zappa pointing out Brock who plays the little cymbal and pretends to cry when hitting himself. During the improv they play bits of 'Chariot' and 'Moon Trek.' The strangeness continues with 'Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top' before the segue into 'Penguin In Bondage.' 'Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead' speaks about the cynicism of marketing the bicentennial celebrations due the following year. The closing section of 'Echidna's Arf' segues into the final song of the set, 'Advance Romance.' Just like a rock and roll concert, Zappa quips before they rip into a wild 'Willie The Pimp' with more blues jams, Denny's slide guitar, and Beefheart's Howlin' Wolf vocals.