Today's Listen (Part 2)

Frank Zappa - Roxy & Elsewhere (1974)

This album has been my favorite live Zappa album for a long time. It's quirky, complex, and highly entertaining. However, I'll let it be known that it would probably be a difficult listen to anyone who is unfamiliar with Zappa's ambitious live style. Like most of his music, it's chalk-full of humorous parts ("Dummy Up," "Cheepnis") and insane instrumental workouts ("Pygmy Twylyte," "Echidna's Arf (Of You)/Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?") that keep the listener quite mentally engaged with the performance. The band behind him is in exceptional form; the combination of Chester Thompson on drums and Ruth Underwood on percussion results in some of the most complex drumming I've ever heard. Napoleon Murphy Brock has the duty of lead vocals, and I must say I enjoy any Zappa record he his on because his voice is so distinctively awesome. Anybody who wants to experience some music that is really out of this world, check out this recording.

There's nothing from this album on YouTube, but you can listen to "Pygmy Twylyte" by clicking here. http://www.progarchives.com/mp3.asp?id=455