Tag Archives: Frank Zappa

Album review: HOT HEAD SHOW – Perfect

Hot Head Show - Perfect

Tentacle Films Limited [Release date 14.10.13] Hot Head Show is a trio with art rock and avant-garde pretensions. ‘Perfect’ is an album that has its moments of starling musical innovation, as it explores imaginative horizons, but ultimately it struggles lyrically … Continue reading

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Album review: MICK FARREN AND ANDY COLQUHOUN – Black Vinyl Dress

Gonzo [Release date 28.1013] Mick Farren once said: ‘I’m a lousy singer, but a brilliant rock star’. And while that may be true, the rock scene has all but dissipated and our anti heroes need to do more than come … Continue reading

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DVD review: FRANK ZAPPA – The Torture Never Stops/The Dub Room Special/Baby Snakes

Eagle Rock [Release date 14.10.13] Some familiar FZ material finds its way into to a 3 DVD box set which represents three different snapshots of a career that was moving into the audio visual domain. Of course Frank had already … Continue reading

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Album review: ANTOINE FAFARD – Occultus Tramitis

Unicorn Digital [Release date 01.06.13] Fusion music often throws an unexpected curve ball at the humble listener, and prog fusion such as this with its musical density, ever changing time signatures and challenging improvisation sometimes pushes the envelope beyond the … Continue reading

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Album review: JOHN KLINE – Different Drummers

Wet Present Records [Release date 23.11.12] With the exception of the title track which features drummer Michael Arata, ‘Different Drummers’ is a completely self penned, engineered and produced album by multi instrumentalist John Kline. He leads on guitar, but plays … Continue reading

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Album review: STEVE CICHON – Meltdown

Stephen Andrew Cichon [Release date 03.06.13] Florida’s prog/fusion guitarist Steve Cichon’s last instrumental album ‘Cranial Feedback’ was notable for its inventive guitar playing, shifting tone colours and vacillating twists and turns. ‘Meltdown’ extends his penchant for relentless guitar pyrotechnics with … Continue reading

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Book review: Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo & Eddie and Frank Zappa by Howard Kaylan

Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo & Eddie and Frank Zappa by Howard Kaylan with Jeff Tamarkin Backbeat Books www.backbeatbooks.com For a man behind timeless pop classics like the Turtles ‘Happy Together’, Howard Kaylan has certainly led a … Continue reading

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Gig review: THE GRANDMOTHERS OF INVENTION, Asheville,NC,2 July 2013

Whether you’re family/friends or just a person that reads my write-up’s with any regularity, you’re likely already aware of my undying love and affection for almost all things Frank Zappa. With minimal research (if you’re bored enough to do it … Continue reading

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DVD review: FRANK ZAPPA – A Token Of His Extreme

Eagle Vision [Release date 04.06.13] What’s not to like about a TV special featuring Zappa in an intimate concert setting with one of the very best fusion line-ups of his career? It doesn’t get much better than this, though the fact … Continue reading

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Album review: NORMAN WATT-ROY – Faith & Grace

Cadiz [Release date 17.06.13] The mission statement for this album comes in the middle of the autobiographical ‘Me My Bass And I’: ‘When I heard Jaco (Pastorius) and Weather Report that was basically it. I realised where I came from, … Continue reading

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Album Review: TROISI – The Front

Troisi Blue Music [Release date 12.13] ‘The Front’ by TROiSi, (Mike Troisi the person and band are interchangeable) is a conceptual and musical triumph in the face of cliché. It’s a concept album that rises above the genre to make a … Continue reading

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Album review: CTHULHU RISE – 42

Cthulhu Rise

Musea Records This incredible heavy but inventive album may sometimes border on the cacophonous as it blasts away the cobwebs of complacency with monumental fractured riffs, but the underlying fast changing time signatures, unrelenting metal dirge (sludge metal anybody?) and … Continue reading

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Album review: GASTRIC BAND – Party Feel

Gastric Band

Armellodie Records [Release date: 03.06.13] With a line up comprising two drummers and three guitarists with additional synths, loops, samples and percussion, Scotland’s awfully titled Gastric Band are clearly not your ordinary beat combo. Party Feel is anything but an … Continue reading

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Album review: DOUBT! – Mercy Pity Peace & Love

        Moonjune records DouBt is a bristling trio of free form players who wrap their spontaneous playing in fusion and funky clothing, but ultimately return to their chosen style of playing. ‘Mercy, Pity, Peace & Love’ is … Continue reading

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Gig review: THE MAGIC BAND – Under The Bridge, London, 16 March 2013

There can be fewer stranger tales than the cult like relationship between the late Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. His totalitarian grip on the line-up that recorded the groundbreaking ‘Trout Mask Replica’ album has spawned numerous articles, documentaries and … Continue reading

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