DVD review -- ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA

[TwilightOdyssey]

I received this 2-DVD set about a month ago as an advance copy from Razor & Tie. It's taken me several viewings to make my way through it, mostly due to the fact that much of the lyrical content is not kid safe.

On to the review ...

If you are a fan of Frank Zappa, you really owe it to yourself to get this DVD. If you ever had the privilege of seeing FZ live, this will bring back many fond memories. It's not the same, of course, but it's wonderful seeing so many monster improvisational artists together on one stage at the same time.

Fronted by Dweezil Zappa, the band is in excellent form throughout -- the playing is tight as a drum, well rehearsed, but still very 'live'. These are guys and gals that are very comfortable with this type of ultra-progressive music, before prog received the stigma of meaning "musical masterbation".

DZ conjures up a nice variety of tones through a Fender custom shop Srat into a variety of Cornford, Tophat and Fender amplifiers. Overall, DZ's guitar is mixed pretty low, however.

If you've never found yourself getting into the music of FZ, I feel that this DVD would be a great introduction -- the song choice is brilliant, the video and audio production (both in 2.0 PCM and 5.1 Dolby Digital) is pristine and mixed in a stellar fashion, everything crisp and clean, with great editing and nothing sounding over-produced.

If you are a sideline FZ fan, or more likely on this forum, a fan of Steve Vai but found FZ or Captain Beefheart to be too 'out there', this DVD is packed with great guitar solos and is a visually inspiring look back at the material that helped make Steve Vai a household name (among guitar players, at least).

So, I give this DVD a 4.5 out of 5. The only thing I disliked on this DVD is the pompous way DZ comes across throughout. After all, this isn't his music, but his father's legacy. I would have preferred a bit more reverence on his part. Of course, he may have just been doing his best imitation of his father, too. :)


Watch it and judge for yourself.

[temps]

I saw Zappa Plays Zappa when they came through town. I myself am not much of a fan, but my buddy absolutely loves Frank Zappa's stuff so we ended up seeing them in a nice venue here in town. All of the performers were brilliant, Dweezil is quite the guitarist.. he played some huge sweeps that were very fast but very clean and subdued, and then his solos were very expressive and interesting.
I didn't like the near-constant use of xylphones and that, or the lyrics to most of the songs, but it was a very entertaining show. They played a good ten-fifteen minute improvised song, with improv lyrics using lines the audience gave them.
The songs they did accompanied by a video of Frank performing the song were fantastic. There was only a couple, but they were very well done.

[Bird]

I saw them on the tour after this one (from the 2nd row) and it was amazing. Even got a Pete Griffin pick as a souvenir. Apparently he spent about 2 years rebuilding his playing so he would actually be able to perform this material.  He was very humble and was obviously moved emotionally a couple times when talking about his father.  

Thanks for the review I'll definitely be picking this one up.  8)

[Johnny Mac]

This sounds cool! I'll be putting an order in for this  8)

[lulusg]

Saw them at the HOB in New Orleans, and it was fantastic !!. Got the Steve Vai pick he used after he challenged DZ to a "mano a mano" soloing... Ordering today!

[broken cord]

I saw Frank play in the Capitol in Passaic NJ in 1973 it was the second live show I ever went to. I have been a Zappa fan ever since. I had the opportunity to see DZ play FZ a few months back and it was a brilliant show. Dweezil is a polished player that can copy the nuances of Franks music and the band presents it all very well.

I saw Frank play many times probably more than 10 times. I noticed that when Dweezil plays Franks music he gives a very polished application and presentation that is a great recreation of what one of Franks shows were like. However, Frank Zappa was a musical dynamic that created atmosphere as he played. One may choose not to like the ostentatious style that Frank chose as his muse but serious musicians must agree that Franks application of non-linear phrases and non-typical backscapes of sound help advance Rock music to some degree. Frank Zappa showed how music can be taken seriously and still poke fun at it too.

Frank is missed.

[gingataff]

I've been a fan of Frank's music (and of Frank himself) since my mid-teens, but sadly never had the opportunity to see him live. However I did see ZPZ in January and it was fantastic, my girlfriend still talks about how great Dweezil's tone was (he was using his VOS SG and CS Strat with Fuchs and Fender amps), and how bad Vai's tone was in comparison :roll:
After the performance (which was impeccable) Dweezil stayed on stage while the rest of the band left and the road crew cleared away the backline, shaking hands and giving autographs (myself included :D ). He must have been there until the venue was empty. Certainly no ego on display, just genuinely glad to share some time with people who love his father's music.
I'm looking forward to seeing the DVD although I know it won't recreate such a  special night.

As a postscript on the Zappa theme, today I found some guitar shops with ridiculous amounts of vintage gear, one had a Syntech Overdrive pedal (Zappa's favourite) for a reasonable if not exactly cheap price, if it's still there later this week expect some soudclips! :P