Vaulternative

John Lennon wasn’t the only rock legend to have his 70th birthday posthumously celebrated in 2010. This past Winter Solstice saw revered guitarist/composer/arranger/artist Frank Zappa reach his septuagenarian milestone in Heaven, an event that was rightfully commemorated in the form of a three-day music festival at the Roundhouse in London, where a weekend in early November was spent watching scorching performances of son Dweezil’s outstanding Zappa Plays Zappa tribute band, screening unseen footage from the FZ film archives and attending seminars from several members of Frank’s many backing bands through the years.

However, for those of us who couldn’t make it out to the UK for the shindig, the Zappa Family offers this insanely cool favor: a three-CD “party pack” chronicling FZ’s four-night stand at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in early 1978. The historic thing about these particular professional soundboard recordings is that they were utilized as the primary source for the basic tracks of 1979’s Sheik Yerbouti. But fear not, all of the versions contained within this compendium are previously unreleased, handpicked by wife Gail herself, including raw, uncut versions of such memorable Sheik shakers as “Dancin’ Fool,” “City of Tiny Lites,” “Jones Crusher” and, of course, “Disco Boy” (sadly, no “Jewish Princess” to be found here).

Playing before the Brits also found Frank in full-on stand-up mode as well, the comedic marvel that he was prominently showcased during the hilarious “Audience Participation” portion of the show on disc two. Yet the best part of this collection is the ability to hear Zappa’s mind-blowing late 70s group in concert, whose lineup included Adrian Belew on guitar, Peter Wolf and Tommy Mars on keyboards, Terry Bozzio on drums, bassist Patrick O’Hearn and Ed Mann on percussion. It’s a thrill to have the ability to absorb yourself in a crystal clear stereo recording of arguably Zappa’s hottest ensemble as they tear through such FZ anthems as “Camarillo Brillo,” “The Torture Never Stops,” “Peaches En Regalia,” “King Kong” and “Dinah Moe Humm.” Hell, just the chance to hear Zappa and Belew go toe-to-toe on the Zoot Allures burner “Black Napkins” is worth the price of admission alone. If you are a Frank Zappa fan, trust your instincts on whether or not Hammersmith Odeon belongs up there with Just Another Band From L.A. and The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life as one of his greatest live albums.