Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention
Whisky a Go Go, 1968 (Zappa Records/Universal Music)
5 180g LP box set
The thing with Zappa's massive catalog of material, live and studio, is that, even when you don't necessarily "get" what Frank is going for, you get the sense that he's worth the effort.
That's the case here, with this 5 LP, three hour performance at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go, recorded in '68. The set begins with some typically oddball improvisation, Frank adding random snippets of commentary.
"This extensive collection, released 56 years after it was recorded, compiles everything The Mothers played across their three sets that night, nearly three hours in all, complete and newly remixed in 2023 from hi-res 24-bit/96kHz digital transfers of the original 1” 8-track analog tapes by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow CT Studios," reads the press release.
It's certainly a thrilling, confounding, compelling, mind-numbing experience, as we flip side after side of Zappa's unparalleled brilliance, partnered with this ability to short circuit your brain.
"The Super Deluxe Edition box set features a booklet with many unseen photos from the night’s events, along with copious liner notes by Travers, an essay by Pamela Des Barres of the Zappa-signed group The GTOs who played that evening, and an interview by Ahmet Zappa with the legendary Alice Cooper, whose own band made a most momentous splash at the Whisky that night as one of the featured acts," they say.
This might not be the easiest introduction for newbies, but Zappa-philes will rejoice at this box.
Laurie Lewis
Trees (Spruce and Maple Music)
LP
Laurie Lewis' Trees is her 24th studio album, but it's also clear evidence that she's far from done.
Her voice on the opening "Just a Little Ways Down the Road" and the title track is so stunning, so evocative and hair-raising, that it makes us want to revisit her previous 23 albums.
The song for John Prine, "Why'd You Have to Break My Heart," is a simply beautiful tribute, showcasing why Lewis has enjoyed sustained popularity in bluegrass and folk circles.
"[Trees] presents a profound and multifaceted perspective with life, loss, nature, and grief that is intricate and rich," reads the press release. "While deeply ruminative, this set includes danceable music that drips with community and never feels burdened by its subject matter or apparent solitude. These songs—seven originals and a handful of covers—aren’t too concerned with genre, especially given that bluegrass and old-time tend to spout from Lewis like a bubbling mountain spring, in so many distinct manifestations."
