Frank Zappa
March 9, 1973
Civic Center
Oklahoma City, OK
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01 Intro
02 RDNZL
03 Intro Dog Meat
04 Exercise #4
05 Dog Breath
06 Uncle Meat
07 Fifty-Fifty
08 soundproblems
09 Inca Roads
10 Intro Cosmik Debris
11 Cosmik Debris
12 Intro Montana
13 Montana
14 George Duke's Elaborated Intro
15 Dupree's Paradise
16 I'm The Slime
17 Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?
18 Encore Intro
19 Son Of Mr Green Genes
20 King Kong
21 Chunga's Revenge
22 Mr Green Genes reprise
George Duke - keyboards, vocals
Bruce Fowler - trombone
Tom Fowler - bass
Ralph Humphrey - drums
Jean Luc Ponty - violin
Ruth Underwood - percussion
Ian Underwood - alto saxophone, synthesizer
Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals
I was completely taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed this show.
First off, the sound quality is nowhere near as bad as most sources report. Either I have a better sounding copy, or most traders who have this (including the one I got it from) simply use the same grade as the Master himself [that's you Naurin (though I have been recently informed that Naurin's next page update will revise this grade to a B)] without rating the tape for themselves. Whichever, the sound quality wavers throughout the show, and is at worst a high B-, and at best, a solid B+. This is a very manageable listen for the typical FZ trader.
The second thing I want to mention about this show is the excellent set list structure. Take "RDNZL", for example. Now I am not a big fan of this song, or at least the versions of this song that appear prior to Fall 1974. Having the damn near perfect Fall 1974/Studio Tan version to compare it to, this early '73 version is way to hurried and way to half-baked to thoroughly satisfy me. BUT, put the song at the beginning of the show, immediately following some quick and to the point band introductions, and you have an exhilarating start to the show. "And George Duke on keyboards!", wait a second, and then BAM!, straight into "RDNZL". That is the way this show begins, and it’s the equivalent of a musical rollercoaster ride. Wait, wait, wait, ZOOM! And no looking back, either. This is the first time that "RDNZL" really worked for me. (Plus, Frank delivers a short but filling solo that is quite good.)
The rest of the show builds nicely from this point. "Dog Meat" leads into the always funky "50-50", while "Inca Roads" follows with the first lengthy solos of the night (Fowler(?) and Zappa). "Cosmik Debris" and "Montana" deliver the guitar solo goods, with Frank's latter effort suffering due to poor choice in guitar tones. The thin sound he chooses for "Montana" gets lost in the mix and all we hear for most of the solo is Humphrey pounding away.
"Dupree's Paradise" starts with your typical Duke weirdness, staying spacey and calm for most of its duration. Ponty delivers the first solo, and thanks to some engaging rhythmic support (I found myself listening more closely to Ruth and Ralph than I did Jean), this is the best single solo of the night. Frank's effort is somewhat calm and laid-back, and while quite good, does not really go anywhere.
The highlight of this show (and, for me, the highlight of the early part of this tour) is the "I'm the Slime-> Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" combo. "Slime" is funky and deliciously arranged, and "Don't You Ever?" is a hectic version of the Roxy classic, complete with a parade of inspired solos from the whole group. Fowler sounds majestic, Ian funky, Ponty primordal, Humphrey inspired, and Frank sounds like Frank.
This is not a great show by any means. But the performances are solid, and there are a couple truly inspired performances that make the listen well worth it.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/hebwvgvud15/n/1973-03-09.rar
March 9, 1973
Civic Center
Oklahoma City, OK
01 Intro
02 RDNZL
03 Intro Dog Meat
04 Exercise #4
05 Dog Breath
06 Uncle Meat
07 Fifty-Fifty
08 soundproblems
09 Inca Roads
10 Intro Cosmik Debris
11 Cosmik Debris
12 Intro Montana
13 Montana
14 George Duke's Elaborated Intro
15 Dupree's Paradise
16 I'm The Slime
17 Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?
18 Encore Intro
19 Son Of Mr Green Genes
20 King Kong
21 Chunga's Revenge
22 Mr Green Genes reprise
George Duke - keyboards, vocals
Bruce Fowler - trombone
Tom Fowler - bass
Ralph Humphrey - drums
Jean Luc Ponty - violin
Ruth Underwood - percussion
Ian Underwood - alto saxophone, synthesizer
Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals
I was completely taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed this show.
First off, the sound quality is nowhere near as bad as most sources report. Either I have a better sounding copy, or most traders who have this (including the one I got it from) simply use the same grade as the Master himself [that's you Naurin (though I have been recently informed that Naurin's next page update will revise this grade to a B)] without rating the tape for themselves. Whichever, the sound quality wavers throughout the show, and is at worst a high B-, and at best, a solid B+. This is a very manageable listen for the typical FZ trader.
The second thing I want to mention about this show is the excellent set list structure. Take "RDNZL", for example. Now I am not a big fan of this song, or at least the versions of this song that appear prior to Fall 1974. Having the damn near perfect Fall 1974/Studio Tan version to compare it to, this early '73 version is way to hurried and way to half-baked to thoroughly satisfy me. BUT, put the song at the beginning of the show, immediately following some quick and to the point band introductions, and you have an exhilarating start to the show. "And George Duke on keyboards!", wait a second, and then BAM!, straight into "RDNZL". That is the way this show begins, and it’s the equivalent of a musical rollercoaster ride. Wait, wait, wait, ZOOM! And no looking back, either. This is the first time that "RDNZL" really worked for me. (Plus, Frank delivers a short but filling solo that is quite good.)
The rest of the show builds nicely from this point. "Dog Meat" leads into the always funky "50-50", while "Inca Roads" follows with the first lengthy solos of the night (Fowler(?) and Zappa). "Cosmik Debris" and "Montana" deliver the guitar solo goods, with Frank's latter effort suffering due to poor choice in guitar tones. The thin sound he chooses for "Montana" gets lost in the mix and all we hear for most of the solo is Humphrey pounding away.
"Dupree's Paradise" starts with your typical Duke weirdness, staying spacey and calm for most of its duration. Ponty delivers the first solo, and thanks to some engaging rhythmic support (I found myself listening more closely to Ruth and Ralph than I did Jean), this is the best single solo of the night. Frank's effort is somewhat calm and laid-back, and while quite good, does not really go anywhere.
The highlight of this show (and, for me, the highlight of the early part of this tour) is the "I'm the Slime-> Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" combo. "Slime" is funky and deliciously arranged, and "Don't You Ever?" is a hectic version of the Roxy classic, complete with a parade of inspired solos from the whole group. Fowler sounds majestic, Ian funky, Ponty primordal, Humphrey inspired, and Frank sounds like Frank.
This is not a great show by any means. But the performances are solid, and there are a couple truly inspired performances that make the listen well worth it.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/hebwvgvud15/n/1973-03-09.rar
