zappa tour 1979

Life on the Road

An Analysis of the Live Recordings of Frank Zappa

Welcome to Life on the Road. This website aim s to catalog all the songs played by all of Frank Zappa’s touring ensembles, while also highlighting the best official and unofficial recordings of each rocking teenage combo.

From here click on any of the below links to take you to your desired tour page..

• Introduction
• 1965-1966 Live Shows
• 1967 European Tour
• 1968 with Ray Collins (January-August)
• 1968 without Ray Collins (August-December)
• 1969 with Lowell George (January-May)
• 1969 without Lowell George (May-August)
• 1970 Hot Rats Bands (February-March)
• 1970 Mothers of Invention Reunion Tour (May)
• 1970 The “New MOI” (June-December)
• 1971 with Bob Harris (May-July)
• 1971 with Don Preston (August-December)
• 1972 The Grand Wazoo Orchestra (September)
• 1972 The Petit Wazoo Orchestra (October-December)
• 1973 North American Tours with Jean-Luc Ponty (February-May)
• 1973 Pacific Tour with Jean-Luc Ponty (June-July)
• 1973 European Tour with Jean-Luc Ponty (August-September)
• 1973 Final North American Tour (October-December)
• 1974 First North American Tour (February-March)
• 1974 “10 Years of The Mothers” Tour (April-May)
• 1974 Third North American Tour (June-August)
• 1974 European Tour (September-October)
• 1974 Final North American Tour (October-December)
• 1975 Bongo Fury Tour with Captain Beefheart (April-May)
• 1975 North American and Yugoslavian Tour (September-December)
• 1976 Pacific and European Tours (January-March)
• 1976 North American Tour (October-November)
• 1976 New York Shows (December)
• 1977 European Tour (January-February)
• 1960s and 70s Classical Concerts
• Other Resources

This website is a work in progress, so things may change over time, as I get new information or as my writing style changes. If you see anything wrong, factual or grammatical, shoot me an email at [email protected]

Coming Some Day:

1977 North American Tour (September-December)

1978 European Tour (January-February)

1978 World Tour (August-October)

1979 European Tour (February-April)

Plus: Expanded Rewrites/Edits of the Early 70s Pages (The new pages on all six iterations of the original Mothers in the 60s are all up now!)

Also check out my YouTube channel for easy access to nearly every single unofficially recorded Zappa show! All sourced from Zappateers.com of course, and available there in lossless quality.

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Tours and official releases chronology

Text only version.

• May The very early Mothers - featuring, Ray Collins, Roy Estrada & Jimmy Carl Black - used to perform at The Broadside in Pomona. From there probably come their earliest live recordings available ( Mystery Disc & Joe's Corsage ).
• November The Mothers hired a 2nd guitar player, Henry Vestine which was soon replaced by Elliot Ingber.
• April 7-16 Shortly after the recording of Freak Out! , The Mothers got a ten days engagement in Waikiki, Hawaii.
• May - June The Mothers gets multiple engagements in San Francisco. On June 24-25 they opened for Lenny Bruce at the Fillmore Auditorium - from these gigs are said to come some of the earlier live recording audible on MOFO , MD , YCDTOSA1 & YCDTOSA5 . Elliot Ingber was fired at the end of June.
• June 1966 : Freak Out!
• September Three new members for The Mothers: Don Preston, Bunk Gardner and Billy Mundi as 2nd drummer. Also Jim Fielder is hired on guitar. MOI are now a 8 elements group.
• November - December The year ends with multiple engagements at The Ballroom Farm in NYC.
• January 7-21 Two weeks engagement in Montreal.
• February 17-19 Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco - Jim Fielder's last known gigs with The Mothers.
• March - September The Mothers moves to NYC where they kept, for almost six months, even if not always continuously, the 'Absolutely Free - Pigs & Repugnant' show at the Garrick Theatre.
• June 1967 : Absolutely Free
• September At the end of the Garrick Theatre period, The Mothers have two new members - Ian Underwood and Motorhead Sherwood - and are now a nine members band.
• September 23 to October 2 The first MOI European tour. The MOI play Louie Louie on the Royal Albert Hall pipe organ in London ( UM ). The complete MOI gig in Stockholm (Sep 30) is ended up in 'Tis The Season To Be Jelly ( BTB ).
• December Art Tripp replaces Billy Mundi as 2nd drummer of the MOI. The year ends with a five days engagement in Philadelphia.
• March 1968 : We're Only In It For The Money
• March - May Usa gigs. On May 3 the Mothers play at The Dog in Denver, some of the performance is available in Electric Aunt Jemina ( BTB ).
• May 1968 : Lumpy Gravy - with The Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
• May - July USA gigs. On 18 May in Hallendale (Fl) the MOI recorded the live portion of King Kong ( UM ). On July 27 the MOI play God Bless America at the Whisky A Go-Go in LA ( UM ).
• August - September After some 'in and out', Ray Collins definitively leaves The Mothers.
• September 28 to October 26 The 2nd MOI European tour For the London Royal Festival Hall show on October 25, FZ hired some members of the BBC Orchestra, the result is audible in AOTT . Most part of this unique performance is also available in video ( Uncle Meat ).
• November - December Lowell George and Buzz Gardner join The Mothers, that are now a ten elements band. Most of the November 8 show in Fullerton, including a Wild Man Fischer performance, ended up in Our Man In Nirvana ( BTB ).
• December 1968 : Cruising With Ruben & The Jets
• January - March The ten members MOI continue to ride USA & Canada. Some bits of the February Miami and NYC shows are available on YCDTOSA5 .
• March 1969 : Mothermania
• April 1969 : Uncle Meat
• April - May The ten members MOI continue to ride USA & Canada. After the Toronto & Appleton gigs, in the end of May, Lowell George quits The Mothers.
• May 30 to June 7 The very short 1969 MOI European tour. A bit of the London performance can be heard on YCDTOSA5 .
• June 13 to August 19 Last Usa gigs for the original Mothers of Invention: FZ disbanded the group at the end of August. An hour of the July 8 Boston performance can be heard in The Ark ( BTB ).
• October 1969 : Hot Rats
• October 24-28 FZ is Master of Ceremonies at the Amougies Festival in Belgium. He jammed with Pink Floyd, Archie Shepp, Cpt. Beefheart and others. In early November FZ is in London with Cpt. Beefheart.
• November 28-29 Frank Zappa "and Friends" give a couple of gigs in Los Angeles with one of the "Hot Rats" line-up.
• January 1970 : Burnt Weeny Sandwich
• February - April Frank Zappa & Hot Rats: Zappa & Underwood did some occasional gigs in California with always changing line-ups, including: Cpt. Beefheart, Max Bennett, Ed Greene, Don 'Sugarcane' Harris, Jeff Simmons and Ainsley Dumbar.
• May The MOI reunion tour: for the Contempo '70 music festival was scheduled in LA a concert with The Mothers & The LA Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Metha. FZ with Underwood and a bunch of former & future Mothers (Collins, Motorhead, Preston, Mundi, Dumbar, Simmons) did a short 'rehearsal tour'.
• June 12 to July 5 The new Mothers present them self in some gigs and TV-shows in USA and Europe. The new line-up features the former Turtles Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan (Flo & Eddie), Ian Underwood, George Duke, Jeff Simmons and Ainsley Dumbar.
• July - August Frank Zappa in Europe: Zappa did at least two gigs in France without the Mothers: at the Riviera Festival in Antibes with Jean-Luc Ponty (the first known time FZ and JPL played together on stage) and at the Saint Raphael Pop Festival with an unknown band.
• August 1970 : Weasels Ripped My Flesh
• August 21 The Mothers are back: the famous El Monte Legion Stadium show (that actually took place at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium)
• September 17 to November 21 Usa & Canada tour.
• October 1970 : Chunga's Revenge
• November 1970 The Flo & Eddie Mothers did some memorable gigs at the Fillmore West in San Francisco and at the Fillmore East in NYC (hear Tengo Na Minchia Tanta and Freaks & Motherfu*#@%! - BTB ).
• November 26 to December 17 European Tour. On December 15 in Paris Jean-Luc Ponty joined the Mothers on stage for a sparkling King Kong jam that ended up in Disconnected Synapses ( BTB ).
• January 28 to February 5 Pinewood Studios, UK - 200 Motels shooting. Most of the Frank Zappa's 200 Motels double album was recorded live during the shooting with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestral premiere of 200 Motels scheduled at the Royal Albert Hall for February 8 was canceled. Jeff Simmons left the band just before the start of the movie and was replaced by Martin Lickert (Ringo Starr chauffeur!). George Duke left the band after the end of the shooting.
• May 10 to June 6 Short Usa Tour. The Flo & Eddie MOI combo now has Jim Pons on bass and Bob Harris on keyboards.
• June 5 - 6 The Mothers record their first entirely live album at the Fillmore East in New York City with, as special guests, Don Preston ( FE ) and jam with John Lennon & Joko Ono (the jam is audible in Playground Psychotic and in the Plastic Ono Band's Sometimes In New York City ).
• July 2 to 10 Canada tour. At the end Bob Harris left the band.
• August 1971 : Fillmore East, June 1971
• August 7 UCLA Pavilion, Los Angeles: the JABFLA show. Don Preston replaces Bob Harris at keyboards until the end of the 'Flo & Eddie era'.
• August 25 to 29 Short West Coast tour.
• October 1971 : Frank Zappa's 200 Motels - the original motion picture sound track.
• October 1 to 24 Usa & Canada tour
• November 1971 : Frank Zappa's 200 Motels - the MGM movie was premiered in USA between October and November 1971.
• November 19 to December 10 The infamous 1971 European tour.
• December 4 Montreaux: nearly at the end of the show, a big fire destroyed the Casino hall and the Moi equipment: the whole show can be heard in Sweet Cheese/Fire ( BTB ). The Mothers canceled all sequent European gigs to be ready for the London shows...
• December 10 London: nearly a the end of the first of two scheduled shows at the Rainbow Theatre, a young agitate man throw FZ off the stage into the orchestra pit. FZ ended up at the local hospital with various injuries that kept him for some months on a wheel chair. Excerpt of this performance can be heard in Playground Psychotics . It was the end of the tour and of the 'Flo & Eddie era'.
• March 1972 : Just Another Band From L.A.
• July 1972 : Waka/Jawaka
• September 9 to 24 The Grand Wazoo tour: only seven shows for this really big band: 20 elements including Jim Gordon, Tony Duran, Tom Fowler, Sal Marquez, Ian & Ruth Underwood. Since October 1007 you can hear this big band in Wazoo (recorded in Boston, September 24).
• October - December The Petit Wazoo tour with a ten elements band including Jim Gordon, Tony Duran and Bruce Fowler. A sample of this band performances is available since January 2006 in Imaginary Diseases .
• November 1972 : The Grand Wazoo
• February 23 to May 20 The 1973 USA tour (with many pauses) with a very new combo: Ian Underwood, Jean Luke Ponty, George Duke, Ruth Underwood, Ralph Humphrey, Tom & Bruce Fowler. Sal Marquez joined in on march 24. For some shows (from April 7 to May 1) Kim Vassy was on vocals.
• June 15 to July 8 The 1973 Pacific tour (Hawaii and Australia). At the end of the Australian tour Sal Marquez left the Mothers. Zappa edited an extended Yellow Snow Suite from the Sydney June 25 show ( One Shot Deal ).
• August 18 to September 14 The 1973 European tour: at the end of this tour Ian Underwood left the Mothers after 6 years of almost continuous playing with FZ.
• September 14 Empire Pool, Wembley: last show with Frank Zappa and Jean Luc Ponty together.
• September 1973 : Over-Nite Sensation
• October 26 to December 02 Back on the road in Usa and Canada with the new band: two drummers (Chester Thompson & Ralph Humphrey), Napoleon Murphy Brock, Ruth Underwood, George Duke, Bruce and Tom Fowler.
• December 9-10 The Roxy, Los Angeles, with Jeff Simmons as guest. The shows were recorded ( R&E ) and filmed (while waiting for the DVD from The Zappa Family Trust, you can seen an account in Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe(')/Over-Nite Sensation , very short fragment can be seen in The True Story Of 200 Motels and a "trailer" is present in the Baby Snakes DVD. Even more is available at Zappa.Com ).
• February Some shows in California, Jeff Simmons rejoins The Mothers.
• March 1 to 23 First 1974 USA tour.
• March 1974 : Apostrophe (')
• April 19 to May 12 : The Mothers 10th Anniversary Tour FZ again with a ten members band. for this tour only Don Preston rejoins The Mothers, Walt Fowler is added on trumpet, while Ruth Underwood is not in the band. Will be the last tour for Ralph Humphrey and the last Zappa band with two drummers. Part of the South Bend May 12 performance ended up in Unmitigated Audacity ( BTB ).
• June 28 to July 21 New USA & Canada tour. After the Bloomington July 3 show, Jeff Simmons leaves definitively the band: the Mothers are back to a more traditional 6 members line-up (with Napoleon Murphy Brook, Tom Fowler, George Duke, Ruth Underwood and Chester Thompson).
• August 1974 Some shows in California, including the KCET TV LA performances: see the A Token Of His Extreme video and The Dub Room Special! .
• September 1974 : Roxy & Elsewhere
• September 6 to October 5 The 1974 European tour.
• September 22-23 The Helsinki Concert(s) - YCDTOSA2
• October 29 to December 3 The last 1974 USA tour.
• October 31 Felt Forum, New York City: the first FZ Halloween soiree in NYC!
• November 19 Tom Fowler gets his left hand broken, will be replaced until the end of the tour by Mike Urso or James 'Bird Legs' Youman.
• December 31 1975 New Year's Eve Special Show at the Long Beach Arena. The last show with Tom Fowler, Chester Thompson and Ruth Underwood (she will shortly come back for the NYC '76 Christmas run).
• April 11 Claremont, California: the two opening shows of the Bongo Fury tour, featuring Cpt. Beefheart. The new band features Terry Bozzio on drums, Bruce & Tom Fowler, George Duke, Napoleon Murphy Brook and Danny Walley.
• April 18 to May 26 The Bongo Fury tour: the last one with Zappa for George Duke and Tom Fowler.
• June 1975 : One Size Fits All
• September 17-18 Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles; the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Orchestra plays Zappa's Orchestral Favorites .
• September 27 to December 9 USA & Canada tour. The new five elements Zappa combo features Roy Estrada (back from the old Mothers), Napoleon Murphy Brook, André Lewis and Terry Bozzio.
• October 1975 : Bongo Fury
• October 31 Norma Jean Bell is guest on NYC Halloween shows and joins the band for the rest of the tour (until December 9).
• November 1 College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg, VA: Joe's Menage .
• November 21-22 Two shows in Yugoslavia, in Zagreb and Ljubljana: the only time FZ played behind the red curtain.
• December 26-31 Few shows in California, with the 1976 New Year's Eve Special Show in Inglewood.
• January 11 to February 5 1976 Pacific Tour (Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
• January 20 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia: FZ:OZ .
• February 3 Kosei Nenkin Kaikan, Osaka, Japan: Black Napkins ( Zoot Allures ).
• February 13 to March 13 The 1976 European tour. The last tour with Napoleon Murphy Brock (who will shortly come back in 1984) and Roy Estrada.
• October 1976 : Zoot Allures
• October 12 to November 25 The 1976 USA and Canada tour. A nearly completely new combo: Patrick O'Hearn on bass, Ray White on guitar, Eddie Jobson on keyboards & violin. Bozzio keeps the drums. And with Bianca Thornton on keyboards and vocals until November 11. Part of the Detroit November 17 performance ended up in Conceptual Continuity ( BTB ).
• December 26-29 1976 Christmas special big band run in New York City: the ZINY shows, with a twelve elements band featuring Ruth Underwood.
• January 13 to February 17 The 1977 European tour, back with the small band (White, O'Hearn, Jobson and Bozzio).
• February 9-10 FZ plays in London for the first time since 1973.
• September 8 to November 11 The 1977 USA & Canada tour The new band with Bozzio, O'Hearn and the new entries Peter Wolf, Tommy Mars, Ed Mann and Adrian Belew.
• October 28-31 During the NYC Halloween run, with Roy Estrada as guest, was filmed Baby Snakes .
• December 31 Los Angeles - 1978 New Year's Eve Special Show, with Roy Estrada.
• January 24 to March 1 The 1978 European tour - last tour with Terry Bozzio. The tour opened and ended in London, where were recorded most of the Sheik Yerbouti basic tracks.
• March 1978 : Zappa In New York
• August 26 to September 9 The short 1978 European summer festivals tour. The new band: Willis and Walley replace Adrian Belew, Arthur Barrow replaces Patrick O'Hearn and Vinnie Colaiuta replaces Bozzio. In Munich the band filmed We Don't Mess Around .
• September 1978 : Studio Tan
• September 15 to October 31 The 1978 USA & Canada tour. Ike Willis left the band on Oct 14 and Patrick O'Hearn joined on Oct 13: for the remaining shows the band played with two bass players!.
• October 27-31 The 1978 NYC Halloween run. The two bass players band did 6 shows at the Palladium, Halloween audio DVD is made from here.
• January 1979 : Slip Dirt
• February 10 to April 1 The 1979 European tour, with Ed Mann, Vinnie Colaiuta, Arthur Brown, Tommy Mars, Peter Wolf, Ike Willis, Denny Walley and Warren Cuccurullo on additional guitars.
• February 17-19 The band made 4 gigs in London: the Inca Roads solos on SUNPYG and The Yellow Snow Suite on YCDTOSA1 comes from here.
• February 23-24 Two shows in Paris - the second one ended up on Anyway The Wind Blows ( BTB ).
• March 1979 : Sheik Yerbouti
• May 1979 : Orchestral Favorites
• September 1979 : Joe's Garage Act I
• November 1979 : Joe's Garage Acts II & III
• March 25 to May 11 The first 1980 North American tour The new band: David Logeman, Arthur Barrow, Tommy Mars, Ike Willis and Ray White.
• May 8 The band had a short special gig at The Mudd Club in NYC - Video exist of it!
• May 23 to July 3 The 1980 European tour.
• June 11-12 3 shows in Paris: one of them was pro-shot.
• October 10 to December 11 The second 1980 North American tour. Two new band members: Bob Harris (his only tour with FZ) and Steve Vai. Winnie Colaiuta replaces David Logeman for his last tour with FZ.
• October 25 Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY: Buffalo
• May 1981 : Tinsel-Town Rebellion and Shut Up & Play Yer Guitar
• September 1981 : You Are What You Is
• September 27 to December 12 The 1981 North American tour. The new band: Chad Wackerman, Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, Ed Mann, Tommy Mars, Steve Vai & Ray White.
• October 31 Both Halloween NYC shows were pro-shot (check: The Torture Never Stops ) and one of them was broadcasted by MTV. Some performances are also visible in The Dub Room Special! .
• December 21 : Baby Snakes premiere in NYC.
• May 1982 : Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
• May 5 to July 14 The 1982 European tour (the band is not changed).
• July 14 The longest ever Zappa European tour ends in Palermo with a big riot. It was the first and only time FZ played in Sicily, his father homeland!
• October, 29 : The Dub Room Special! premiere at The Ritz in NYC.
• January 11 Barbican Center, London: The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano plays Zappa.
• February 9 San Francisco, War Memorial Opera House: Frank Zappa conducts Ionisation and Integrales at the Edgar Varese Memorial Concert.
• March 1983 : Baby Snakes and The Man From Utopia
• June 1983 : London Symphony Orchestra Vol. I
• January 9 Paris, Théâtre de la Ville: Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Pierre Boulez plays The Perfect Stranger .
• June 15-16 Berkeley, Ca: A Zappa Affair - The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano.
• July 17 to September 2 The 1984 North American Tour (first leg) The new Band: Napoleon Murphy Brock, Chad Wackerman, Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, Ray White and the new entries Alan Zavod and Ike Willis.
• August 1 Napoleon Murphy Brock quits the band in Santa Fe on Aug 1.
• August 1984 : Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger
• August 25-26 The band plays at The Pier in NYC, the Does Humor Belong In Music? video show.
• September 9 to October 16 The 1984 European tour.
• October 1984 : Them Or Us
• October 25 to December 23 The 1984 North American tour (second leg).
• October 31 At the Felt Forum in NYC Zappa played his last Halloween shows.
• November 1984 : Thing-Fish and Francesco Zappa
• January 1985 : Does Humor Belong In Music? video
• April 1985 : The Old Masters Box One - It includes renewed version of Freak Out! , Absolutely Free , We're Only In It For The Money , Lumpy Gravy , Cruising With Ruben & The Jets and the first Mystery Disc
• November 1986 : Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention
• January 1986 : Does Humor Belong In Music? (published only in Europe in CD)
• November 1986 : The Old Masters Box Two - It includes renewed version of Uncle Meat , Hot Rats , Burnt Weeny Sandwich , Weasels Ripped My Flesh , Chunga's Revenge , Fillmore East, June 1971 , Just Another Band From L.A. and the second Mystery Disc
• November 1986 : Jazz From Hell
• January 1987 : Video From Hell - A "preview of the newest releases by Honker Home Video. Music and video concepts by Frank Zappa", contains footage from various Zappa eras.
• September 1987 : London Symphony Orchestra Vol. II
• December 1987 : The Old Masters Box Three - It includes renewed version of Waka/Jawaka , The Grand Wazoo , Over-Nite Sensation , Apostrophe (') , Roxy & Elsewhere , One Size Fits All , Bongo Fury and Zoot Allures
• January 1988 : Uncle Meat (or September 1997 ) - A movie started in 1967 with the original MOI and finally released only in 1987 or 1988
• February 2 to March 23 The 1988 USA tour. Zappa again (and for the last time) on the road with a twelve elements group, the largest ever FZ band (excluding The Grand Wazoo band and the one for the special 1976 Christmas shows). Ed Mann, Chad Wackerman, Scott Thunes, Robert Martin and Ike Willis comes from the 1984 bands, Mike Keneally is the new entry on keyboards and guitar, Paul Carman, Albert Wing and Kurt McGettrick are on sax, and two old band members, Walt and Bruce Fowler, on trumpet and trombone.
• April 9 to June 9 The 1988 European tour - The last Zappa tour.
• April 1988 : Guitar
• May 5 The Barcelona show was broadcasted live.
• May 1988 : You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1
• June 9 Genova, Italy: the last Zappa rock show.
• June Due to FZ disappointment with some fights between the musicians, Zappa fired the whole band and canceled all the shows of the second part of the North American tour.
• October 1988 : Broadway The Hard Way
• November 1988 : You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2 - The Helsinki Concert(s) (1974)
• January 1989 : The True Story Of 200 Motels - A one hour documentary on the genesis of the movie
• May 1989 : The Amazing Mr. Bickford - Directed by Frank Zappa and animated by Bruce Bickford, with classical Zappa music soundtrack
• November 1989 : You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3
• spring Sufferer by now for a long time, FZ had as conclusive diagnosis an inoperable prostate cancer.
• April 1991 : The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life
• June 1991 : Make A Jazz Noise Here and You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 4
• July 1992 : You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 5 and You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 6
• September 17-28 Frankfurt, Berlin, Vienna: Ensemble Modern perform The Yellow Shark . FZ is on stage for the first two shows.
• October 1992 : Playground Psychotics
• April 1993 : Ahead Of Their Time
• November 1993 : The Yellow Shark
• December 4 Frank Zappa dies in Los Angeles.
• December 1994 : Civilization Phaze III
• April 1995 : The London Symphony Orchestra Volumes I & II 2CD edition
• February 1996 : The Lost Episodes
• September 1996 : Läther
• October 1996 : Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa, a memorial tribute
• April 1997 : Have I Offended Someone?
• September 1998 : Mystery Disc CD version
• December 1999 : Everything Is Healing Nice
• August 2002 : FZ:OZ
• February 2003 : Halloween
• October 2003 : Does Humor Belong In Music? DVD edition
• December 2003 : Baby Snakes DVD edition
• May 2004 : Joe's Corsage
• September 2004 : Quaudiophiliac
• October 2004 : Joe's Domage
• October 2005 : The Dub Room Special! DVD edition
• December 2005 : Joe's Xmasage
• January 2006 : Imaginary Diseases
• October 2006 : Trance-Fusion
• December 2006 : The MOFO Project/Object (two versions: 2 or 4 cds)
• April 2007 : Buffalo
• May 2007 : Classic Albums: Frank Zappa - Apostrophe(')/Over-Nite Sensation
• August 2007 : The Dub Room Special!
• October 2007 : Wazoo
• May 2008 : The Torture Never Stops
• June 2008 : One Shot Deal
• October 2008 : Joe's Menage
• January 2009 : The Lumpy Money Project/Object

Back to The clickable multi-purpose FZ calendar

• The original Mothers of Invention - line-ups and activities of the first Zappa rocking combo, May 1965 - August 1969
• Frank Zappa's 1973/1974 Bands - line-ups and activities
• Line-ups of Zappa's touring bands from 1975 to 1988 - a graphical overview
• The 1975 'Bongo Fury' tour
• The 2nd 1980 North America tour
• Check the FZ's discography chronotable .

Ok, now check the real Frank Zappa Chronology .

• Charles Ulrich's Frank Zappa Gig List and Frank Zappa's Touring Band
• Román García Albertos's FZ Discography and FZ Videography

This page created on January 2006 and latest revised on February 21, 2009

Touring Can Make You Crazy

At The Barrier

Live music, reviews and opinion / est. 2018, frank zappa – the manchester mystery (uk broadcast 1979): album review.

Flawless concert recording and a genuine time capsule for those of us who were there when Frank Zappa hit Manchester in 1979 .

A newly released live recording of a 1979 Frank Zappa concert allows our writer John Barlass to combine an album review with a Time Tunnel feature .

Release Date :  5 th February 2021

Label : Gossip Productions

Formats : 2CD

The mid-1970s were torrid years as far as Frank Zappa was concerned.  His relationship with his long-time manager Herb Cohen had shattered during 1976 and in 1977, Zappa entered into a dispute with his record label, Warner Bros, which resulted in a hiatus in the release of recorded material, a situation that the prolific Zappa dealt with by touring extensively and preparing new material in preparation for the resolution of the dispute.  Thankfully, the lawsuits that pitched Zappa against Cohen and Warner Bros were concluded successfully and, by 1979, Frank was ready to go with his new Zappa Records label and with a host of new road-tested material in the pipeline.

From my own point of view, I guess that Frank Zappa had just about always been there.  Like a lot of those who went on to be avid fans, my initial interest was aroused by Hot Rats and, in particular, the opening track Peaches En Regalia , a piece of music I will never tire of hearing if I’m around until I’m 100.  During my mid-teens, I was enraptured by the Fillmore East – June 1971 album, probably ensnared by the schoolboy humour of the Flo and Eddie ‘Groupie’ routine that opened Side 2 of the album, before I was introduced by an older neighbour to the early masterpieces: the We’re Only In It For The Money, Freak Out! and Uncle Meat, albums that I still enjoy today and in which I still discover sounds and lyrics that I’ve managed to miss for the past 45 years or so.

As the 1970s progressed and my own musical tastes matured (at least, that’s what I like to call it…)   I became especially fond of that mid 70s triumvirate, Apostrophe’, Overnite Sensation and Zoot Allures; albums I would play over and over, particularly when I had managed to get myself into a ‘relaxed’ frame of mind.  And so, when the dates for FZ’s 1979 European Tour were announced, I excitedly scanned the itinerary for news of a Manchester show – and there it was – 12 th February 1979 at The Apollo, the second date in a sequence of UK gigs that also included shows in Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Brighton and London, before the retinue moved on to delight the good citizens of Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Scandinavia, Austria, Spain and Switzerland.  It was a big tour…

Ostensibly, the purpose of the tour was to promote Frank’s forthcoming double album, Sheikh Yerbouti, scheduled for release on 3 rd March, and destined to become the best-selling album of Frank’s career, but as we shall see, Frank took the opportunity to use his long-awaited return to the European stages to treat his audiences to a selective look into his past and to provide a tantalizing foretaste of things to come.

I have to admit that, after a period of 42 years, my recollections of what went on during that evening in February 1979 had become a little hazy.  I certainly had clear memories of the highlights of the Sheikh Yerbouti material; City of Tiny Lights and Dancin’ Fool had lodged themselves into my brain; I also remembered the somewhat uncomfortable section of Brown Shoes Don’t Make It that conjectures a corrupt City Hall official covering an under-age female paramour in chocolate, and also of the bunch of songs from the Apostrophe’ album, including Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow for which Frank demanded full audience participation – and I’ll come back to that – but the passing years had turned the rest of my recollections into an impenetrable blur.  Happily, it seems I’d picked the right show. Frank and band were really cooking by the time they arrived in Manchester and, by Frank’s own assessment, the show was one of the best on the tour.

I am, therefore, exquisitely grateful to the folks at Gossip Productions for releasing this double CD collection that contains the entire set from the Manchester gig, preserved in faultless hi-fi sound.  I was aware that the show had been recorded for FM radio and I’d recalled listening to an extract from the recording, along with an interview with Frank, that a local radio station (either Piccadilly or BCC Radio Manchester) had broadcast shortly after the show.  I’m also aware that a double CD German bootleg version of the concert has been doing the rounds for a number of years, but it’s fantastic that an official recording of the show has finally seen the light of day.  It’s a veritable time capsule and an absolute gem to boot.

The members of Frank’s band for the evening will be familiar to anyone who followed his music from the mid-seventies to the early-eighties.  Arthur Barrow was on bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Warren Cuccurullo (introduced to the audience by Frank as Sophia Warren ) on vocals and guitar, Ed Mann on vocals and percussion (including marimba, a key element of Frank’s signature sound), Denny Walley on slide guitar, Tommy Mars and Peter Wolf on keyboards and the excellent Ike Willis on vocals and guitar.  It was, indeed, a stellar line-up.

As I’ve already mentioned, the setlist was an inspired mix of the past, the present and the future.  Going right back to the earliest days of The Mothers, there’s a tight, fresh and faithful version of Ain’t Got No Heart from the Freak Out! Album and, from nearly as far back, the aforementioned Brown Shoes Don’t Make it from 1967’s Absolutely Free.  Apostrophe’ is represented by Cozmic Debris, Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow, Nanook Rubs It, St Alphonso’s Pancake Breakfast and Father O’Blivion.   All are greeted with the enthusiasm of the long-deprived by the Manchester audience and played with a joie de vivre that simply leaps from the speakers – even though it’s been bottled for such a long time.  It’s during Nanook Rub’s It that Frank memorably insists on a session of audience participation in which, in his words, we were being asked to be “Totally Stupid.”  And we were, and we did, as requested, pounce, pounce again, jump up and down on the fur-trapper’s chest, do it all again because it wasn’t good enough the first time, and then we sat back down in our seats.  It was at this point, whilst listening to the CD, that the penny dropped – this really was the show I was at in February 1979!

The 1975 album, One Size Fits All , was something of a departure for Frank Zappa .  Notably jazzier than much of his previous output, it contains songs with a more serious edge than we’d been used to and the music is generally quite complex.  At the Apollo show, the album was represented by Andy, the epic Inca roads and Florentin Pogen.  All are flawlessly played and the sound is excellent.

Whilst we were supposed to there to hear extracts from the new Sheikh Yerbouti album, the selections from that album were limited to Tryin’ To Grow A Chin , as well as the aforementioned City of Tiny Lights and Dancin’ Fool , but the versions that were played that night left us in doubt that we could expect an excellent album – an expectation that was satisfied just a few days after the concert when many of us who were there headed down into town to make our purchase.  And it’s still an album I play regularly to this day.  The version of Dancin’ Fool contained here clearly demonstrates that these new songs were well bedded in as it flows seamlessly from the spoof-disco chorus into the hilarious “chat-up” section of the song. And I believe that this concert was the first time I had anyone use the “Yowza, Yowza, Yowza” expression of excitement that was adopted by 70s disco fraternity (it was originally the catchphrase of radio presenter Ben Bernie in the 1930’s.) Special mention needs to made of Ike’s soulful vocal and Frank’s mind-melting guitar solo on City Of Tiny Lights .  Truly out of this world. 

So prolific was Frank at this stage of his career that February’s double Sheikh Yerbouti album was followed, that September, by the first portion of the Joe’s Garage trilogy and we got a preview of that album and the tale of Joe’s epic battle with the music censors with versions of Keep it Greasy, Wet Tee-Shirt Nite and a wonderful rendition of Why Does It Hurt When I Pee on which Ike’s voice is so full of soul that even the line “My balls feel like a pair of maracas” is made to sound somehow fresh and wholesome.

And that’s not all, we get tastes of 1981’s Tinseltown Rebellion with the soulful Easy Meat and the fun boogie For The Young Sophisticate, whilst the bluesy Jumbo Go Away and the excellent The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing (a potent swipe at evangelism and greed and FZ at his satirical best) provide an early preview of the You Are What You Is album.

The end of the show comes with Rollo , before Frank and the band return for five encores including sublime versions of the instrumentals Strictly Genteel , a quasi-classical piece from the 200 Motels movie and the magnificent Pound For a Brown, plus a crowd-pleasing favourite, Montana.

Sure, some of Frank’s lyrics are very much of their era and grate a little to today’s less misogynistic mindset – I find the words to Honey Don’t You Want A Man Like Me, also included here – particularly challenging in this respect, but the music and the satire have held up well and is just as relevant today as it was way back in February 1979.  But my overwhelming emotion having heard this excellent live recording is one of great gratitude – to Frank, for taking the trouble to visit Manchester on 12 th February 1979, to providence for placing me in the audience that evening, and, not least, to Gossip Productions for allowing me to revisit a fantastic evening, from when I was 24 years old.

Frank Zappa died in December 1993, and I miss him still.  Musically, he was an irreplaceable genius and innovator, and thankfully, he left a vast, rich, legacy that we mere mortals still have the pleasure of sifting through.  But I also miss his willingness to challenge the wisdom and competence of those in authority, whether the subject be censorship, prohibition, self-enriching evangelism or incompetent statesmanship.  Heaven knows what he would have made of the feeble response of the US and UK (led, respectively, by Oliver Hardy and Billy Bunter) to the COVID pandemic.  I’m sure though that his observations would have been incisive, lucid, practical and cynical.  Rest in Peace Frank.

Watch Frank and the boys perform Cozmik Debris here:

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Tagged as: Album Review , Fank Zappa , Featured , Manchester Mystery 1979 Gossip Productions , Time Tunnel

Published by John Barlass

John has been a music obsessive since he first heard 'Love Me Do' seeping out of the family radio in 1962. he spent a career in the rail industry before turning back to his first love of music. He plays bass guitar and melodeon, loves folk/rock and lives in Warwick. View all posts by John Barlass

6 replies »

It’s a long time I don’t buy a live show release like the ones released in the past 2 decades (e.g Philly, Chicago etc) but reading this article, has just made me want to go and buy this one. I am a long time fan of the great Frank Zappa. What John says in this article about how fresh his music is still nowadays and also how great would it be to have him alive nowadays making fun of the present international affairs… it so true. I think, almost all Zappa fans believe this… at least my daughters know who the guy was, despite they still say that his music is weird and, you know? Probably Zappa himself would say that that’s the way he likes it, and with a green Rosetta too!

Hi Fernando. Thank you for your comment. If it’s any use, the Philly ’76 show is truly brilliant. Did you see our opinion article about Frank Zappa’s best works? You might enjoy it.

Thank you so much for your review, I didn’t even know this existed (call myself a Zappa fan 😪) but it’ll be dropping on my mat in the next couple of days. But most of all, thank you for your passion and enthusiasm for the Man and his music, it was an absolute joy to read.

Hi Roy – Thankyou so much for your kind comments. I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed when your CD eventually arrives! Best wishes – John

Just listening to it for the first time while i read. As I’m not English speaking, I’ll express myself with restraint (??, does it exist as a word?); but you just make me feel I’m right back there! Thanks

Hi Bertrand – Many thanks for your feedback (and, yes, restraint WAS the right word for you to use…). I’m so pleased that my review evoked some fond memories of those years and of that particular tour. The Manchester album is still one of favourite Zappa releases and I still play it regularly. I hope that you get as much pleasure from the album as I have. Best Wishes, John

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• Zappa, Frank
• February 14, 1979 Setlist

Frank Zappa Setlist at Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland

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Tour: 1979 European Tour Tour statistics Add setlist

• Treacherous Cretins Play Video
• Dead Girls of London ( Shankar  cover) Play Video
• I Ain't Got No Heart ( The Mothers of Invention  song) Play Video
• Brown Shoes Don't Make It ( The Mothers of Invention  song) Play Video
• Cosmik Debris Play Video
• Tryin' to Grow a Chin Play Video
• City of Tiny Lites Play Video
• Dancin' Fool Play Video
• Easy Meat ( with "Thirteen" snippet ) Play Video
• Jumbo Go Away Play Video
• Andy Play Video
• Inca Roads Play Video
• Florentine Pogen Play Video
• Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me? Play Video
• Keep It Greasey Play Video
• The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing Play Video
• For the Young Sophisticate Play Video
• Wet T-Shirt Nite Play Video
• Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? Play Video
• Peaches en Regalia Play Video
• Don't Eat the Yellow Snow Play Video
• Nanook Rubs It Play Video
• St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast Play Video
• Father O'Blivion Play Video
• Rollo Play Video
• Dirty Love Play Video
• Montana Play Video
• Strictly Genteel Play Video

Edits and Comments

15 activities (last edit by onesizeshitsall , 20 Feb 2017, 00:56 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Cosmik Debris
• Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
• Father O'Blivion
• Nanook Rubs It
• St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast
• Florentine Pogen
• City of Tiny Lites
• Dancin' Fool
• Tryin' to Grow a Chin
• Brown Shoes Don't Make It by The Mothers of Invention
• Dead Girls of London by Shankar
• I Ain't Got No Heart by The Mothers of Invention
• Wet T-Shirt Nite
• Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
• For the Young Sophisticate
• Jumbo Go Away
• The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
• Strictly Genteel
• Peaches en Regalia
• Keep It Greasey
• Treacherous Cretins
• Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?

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Frank Zappa

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• Feb 12 1979 Manchester Apollo Manchester, England Add time Add time
• Feb 13 1979 Newcastle City Hall Newcastle upon Tyne, England Add time Add time
• Feb 14 1979 Apollo Theatre This Setlist Glasgow, Scotland Add time Add time
• Feb 17 1979 Hammersmith Odeon London, England Add time Add time
• Feb 18 1979 Hammersmith Odeon London, England Add time Add time

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