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versions of all of the songs on this album can be
found on other albums (with the possible
exception of Disco
Boy). It
seems that as a song passed through successive
band members there was a tendency to speed the
song up at the expense of the original
"feel" and "intent". I can
also Imagine that Frank, with his always-active
creativity, must have become bored with a song
shortly after writing it. Then , you also have a
band that's played the same tune so many times
that they're probably hearing it in their sleep.
As
a musician, once you become comfortable with a
piece of music, no matter how difficult, your
ability to hear and assimilate the notes is
greatly enhanced and, there is a tendency to play
it faster and faster without realizing that you
are doing so. If you return to the original
tempo, the song will seem sooooooo slooooooow.
In
the case of Baby Snakes
(especially Dinah Moe Humm),
It sounds as if the band is in some sort of race
to get through the songs (probably so they could
get back-stage and act stupid in front of the
cameras some more).
In
defense of this album, I believe that Frank
considered this version of Punky's
Whips to be superior to
the version on Zappa In New York. And I must
admit that this performance is certainly
"tighter" than the other performance.
Perhaps, Frank also preferred the instrumentation
on this version.
If
you can get your hands on the 3-hour video of
this concert, I think you will find the
entertainment value is much greater.
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