JOE'S MENAGE

This is yet another album bearing Joe's [INSERT SOMETHING WITTY HERE], and it is yet another '' bad '' album. This product, like the other in the Joe's series is really not polished and feels like a bootleg of some sort. In the case of the previous albums, some tracks were only jams & rehearsals which really made them feel like collectioner's items. This album contains actual songs though, played in their entirety / lengthened in typical zappa style (see Chunga's Revenge, lasting 14 minutes here instead of 6).

The actual performance is OK, nothing really out-of-this-world. At first sight, I had noticed that I liked 4 out of the 8 songs on this CD and didn't care too much about the other 4. They are the 2 first and 2 last songs of the CD, and compromise most of the playtime, whereas the 4 middle tracks are pretty much just filler.

One of the biggest problem here as stated above previously is the quality sound. This is NOT a true live album, it's just not good enough. It's definitely not a cheap bootleg either, but it's definitely not the most pleasing.

Comparing to the previous release #83, One shot deal, there's a noticeable step down in quality. I think this release didn't have to come to because it's just not worth it. Zappa's performances changed so much throughout his career and each night was different, each song had its own flavor. This particular session brings nothing new or interesting and so I deem it as a collector's item only. 2 stars!

Share this FRANK ZAPPA review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Turion
• Report this review (#186311)
• Buy FRANK ZAPPA music online with PA partners
• Show all FRANK ZAPPA MP3/Stream
• Go to FRANK ZAPPA page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Joe's Menage page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for FRANK ZAPPA related discussions