AT THE CIRCUS

Originally released as part of Frank Zappa's second "Beat The Boots" set, this album can now be purchased separately, or as a download. I'm here to say, unless you are a Zappa completist (like me), don't bother. This may be the worst of the bootleg album Frank took ownership of and released on his own label.

The recording comes primarily from an audience tape from a concert in Munich from 1978, with two strangely entered tracks from 1970 stuck in the middle. The 1978 recordings are awful. You can hear people speaking near the recorder, the volume level fluctuates, there is almost no bass, the high end is clipped as well, the tape warbles, there are numerous drop- outs, and very fer songs are complete. Need I say more?

The two 1970 tracks are a bit better. At least the songs get to the end.

I suppose the value of this recording is a weird, mostly boring, bit of silliness, where Zappa conducts Vinnie Colaiuta in Seal Call Fusion Music, and a spoken bit Zappa performed frequently during that tour where he tells the story of someone walking up to him and asking "Mr. Zappa, what are you on?", and his reply "I'm On Duty!" - There. You've got the joke.

While musically, it may be better than other albums I've rated with one star, against the FZ catalog, it's poor.