MAKE A JAZZ NOISE HERE

Another live album from the '88 world tour, Zappa really pulls out all the stops with this record, which is overshadowed if you ask me by its counterpart record in The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life. What makes this album different from that album is that the setlist here is completely different, and the entire show has a completely different feel than that album does. Here there is a feeling of improvisation and an overall jazzy edge (hence the album title most likely), unlike The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, which had a more jokey and silly atmosphere (reggae Stairway to Heaven says it all).

This album is filled with classic Zappa tunes, and is also one of the only albums that features a live song from The Grand Wazoo, I speak of Eat that Question, which unfortunately doesn't get a full rendition, but the brief snippet of that song here is a real treat. Black Napkins is great as always and Zappa really plays his heart out here. Some of the newer pieces are pretty interesting. Songs like Fire and Chains and When Yuppies Go to Hell are interesting quasi-instrumental compositions that explore various abilities of the band and have a really laid-back feel to them. King Kong and Big Swifty also get some pretty stellar workouts here as well. And all that's only in the first disc.

The second disc has some more modern Zappa pieces, like Stevie's Spanking and Alien Orifice, but he always seems to be able to pull out an older song, here it is Cruising for Burgers (which unlike the live counterpart in Zappa In New York, contains the vocals) and a rousing performance of Strictly Genteel. In all, the second disc will captivate as much as the first disc, although some of the pieces in the middle don't have the punch that most of the album contains.

Overall, I recommend this album over The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life simply because I feel it has a better setlist and it explores more of Zappa's laid back and relaxed side. I won't discredit The Best Band... though because that album is also stellar. If you like Zappa's older pieces and more jazzy works, then this will also be right up your alley. No masterpiece, but not far from that coveted position.