JUST ANOTHER BAND FROM L.A.

Just Another Band From LA is the final installment in the 'Flo & Eddie' era of Zappa's work. I for one never cared to much for this time. There are some memorable stuff, but overall, nothing spectular. But enough about that. This album is dominated by Billy The Mountain. A twenty four minute epic, that covers alot of ground. While this epic does contain some good parts, I would have preferred more instrumental sections. For one thing I'm not a fan of the vocals, I just don't like 'Flo & Eddies' voices. And not that i usually let those things hurt albums, the vocals seems to dominate the era and this album. I don't really understand why this song is marked as a Zappa classic, although it is impressive memorizing all those lyrics. It contains too many parts that seem to go nowhere and focus on 'humor' and storytelling. There are good melodies and percussions, but not enough for me. Call Any Vegetable really picks up the pace. An awesome rendition of the Absolutely Free highlight. Musically its top notch, and their are some really good lyrics as well. Top it off with a very cool little guitar solo from FZ and you have yourself a wonderful song. Eddie, Are You Kidding? is a short more doo-woopish song. Certainly a more vocal based song, and it doesn't really contain anything that impresses me (although slightly funny). Magdalena is an upbeat song, with a neat vocal (and guitar) line. Also, musically this song is excellent as well, with an fantastic little change in the middle which is really impressive on the percussive side of things. One of my favorites of the album. Finally Dog Breath closes the album in grand style. Continuing the instrumental prowess side of the album (including a top notch guitar solo), the band gives a great performance of one of my favorite songs from Uncle Meat. I also find the vocals a bit better on this song.

All in all, this is an uneven album to my ears. A good farewell to Flo & Eddie, but overall an effort that falls a bit short, especially in Zappa's catalouge. To be discovered at the end of your Zappa journey, IMO. A solid three stars.