The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life

Last updated
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life
Frank Zappa, Best Band You Never Heard.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedApril 16, 1991
May 30, 1995 (reissue)
RecordedFebruary 14 – June 6, 1988, at Munich; Würzburg; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Rotterdam; Brighton; Strasbourg; Binghamton, New York; Grenoble; Linz; Modena; Philadelphia; London; Pittsburgh; Teaneck, New Jersey; Poughkeepsie, New York; Syracuse, New York; Detroit; Vienna; and Florence
Genre
Length131:13
Label Barking Pumpkin
Producer Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa chronology
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3
(1989)
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life
(1991)
Make a Jazz Noise Here
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life is a double-disc live album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in 1991. The album was one of four that were recorded during the 1988 world tour; the other three were Broadway the Hard Way , Make a Jazz Noise Here , and posthumously Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show in 2021.

Contents

Each of the first three accounts of the 1988 tour has a different emphasis: Broadway the Hard Way mainly consists of new compositions; Make a Jazz Noise Here is a sampler of classic Zappa tunes, most of them instrumental; and The Best Band... devotes itself to cover songs. Some of these are unlikely, such as "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, while many are from Zappa's extensive back catalogue. His mid-1970s output is emphasized in the selection, but there is also some material from the Mothers of Invention's late 1960s recordings and one song ("Lonesome Cowboy Burt") from 200 Motels . It was re-issued in 1995 and 2012 along with his entire catalogue.

The album is also notable for its extended section of potshots against American Pentecostal televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who had then just confessed to transgressions with a prostitute on live television; the speech was later dubbed his "I have sinned" speech. "Lonesome Cowboy Burt", "More Trouble Every Day" and "Penguin in Bondage" feature entirely rewritten lyrics to capitalize on and satirize the scandal.

Cover artwork

The album cover with the photograph removed Zappa-best-band-2.jpg
The album cover with the photograph removed
The 1995 reissued and remastered cover by Cal Schenkel Zappa-best-band-3.jpg
The 1995 reissued and remastered cover by Cal Schenkel

The original album simply featured a photograph of Frank Zappa and his band against a black background with blue lettering, but upon discovering that the photograph had been used without the permission of the photographer, Bruce Malone, Zappa simply continued issuing the cover with the photograph replaced with an empty black space.

When the album was reissued and remastered in 1995, it featured artwork by long-time Zappa artist Cal Schenkel that had been created for the album's original Japanese release. The Japanese kanji at the top of the sign on this version do not together form any meaningful sentence to a speaker of Japanese, but can be read with the on readings of fu-ran-ku-za-pa, an approximation of Frank Zappa in Japanese sounds.

Schenkel used characters from his artwork on the cover of Zappa's 1972 release The Grand Wazoo , such as Stu (AKA Uncle Meat) and a man from the playing a Mystery Horn. In addition there is a red sofa, that while not an exact duplicate, is reminiscent of the red sofa from his art on Zappa's 1975 One Size Fits All . In 2012, when the album was reissued, it returned the cover to the version featuring a blank space in place of the photograph.

Track listing

All tracks by Frank Zappa, except where noted. The European re-releases of this album omit "Bolero" due to an objection from the rights-holders of the piece.

Disc one
No.TitleRecording venue and datesLength
1."Heavy Duty Judy" Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 1988
The Ahoy, May 3, 1988
6:04
2."Ring of Fire" (Merle Kilgore, June Carter)Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 19882:00
3."Cosmik Debris"Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 19884:32
4."Find Her Finer" Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, May 9, 19882:42
5."Who Needs the Peace Corps?"Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 19882:40
6."I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (George C. Cory Jr., Douglas Cross)Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 19880:36
7."Zomby Woof" Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, May 9, 1988
Muhlenberg College's Memorial Hall, March 19, 1988
5:41
8."Boléro" (Maurice Ravel)The Ahoy, May 3, 19885:19
9."Zoot Allures" Brighton Centre, April 16, 19887:07
10."Mr. Green Genes"Hall Tivoli, May 23, 19883:40
11."Florentine Pogen"Hall Tivoli, May 23, 1988
Palasport, June 6, 1988 (guitar solo)
7:11
12."Andy" Stadthalle, May 26, 19885:51
13."Inca Roads" Stadthalle, May 8, 1988
Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 1988
8:19
14."Sofa No. 1"Beethovensaal, May 24, 19882:49
Disc two
No.TitleRecording venue and datesLength
1."Purple Haze" (Jimi Hendrix) Sporthalle, May 28, 19882:27
2."Sunshine of Your Love" (Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton)Sporthalle, May 28, 19882:30
3."Let's Move to Cleveland"Palasport, June 5, 1988
Le Zenith, May 18, 1988
5:51
4."When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (Ernest Ball, George Graff, Chancellor Olcott) Broome County Arena, March 17, 19880:46
5.""Godfather Part II" Theme" (Nino Rota)Broome County Arena, March 17, 19880:30
6."A Few Moments with Brother A. West" (Brother A. West, Zappa) Tower Theater, February 14, 19884:00
7."The Torture Never Stops, Pt. 1" Wembley Arena, April 19, 1988
Carl-Diem-Halle, April 22, 1988
5:19
8."Theme from "Bonanza"" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston)Wembley Arena, April 19, 19880:28
9."Lonesome Cowboy Burt" (Swaggart version) Syria Mosque, February 25, 19884:54
10."The Torture Never Stops, Pt. 2"Rothman Centre, March 20, 198810:47
11."More Trouble Every Day" (Swaggart version)Mid Hudson Civic Centre, February 23, 19885:28
12."Penguin in Bondage" (Swaggart version)Mid Hudson Civic Centre, February 23, 19885:05
13."The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" Royal Oak Music Theatre, February 28, 1988
Landmark Theatre, March 21, 1988
Stadthalle, May 8, 1988
9:18
14."Stairway to Heaven" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant)Stadthalle, May 8, 1988
Palasport, June 6, 1988
Wembley Arena, April 18, 1988
9:19

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Related Research Articles

<i>Uncle Meat</i> 1969 studio album with live elements by the Mothers of Invention

Uncle Meat is the sixth album by the Mothers of Invention, and seventh overall by Frank Zappa, released as a double album in 1969. Uncle Meat was originally developed as a part of No Commercial Potential, a project which spawned three other albums sharing a conceptual connection: We're Only in It for the Money, Lumpy Gravy and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets.

<i>Waka/Jawaka</i> 1972 studio album by Frank Zappa

Waka/Jawaka is the fourth solo album, fifteenth album counting the work of his band the Mothers of Invention, by Frank Zappa, released in July 1972. The album is the jazz-influenced precursor to The Grand Wazoo, and as the front cover indicates, a sequel of sorts to 1969's Hot Rats. According to Zappa, the title "is something that showed up on a ouija board at one time."

<i>Fillmore East – June 1971</i> 1971 live album by The Mothers

Fillmore East – June 1971 is a live album by The Mothers, released in 1971. It is the twelfth album in Frank Zappa's discography, and was produced by Zappa and mixed by Toby Foster.

<i>Cruising with Ruben & the Jets</i> 1968 studio album by the Mothers of Invention

Cruising with Ruben & the Jets is the fourth album by the Mothers of Invention, and fifth overall by Frank Zappa, released under the alias Ruben and the Jets. Released on December 2, 1968 on Bizarre and Verve Records with distribution by MGM Records, it is a concept album, influenced by 1950s doo-wop and rock and roll. The album's concept deals with a fictitious Chicano doo-wop band called Ruben & the Jets, represented by the cover illustration by Cal Schenkel, which depicts the Mothers of Invention as anthropomorphic dogs. It was conceived as part of a project called No Commercial Potential, which produced three other albums: Lumpy Gravy, We're Only in It for the Money and Uncle Meat.

<i>Burnt Weeny Sandwich</i> 1970 studio album with live elements by The Mothers of Invention

Burnt Weeny Sandwich is the seventh album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, and the ninth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It consists of both studio recordings and live elements. In contrast to the next album Weasels Ripped My Flesh, which is predominantly live and song-oriented, most of Burnt Weeny Sandwich focuses on studio recordings and tightly arranged compositions.

<i>Broadway the Hard Way</i> 1988 live album by Frank Zappa

Broadway the Hard Way is a live album by American musician Frank Zappa recorded at various performances along his 1988 world tour. It was first released as a 9-track vinyl album through Zappa's label Barking Pumpkin Records in October 1988, and subsequently as a 17-track CD through Rykodisc in 1989.

<i>Bongo Fury</i> 1975 live album with studio elements by Frank Zappa and The Mothers with Captain Beefheart

Bongo Fury is a collaborative album by American artists Frank Zappa and the Mothers, with Captain Beefheart, released in October 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 and 21, 1975, at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Tracks 5, 6 and 9 are studio tracks recorded in January 1975 during the sessions which produced One Size Fits All (1975) and much of Studio Tan (1978).

<i>Zoot Allures</i> 1976 studio album by Frank Zappa

Zoot Allures is the 22nd album by the American rock musician Frank Zappa, released in October 1976 and his only release on the Warner Bros. Records label. Due to a lawsuit with his former manager, Herb Cohen, Zappa's recording contract was temporarily reassigned from DiscReet Records to Warner Bros.

<i>Läther</i> 1996 studio album by Frank Zappa

Läther is the sixty-fifth official album by Frank Zappa. It was released posthumously as a three-CD set on Rykodisc in 1996. The album's title is derived from bits of comic dialog that link the songs. Zappa also explained that the name is a joke, based on "common bastardized pronunciation of Germanic syllables by the Swiss."

<i>Does Humor Belong in Music?</i> (album) Live album

Does Humor Belong in Music? is a live album by Frank Zappa.

<i>Zappa in New York</i> 1978 live album by Frank Zappa

Zappa in New York is a double live album by Frank Zappa released on his own DiscReet Records label. It was recorded in December 1976 at a series of concerts at the Palladium in New York City.

<i>Make a Jazz Noise Here</i> 1991 live album by Frank Zappa

Make a Jazz Noise Here is a live double album by Frank Zappa. It was first released in June 1991, and was the third Zappa album to be compiled from recordings from his 1988 world tour, following Broadway the Hard Way (1988) and The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (1991). The album's cover art was made by Larry Grossman.

<i>The Lost Episodes</i> 1996 compilation album by Frank Zappa

The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his career, and as early as 1958, into the mid-1970s. Zappa had been working on these tracks in the years before his death in 1993.

<i>200 Motels</i> (soundtrack) 1971 soundtrack album by Frank Zappa

The 200 Motels soundtrack to Frank Zappa's film 200 Motels was released by United Artists Records in 1971. The original vinyl release was a two-record set, largely containing alternating tracks of rock music preformed by the Mothers of Invention and symphonic music performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Elgar Howarth, all composed and orchestrated by Zappa. The album peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard 200, though reviewers deemed it a peripheral part of Zappa's catalog. Like the film, the album involves the theme of a rock band on tour and a loose storyline about The Mothers of Invention going crazy in the small town of Centerville and bassist Jeff quitting the group, as did his real life counterpart, Jeff Simmons, who left the group before the film began shooting and was replaced by actor Martin Lickert for the film.

<i>Wazoo</i> (album) 2007 live album by Frank Zappa

Wazoo is a live album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in October 2007 as a 2-CD set consisting of the complete concert given by "The Mothers of Invention/Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo" 20-piece big band on September 24, 1972 at the Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the third installment on the Vaulternative Records label that is dedicated to the posthumous release of complete Zappa concerts, following the releases of FZ:OZ (2002) and Buffalo (2007).

<i>Tinsel Town Rebellion</i> 1981 live album with studio elements by Frank Zappa

Tinsel Town Rebellion is a double live album released by Frank Zappa in May 1981. The album was conceived by Zappa after he scrapped the planned albums Warts and All and Crush All Boxes, and contains tracks that were intended for those albums.

<i>One Shot Deal</i> 2008 live album by Frank Zappa

One Shot Deal is an album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in June 2008.

<i>The **** of the Mothers</i> The Mothers of Invention album

The **** of the Mothers is an out-of-print compilation album of early works by The Mothers of Invention, an American rock band. The album features a gatefold featuring some of the contemporary band members such as Ian Underwood, Art Tripp, and Motorhead Sherwood. This was the first of numerous repackaged "Best Of" LPs put out by MGM that were not authorized by Frank Zappa; Mothermania is the only one that Zappa worked on and approved.

<i>Meat Light</i> 2016 compilation album by Frank Zappa

Meat Light is a 3CD compilation of Frank Zappa's Uncle Meat recordings. It is project/object #5 in a series of 40th Anniversary FZ Audio Documentaries, following MOFO (2006), Lumpy Money (2009), Greasy Love Songs (2010) and The Crux of the Biscuit (2016).

<i>Zappa 88: The Last U.S. Show</i> 2021 live album by Frank Zappa

Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show is a live album released June 18, 2021, by Frank Zappa. It contains mostly previously unreleased recordings of the last concert he would ever play in the US at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

References