Keep It Greasy: “Zappa ’80” Premieres Concerts from New York City, Munich
Following in the footsteps of last year’s Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana, Zappa Records and UMe have rescued another two concerts from the late artist’s storied Vault. On March 3, the labels will release the 3-CD set Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich, boasting two very different shows: one from New York’s tiny, 240-capacity Mudd Club, and other from Munich’s 12,000-seat Olympiahalle arena. Both shows feature the short-lived lineup of Zappa, vocalist Ike Willis and Ray White, bassist Arthur Barrow, keyboardist Tommy Mars, and drummer David Logeman. Only two tracks from these shows (“Love of My Life” from NYC and “You Didn’t Try to Call Me” from Munich) have been previously issued as part of the You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore series.
The Mudd Club, located at 77 White Street in the Tribeca neighborhood – a loft in a historic building which today houses luxury apartments, one per floor – opened in 1978 as an answer to the glitziness of uptown’s Studio 54. People noted that “for sheer kinkiness, there has been nothing like it since the cabaret scene in 1920s Berlin,” and celebrities such as David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, David Byrne, and Grace Jones soon flocked there. Though the club only lasted until 1983, it was eulogized in song by Ramones, Talking Heads, Elliott Murphy, Nina Hagen, and…Frank Zappa.
On May 8, 1980, surrounded by arena dates in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Uniondale, New York (Nassau Coliseum), Zappa headed to the Mudd Club for a 15-song, hourlong set. It was typically eclectic, stretching as far back as the Mothers of Invention’s 1966 debut Freak Out! (“I Ain’t Got No Heart,” “You Didn’t Try to Call Me”) and 1970’s Chunga’s Revenge (the title track) while spotlighting fresh material from 1979’s Joe Garage (“Joe’s Garage,” “Keep It Greasy,” “Outside Now,” “Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?”), and Sheik Yerbouti (“Bobby Brown Goes Down,” “City Of Tiny Lites”). The band previewed as-yet-unrecorded material, too, including “Mudd Club,” “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing,” and “You Are What You Is,” all of which would first appear on 1981’s You Are What You Is. The concert was recorded by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, who included two performances in their documentary film Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere.
Zappa ’80 then flashes forward to the end of the tour. The concert on July 3, 1980 at Munich’s Olympiahalle (which opened in 1972 and is still in use today) featured most of the same songs as performed at the Mudd Club among its 22 tracks plus other highlights such as “Pick Me, I’m Clean” (which would later be featured on the live album Tinsel Town Rebellion), “Dancin’ Fool,” “Pound for a Brown,” and a cover of Tony Allen’s doo-wop classic “Nite Owl.” By this time, the band had settled into a comfortable groove, modulating their performance for large audiences and stretching out on the tunes with ease.
The Mudd Club concert was recorded by Klaus Weidemann on a 2-track Nagra tape recorder, and the Munich show at Olympiahalle was recorded and mixed by engineer Mick Glossop direct to digital two-track stereo – the first digital live recording of Zappa ever. Happy with the sound achieved, Zappa would soon shift to digital recording as a result. Recorded with a Sony PCM 1600 system on uMatic videotape, the show has been transferred for this release from the original digital masters. Vaultmeister Joe Travers addressed audio dropouts by using multiple tape backups (some analog and some digital) which Zappa had worked on as he may have considered a potential release during his lifetime. Both shows have been mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich includes an 18-page booklet with photos shot on tour by George Alper as well as liner notes from Travers, Alper, Arthur Barrow, and fan-turned-band member Steve Vai. In addition to the 3CD package, the two concerts will be released separately on 180-gram vinyl; the Mudd Club show has been pressed on 2 LPs at 45 RPM while the Munich concert is on 3 LPs at 33-1/3 RPM. Zappa.com and uDiscoverMusic.com are offering a limited edition 180-gram colored vinyl pressing of each title: Coke Bottle Green for the Mudd Club, and Transparent Orange for Munich. Vinyl has been mastered by Bernie Grundman and pressed at Optimal Media in Germany.
“Outside Now,” a Joe’s Garage highlight from the Mudd Club show, is streaming now. Look for Zappa ’80 on March 3 from UMe/Zappa Records at the links below!
Frank Zappa, Zappa ’80: Mudd Club/Munich (Zappa/UMe, 2023)
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa Store
2LP Mudd Club: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa Store (Exclusive Colored Vinyl)
3LP Munich: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa Store (Exclusive Colored Vinyl)
CD 1: Mudd Club New York, NY – May 8, 1980
- Mudd Club Show Start
- Chunga’s Revenge
- Keep It Greasy
- Outside Now
- City Of Tiny Lites (Edited)
- Pound For A Brown
- You Are What You Is
- You Didn’t Try To Call Me
- I Ain’t Got No Heart
- Love Of My Life
- Easy Meat
- Mudd Club
- The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
- Joe’s Garage
- Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
CD 2: Munich, Germany Olympiahalle July 3, 1980
- Munich ’80 Show Start
- Chunga’s Revenge
- Keep It Greasy
- Pick Me, I’m Clean
- City Of Tiny Lites
- Pound For A Brown
- Cosmik Debris
- You Didn’t Try To Call Me
- I Ain’t Got No Heart
- Love Of My Life
- You Are What You Is
CD 3: Munich, Germany Olympiahalle July 3, 1980 (con’t)
- Easy Meat
- Mudd Club
- The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
- Joe’s Garage
- Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
- Dancin’ Fool
- Bobby Brown Goes Down
- Pinky
- Stick It Out
- Nite Owl
- The Illinois Enema Bandit
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Although a long time Zappa fan, this release doesn’t do much for me. Don’t care a lot for the selections and the band isn’t one of most interesting. YMMV!