Turtles can live for longer than 150 years....so slow down, relax, and live longer.
So I have been lazy as of late (er, as of the last nine months, no?). I have begun the Xmas '76 page, this I promise. But for some reason, the interest is not really there. I have never been a big fan of ZINY (Frank's second most overrated album, IMO- right behind "Sheik Yerbouti"), and apart from "The Purple Lagoon", I am not all that crazy about the Xmas '76 run. So I have had a difficult time making myself sit down to listen to the tapes and finishing the half-baked page. I have, however, been listening to A LOT of Fall '74 tapes lately, and have been hard at work on a detailed analysis of the Top Ten Tapes and Performances and Songs from that tour (inspired by Pat Buzby's '88 overview). Pretty cool, huh? (As if anyone cares but me....).
WAKA/JAWAKA!!!!!
Oh yeah, I have included the Petit Wazoo "Waka/Jawaka" information in this update...finally. And little bits of new info here and there throughout the pages, though specifically where, I do not remember. And that's about it. Now, onto my standard closer....
Again, for all of you who expressed an interest in these pages over the past months, and who inquired about the current lack of progress, I say "Thank You!!!" for all your words of praise and encouragement. As much as I enjoy doing this just for the sake of doing it, it means even more knowing that someone is out there enjoying these pages or finding something useful in them. All of you-> Thanks!! [Check out the "Waka/Jawaka" entry for a little more info].
DISCLAIMER- At the request of an esteemed member of our Zappa community, I am letting everyone know that the pages that follow are based upon Tape and Bootleg sources only (as far as my input goes). I grew up in Los Angeles, and unfortunately, I was only 14 (and not yet a Zappa fan) when Frank last played in Southern California. Thus, I never saw him live. Obviously, this does affect the way I perceive the music. I was a Deadhead before I discovered Zappa, and in my glory days, managed to see over 200 Dead shows. I also collected Dead tapes, but NEVER acquired a single tape from a concert that I saw. The live experience can never be duplicated by a tape, and I did not want to taint my memories of the many incredible shows that I saw. So, that being said, I understand why this particular request was made. I just hope that these pages still offer something to the FZ community. I am obviously highly opinionated at times, but hey, that's where all the fun comes in for me. I am more than willing to post all differing opinions and comments, you just have to send them to me. Thanks.
NOTE- In order to still express my own opinion, and give voice to those of you with differing opinions, I will publish- at the end of each page- the opinions of those of you who wish to be heard. Write in your message exactly what you want to appear on the page, and please include your name and, if you like, your e-mail address. For your subject line, please type "(Tour name)/my .02"- that way I can discern between normal comments and ones that are meant to be added to the page. Depending on the number of responses I receive, I may edit your message, but I will not alter the meaning of it.
I would like to thank Jon Naurin for his excellent tour document and countless comments and corrections, Patrick Buzby for his continuous editing and updating, our wonderful Freditor for his "Touring Can You Make You Crazy" series, and Mr. LB, an all around nice guy with the sickest FZ tape list I have ever seen. Without them, this project would have been a lot more difficult.
(JULY 2009: And a King Kong sized thanks to the honorable Charles Ulrich for retrieving this document from the lower depths of internet purgatory and hosting it on the Planet of My, Yours, and Everyone's Dreams.)