1. The VHS of Baby Snakes was padded with overlong commercials for Barfko Swill, but it also contained the Peaches En Regalia promo vid as a hidden bonus. 2. It's still necessary, despite all the overlap, to acquire both Token Of...and Dub Room Special because there's a couple of 1974 tracks on the latter that don't carry over. 3. The Honker videos which never happened - the only one I can imagine ever being brought to fruition is the YCDTOSA one because clips from it were aired on one of Frank's Sky TV interviews. 4. I'm jealous now - that bootleg DVD would have been nice to have. 5. Barcelona 1988 - there were better bootleg DVDs than the one you had which was entirely drawn from the rebroadcast with the audio flaws. I used to have one which knitted together both sources, so we got the entire show with nearly-no dropouts and certainly no barely-audible solos. I wonder why the ZFT are so resistant to issuing this - instead they've talked about issuing a DVD of one of the other Spanish shows which we know weren't as good overall.
@@brucybabyy7355 The blu-ray doesn't add anything visually. The audio is PCM stereo again plus a 5.1 track perhaps in lossless DTS. I can't play it anyway. 👍
The Zappa movie is finally getting its blu-ray release here in the UK in December with new audio commentary from Winter along with deleted scenes. It's been a long wait! Hopefully they'll release the new Freak Out Classic Album documentary on disc as well. I noticed the Roxy Movie missing from your collection there, i can't imagine you not having it. Good video Bill, i always enjoy your FZ posts.
My favorite thing about the double Uncle Meat VHS was after the movie there was a behind the scenes at Barking Pumpkin mail order video. Hope you kept your Honker Home Video glasses that came with a few releases.
Man, it's something actually seeing all of those VHS tapes that were absolutely impossible to find in the late 90s when I was on the hunt. I had similar feelings about the Eat That Question doc. I was excited to see it, but it paints a pretty joyless picture of Frank. I was happy to see Alex Winter give a much more well-rounded view of the guy.
Winter's documentary probably seemed a bit more cheerful since it favoured Frank's early life. There was precious little footage from the 80's and 90's in it to show how bitter and cynical he became towards the end of his life. There was the Czech footage, but not much more than that.
@@SpaceCattttt Great point. Winter's movie also had the benefit of giving other people speaking time. 90 solid minutes of Frank in combative interview mode can be a bit much.
Glad things are getting a bit better/easier... I'm in the camp of can't stand 200 Motels... I remember all of these releases. I can swear I have a boot of Uncle Meat on DVD from the VHS. Honestly out of all of it, Beat Club 68 is what I watch the most. The Classic Albums Doc (along with the Sicily movie) are available free on Amazon Prime at the moment (along with a few other things).
There is a version of Zappa Plays Zappa which includes 2 DVDs and 3 audio CDs that is very nice. I really like the sound of those CDs. Dweezil and the band are great!
The Pink Floyd footage from knebworth 1990 is out on blu ray and dvd although it was shot on tape. The technology for upscaling standard def tape is getting better and better and I can from personal viewing experiences that the blu ray looks better. Take it as you will but there may be a benefit to see wonderfully upscaled Zappa video tape footage on blu ray.
Great stuff as usual, Bill! Always excited to see laserdisc out in the wild, I've got that same Humor one as well as 200 Motels on LD and they're awesome
Comments continue 6. I was relieved that those documentaries were a lot less dark than they could have been. [Imagine what we'd have got if the narrative had been driven by his various mistresses - or, worse, by Barry Miles, Alan Clayson or Mike Gray]. Re what Bill said, Frank plainly was not a people person, he was an impatient cynic but also burdened by feelings of powerlessness and failure, and while he could switch on a family man persona from time to time, other than that he, increasingly in later life, needed to mostly stay in his bunker-like studio, for his sanity and everyone else's. Also I think he was more mentally disturbed than anyone will readily admit by his childhood experiences of the habitual abusive behaviors of his Catholic school-teachers* and of those famous Italian doctors** [* remember what he said about what happened to his brother and the real reason they tried to blow the school up.] [** if he knew anything about what Roy was up to, he may have thought there-but-for-the-grace-of-dog-go-I. And thought something similar vis-a-vis Michael Kenyon. Forget about Brown Shoes..., it's Little Green Scratchy Sweaters that's no joke]
Nope. I've bought several of the Residents biographies over the years and don't plan to buy yet another. The Ocular ones are very skillful at making collectables about themselves.
I hope the new 200 motels release is a vastly improved remix than the previous releases.It never sounded good . Also was The Yellow Shark ever released on VHS , DVD ?
No official Yellow Shark video. Personally, I want to hear FZ and Ensemble Modern's Edgar Varese project. I pledge to listen and compare various versions of 200 Motels when it comes out!
Your Zappa-videos are so inspirational! Thanks to you I've listened to the 119 official Zappa-releases (done round one of a planned three) and bought three albums on CD: Civilization Phaze III (1:53:31, 1994) Feeding the Monkeys at Ma Maison (55:24, 2011) I can't believe they changed the artwork - instead of the painting we get holographic popsicles! Meat Light - The Uncle Meat Project / Object Audio Documentary (3:26:56, 2016) And also bought three books about Zappa's music: The Big Note: A Guide to The Recordings of Frank Zappa (by Charles Ulrich, 754 pages, 2018) It covers official release 1-100: Freak Out! - Dance Me This (1966-2015) Blessed Relief: The Recordings of Frank Zappa Volume Three 1972-1973 (by Scott Parker, 400 pages, 2009) It's print on demand so it could be fan-made. Seem to deal with bootlegs. On Track...Frank Zappa: Every Album, Every Song 1966 to 1979 (by Eric Benac, 160 pages, 2019)
Bill, I wanna throw a new topic at you. .... Which version is better ... Frank's approved 1993 masters or the 2012 remasters ...song by song ! I threw on "Peaches En Regalia" (my favorite song as per my 8th grade yearbook) and I gotta tell you FZ's 1993 approved 1987 remix, in my opinion, is superior. It's not muddy and all instruments are well definite. Bill, I wanna throw a new topic at you. .... Which version is better Frank's approved 1993 masters or the 2012 remasters ...song by song ! I threw on "Peaches En Regalia" (my favorite song as per my 8th grade yearbook) and I gotta tell you FZ's 1993 approved 1987 remix, in my opinion, is superior. It's not muddy and all instruments are well definite. I think that maybe that's the reason it was included on The Hot Rats Sessions. I know that our ears tend to go towards what they initially heard, when it comes to albums that we grew up with, but if we step back a bit and listen with our technologically advanced ears we my find that the bias of familiarity can fall away. I wish that Ahmet called in Steven Wilson to do remixes which stay true to original performance of the final masters but pull out even more of the performances off of the mutli-track masters. ...What do you think ?
1. The VHS of Baby Snakes was padded with overlong commercials for Barfko Swill, but it also contained the Peaches En Regalia promo vid as a hidden bonus.
2. It's still necessary, despite all the overlap, to acquire both Token Of...and Dub Room Special because there's a couple of 1974 tracks on the latter that don't carry over.
3. The Honker videos which never happened - the only one I can imagine ever being brought to fruition is the YCDTOSA one because clips from it were aired on one of Frank's Sky TV interviews.
4. I'm jealous now - that bootleg DVD would have been nice to have.
5. Barcelona 1988 - there were better bootleg DVDs than the one you had which was entirely drawn from the rebroadcast with the audio flaws. I used to have one which knitted together both sources, so we got the entire show with nearly-no dropouts and certainly no barely-audible solos. I wonder why the ZFT are so resistant to issuing this - instead they've talked about issuing a DVD of one of the other Spanish shows which we know weren't as good overall.
I hear that QOTSA playing. Love them. Great Zappa vids! Thanks, keep'em going!!
Absolutely sensational overview. You've done Frank, the Zappa estate and the fans proud once again. Didn't see you cover LIVE AT THE ROXY Blu-ray.
i have the CD-DVD set, still good.
@@brucybabyy7355 The blu-ray doesn't add anything visually. The audio is PCM stereo again plus a 5.1 track perhaps in lossless DTS. I can't play it anyway. 👍
Good point! I should have covered the release of “Roxy-The Movie”. Oops.
The Zappa movie is finally getting its blu-ray release here in the UK in December with new audio commentary from Winter along with deleted scenes. It's been a long wait! Hopefully they'll release the new Freak Out Classic Album documentary on disc as well. I noticed the Roxy Movie missing from your collection there, i can't imagine you not having it. Good video Bill, i always enjoy your FZ posts.
My favorite thing about the double Uncle Meat VHS was after the movie there was a behind the scenes at Barking Pumpkin mail order video.
Hope you kept your Honker Home Video glasses that came with a few releases.
Man, it's something actually seeing all of those VHS tapes that were absolutely impossible to find in the late 90s when I was on the hunt. I had similar feelings about the Eat That Question doc. I was excited to see it, but it paints a pretty joyless picture of Frank. I was happy to see Alex Winter give a much more well-rounded view of the guy.
Winter's documentary probably seemed a bit more cheerful since it favoured Frank's early life. There was precious little footage from the 80's and 90's in it
to show how bitter and cynical he became towards the end of his life. There was the Czech footage, but not much more than that.
@@SpaceCattttt Great point. Winter's movie also had the benefit of giving other people speaking time. 90 solid minutes of Frank in combative interview mode can be a bit much.
Glad things are getting a bit better/easier... I'm in the camp of can't stand 200 Motels... I remember all of these releases. I can swear I have a boot of Uncle Meat on DVD from the VHS. Honestly out of all of it, Beat Club 68 is what I watch the most. The Classic Albums Doc (along with the Sicily movie) are available free on Amazon Prime at the moment (along with a few other things).
There is a version of Zappa Plays Zappa which includes 2 DVDs and 3 audio CDs that is very nice. I really like the sound of those CDs. Dweezil and the band are great!
Love your channel!
Hey bill, hope everything is going well with you and your family. God bless
The Pink Floyd footage from knebworth 1990 is out on blu ray and dvd although it was shot on tape. The technology for upscaling standard def tape is getting better and better and I can from personal viewing experiences that the blu ray looks better. Take it as you will but there may be a benefit to see wonderfully upscaled Zappa video tape footage on blu ray.
Great stuff as usual, Bill! Always excited to see laserdisc out in the wild, I've got that same Humor one as well as 200 Motels on LD and they're awesome
Very interesting!
Comments continue
6. I was relieved that those documentaries were a lot less dark than they could have been. [Imagine what we'd have got if the narrative had been driven by his various mistresses - or, worse, by Barry Miles, Alan Clayson or Mike Gray]. Re what Bill said, Frank plainly was not a people person, he was an impatient cynic but also burdened by feelings of powerlessness and failure, and while he could switch on a family man persona from time to time, other than that he, increasingly in later life, needed to mostly stay in his bunker-like studio, for his sanity and everyone else's. Also I think he was more mentally disturbed than anyone will readily admit by his childhood experiences of the habitual abusive behaviors of his Catholic school-teachers* and of those famous Italian doctors**
[* remember what he said about what happened to his brother and the real reason they tried to blow the school up.]
[** if he knew anything about what Roy was up to, he may have thought there-but-for-the-grace-of-dog-go-I. And thought something similar vis-a-vis Michael Kenyon. Forget about Brown Shoes..., it's Little Green Scratchy Sweaters that's no joke]
Did you get to order the new Residents Picture Coffee Table book? It’s absolutely WONDERFUL! Comes with a single as well
Nope. I've bought several of the Residents biographies over the years and don't plan to buy yet another. The Ocular ones are very skillful at making collectables about themselves.
i moved to minnesota over 3 weeks ago.
Do you collect Zappa books? That’d be an awesome video idea
I hope the new 200 motels release is a vastly improved remix than the previous releases.It never sounded good . Also was The Yellow Shark ever released on VHS , DVD ?
No official Yellow Shark video. Personally, I want to hear FZ and Ensemble Modern's Edgar Varese project. I pledge to listen and compare various versions of 200 Motels when it comes out!
Your Zappa-videos are so inspirational! Thanks to you I've listened to the 119 official Zappa-releases (done round one of a planned three) and bought three albums on CD:
Civilization Phaze III (1:53:31, 1994)
Feeding the Monkeys at Ma Maison (55:24, 2011) I can't believe they changed the artwork - instead of the painting we get holographic popsicles!
Meat Light - The Uncle Meat Project / Object Audio Documentary (3:26:56, 2016)
And also bought three books about Zappa's music:
The Big Note: A Guide to The Recordings of Frank Zappa (by Charles Ulrich, 754 pages, 2018) It covers official release 1-100: Freak Out! - Dance Me This (1966-2015)
Blessed Relief: The Recordings of Frank Zappa Volume Three 1972-1973 (by Scott Parker, 400 pages, 2009) It's print on demand so it could be fan-made. Seem to deal with bootlegs.
On Track...Frank Zappa: Every Album, Every Song 1966 to 1979 (by Eric Benac, 160 pages, 2019)
Bill, I wanna throw a new topic at you. .... Which version is better ... Frank's approved 1993 masters or the 2012 remasters ...song by song ! I threw on "Peaches En Regalia" (my favorite song as per my 8th grade yearbook) and I gotta tell you FZ's 1993 approved 1987 remix, in my opinion, is superior. It's not muddy and all instruments are well definite. Bill, I wanna throw a new topic at you. .... Which version is better Frank's approved 1993 masters or the 2012 remasters ...song by song ! I threw on "Peaches En Regalia" (my favorite song as per my 8th grade yearbook) and I gotta tell you FZ's 1993 approved 1987 remix, in my opinion, is superior. It's not muddy and all instruments are well definite. I think that maybe that's the reason it was included on The Hot Rats Sessions. I know that our ears tend to go towards what they initially heard, when it comes to albums that we grew up with, but if we step back a bit and listen with our technologically advanced ears we my find that the bias of familiarity can fall away. I wish that Ahmet called in Steven Wilson to do remixes which stay true to original performance of the final masters but pull out even more of the performances off of the mutli-track masters. ...What do you think ?