Frank
Zappa's pioneering work on the Synclavier gave him the freedom to hear
works that he considered too challenging for live musicians to perform,
though Ensemble Modern worked hard enough to be able to play several of
his works for the instrument in concert before his death in 1993. Since
the technology behind the Synclavier was evolving along with Zappa's
music, approximately doubling its processing and memory capacity every
two years, it gave the composer greater tools to work with to realize
his compositions. Feeding the Monkies at Ma Maison was compiled for an
LP by Zappa prior to his death, but never mastered and released, though
some of the music on this CD was further edited and eventually issued in
altered and brief form.
1. Feeding the Monkeys At Ma Maison (20:12)
2. Buffalo Voice (11:35)
3. Secular Humanism (6:37)
4. Worms From Hell (5:31)
5. Samba Frank (11:29)
Artwork [Lenticular Lascivity By]: Elite Packaging
Compiled By [Cd Compilation By]: Gail Zappa, Joe Travers
Executive-producer [Executricks Production], Art Direction, Text By: GZ*
Layout [Popsicle Staging, Special Effects]: Michael Mesker
Management [Production Management]: Melanie Starks
Producer, Composed By, Arranged By, Performer [All Compositions Executed On The Synclavier Dms By]: Frank Zappa
Research [Vaultmeisterment]: Joe Travers
Typography [Hand Lettering]: FZ*
Vocals [Composer's Featured Vocalist]: Moon Zappa
During his lifetime, Zappa
often revised his compositions, especially his works for Synclavier,
which grew in complexity as he utilized the instrument, incorporating
nearly impossible percussion parts and abstract themes that suggested a
blend of 20th century classical music and dark, eerie film music.
"Buffalo Voice" was cut substantially in length prior to its appearance
on Civilization Phaze III, this longer edit is just as valuable, where
one can hear snippets of his orchestrations that sound as if they have
roots in his writing for 200 Motels, while adding the effects of a
violin played to sound like a buzzing fly and daughter Moon Unit Zappa's
spoken voice. The eerie choir of speed-manipulated voices is central to
"Secular Humanism," while "Worms from Hell" is an example of Zappa as
the mad scientist in his studio lab, bringing to life a musical
experiment that no one could have created. Both "Feeding the Monkies at
Ma Maison" and "Samba Funk" are previously unissued in any form, the
former a 20-minute masterpiece and the latter the most accessible of
these sessions. While Frank Zappa's music for Synclavier may be too
challenging for the casual fan of his music, serious listeners will find
much to enjoy in this new treasury from his massive personal library of
performances.
2. Buffalo Voice (11:35)
3. Secular Humanism (6:37)
4. Worms From Hell (5:31)
5. Samba Frank (11:29)
Compiled By [Cd Compilation By]: Gail Zappa, Joe Travers
Executive-producer [Executricks Production], Art Direction, Text By: GZ*
Layout [Popsicle Staging, Special Effects]: Michael Mesker
Management [Production Management]: Melanie Starks
Producer, Composed By, Arranged By, Performer [All Compositions Executed On The Synclavier Dms By]: Frank Zappa
Research [Vaultmeisterment]: Joe Travers
Typography [Hand Lettering]: FZ*
Vocals [Composer's Featured Vocalist]: Moon Zappa
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