This is a bootleg album, released by Frank Zappa without enhancement, and also available as part of the Beat The Boots! #2 boxed set. It's a two-CD set that presents a nearly complete live performance by the 1970-71 "Flo & Eddie" edition of The Mothers, featuring lead vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, and recorded December 4, 1971. As such, it begins with an extended instrumental introduction leading into "Peaches En Regalia," and then there is a combination of 200 Motels material and oldies like "Call Any Vegetable." Sound quality is good, and the performance level is high.
Hence, the critical verdict is: good, for a bootleg. Of course, this recording also has historical value, apart from its musical attributes. The show, which occurred at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, ended in a fire that destroyed The Mothers' equipment. The following week in London, Zappa was pushed off the stage by a deranged fan, and this edition of The Mothers was history.
CD1: Swiss Cheese
1. Intro 14:21
2. Peaches En Regalia 3:27
3. Tears Began To Fall/She Painted Up Her Face/Half-A-Dozen Provocative Squats 5:59
4. Call Any Vegetable 9:55
5. Anyway The Wind Blows 3:44
CD2: Fire!
1. Magdalena/Dog Breath 9:49
2. Sofa 18:06
3. A Pound For A Brown (On The Bus) 7:07
4. Wonderful Wino/Sharleena/Cruisin' For Burgers 12:37
5. King Kong 1:24
6. Fire! 1:55 (This is the famous fire that the Deep Purple song "Smoke On The Water" was written about)
FZ: guitar, vocals
Mark Volman: vocals
Howard Kaylan: vocals
Jim Pons: bass, vocals
Don Preston: keyboards
Ian Underwood: keyboards
Aynsley Dunbar: drums
Originally Released: June 1992
Recorded at Casino, Montreaux, Switzerland - December 4, 1971
