Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
September 2004 Reviewed by: Eric Hetherington Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Frank Zappa was one of the more interesting rock performers of the ‘70s and early ‘80s because of his satirical wit and his compositional style, which combined an appreciation of classical, jazz, ‘50s’ vocal music, and the standard rock idiom. Unfortunately, Zappa died from lung cancer in 1993 at the age of 53. This DVD is a concert film of Zappa, live in New York City in 1984, and shows that, at the time, his band had great musical talent and could draw a large, appreciative crowd. However, Zappa deserves to be remembered in a better way than the performance or presentation on this disc.

The concert opens with "Zoot Allures" and, while the band displays great musical dexterity, we are given cheesy graphics for the opening credits. Zappa's music in this concert makes it seem like the band is on speed: a great number of musical ideas, including snippets of hits from the time, race along at a rapid pace. The music is much more interesting and enjoyable than the "humor" that the title suggests will be present. Humor takes more than risqué lyrics or strange narratives and, for the most part, true humor seems to be missing from the concert.

After some of the musical numbers, the film cuts to interview segments with Zappa that may have appeared relevant at the time, but now seem dated or sad. In one such segment, he boasts about surviving on cigarettes and coffee, disparaging those that want him to quit. In another he discusses how he could have chart-topping success, but it would require that he give up his artistic integrity. He also laments the Reagan presidency, which seems out of place 20 years later, especially after Reagan's recent death. Younger viewers will simply be unable to relate to the outdated references and issues that are in these interview segments.

The cinematography is standard rock-concert footage and suffers from three serious faults: first, there are constant quick cuts from one musician to another, or from one musician to a close-up on his hands. This makes it nearly impossible to watch the musicians actually play the music, and is regrettable because it is obvious that they have great musical talent. I would have preferred some more static shots that simply showed the band playing the music. Second, the colored stage lights make the video splotchy, and there are noticeable smudges on the camera lens in some scenes. The colors seem oversaturated, which might be caused by the stage lights, but it is disconcerting nonetheless. Third, shadows occasionally cover the performers' faces -- a viewing distraction.

The overall presentation on this disc is lackluster. It was originally released on VHS in 1985, and the producers have done as little as possible in preparing it for DVD release. The show lasts approximately 60 minutes; there are no extras and the only menu choices are to play the concert or an individual chapter. The soundtrack is presented in 48kHz/16-bit PCM. When compared to the sound on other concert discs, such as Bruce Springsteen's Live in Barcelona [Columbia C2D 56390], the Zappa disc's sound isn't nearly as convincing.

Zappa played with the idioms of rock and jazz to subvert the seriousness of most music. His risqué and humorous lyrics are not always successful, but the ideas, both humorous and musical, are, in fact, interesting. This DVD is probably best savored by the hardcore Zappa fan. People intrigued to learn more about Zappa's music would do better to start with one of his early albums on CD, such as Uncle Meat [Rykodisc 10506] or Over-Nite Sensation [Rykodisc 10518].

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