Frank Zappa: Dub Room Special
by Frank Zappa, Clark Santee, Dick Darley
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chester Thompson, Frank Zappa, George Duke, Ruth Underwood, Tom FowlerDirector: Clark Santee, Dick Darley, Frank Zappa
Brand: RED Distribution
Writer: Frank Zappa
Producer: Bennett Glotzer
Producer: Bill Boggs
Producer: Dick Barber
Producer: Karen McLaughlin
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Eagle Rock Ent
Movie Reviews of Frank Zappa: Dub Room Special
Movie Review: Way excellent Video of FZ and crew..
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great CD to watch.. and it really gives the FZ fan a glimpse into the background of FZ working in a dub room, or a studio or whatever it is... and it is quite fun to see the interaction of FZ with those around him.... and it is my impression that FZ was having the MOST fun in two fashions, either playing his performances live, or constructing them one way or another in a studio... he lived music... it poured out of his very being.
Now, if you don't mind the scatagorical themes that Frank does in all of his movies, you won't mind this release either. I had this back when they first offered it and like mentioned in the other reviews, it came in a black VHS box with a white typed card DUB ROOM SPECIAL.. no frills... but this packaging is fantastic. This one has an extra little bit added in, the Moon Unit VALLEY GIRL behind the scenes tid bit.. which was good fun to see..
But the film itself is a LOT of fun. The two concert footings -one from 74 and the other from 81- are two very good bands for very different reasons, and to see them playing songs so fined tuned and worked so hard by FZ ... was just thrilling. I really enjoyed the 81 band rendition of 'Stevies Spanking' and watching FZ and STEVE VAI trade licks.. FZ looked possessed playing his leads, and never once looked at his hands or glanced anywhere but straight ahead.. you could really see his intensity while watching STEVE VAI play his lead (they over dub'd the video where you could see FZ playing while STEVE was jamming.. good effect).
Fact is, if you like FZ and wanted to see more video of him in a studio and on stage.. then, you need to stop reading this and order it.
I love it. And will watch it many times more.
Have fun.
Summary of Frank Zappa: Dub Room Special
For nearly a decade, composer/rock guitarist/musical genius Frank Zappa and his band would descend upon New York City for their annual Halloween concert. A yearly tradition beginning in 1974, Zappa skipped the concert in 1982 even though he had recently scored his biggest commercial hit with the song "Valley Girl." Despite the decision not to tour, Zappa did not disappoint fans that looked forward to their yearly Halloween pilgrimage to New York City. Instead, he premiered a 90-minute documentary titled Frank Zappa's Dub Room Special at New York's legendary Ritz Theater.The documentary features two concerts - Zappa's 1981 Halloween show at New York's Palladium and the other from KCET Studios in December 1974 for the TV special "A Token Of His Extreme." Paired with performances of Zappa classics such as "Stinkfoot," "Cosmik Debris," "Montana" and "Flakes" is the animation of Bruce Bickford who collaborated with Zappa on his previous documentary, "Baby Snakes."
Originally released on VHS and Beta in 1982, The Dub Room Special! has been a tough find for Zappa fans. Now it is available for the first-time ever on DVD. Featuring audio remixed in stereo, this highly sought-after collectors item was worth the wait.
Track Listing:
1. Dog Breath Variations/Uncle Meat
2. Room Service
3. Nig Biz
4. Approximate
5. Cosmic Debris
6. Cocaine Decisions
7. Montana
8. Tengo Na Minchia Tanta
9. Florentine Pogen
10. Stevie's Spanking
11. Stinkfoot
12. Flakes
13. Inca Roads
14. Easy Meat
Live performances by two very different groups led by the late Frank Zappa are the main attraction of Dub Room Special, a relatively rare DVD offering from one of contemporary music's most prolific and hard-to-classify figures. There were always two sides to Zappa (who died in 1993), from serious composer/musician to potty-mouthed frat boy, from innovator, iconoclast, and provocateur to juvenile shtick-meister. Both are on display here, but while there's plenty of fooling around, onstage and off, in the end it's Zappa's music that makes the more profound impression. The earlier of the two performances, recorded in 1974 and entitled "A Token of His Extreme," finds George Duke (keyboards), Chester Thompson (drums), the zany Napoleon Murphy Brock (woodwinds), and Ruth Underwood (mallet percussion) joining the guitarist for renditions of "Montana," "Florentine Pogen," "Inca Roads," and others, all showcasing both Zappa's warped sense of humor and the remarkable complexity and avant-garde flavor of his compositions; this is arguably the best band he ever assembled, and perhaps the best visual record of a Zappa gig. The second show, from Halloween 1981, is less distinguished. The musicians, though far less prominent than those from the earlier group (with the exception of hotshot guitarist Steve Vai), are excellent, but the material is weaker, and the entire proceeding is marred by "Stevie's Spanking," a moronic ode to Vai's visit with a kinky groupie. Elsewhere, Bruce Bickford's stop motion clay animation (also featured throughout Baby Snakes, a 2003 Zappa DVD release) is clever but somewhat overused; and there's little excuse for the bits featuring Italian "journalist" Massimo Bassoli (whose main talent seems to be picking his nose) or the inclusion of the very dated "Valley Girl" documentary, featuring Zappa's daughter Moon Unit. --Sam Graham
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