The Ark

The Ark Artist: Frank Zappa
Label: Rhino / Wea
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 081227053826
EAN: 0081227053826
ASIN: B0000032GM


Release Date: 1991-07-16

The Ark


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Tracks:

  1. Big Leg Emma
  2. Some Ballet Music
  3. Status Back Baby
  4. Valarie
  5. My Guitar
  6. Uncle Meat
  7. King Kong

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Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Quite good.......2003-12-18

I really enjoy this album, although it's not perfect. It is a really excellent live document, the performances being pretty solid. The problem I have with it is that, since it was recorded with three microphones placed "strategically" in different spots to get a realistic-sounding recording of the concert, it sounds a bit strange. When Zappa's talking it sounds like there's 2 or 3 Zappas saying the same thing at the same time, but they sound somehow separate.
However, this problem is quite minor when compared to the overall quality. Buy this while you still can.

5 out of 5 stars Ex-bootleg brilliance.......2003-07-03

Recorded at a venue called The Ark in Boston, ostensibly in 1968 (but some experts say 1969), this album would have attained classic status simply on the strength of being the first bootleg to be produced from a master tape stolen from Mr Zappa.
Other customer reviews frown upon the sound quality. I do not understand them. Sonically, it's as good as "board tapes" ever get. If anything lets the disc down, it's the sleeve - which omits to mention trumpeter Buzz Gardner even though he provides "the BIG solo" on the epic track that concludes the album. (Until I found out he was on the album, I presumed that solo was being played on a saxophone fed through a VCS3-type synthesizer. Well, you live and learn...)
A cynic might say `Thank God the tape was stolen before FZ had the chance to screw it up!' Because Zappa generally didn't allow us to hear unedited examples of the Mothers' lengthy improvisations, or works-in-progress that resurfaced three or four years later. But thanks to some enterprising bootlegger - and thanks to Rhino Records for releasing it legitimately - we can make up our own minds about `Some Ballet Music'. Some like it, some hate it. It combines some key themes from `The Adventures of Greggery Peccary' with a slightly different `Dance of the Just Plain Folks', scored for two woodwinds, one trumpet and two percussion. And we can all enjoy the 20-minute-plus medley of `Uncle Meat' and `King Kong' - which includes a brief Zappa/Tripp/Black massed-percussion jam and a chaotic Charles Ives-style blend of the two main melodies, as well as solos from Motorhead Sherwood, the two Gardner brothers (both magnificent), Zappa and Ian Underwood (until the tape cuts out).
Elsewhere, `Big Leg Emma' is sung by Black, the seldom-heard `Status Back Baby' is sung by Zappa (and it's in 4-4 time for some reason), Zappa explains his latest scheme for a subversive hit single, Roy Estrada adds something to `Valerie', and Zappa plays a brilliant solo on `My Guitar' (though this too gets cut off prematurely).

5 out of 5 stars The Diversity of The Mothers in Full Sonic Splendor.......2003-04-13

"The Ark" is by far my favorite CD from the "Beat the Boots #1" series. In fact, it is one of my favorite Zappa CDs in general, even when viewed with respect to his immense catalog. What makes this disc so wonderful is that the sound quality is excellent (remember, this was originally a bootleg) and the tunes exhibit the full splendor and diversity of the early Mothers of Invention. "Big Leg Emma" really cooks with its strong drumbeats and precise changes. Then, hilariously, Zappa tells the audience that he will play something that "will be better for you in the long run" and delves into an avant-garde classical music piece ("Some Ballet Music"). Fantastic! The Mothers also demonstrate their doo-wop skills on "Valerie" and then collectively proceed to take the house down with a rousing medley of "Uncle Meat/King Kong." In sum, the vast array of styles represented on this disc (all played with virtuosity) make this a great CD to own whether you are just getting into Zappa's music or have been a fan for decades.

5 out of 5 stars only 5 stars? what? try 10 and then some..........2002-05-13

This is why God created bootlegs. So that people could hear performances like this that would otherwise never get released. From the first note to the last note, and the commentary in between, this is vintage Zappa, and that is a great thing to have in your collection. If you listen to this and you don't love it, you don't deserve to have the gift of hearing. Period.

4 out of 5 stars Get It While You Can.......2000-12-19

This is part of Zappa's Beat The Boots series, where Zappa took bootlegs, digitally enhanced them and released them as his own. They were supposed to be limited edition. Nine years later, this one is still available. Zappa released something like 14 CD's in the Beat the Boot series. Many of them are hard now hard to find. This may be your last chance to get this....or Rhino may continue to produce them...who knows.

This is the original Mothers of Invention, playing in Boston in 1968. There is alot of Zappa talking to the audience, introducing the songs and complaining about the record companies, radio stations and music fans. He does the few Mothers "hits". There is a nice guitar solo in My Guitar Wants to Kill YOur Mama, but it gets cut short. The real reason to buy this CD is for the 20 minute Uncle Meat/King Kong instrumental. There is alot of good jamming here on keyboards, sax and guitar.

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