2003-07-02
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
There's not much to add to the other customer reviews, but it should be noted that this CD is currently the only way to hear `Wino Man' (aka `Wonderful Wino') in its original form - with Flo and Eddie (Mark and Howard) providing backup vocals behind Jeff Simmons's lead vocal. And what a singer he was! His performance makes this `Wino' arguably the best version ever.
The editing on this album is questionable - Sides 1 & 2 appear to be in reverse, `Concentration Moon' is lacking a verse (consult the PLAYGROUND PSYCHOTICS album to hear it done properly), we have `Happy Together' (and its introductory remark) but not the rest of the Groupie Opera...and `Call Any Vegetable' (which is terrific) has a fake ending.
The sound quality is particularly galling to those who know about the long-since-deleted `BEAT THE BOOTS VOLUME 2', which reprised some of this material in superior sound. But, one way or another, you need to hear the vocal version of `Holiday in Berlin', as much for Zappa's wonderful guitar solo (bookended by foretastes of `Inca Roads' and `Easy Meat') as Howard's equally wonderful lead vocal. That and the aforementioned `Wino Man' make this disc necessary for Zappa collectors.