Frank Zappa - The Manchester Mystery (2023)

EXTRAORDINARY 1979 BROADCAST SHOW IN THE UKs THIRD CITY Following a period in the mid-late 1970s when Frank Zappa was involved in a host of law-suits with both his ex-manager Herb Cohen, and his former label, Warner Brothers - during which time he was prevented from recording - in 1978 he resolved the cases successfully. Zappa then ended the 1970s by releasing two of his most successful albums in 1979: the best-selling album of his career, Sheik Yerbouti, and the "bona fide masterpiece" Joe's Garage. The double album Sheik Yerbouti was the first release on Zappa Records, and contained the Grammy-nominated single Dancin' Fool , which reached No. 45 on the Billboard charts. The album's commercial success was attributable in part to Bobby Brown . Due to its explicit lyrics about a young man's encounter with a "dyke by the name of Freddie", the song did not get airplay in the U.S., but it topped the charts in several European countries. The triple LP Joe's Garage featured lead singer Ike Willis as the voice of the character "Joe" in a rock opera about the danger of political systems, the suppression of freedom of speech and music - inspired in part by the Islamic revolution that had made music illegal within its jurisdiction at the time. In February 79 Zappa and his entourage began a European Tour, kicking things off in the UK with a show at Birmingham s Odeon Theatre on 10th and 11th of the month, before moving on to Manchester s Apollo on the 12th. It was while performing in the UK s third city that Frank and his band put on what is generally considered the finest show of the tour. Despite the wealth on new material Zappa would release in 79 , at his February shows he largely played Zappa favourites, with just a few recent additions to his catalogue performed. The concert however was nothing if not dynamic and enchanting, and was recorded for live FM radio broadcast for transmission in the UK and to be synched across a plethora of US stations too. Previously unavailable, this extraordinary concert is now available in its entirety on this new 2CD set, destined to become a live favourite among both the Zappa cognoscenti and the casual fan equally.