Frank Zappa – Mudd Club – 2 LP Review

Finally, the long-fabled set from Frank Zappa at one of his favorite venues, Mudd Club in New York. Recorded 8th May 1980 this legendary set includes the great Joe’s Garage, the humourous, Why Does It Hurt When I Pee, and of course, the classic You Are What You Is. 

Cut and played at 45rpm to produce the best fidelity from the original tape source. This double LP is basically 2 x 12″ singles of amazing, progressive jazz-rock fusion music that only Frank Zappa can produce. 

Let’s get something straight, although this is a stage recording, in no way this set from the Mudd Club has the sound of a bootleg. If you think it does, then you have some high-quality sounding bootlegs and I’d love to hear them.

Inside the gatefold is superb liner notes from guitar wizard Steve Vai and Arthur Barrow, both of whom have some sublime insights into working with FZ. 

Zappa is of course on fire with his fretboard wankery, the band is a little loose which adds to the charm of this recording. 

To finally get to hear some FZ-approved live material from the 80s is sublime and to have it unpolished and as raw as this is, it’s a gift from the fusion gods.

This is a worthy inclusion to anyone’s Frank Zappa collection and if you’re just discovering the master this is a safe place to start as it shows the genius of FZ at work. 

Score 8/10
TRACKS
Side A
1 Mudd Club Show Start
2 Chunga’s Revenge
3 Keep It Greasy
4 Outside Now
Side B
1 City Of Tiny Lites (Edited)
2 Pound For A Brown
3 You Are What You Is
Side C
1 You Didn’t Try To Call Me
2 I Ain’t Got No Heart
3 Love Of My Life
4 Easy Meat
Side D
1 Mudd Club
2 The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
3 Joe’s Garage
4 Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
Label – umC
Release – 31 March 2023

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