Alphabet Soup (Z)

Hello, Alphabet Soup has reached the bottom of the bowl, where we find Z, the last in the line. Z that means Zappa in my cabinet , i post here his notorious and satirical 'rock opera' Joe's Garage..all three acts of it...the men has been a prolific genius, he had no time for drugs and would still be at work now at 68, alas cancer took him from us....Moondog had to change their name to Zita Swoon, the first work they released under that name stemmed from a silent-film - Sunrise by FW Murnau music project, they toured thru the benelux countries with this set up accompanying the images with their largely instrumental live music. check out the result here.....finally The Zutons, i saw them years ago perform live and i have to say they did well , however at the time (04) i didnt expect them to become as big as they have...

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Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Act I, II, III (79, 114min Flac 742mb)

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa established himself as a prolific and highly distinctive composer, electric guitar player and band leader. He worked in various different musical genres and wrote music for rock bands, jazz ensembles, synthesizers and symphony orchestra, as well as musique concrète works constructed from pre-recorded, synthesized or sampled sources. In addition to his music recordings, he created feature-length and short films, music videos, and album covers. Zappa self-produced almost every one of the more than sixty albums he released with the Mothers of Invention or as a solo artist.

Zappa grew up influenced in equal measures by avant-garde composers such as Varèse, Igor Stravinsky and Anton Webern, R&B and doo-wop groups (particularly local pachuco groups), as well as modern jazz. His own heterogeneous ethnic background and the diverse cultural and social mix that existed in and around greater Los Angeles at the time were also crucial in situating Zappa as a practitioner and fan of "outsider art". Zappa began his career as a musician on drums, and while attending Mission Bay High School in San Diego, he joined his first band, The Ramblers. Although he performed as a singer and guitarist for most of his later career, Zappa's original influence by classical percussion compositions made him retain a strong interest in rhythm and percussion. In 1956 Zappa met Don Van Vliet ( "Captain Beefheart") while playing drums in a local band, The Blackouts, a racially-mixed outfit, included Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood (who later became a member of the Mothers of Invention). Zappa and Van Vliet became close friends, influencing each other musically, and collaborating in the Sixties and mid-Seventies.

In 1957 Zappa was given his first guitar. Among his early influences were Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and Howlin' Wolf. Zappa considered soloing as the equivalent of forming "air sculptures," and developed an eclectic, innovative and personal style. He eventually became one of the most highly regarded electric guitarists of his time. Early in the sixties Zappa attempted to earn a living as a musician and composer, and played a variety of night-club gigs, some with a new version of The Blackouts.Financially more important, however, were Zappa's earliest professional recordings, two soundtracks for the low-budget films The World's Greatest Sinner (1962) and Run Home Slow (1965). Zappa bought the financially strained Pal Studio and renamed it "Studio Z.", he moved into the studio in late 1963 and began routinely working 12 hours or more per day recording and experimenting with overdubbing. This set a pattern that would endure for almost all of his life. As Studio Z was rarely booked for recordings by other musicians, Zappa accepted in March 1965 an offer of $100 to produce a suggestive audio tape for a customer's stag party. Zappa and a female friend jokingly faked an "erotic" recording. The customer, however, was an undercover member of the Vice Squad and Zappa was jailed for ten days on charges of supplying pornography. His entrapment and brief imprisonment left a permanent mark, and was a key event in the formation of his anti-authoritarian stance.
In 1964, he had joined a local band called the Soul Giants, which, over the course of the next two years, evolved into the Mothers, who played songs written by Zappa. In 1966 and they recorded their first album, a two-LP set called Freak Out!, which introduced Zappa's interests in both serious music and pop as well as his scathing wit. Subsequent albums extended the musical and lyrical themes of the debut, and they came frequently. Three albums, for example, hit the charts in 1968: We're Only in It for the Money, a Mothers album that made fun of hippies and Sgt. Pepper; Lumpy Gravy, a Zappa solo album recorded with an orchestra; and Cruising With Ruben & the Jets, on which the Mothers played neo-doo wop. Toward the end of the '60s, Zappa expanded the Mothers lineup, turning more toward instrumental jazz-rock, much of which displayed his technically accomplished guitar playing. But by the end of the decade, he had broken up the band.

In late 1970, Zappa put together a new version of The Mothers, this new lineup debuted on Zappa's next solo album Chunga's Revenge (1970), which was followed by the double-album soundtrack to the movie 200 Motels (1971), featuring The Mothers, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and, among others, Ringo Starr, Theodore Bikel, and Keith Moon. The film, co-directed by Zappa and Tony Palmer, was shot in a week on a large sound stage outside London. The film dealt loosely with life on the road as a rock musician. In December 1971, there were two serious setbacks. While performing at Casino de Montreux in Switzerland, the Mothers' equipment was destroyed when a flare set off by an audience member started a fire that burned down the casino. ( Smoke on the water) . After a week’s break, The Mothers went to play at the Rainbow Theatre, London with rented gear. During an encore, an audience member pushed Zappa off the stage and into the concrete-floored orchestra pit. The band thought Zappa had been killed, but he had suffered serious fractures, head trauma and injuries to his back, leg, and neck, as well as a crushed larynx, this left him wheelchair bound for a time, forcing him off the road for over half a year.

While he recovered, Zappa released several albums, then he re-formed the Mothers with himself as lead singer and made pop/rock albums such as Over-nite Sensation that were among his best-selling records ever. By the end of the '70s, Zappa was recording on his own labels, distributed in some cases by the majors, and he had attracted a consistent cult following for both his humor and his complex music. In fact Zappa ended the 1970s period “stronger than ever, by releasing two of his most successful albums in 1979. His best selling album ever, Sheik Yerbouti, and the “bona fide masterpiece, Joe's Garage. In the '80s, Zappa gained the rights to his old albums and began to reissue them, at first on his own and then through the pioneering Rykodisc CD label. He wrote his autobiography and embarked on a world tour in 1988. That was the end of his live performing, except for such isolated appearances as one in Czechoslovakia at the invitation of its post-Communist president, Zappa fan Vaclav Havel. In late 1991, it was confirmed that Zappa was seriously ill with cancer. Nevertheless, his schedule of album releases continued to be rapid. Zappa died in December of 1993, with a number of posthumous releases to follow.


The Act begins with the Central Scrutinizer's introduction. He explains that his job is to enforce laws which will be passed in the future--including the coming total illegalization of music . He then introduces the opera's protagonist, Joe. Joe used to be a nice boy who would cut his neighbors' grass until he discovered rock music, then he would spend all his time playing loud music in his garage. A "friendly counselor" at the police department tells Joe he should "stick closer to church-oriented social activities." Joe finds a new girlfriend named Mary, with whom he would "hold hands and think pure thoughts." However, Mary, a Roman Catholic girl, abandons Joe in order to get a pass to see a band called "Toad-O" with whom she goes on the road, sleeping with the band's roadies. Mary enters a wet t-shirt contest to try to make enough money to get back home. Joe hears of her exploits, becomes depressed, falls in with a fast crowd, and has sex with a girl who works at the Jack-In-The-Box named Lucille, who gives him an "unpronounceable disease"



01 - The Central Scrutinizer (3:26)
02 - Joe's Garage (6:06)
03 - Catholic Girls (4:21)
04 - Crew Slut (5:49)

05 - Wet T-Shirt Nite (5:23)
06 - Toad-O Line (4:29)
07 - Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? (2:22)
08 - Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up (7:11)


Joe turns to religion for help, and "pays a lot of money to L. Ron Hoover at the First Church of Appliantology ( satire Scientology)." Hoover identifies Joe as a "latent appliance fetishist". When Joe asks if he should "come out of the closet" he is instead instructed to "go into the closet" to achieve "sexual gratification through the use of machines". In the next song, we learn "The Closet" is the name of a club where humans can copulate with appliances. Joe locates a machine he likes, named Sy Borg, and they return to Sy's apartment. Joe ends up destroying Sy, (whom the Central Scrutinizer calls a "XQJ-37 Nuclear-Powered Pansexual Roto-Plooker") with a golden shower. Joe is thrown in prison after being unable to pay for the damage (having given up all his money to the Church of Appliantology). In jail, Joe is repeatedly gang raped ("plooked") by former musicians and record executives when they're not snorting lines of detergent pretending it's cocaine.



09 - A Token Of My Extreme (5:27)
10 - Stick It Out (4:31)
11 - Sy Borg (8:48)

12 - Dong Work For Yuda (5:00)
13 - Keep It Greasy (8:16)
14 - Outside Now (5:39)

When Joe is released from prison, music has become illegal. He loses his sanity, and begins imagining all the guitar notes he cannot play and a journalist documenting his thoughts. Eventually, he comes to terms with the fact that music is gone, and gets a job at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, frosting muffins.This last act is a direct reference to Zappas own experience of incarceration, when he was imprisoned for ten days during his youth for producing audio "pornography".While incarcerated he was unable to play his guitar so passed the time by imagining lead solos and guitar licks he would like to play.

15 - He Used To Cut The Grass (8:34)
16 - Packard Goose (11:17)

17 - Watermelon In Easter Hay (10:09)
18 - A Little Green Rosetta (6:59)

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Zita Swoon - Music Inspired By SUNRISE  (97 flac 341mb)

Zita Swoon is a Belgian indie rock group. They entered the music scene of Antwerp in 1993, still under the name A Beatband with the EP "Jintro Travels The Word In A Skirt". The group is typical of the music scene in Antwerp, with members playing in numerous other groups. Best known member is singer Stef Kamil Carlens, who founded the group and also played in dEUS. The initial group also included Tom Pintens and Aarich Jespers. The same group released "Everyday I Wear A Greasy Black Feather On My Hat" under the name Moondog Jr. in 1995. The success of this album was awarded with invitations to the Lowlands, Pinkpop and Rock Werchter festivals. Belonging to two increasingly popular bands became impossible and just before the release of their second album, Stef made his announcement that he would be leaving dEUS.

This did not spell an end to their collaboration with dEUS, Klaas Janzoons along with percussionist, Piet Jorens, was to work on their 1996 score for FW Murnau black and white classic, 'Sunrise, a song of two humans.' By this time, they had drawn the eye of Louis 'Moondog' Hardin, a blind American blues musician, who objected to their use of his name. As a result of this, Zita Swoon were born - in time for the release of their live album, 'Music for Sunrise - a 1996 score' on independent label 'Play It Again Sam (PIAS)'. A mainly instrumental recording, two songs with vocals are released as singles 'Couldn't She Get Drowned?' and 'Giving Up the Hero.' The live show is played alongside the projected movie, and toured around the Benelux countries. By this time, the band are receiving generous attention and awards. Their first appearance in the US was at the South by Southwest festival in 1998. Zita Swoon has played at numerous places, from New York to the Belgian Rock Werchter festival, the Holland Festival, as well as in Germany.

Eventually, Zita Swoon receive the financial security of a major label, signing with Warners Benelux. It is through this label that they release 'I Paint Pictures on a Wedding Dress'(1998). In early 1999 their work was recognized by the Flemish government with a grant of 1.5 million Francs(40,000 euro) and the title Cultural Ambassador of Flanders (a title previously awarded to DAAU and dEUS).The band take a break to write new material and spend some time on side projects. Hot, Hotter, Hottest is released shortly before the Long Player, 'Life = A Sexy Sanctuary", a distinctly poppier array of songs. The group are more active than ever, with promotional events, instore concerts and touring as well as further side projects. The band release a live recording 'Live at the Jet Studios', a limited edition of 10,000 and get back to their roots with a series of semi-acoustic retrospective shows in old baroque theatres.

A Song about a Girls (2005) is the most introspective and melancholic work of Zita Swoon so far. Violins make an important contribution to the calmer sound of the album. Itcontains songs in both English and French. One of these French songs, "De Quoi a Besoin l'Amour", is a duet with the Belgian singer Axelle Red. In 207 they released Big City and earlier this year their latest album Big Blueville.



01 - Titles: A Song Of Two Humans (2:50)
02 - Woman Of The City (2:11)
03 - The Waiting (2:22)
04 - Meeting By The Swamp (3:00)
05 - Come To The City (2:10)
06 - The Skeem (1:10)
07 - Couldn't She Get Drowned (7:49)
08 - Trip To The City (1:39)
09 - The City (2:16)
10 - Where's My Love? (2:14)
11 - At The Barbers' (3:49)
12 - At The Photographers' (3:32)
13 - Casino Swing (0:44)
14 - Pig Chase (1:48)
15 - Peasant Dance (2:36)
16 - 3 Angels Song (1:33)
17 - A New Moon (0:43)
18 - The Storm (4:34)
19 - The Gathering Of The Men (1:49)
20 - The Search (5:24)
21 - The Return (0:49)
22 - Sunrise (0:38)
23 - Coda: A Song Of Two Humans (0:28)
24 - Giving Up The Hero (4:48)
25 - Couldn't She Get Drowned ( hidden, single version) (3:20)

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The Zutons - Who Killed The Zutons ? (04 flac 267mb)

The Zutons formed in Liverpool in 2001, taking their name from The Magic Band guitarist Bill Harkleroad, better known as Zoot Horn (or "Zuton") Rollo. They are singer/guitarist David McCabe, lead guitarist Boyan Chowdhury, bassist Russell Pritchard, and drummer Sean Payne. Originally a four-piece, Sean's girlfriend Abi Harding began joining The Zutons on stage for a couple of songs mid-set, playing simple saxophone lines. She was very popular with the crowd. The other band members liked the way her saxophone enhanced their sound. Abi became a full member, contributing vocals and sax.

The first record the band put out was the 3-track CD Devil's Deal, released in September 2002. The following spring they released Creepin' An' A Crawlin', and then the download-only single Haunts Me in November 2003. The Zutons' debut album, Who Killed...... The Zutons? was released in April 2004, nearly a year later, it managed to re-enter and move up to #9 in early 2005. The LP had a specially printed 3-D cover and came with Zutons 3-D viewing glasses, which many fans then wore to their concerts. The album was a nominee for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. The band themselves were nominated for the British Breakthrough Act award at the 2005 BRIT Awards.

The new album Tired of Hanging Around was released on April 17, 2006 and reached #2 in the UK album charts. The first single from the album "Why won't you give me your love" and the second single "Valerie" both peaked at 9 in the charts.The band toured the UK in May 2006 following the release of this album. They played at the Jersey Live Festival on September 2, 2006 before their second UK tour which began in November 2006. In October 2006, they performed at the The Secret Policeman's Ball. Currently The Zutons have gone into Sunset Sound Studios in LA with producer George Drakoulias to record their third album which is due for release in the Spring.



01 - Zuton Fever... (3:08)
02 - Pressure Point... (3:16)
03 - You Will You Won't... (2:54)
04 - Confusion... (3:32)
05 - Havana Gang Brawl... (4:30)
06 - Railroad... (3:39)
07 - Long Time Coming... (2:20)
08 - Nightmare Part II... (3:00)
09 - Not A Lot To Do... (3:47)
10 - Remember Me... (3:20)
11 - Dirty Dancehall... (4:09)
12 - Moons And Horror Shows... (2:38)
13 - Don't Ever Think (Too Much)... (2:44)

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