Classic Albums:
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe + Over-Nite Sensation (Eagle Vision DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Main Program: B-
Frank
Zappa’s work and its ahead-of-its-time relevance are slowly blooming at a time
when the record business is a wreck. The
latest DVD to show his amazing talents is a Classic Albums installment that includes two of his greatest works:
Over-Nite Sensation (1973) and Apostrophe (1974). Leave it to Zappa to break the mold of this
series.
After
experimenting with many music forms on his albums with his band The Mothers and
releasing pretty much the first videotaped feature film in 200 Motels (1971) with his band, Zappa eventually shed the band and
made these solo efforts that defined everything he wanted to do, the direction
the rest of his career would take and shows him at a personal peak of
creativity and prolificness few artists in any field ever achieve. He was the true innovator/outsider, yet was
embraced by an active generation of fans and music lovers when so many more of
them existed as a serious music audience.
You get a
ton of great interviews, rare footage, stills and other items that give you
insight into the man, his life and music that show this series has not lost its
capacity for depth and music journalism despite attempts to compete with it
that have succeeded (Under Review)
and failed (Ultimate Albums) to
approximate its success. Especially if
you lived at that time, you will discover that more of these songs are more
familiar as many Top Ten hits of the time than you might expect and that is
reason alone to catch it.
The 1.78
X 1 digital High Definition image was shot in digital video, likely HD and has
some detail limits, part of which could come from the downtrade to DVD, but
otherwise cannot be evaluated until the title arrives in the HD formats. The older footage is in decent shape and it
is a strong installment in the series. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is sufficient and plays the music back just fine. Extras include discography, DVD-ROM weblink
of interest and three live bonus performances by Zappa on Montana (1973,) I’m The Slime
(1976) and Camarillo Brillo by Zappa
Plays Zappa.
For more
on Zappa, try these links:
Baby Snakes (feature film)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/678/Baby+Snakes
Halloween (high definition sound DVD-Audio
format)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/406/Frank+Zappa+-+Halloween+(DVD-Audio
QuAUDIOPHILIAc (high definition sound DVD-Audio
format)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1636/Frank+Zappa+-+QuAUDIOPHILIAc
- Nicholas Sheffo
