Frank Zappa & Captain Beefheart - Bongo Fury (1975)

"Bongo Fury" is an album released by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 & 21, 1975 at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Studio tracks were recorded in January 1975, during the sessions which produced "One Size Fits All" and much of "Studio Tan".

"Bongo Fury" captures Captain Beefheart aka Don Van Vliet with Frank Zappa during their brief reunion for a series of shows in the spring of 1975. This album is a pastiche of both live performances taken from two evenings at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, TX  and studio recordings that were almost a year-and-a-half old. This is the last album to feature the highly technical jazz fusion of Mothers of Invention, whose roots can be traced back to 1973 circa Over-Nite Sensation. The live portions are highlighted by the latest addition to the band frenetic percussionist extraordinaire Terry "Ted" Bozzio, who would stay with Zappa for a majority of the '70s. Most Zappa enthusiasts either love or hate "Bongo Fury". Much of the disparity has to do with the lack of the extended fusion-based instrumentals that had graced their predecessors "One Size Fits All" and "Roxy & Elsewhere" as much as it does with the inclusion of Captain Beefheart. Conversely, those consumers whose passions tend toward both Zappa and Captain Beefheart consider this disc as a mutual zenith. Either way, there is a little something for every element. The album plunges directly into the ballsy rocker "Debra Kadabra." Although the track is credited solely to Zappa, the schizophrenic animation given by Van Vliet is an inspired combination of singing and spoken word  as might be delivered by an amphetamine-drenched preacher. Zappa and the Mothers give the multi-tempo song a full-throttled workout, which is met headlong with "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy." This track comes from Zappa's long tradition of "tales from the road" involving various encounters with female enthusiasts. The song also includes some fiery fretwork from Zappa during the waning moments. Additional stellar guitar work can be found on "Advance Romance," as the best elements of this particular band occur here. The track grooves with a force similar to that of "Florentine Pogen" from "One Size Fits All2 and contains a memorable Napoleon Murphy Brock vocal. The song also features the most extended instrumental interaction on "Bongo Fury", running at over 11 minutes. Likewise, the two Captain Beefheart penned spoken-word selections, "Sam With the Showing Scalp Flat Top" and "Man With a Woman Head," are key entries into his anthology of surrealistic prose.

 

01.  "Debra Kadabra"  (Frank Zappa)  - 3:54

02.  "Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy"  (Frank Zappa)  - 5:59

03.  "Sam with the Showing Scalp Flat Top"  (Don Van Vliet)  - 2:51

04.  "Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead"  (Frank Zappa)  - 3:03

05.  "200 Years Old"  (Frank Zappa)  - 4:32

06.  "Cucamonga" (studio-track)  (Frank Zappa)  - 2:24

07.  "Advance Romance"  (Frank Zappa)  - 11:17

08.  "Man with the Woman Head"  (Don Van Vliet)  - 1:28

09.  "Muffin Man"  (Frank Zappa)  - 5:34

Released:  October 2, 1975

Recorded:  May 20 & 21, 1975 at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas

Genre:  Blues-Rock, Avant-Garde, Psychedelic Rock

Length:  38:55

Label:  DiscReet

Producer:  Frank Zappa

Personnel

Frank Zappa - vocals, guitar

Denny Walley - vocals, slide guitar

Tom Fowler - bass, dancer

Terry Bozzio - drums

Chester Thompson - drums

Captain Beefheart - vocals, saxophone, harmonica

George Duke - keyboards, vocals

Napoleon Murphy Brock - saxophone, vocals

Bruce Fowler - trombone, dancer