Continued from page 14 pretation akin to a hymn sing among the headstones outside the Haunted Mansion. Or perhaps a Halloween party with a particularly glum youth group. Although these songs are all offered in sepulchral style, Shaw’ s liner notes make it clear that, to the best of his ability, he’ s as devout as the original authors. If he prefers working in the domain of chilling and sinister tones, he’ s used that passion to make an album of worship music for people who might keep an Anne Rice novel on the bookshelf as well as a Bible. If there’ s one overarching effect of reimagined work like“ Washed in the Blood,” it’ s to undo the whitewashing and contradictory cheerfulness that centuries of Western church culture have made routine hallmarks of the communal singing of these songs. Such aspects subdue the sacrifice, torture, and death involved in the Christ story, and those elements are made very plain by Leper.
Blood Hymns will be of keenest interest to fans of genre peers, including Saviour Machine and Dead Artist Syndrome, but aficionados of‘ 80s goth pop acts like Love & Rockets or the Cure should enjoy Leper’ s shadowy delights.
– Jeff Elbel
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FRANK ZAPPA Cheaper than Cheep Super Deluxe( Zappa / UMe)
During a gap in a crowded 1974 touring itinerary, Frank Zappa and the formidable core of his’ 73-‘ 75 Mothers of Invention lineup converted the band’ s Hollywood rehearsal space into a makeshift television studio. A small crowd of fans was invited to witness a sweat-drenched performance recorded with the aim of producing a concert film on a shoestring budget.“ Ladies and gentlemen, we’ d like to welcome you to the world’ s cheapest television special,” says Zappa to the camera when welcoming
his audience and potential viewers. This long-sought artifact is finally being released 51 years after the June 21, 1974, performance. The audio and video tapes languished due to synchronization issues that were insurmountable in their original era. The super deluxe package includes audio on three vinyl LPs and two CDs. The set’ s allregion Blu-ray disc includes the remastered and meticulously re-synched footage with soundtrack options in super high-definition, surround, and Atmos mixes. The highwattage lineup includes recently returned percussionist Ruth Underwood, drummer Chester Thompson, bassist Tom Fowler, reed player Napoleon Murphy Brock, and keyboardist George Duke. Guitarist Jeff Simmons is the short-timer. He would leave the Mothers two weeks following this recording, and Cheep is the only artifact of his presence in this streamlined configuration. Zappa puts the blues-based guitarist under the microscope for the spontaneous jam dubbed“ Get Down Simmons” while directing the band with his system of hand( and even hair) signals. Each band member possesses classical academic acumen while also being steeped in soul, blues, funk, and rock. Zappa can turn on a dime and take his arrangements anywhere, and he often does so while the band bakes under the lights in close quarters. At one point, Duke reveals that his keyboards are too hot to play. Recent lineup changes, including the loss of drummer Ralph Humphrey and trombonist Bruce Fowler, and the welcome return of Underwood, leave the six-piece combo a bit under-rehearsed in their adjusted roles and retooled arrangements. However, they make tight work of challenging jazz fusion pieces like“ Inca Roads.” Even so, Zappa coyly tells the applauding audience as the song concludes,“ I’ m sure we’ ll be making more mistakes later this evening; just keep clapping like that.” The material includes a wealth of fresh( or at least recently developed and documented) fare from the restless and prolific composer. The full-tilt title track from spring 1974’ s Apostrophe(‘) leads with a masterful bass solo and fluid riffs from the late Tom Fowler, while Zappa strikes cartoonish guitar-hero poses. Murphy Brock, Simmons, and Fowler play the song’ s coda on the floor with their feet in the air. The album’ s funky“ Cosmik Debris” is also performed as the opening number, featuring Zappa’ s comic tale of a spiritual huckster and lead singer Murphy
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