Frank Zappa
Buffalo

THE REVIEW

A few weeks ago, an unreleased live album by Uncle Frank was released. It's called "Buffalo," and it's a double live album (from Buffalo, of course) of a performance dated 1980 (so not even that recent, huh). The two discs together run up to around 140 minutes, and I particularly point out the most notable track, "The torture never stops," which lasts over 23 minutes, featuring various guitar and drum improvisations. The sound is excellent.

I won't get lost in too many digressions: with this, we've reached a more than excellent tally in the discography of the aforementioned, by now over 70, including various bootlegs, box sets, EPs, and more. Yet, many haven't grown tired of this flamboyant character. Why? There are many reasons: perhaps because from '66 until his death, he never stopped producing new works (more or less good, let's be clear), constantly reinventing himself, exercising strong criticism of American society, or simply wanting to distinguish himself at all costs from many repetitive characters in the rock scene and beyond.

There’s little to say: Frank was a genius, and I will never stop considering him the greatest composer that our generation (like others) has known. He forged ahead even when things got tough, even if he didn’t quite have all the success we believe. He always stayed somewhat in the shadows. But despite this, he remained immortal, a true icon: and it's for this reason we don’t tire of these far from occasional releases (a couple a year, or even more), which help us feel the memory of good old Zappa, composer and much more, always close. Don’t miss these opportunities: and besides, it’s always a live of Frank, not to be missed.

Rating: 4.5