Frank Zappa - Baby Snakes (1979): Amazon.ca: Frank Zappa, Ron Delsener, Johnny Psychotic, Donna U. Wanna, Diva Zappa, Adrian Belew, Bruce Bickford, Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio, Vinnie Colaiuta, Warren Cuccurullo, Roy Estrada, Phil Parmet, Richard Pearce, Robert Leacock, Bennett Glotzer: DVD

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Customer Reviews

43 Reviews

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (43 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Worth watching..., Mar 8 2006

By

B. W. Wilson "Rocker since birth" (Boylston,Nova Scotia,Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frank Zappa - Baby Snakes (1979) (DVD)

I agree with a most of the reviews here. In a nutshell, there are parts of this movie that one thinks " what was this guy thinking?" This is primarily in reference to the toilet humour, the blow up doll, and the overindulged claymation (which is really cool, but c'mon Frank, I bought the damn dvd to see you and your band, not some guy playing with clay). However,....as far as the actual music on this dvd goes, it is extremely neat to watch and very well played. Like another reviewer mentioned, these guys are having the time of their lives, and are all excellent musicians who really don't miss a trick. My notable favorite spots were Camarillo Brillo/Muffin Man, City of Tiny Lites, Punky's Whips, and Broken Hearts. In all honesty, the supporting cast of the band makes the show. The performances by Bozzio, O Hearn, Belew are as entertaining as Frank is, if not moreso sometimes. And the music SOUNDS good. Lots of great guitar solos, incredible drumming, and wacky interplay between the band members. Some of the music they pull off is truly amazing to watch, especially if you are a musician yourself (like me) as you can have a better appreciation of just how good these guys were.

So, the music part of this dvd I love. The other stuff I could never see again and it wouldn't bother me. Buy it for the music as there is enough of it on there to be worth the cost of the buy. Compared to "Does Humour belong in Music" (which in my opinion was horrible), this movie really rocks. And believe me, I know what rocks and what doesn't.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars by default, July 8 2004

By

stu - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baby Snakes (VHS Tape)

I basically agree with a lot of what theslime, the person who wrote the spotlight review, had to say. There are long segments of Baby Snakes that I regularly fast-forward. There is way too much backstage nonsense, only a tiny fraction of which is the least bit interesting. The animation is very stream of consciousness and I was bored with it at first but have grown to really appreciate what this guy was doing. However, what I want, and what everyone wants, and what Zappa should have known that everyone would want, is more concert footage! Get rid of the rest of it for all I care.

The footage that we do see and hear is extremely worthwhile. In fact, Baby Snakes might be the only legitamite release to contain any good live Zappa on film. Some of the tunes are not my favorite. I don't care about seeing a live version of Bobby Brown Goes Down or I Have Been in You. I would have liked to have heard more instrumentals. However, Baby Snakes is a long movie and there is plenty of great material as well as some charged performances by the young band (obviously having the time of their lives.) Some of my favorites include: City of Tiny Lights, Black Page #2, Punky's Whips (Bozzio's "Punky" is oscar-worthy), King Kong/Pound for a Brown (will Bozzio explode at the climax of his solo?), Black Napkins, Muffin Man, San Bernadino...There is plenty here to make up for the gratuitous filler.

This is the best live Zappa footage that I have seen and therefore it automatically gets the five stars.

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5.0 out of 5 stars tehnically & entertainingly superb audience experience, July 2 2004

By

John Frame "There Is No Substitute For Equality" (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Frank Zappa - Baby Snakes (1979) (DVD)

Dweezil and friends have acheived a great good deed in bringing Frank's big feature film to Zappa fans around the world, via state of the art application of DVD technology.

The whole film looks great, the actual performance is always fine and frequently truly astounding. I value that we get to know Frank as a consummate showman with sincere respect for his comrades and for his audience (that's us).

The 5.1 soundtrack gives the most realistic rendition of live concert sound you could ever hope for. The accompanying portfolio of info instead of a standard DVD booklet is a nice touch.

Moreover I am in awe of the effort put into this film by everyone - from Frank, the band and crew, through to Dweezil & co with their fastidious restoration. Well done.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Stef is a humorless retard
I saw this film at its original release in NYC 1979. If you don't get Zappa, then shut up and go away. Read more

Published on April 17 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't play on Sony Playstation.....
Despite the "PS2 Compatible" printing on the DVD jacket, this DVD does not play on the PS2.

Published on Mar 24 2004 by underscore