Frank Zappa - The Michigan Muffin Man (2022)

In early 1976, Frank Zappa's relationship with long-time manager Herb Cohen ended. Zappa sued Cohen for skimming more than he was allocated from their joint label DiscReet Records, as well as for signing acts of which Zappa did not approve. Cohen filed a lawsuit against Zappa in return, which froze the money the pair had gained from an out-of-court settlement with MGM over the rights of the early Mothers of Invention recordings. It also prevented Zappa having access to any of his previously recorded material during the trials. Zappa therefore took his personal master copies of the rock-oriented Zoot Allures (1976) directly to Warner Bros., thereby bypassing DiscReet. Although Zappa eventually gained the rights to all his material created under the MGM and Warner Bros. contracts, various lawsuits meant that for a period Zappa's only income came from touring, which he therefore did extensively between 1975 and 1977 with relatively small, mainly rock-oriented, bands. His late-76 tour of the US and Canada, ostensibly to promote Zoot Allures, began on October 27th on Rhode Island and progressed along the East coast and then the north west. One of the finest shows Zappa and his band performed during this period was their 19th November date at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, a gig which was recorded for live FM broadcast across the region, and which remains a favourite live event from the tour in question, for many Zappa fans, generally seen as superior to the previously released Philadelphia show from October 28th With the entire Detroit show now available on this double CD set, a delight no doubt for Zappa fans everywhere, this era of Frank Vincent’s live career is now finally represented at its very best.