DVD Review & Giveaway: Frank Zappa The Torture Never Stops

I recently received a copy of the new DVD, Frank Zappa The Torture Never Stops, to review.


Frank Zappa is probably best known for his incredible guitar playing, though he also was a record producer, and even directed some films. Most folks probably know him for the song "Valley Girl", which featured his daughter Moon Unit making fun of the whole Valley speech thing going on back in the 80's. Although he passed away in 1993, Mr. Zappa loved Halloween, and he would play New York each Halloween. The Torture Never Stops was filmed live in New York at The Palladium on Halloween back in 1981. He actually played THREE different shows that Halloween, the first two of which were simultaneously broadcast live over radio and on MTV, which as you know back then was the biggest thing. (Ahh... back in the day when MTV actually played music) The Torture Never Stops was the final show, and the longest of the three.

The line up that day included Frank Zappa (guitar, vocal); Ray White (vocal, guitar); Tommy Mars (keyboards, vocal); Scott Thunes (bass, vocal); Chad Wackerman (drums); Ed Mann (percussion, vocal); Bobby Martin (keyboard, sax, vocal), and one other incredible guitarist: Steve Vai.

For those who don't know me other than on this blog, I worshipped Steve Vai as a kid. It was Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Eric Clapton - and yes, I played. Music was my life, so much so that my class ring actually has an electric guitar on the side. Betcha didn't know that. ;) I loved lots of other bands of course - I'm sure most of you know my love for bands such as Slayer, Bauhaus, and the Sisters of Mercy - but when it comes to guitars, few could enthrall me like that. I admit it, when we go to shows, I always try to position myself in front of the guitarist so I can watch him/her play.

Anyways, to get back to The Torture Never Stops, here's the set line up if you are interested:

"Black Napkins"
"Montana"
"Easy Meat"
"Beauty Knows No Pain"
"Charlie's Enormous Mouth"
"Fine Girl"
"Teen-Age Wind"
"Harder Than Your Husband"
"Bamboozled By Love"
"We're Turning Again"
"Alien Orifice"
"Flakes"
"Broken Hearts Are For *****"(edited title for my blog)
"You Are What You Is"
"Mudd Club"
"The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing"
"Dumb All Over"
"Heavenly Bank Account"
"Suicide Chump"
"Jumbo Go Away"
"Stevie's Spanking"
"The Torture Never Stops"
"Strictly Genteel"
"The Illinois Enema Bandit"

There are a few special/bonus features - "Teen-Age Prostitute" (live), "City Of Tiny Lites" (live), and a music video of "You Are What You Is". There is also a picture gallery too. The DVD disc itself is pretty cool, in that it features a photo of the marquee at Palladium that night. Inside the box is also a bunch of vintage photos. Now do remember that this was shot nearly 30 years ago (gulp!), so don't look for fancy, crystal clear footage on this one, folks. If you're used to watching vintage concert footage, you won't blink an eye. I only viewed the DVD, and not the Blu-Ray edition, but I'm going to hazard a guess that there's not much difference between the two - buy the Blu-Ray if you have a Blu-Ray player of course, but don't go into it thinking the footage will magically be perfect.

If you are looking for a gift his holiday season for a music lover, think about this one.

Frank Zappa: The Torture Never Stops will be released on Tuesday, November 16th, 2010. Not rated, the total running time is 120 minutes long, and will be available on both regular DVD and Blu-Ray. The suggested retail price is $14.98, but Amazon has it for $13.49 as of this posting.

Win it! One lucky reader is going to win a DVD copy of The Torture Never Stops! To enter, tell us about your first concert. (Easy? I hope so.)

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway 1X (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win a Frank Zappa DVD http://goo.gl/fb/KTlsC ends 11/20 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends November 20th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!! :)

I received a copy of this DVD in order to write a review. One reader will win the prize stated above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.