Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 Prologue 3:07
- 2 Progress? 4:44
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songwriter
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songwriter
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songwriter
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- 3 Like It or Not 2:21
- 4 The Jimmy Carl Black Philosophy Lesson 2:01
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songwriter
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- 5 Holding the Group Back 2:00
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songwriter
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songwriter
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- 6 Holiday in Berlin 0:57
- 7 The Rejected Mexican Pope Leaves the Stage 2:55
- 8 Undaunted, the Band Plays On 4:34
- 9 Agency Man 3:17
- 10 Epilogue 1:52
- 11 King Kong 8:13
- 12 Help, I'm a Rock 1:38
- 13 Transylvania Boogie 3:07
- 14 Pound for a Brown 6:50
- 15 Sleeping in a Jar 2:24
- 16 Let's Make the Water Turn Black 1:51
- 17 Harry, You're a Beast 0:53
- 18 The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part I) 0:46
- 19 Oh No 3:22
- 20 The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part II) 10:35
- Total length: 67:27
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
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7 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Ahead of Their Time [p] Archival, Live
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Ahead of Their Time Live
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Ahead of Their Time CD Sized Album Replica, Limited Edition
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Ahead of Their Time Archival, Live, Remastered
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Ahead of Their Time Live, Remastered
18 Reviews
Half theatre play, half great rock concert
The first part of this album is everything that Uncle Meat's second disc should be. The story is as much I can read from the liner-notes, similar to both Uncle Meat and 200 Motels. The talented "Mothers" decide to make their own group, with "some discipline". While other members try to join them. The villain is Don Preston, who wants to experiment and push music forward. Through the show he transforms into a monster (also a plot in Uncle Meat). At the end he attacks Ian Underwood, the leader of the new disciplined Mothers, replacing him behind the piano, only to play a very "traditional" sounding Agency Man.
The plot can easily be understood even with only what you hear, and the whole thing makes way more sense and is funnier than those Uncle Meat excerpts.
After that we get a The Mothers concert, that is closest to Weasels Ripped My Flesh (parts of it even made it into that album). It's very noisy and raw...
There's also some unintended noise, which is due to Don Preston's keyboard set-up. But it doesn't take away from all over sound.
So if you want a mix of "radio play" and noisy early Mothers performance, this is the album for you.
Highly recommended.
9/10
Rated: 5.6.2015
Rated: 5.6.2015
Published
RCD 10559 CD (1995)
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Yes the first half falls flat. A true "you had to be there" moment that fails to translate in this context but what follows more than makes up for it: The original Mothers' playing brilliant versions of early material with astounding quality and clarity.
Published
"Ahead of Their Time" is an archival live album release by US act Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention. The album was released in 1993 through Barkin Pumpkin and reissued in 1995 by Rykodisc. The album was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall, London, England on October 28, 1968. The first 10 songs on the album feature 15 members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and together the 10 tracks form a kind of classical/avant garde/rock piece with strange but absolutely hilarious dialogue and theater performance by the band. This was a one-off performance on the 1968 Mothers of Invention European tour and according to the liner notes Frank Zappa spend about $7,000 on the event which about equalled his total income from the tour.
The remaining tracks performed at the concert includes classics like "King Kong", "Let's Make The Water Turn Black", "Harry, You're A Beast", "The Orange County Lumber Truck" and "Oh No". They are all performed in instrumental versions so don´t expect many vocals on "Ahead of Their Time" except for the weird dialogue and the occasional odd vocal part. Frank Zappa comments in the liner notes of the booklet that the second part of the concert was: "A fair but not outstanding 1968 Mothers of Invention rock concert performance".
The sound quality isn´t the best but it´s certainly acceptable for the time even though there´s a very audible hiss throughout the concert from Don Preston´s keyboard rack (that´s where the noise comes from according to the liner notes in the booklet). The skills of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention are indisputable and their performances here are of a high quality. They were an incredibly professional and well playing band.
All songs have appeared before as part of the Mystery Disc from "The Old Masters, Box Two (1986)", which also contained the material from "Uncle Meat (1969)", "Hot Rats (1969)", "Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)", "Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970)", "Chunga's Revenge (1970)", "Fillmore East, June 1971 (1971)" and "Just Another Band From L.A. (1972)". It´s still a welcome release though, to those who don´t own the boxset. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
The remaining tracks performed at the concert includes classics like "King Kong", "Let's Make The Water Turn Black", "Harry, You're A Beast", "The Orange County Lumber Truck" and "Oh No". They are all performed in instrumental versions so don´t expect many vocals on "Ahead of Their Time" except for the weird dialogue and the occasional odd vocal part. Frank Zappa comments in the liner notes of the booklet that the second part of the concert was: "A fair but not outstanding 1968 Mothers of Invention rock concert performance".
The sound quality isn´t the best but it´s certainly acceptable for the time even though there´s a very audible hiss throughout the concert from Don Preston´s keyboard rack (that´s where the noise comes from according to the liner notes in the booklet). The skills of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention are indisputable and their performances here are of a high quality. They were an incredibly professional and well playing band.
All songs have appeared before as part of the Mystery Disc from "The Old Masters, Box Two (1986)", which also contained the material from "Uncle Meat (1969)", "Hot Rats (1969)", "Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)", "Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970)", "Chunga's Revenge (1970)", "Fillmore East, June 1971 (1971)" and "Just Another Band From L.A. (1972)". It´s still a welcome release though, to those who don´t own the boxset. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Published
Okay, the "play" portion of this show (recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 1968) is the type of thing most folks (myself included) may listen to once or twice but it doesn't work too well without the accompanying visuals (which I guess are available somewhere but I've never seen them) but this still gets 4 1/2 stars because the mostly instrumental medley that makes up the remainder of the program is one of my favorite bands at the peak of their live powers. There were live cuts on a few albums (notably "Uncle Meat" and "Weasels Ripped My Flesh") but hearing a full show with the original Mothers playing some of Frank's best compositions is thrilling. Highly recommended to all Mothers fans. For more live Mothers, check out disc one of "YCDTOSA Vol. 5" and the "Road Tapes" series but this is the cream of the crop.
Published
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You gotta hand it to Zappa, apparently the one guy who does not mind releasing visual jokes on an audio CD. The first half of this has some scattershot Uncle Meat type music and a lot of dumb dialogue, followed by a few seconds of silence, then the crowd starts laughing at something that happened on stage, only we obviously can't see them. I'll sum it up for you - "Man, we sure are WEIRDOS! We're never gonna get laid like this! We should play rock n' roll! Our singer is Mexican!" Okay. Second half is much better, instrumental versions of some of his better early pieces, including "Oh No/The Orange County Lumber Truck". It is here that I noticed that Zappa never really wrote vocal parts for most of his songs. They just double the goofy melody lines. Anyway, the performance of "King Kong" here is ace though. And really the first thing I actually enjoyed here. Just start at track 11 and you'll do fine.
Published
A truly fascinating historic document, although kinda dated and useless without the visual side.
Published
Complicated semi-serious music, surreal amateur dramatics, a highly developed sense of fun, very catchy melodies, absurd sounds, wonderful solos and the huge sound of the Mothers in Full Tilt.
There was, and is, no one else like the Mothers. 41 years later and I can’t imagine going to a concert and seeing and hearing this! Nothing would’ve prepared you for it, least of all the Mothers own albums up to that point. One of my very favourite Zappa albums, almost up there with Burnt Weeny Sandwich.
Frank’s orchestral pieces here are just complicated enough; they still have plenty of melodies and identifiable rhythms. Jimmy Carl Black and Roy Estrada are hilarious without even really trying. Roy’s vocal rendition of Holiday In Berlin is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard, though I know full well it somehow shouldn’t be…..
One of the many paradoxes about this band, and this composer, is how they could sound terrifying one minute (“Gas mask”) and impossibly cheerful the next (eg:every song during the Mothers part of this concert has a gloriously upbeat melody that just begs to be sung along to!).
I have a friend who attended this concert, aged just 14. I asked him what he remembered of it, and he answered, “The whole thing was just very confusing…”
You just can’t find anybody like these guys anymore….
There was, and is, no one else like the Mothers. 41 years later and I can’t imagine going to a concert and seeing and hearing this! Nothing would’ve prepared you for it, least of all the Mothers own albums up to that point. One of my very favourite Zappa albums, almost up there with Burnt Weeny Sandwich.
Frank’s orchestral pieces here are just complicated enough; they still have plenty of melodies and identifiable rhythms. Jimmy Carl Black and Roy Estrada are hilarious without even really trying. Roy’s vocal rendition of Holiday In Berlin is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard, though I know full well it somehow shouldn’t be…..
One of the many paradoxes about this band, and this composer, is how they could sound terrifying one minute (“Gas mask”) and impossibly cheerful the next (eg:every song during the Mothers part of this concert has a gloriously upbeat melody that just begs to be sung along to!).
I have a friend who attended this concert, aged just 14. I asked him what he remembered of it, and he answered, “The whole thing was just very confusing…”
You just can’t find anybody like these guys anymore….
Published
sort of a live concept album that doesn't seem to hold people's attention very well. according to the linear notes zappa can predict the future.
Published
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Catalog
15 Apr 2024
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1
Prologue
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2
Progress?
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3
Like It or Not
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4
The Jimmy Carl Black Philosophy Lesson
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5
Holding the Group Back
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6
Holiday in Berlin
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7
The Rejected Mexican Pope Leaves the Stage
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8
Undaunted, the Band Plays On
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9
Agency Man
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10
Epilogue
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11
King Kong
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12
Help, I'm a Rock
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13
Transylvania Boogie
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14
Pound for a Brown
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15
Sleeping in a Jar
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16
Let's Make the Water Turn Black
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17
Harry, You're a Beast
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18
The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part I)
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19
Oh No
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20
The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part II)
11 Apr 2024
2 Apr 2024
22 Mar 2024
13 Mar 2024
8 Mar 2024
3 Mar 2024
24 Feb 2024
11 Feb 2024
24 Jan 2024
22 Jan 2024
15 Dec 2023
6 Dec 2023
1 Dec 2023
22 Nov 2023
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1
Prologue
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2
Progress?
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3
Like It or Not
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4
The Jimmy Carl Black Philosophy Lesson
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5
Holding the Group Back
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6
Holiday in Berlin
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7
The Rejected Mexican Pope Leaves the Stage
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8
Undaunted, the Band Plays On
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9
Agency Man
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10
Epilogue
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11
King Kong
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12
Help, I'm a Rock
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13
Transylvania Boogie
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14
Pound for a Brown
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15
Sleeping in a Jar
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16
Let's Make the Water Turn Black
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17
Harry, You're a Beast
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18
The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part I)
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19
Oh No
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20
The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part II)
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