Civilization Phase III [2 Discs]

Rating

Album: Civilization Phase III
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	This Is Phaze III	More Info...
2)	Put a Motor in Yourself	More Info...
3)	Oh-umm	More Info...
4)	They Made Me Eat It	More Info...
5)	Reagan at Bitburg	More Info...
6)	A Very Nice Body	More Info...
7)	Navanax	More Info...
8)	How the Pigs' Music Work	More Info...
9)	Xmas Values	More Info...
10)	Dark Water!	More Info...
11)	Amnerika	More Info...
12)	Have You Heard Their Band?	More Info...
13)	Religious Superstition	More Info...
14)	Saliva Can Only Take So Much	More Info...
15)	Buffalo Voice	More Info...
16)	Someplace Else Right Now	More Info...
17)	Get a Life	More Info...
18)	A Kayak (On Snow)	More Info...
19)	N-Lite: Negative Light/Venice Submerged/New World Order/The Lifestyle You Deserve/Creationism/He Is Risen	More Info...
20)	That Would Be the End of That	More Info...
21)	Beat the Reaper	More Info...
22)	Waffenspiel	More Info...

Album: Civilization Phase III
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	This Is Phaze III	More Info...
2)	Put a Motor in Yourself	More Info...
3)	Oh-umm	More Info...
4)	They Made Me Eat It	More Info...
5)	Reagan at Bitburg	More Info...
6)	A Very Nice Body	More Info...
7)	Navanax	More Info...
8)	How the Pigs' Music Work	More Info...
9)	Xmas Values	More Info...
10)	Dark Water!	More Info...
11)	Amnerika	More Info...
12)	Have You Heard Their Band?	More Info...
13)	Religious Superstition	More Info...
14)	Saliva Can Only Take So Much	More Info...
15)	Buffalo Voice	More Info...
16)	Someplace Else Right Now	More Info...
17)	Get a Life	More Info...
18)	A Kayak (On Snow)	More Info...
19)	N-Lite: Negative Light/Venice Submerged/New World Order/The Lifestyle You Deserve/Creationism/He Is Risen	More Info...
20)	That Would Be the End of That	More Info...
21)	Beat the Reaper	More Info...
22)	Waffenspiel	More Info...

Performer Notes

Personnel: Frank Zappa (spoken vocals, conductor, various instruments); Spider Barbour, All-Night John, Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood, Louis "The Turkey" Cuneo, Monica, Gilly Townley, Moon Unit Zappa, Michael Rappaport, Ali N. Askin, Walt Fowler, Todd Yvega, Dweezil Zappa (spoken vocals).
Ensemble Modern: Catherine Milliken (spoken vocals, oboe, English horn, baritone oboe, didjeridoo); William Formann, Michael Gross (spoken vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Franck Ollu, Stefan Dohr (spoken vocals, French horn); Michael Svoboda (spoken vocals, alp horn, bass trombone, didjeridoo, conch); Uwe Dierksen (spoken vocals, trombone, pygmy trombone); Daryl Smith (spoken vocals, tuba); Hermann Kretzschmarr (spoken vocals, piano, celeste); Jurgen Ruck (guitar, banjo); Detlef Tewes (mandolin); Peter Rundel, Mathias Tacke (violin); Hilary Sturt (viola); Friedemann Dahn (cello); Ueli Wiget (harp); Dietmar Weisner (piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute); Roland Diry (clarinet); Veit Scholz (bassoon, contrabassoon); Wolfgang Stryi (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet); Andreas Bottger (marimba, percussion); Thomas Fichter (contrabass, electric bass); Rumi Ogawa-Helferich (cymbalom, percussion); Rainer Romer (musical saw, percussion).
Recorded at Apostolic Studio, New York, New York; UMRK, Hollywood, California and "Joe's Garage," North Hollywood, California between 1967 and 1992. Includes liner notes by Frank Zappa.
CIVILIZATION PHAZE III is packaged in a specially-designed digipack with a bound-in 32-page booklet and cover art by Uri Balashov.
CIVILIZATION PHAZE III won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package - Boxed.
Personnel: Detlef Tewes, J?rgen Ruck (guitar, banjo); Ueli Wiget (harp); Peter Rundel, Mathias Tacke (violin); Hilary Sturt (viola); Friedemann Dahn (cello); Dietmar Wiesner (flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo); Catherine Milliken (didjeridu, oboe, English horn, baritone oboe); Michael Svoboda (didjeridu, trombone, alphorn); Roland Diry (clarinet); Wolfgang Stryi (bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, tenor saxophone); Veit Scholz (contrabassoon); William Formann, Michael Gross (trumpet, flugelhorn); Franck Ollu, Stefan Dohr (French horn); Uwe Dierksen (trombone, soprano trombone); Daryl Smith (tuba); Hermann Kretzschmar (piano, celesta); Andreas Bottger (marimba, percussion); Thomas Fichter (electric bass); Rainer R?mer (percussion, musical saw); Rumi Ogawa-Helferich (percussion).
Liner Note Author: Frank Zappa.
Recording information: Apostolic Studio, NYC (1991); UMRK, Hollywood (1991).
Editor: Frank Zappa.
For those who only know Frank Zappa's satirical novelty songs or eclectic instrumentals, CIVILIZATION PHAZE III is sure to be a revealing discovery. After retiring from the road in 1988, Zappa spent the remaining years of his life composing on the Synclavier, a synthesizer/computer that allowed him to command an entire universe of sounds in any configuration he desired. The results are a masterpiece of timbres and textures ranging from inventive jazz-rock ("Put A Motor In Yourself") to free form orchestral avant garde ("Reagan At Bitburg") and experimental sound effects ("Secular Humanism").
Interwoven among the musical works is a continuing dialogue of disembodied voices inside a piano (first achieved on Zappa's LUMPY GRAVY album). This bizarre narration, directed by Zappa, is a nebulous play by many diverse characters that float in and out of limbo as their voices vibrate the instrument's strings. The grand finale of each disc--"N-Lite" on disc one, "Beat The Reaper" on disc two--are epic works that encompass such massive amounts of instrumental sounds, sound effects and dense textural concepts that it is difficult to fathom how one composer could have conceived of it all. This unusual masterpiece must be experienced to be believed.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (8/24/95, p.104) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...This is Zappa's magnum epitaph....a work of surprising warmth and soul, qualities in Zappa's music that were rarely acknowledged during his lifetime..."

Musician (6/95, p.73) - "...could be the most challenging, moving work in Frank Zappa's monumental oeuvre....Its madness was created by newly exposed bits of nutty dialogue from 1967's LUMPY GRAVY...in service of a surreal scenario about social stupidity, religious charlatanism and political evil..."