Frank Zappa
Broadway The Hard Way

Rykodisc    RCD 40096  (1989)

Rock/Pop
CD, 17   Tracks, 71:05  Length
01 Elvis Has Just Left The Building Frank Zappa 02:24
02 Planet Of The Baritone Women Frank Zappa 02:48
03 Any Kind Of Pain Frank Zappa 05:42
04 Dickie's Such An Asshole Frank Zappa 05:45
05 When The Lie's So Big Frank Zappa 03:38
06 Rhymin' Man Frank Zappa 03:50
07 Promiscuous Frank Zappa 02:02
08 The Untouchables Nelson Riddle 02:26
09 Why Don't You Like Me? Frank Zappa 02:57
10 Bacon Fat Frank Zappa; Andre Williams; Dorothy Brown 01:29
11 Stolen Moments Oliver Nelson 02:58
12 Murder By Numbers Sting; Andy Summers 05:37
13 Jezebel Boy Frank Zappa 02:27
14 Outside Now Frank Zappa 07:49
15 Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel Frank Zappa 06:40
16 What Kind Of Girl? Frank Zappa 03:17
17 Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk Frank Zappa 09:16
Music Details
Product Details
Packaging Jewel Case
Live Yes
Spars DDD
Sound Stereo
Musicians  &  Credits
Guitar Frank Zappa
Saxophone Paul Carman
Saxophone Kurt McGettrick
Bass Scott Thunes
Drums Chad Wackerman
Guitar Mike Keneally
Guitar Ike Willis
Keyboards Bobby Martin
Percussion Ed Mann
Saxophone Albert Wing
Trombone Bruce Fowler
Trumpet Walt Flower
Producer Frank Zappa
Engineer Bob Stone; Harry Andronis
Personal Details
Index # 4027
Owner Dave
Tags Arena Rock, Parody
User Defined
Purchased New
Notes
The first live album compiled from various performances on Frank Zappa's 1988 world tour (his final outing), Broadway the Hard Way is composed mostly of new, vocal-oriented material. The tone throughout is highly political, with Zappa taking potshots at such targets as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Pat Robertson and other televangelists, Jesse Jackson, C. Everett Koop, and so on. Despite Zappa's well-deserved reputation as an acute satirist, his sarcasm is often surprisingly humorless here, leaning toward didacticism; his choice to name names and address his subjects explicitly, rather than through metaphor, also renders the album instantly dated, almost like a late-'80s standup comedy routine. Despite these flaws, many of Zappa's political observations hit the mark, as do some of the jokes, easily making Broadway the Hard Way one of his best and most intellectually stimulating post-'60s political efforts. The CD features a memorable guest appearance from Sting, singing his Jimmy Swaggart-condemned Police tune "Murder by Numbers." -- Steve Huey (allmusic.com)