THE GRANDMOTHES - THE WEASELS SESSIONS '93

• The Grandmothers: The Weasels Sessions '93
      (2026, download / streaming, --, digital music platforms / muffin records productions)

Featuring Jimmy Carl Black, Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Roland St Germain, Linda Valdmots, Ener Bladezipper and Sandro Oliva !

1. Progress
2. The Quartet
3. Prelude to the Eric Dolphy Memorial BBQ (Live)
4. I Can't Breath
5. '59 Chevrolet
6. Chest Pain
7. The Austin Chronicle
8. Lady Queen Bee
9. Primal Jazz (Live)
10. Soft Construction with Sharp Interlude (Live)
11. Be All You Can Be
12. Silicone Hump
13. Where Were You (Live)
14. King of My Castle
15. Transitions
16. What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body (Excerpt)
17. My Car
18. Idiot
19. Do You Think My Pants Are Too Tight (Live)
20. Let the Good Times Roll
21. The Eternal Question (Live)
22. Trouble Every Day (Live)
23. Plastic People (Live)
24. Primorial (Hingshammer Version)

Excellent news !!
Check out your digital music platforms for this release !!

SANDRO OLIVA - CICCIO / SAUNA

• Sandro Oliva & the Blue Pampurio's Extravaganza: Ciccio / Sauna
      (1998, cdr promo, Italy, private release)

Over 20 years ago, Sandro Oliva released "Ciccio / Sauna" as a promotional CDR.
I'm not too sure about the year of release.
The info sheet does mention: "Composed, produced & arranged by S.O. - 1998",
but the same info sheet also refers to Sandro's "Heavy Lightning" album (from 2004).

Anyway, I knew the white label sticker version (with a cover and a back-cover), and recently I found this black label sticker version (only with a back-cover).

'Ciccio' is a fine Zappa-esque piece with beautiful guitar solo, and 'Sauna' is a 'King Kong' inspired piece.
Very nice.

SANDRO OLIVA - 48 ROTOLI

Sandro Oliva has just released "48 Rotoli Di Bugie (Worst Of)".
It's a compilation that has been made available on Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.

Alternative versions of older tracks, plus a preview of what's to come the next months.

Mother-esque to say the least !!
(some of the pieces even feature The Grandmothers)

SANDRO OLIVA UPDATE

 A message from Sandro Oliva on Facebook:

Out on September the first : a Sandro Oliva Compilation with extracts from past albums and previews from next releases (first re-release from my back catalog in October, second in November and a new Album in December).

All on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and all the major download channels

• September: “48 ROTOLI DI BUGIE” new compilation
• October: “ARIA MALSANA” (1987) partially re-recorded
• November: “LIVING WITH A MOUSTACHE” (1989) remixed with bonus tracks
• December: “ESTATI” new Symphonic/Electronic Album (first of a trilogy of tunes conceived during the years of touring with The Grandmothers, and mostly influenced by Don rather than by Frank) 

More re-releases next year, one a month, and probably a new "Rock" album in spring (to celebrate my 70th)

THE GRANDMOTHERS - THE EU GRANDMOTHERS FEATURING CANDY ZAPPA

• The Grandmothers: The EU Grandmothers Featuring Candy Zappa
      (2002, cdr, Germany, inkanish records)

Jimmy Carl Black issued quite a number of CDR albums on his Inkanish Records label between 2000 and 2008.
I had never seen the above pictured one until I picked up a used copy at Zappanale last year.

Subtitled “Promo CD For The 2002 Tour”, this album was a compilation that presented material from The Grandmothers’ “Eating The Astoria” and Nigey Lennon’s “Reinventing The Wheel” albums.

 
The band called themselves The EU Grandmothers and featured Jimmy Carl Black and Sandro Oliva. At the same time, Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Roy Estrada and Napoleon Murphy Brock presented themselves as the Grandmothers Re:Invented...

To make things even more confusing, the material that was taken from the "Eating At The Astoria" album and that is presented on this disc, featured Jimmy Carl, Sandro, Don & Bunk...

1. Grandmothers Introduction
2. Peaches En Regalia
3. Call Any Vegetable
4. Any Way The Wind Blows
5. Lady Queen Be (J.C. Black)
6. Messin' In The Kitchen (N. Lennon)
7. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
8. Big Leg Emma
9. Yer Wife Don't Like Me (N. Lennon)
10. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It
11. Junk Food (S. Oliva) / Mr. Green Genes / Junk Food (reprise) (S. Oliva)
12. Uncle Meat

SANDRO OLIVA - CICCIO / SAUNA

• sandro oliva: ciccio / sauna
      (1998, cdr, italy, private release)

I recently got hold of this 2 track promotional CDR single by Sandro Oliva.
The liner notes say 'Both songs are alternate mixes of the ones included in the "Heavy Lightnings" CD.

As far as I know, "Heavy Lightnings" got released in 2004 and it didn't include any of those two tracks. But then again, maybe there was an earlier version of "Heavy Lightnings" that I still need to discover.
'Ciccio' and 'Sauna'. Two fine zappa-eque tracks that feature none other than Jimmy Carl Black on percussion.
Nice.

Sandro Oliva for those of you who might not know him, toured and recorded with Jimmy Carl Black, Don Preston and Bunk Gardner as The Grandmothers, but he also released some great music before and after that.
He also played a memorable concert at Zappanale (with Tim op het Broek on vocals). Who remembers that ?