For longtime fans and un-Zapped neophytes alike, Frank Zappa Live: Does Humour Belong in Music? presents the late, great Frank Zappa at his mischievous best. Unlike the infamously rambling Baby Snakes, this hour-long, digitally remastered 14-song set (culled from FZ's performance at the Pier in New York City on August 26, 1984) is 95% music, punctuated with brief interview clips (including the inane titular question and Frank's expectedly affirmative response) and featuring one of the tightest bands that Zappa ever assembled. Everybody participates in Zappa's unique parade of musical fusion, street theatre, and defiant anti-establishment sarcasm, with Zappa playing masterful conductor when he's not riffing with nimble-fingered fretwork (notably during "Zoot Allures", "Cosmik Debris" and Greg Allman's "Whipping Post", the set's only cover song). His trademark humour extends to all of his bandmates, especially Ray White and Ike Willis (guitars, vocals) and Bobby Martin (keyboards, vocals). Any topic is fair game for Zappa's skewering, frequently explicit lyrics, from pop-culture sell-outs and corrupt recording executives ("Tinsel Town Rebellion") to greedy politicians ("Hot Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel"). Each song is performed to perfection while espousing FZ's impassioned philosophy of taking nothing seriously except the music. In that regard, Frank Zappa Live represents pure genius at work, having fun and taking no prisoners. -Jeff Shannon.

Playing all 31 tracks on The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume 3 will make some viewers believe the producers are now beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel; others will think that finally they're getting around to the good stuff. Given that the series somehow managed to take an enormous range of music on board while at the same time seeming entirely consistent (surely the secret of its success), there's evidence for both points of view. The case for the prosecution might cite Janis Ian (her melancholic self-obsession now seems indulgent to the point of prissiness), Al Stewart ("Year of the Cat" is simply a dreary song) or Orange Juice (did they ever really mean anything much to anyone?). The case for the defence, however, is pretty strong overall, with highlights such as Bowie doing "Oh You Pretty Things", Johnny Winter covering "Jumping Jack Flash" as if he was its rightful owner, and Kings BB and Freddie bringing it all back home with two excellent performances. There's something for everyone along the way. Proggers get Discipline-era King Crimson, which saw Adrian Belew saving the band from disappearing up its own fundament; folkies get an unplugged Fairport Convention; punks get John Cooper Clarke and the Jam; somebody or other gets the Bangles. However, if there's one track that justifies the existence of this disc all by itself, it has to be "In a Hole" from the Jesus and Mary Chain, whose glorious nihilism made the Pistols seem like a folk group. On the DVD: The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume 3 DVD is presented in old-telly 4:3 ratio and offers numerous extras, including contributor profiles and links, a commentary and an artists' gallery. -Roger Thomas.

In the world of music video looks are indeed everything and few stars have been better suited to exploiting the constantly mutating tastes of MTV faddism than the woman who literally looks like a million dollars. Showcasing Madonna's gift for associating herself with the prime movers in music and style, all the videos collected in this comprehensive two-disc collection are beautifully shot and instantly evoke the mood swings of popular culture in the 1980s and 90s. The Immaculate Collectioncovers the earlier period from "Lucky Star" to "Vogue", with highlights including the Catholic soap-opera of "Papa Don't Preach" and the videos for "Express Yourself", "Oh Father" and "Vogue" that helped send David Fincher on this way to directing features such as Seven and Fight Club. A Fincher video for "Bad Girl" also opens the second collection, covering the years 1993 to 1999, with Mark Romanek's treatment for "Rain" the standout offering from the first eight songs. Despite these early highlights, however, there is no denying the degree to which the videos get noticeably better overall when good songs are the driving force in the collection's second half, comprising five tracks from the Ray of Light album and the Austin Powers theme "Beautiful Stranger". Compared to the lightweight covers of "Fever" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", the pseudo-surrealism of "Bedtime Story", and flimsy flirtation with S&M in "Human Nature" these later videos are marked improvements. Although the Thomas Crown Affair eroticism of "The Power of Goodbye" already seems a little dated, the morphing black witch of "Frozen" and life on speed of "Ray of Light" are both wonderfully realised. Best of all is the closing moment of "Substitute for Love" when, having survived paparazzi harassment and the harsh, transmogrifying faces of the crowd, Madonna and child conjure a truly arresting moment of private joy and vindication. Nowhere is her ability to take the potentially embarrassing and make it both playful and moving more evident. Neither disc features any extra components, but the excellent sound quality is a reminder of why the music video format has been rejuvenated by DVD; buy The Ultimate Collection and your greatest hits CD will never seem quite the same again. [+]