It was quite the chore trying to find out any information at all about 'Finer Moments' in the days leading up to its release. Now that I've bought the digital album, it's become apparent that these tracks are mostly live performances by The Mothers of Invention, but I still have no idea from what year or years they were taken. I've now found one iTunes review that claims they're from '67-'72, so I'll take his word for it, but that does mean this album spans two totally different lineups.* 　　 　　What's important, however, is the music, and this release of instrumental jams, without a doubt, represents the band(s) at their improvisational best. The highlights for me are the live tracks, such as the epic, horn-laden tripped-out mindblowers "The Old Curiosity Shoppe" and "Uncle Rhebus," as well as "Sleazette," which packs two or three songs worth of insane guitar soloing into it's three and a half minutes, taking me on a pretty nice headphone journey that seemed a lot longer, in a good way. 　　 　　The second half is taken up mostly by strange experimental tracks--some live, some studio sounding--that are hard for me to get into, but the album saves its best for last with "The Subcutaneous Peril," a 20-minute freakout (with a four-minute drum solo in the middle) that's at least as impressive as anything that other jam-centric bands from the era--like The Dead, Allmans, King Crimson, or Quicksilver Messenger Service--could pull off at their peak. It's pretty much guaranteed to send any listener off to innerspace and, even with it's epic length, ends entirely too soon. 　　 　　The sound-quality on 'Finer Moments' is extremely crisp for 40-plus year-old recordings. Every instrument--from the guitars, bass, drums, horns, violins, etc.--is very clear, with a little more "oomph" in the bass compared to other live Mothers' recordings from the era I've heard. I had no idea what to expect from this album going in, and I'm pretty much blown away at the quality here. 　　 　　Absolutely essential for fans of Zappa and The Mothers. Here's hoping there's more where that came from.