Favorite Zappa By Era

Smartpatrol, if you're looking to expand your knowledge of the 1988-1994 era, you should check out an '88 band album like Make A Jazz Noise Here, The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, or Broadway the Hard Way (I recommend MAJNH first). Also, check out other You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore albums like Vol. 1 or Vol. 5.

HarbouringTheSoul wrote: Roy Estrada.

I suspected but at the same time doubted......thanks - he is one loopy fellow (now incarcerated for unsavoury acts with young girls.........).  Zappa knew how to pick 'em......

I've a question to ask - something that has been nagging me for a while - who is the singer on 'I Come From Nowhere' (from Ship arriving Too Late.......) ??  That is one loopy vocal.  It's also lurking around on 'The Radio Is Broken'.........It cracks me up........

Smartpatrol, the thing about the late 70s is there is a big overlap with the Lather outcast albums, and Shiek Yerbouti.

smartpatrol wrote: I would've done it 1966-1972 (The Mothers), 1972-1979 (Jazz and Fusion oriented stuff), 1979-1988 (Goofy lyric oriented pop/rock, Synclavier, and classical), 1988-1994 (live releases, The Yellow Shark, and Civilization III), and 1995-present: 1966-1972: 1.Freak Out! 2.Hot Rats 3.We're Only in it for the Money 4.Absolutely Free 5.Burnt Weeny Sandwich 1972-1979: 1.Apostrophe 2.Waka/Jawaka 3.One Size Fits All 4.The Grand Wazoo 5.Over-nite Sensation 1979-1988: 1.Sheik Yerbouti 1988-1994: 1.You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol.2

updated


Edited by smartpatrol - January 21 2013 at 20:36

I like LG. It would have been #6 for the first era for me.

1966-1972:
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
Uncle Meat
Absolutely Free
We're Only in It for the Money
Hot Rats

1972-1979:
One Size Fits All
Apostrophe
Roxy & Elsewhere
Sleep Dirt
Over-Nite Sensation

(The Grand Wazoo and Studio Tan are very very close behind)

1979-1987:
Joe's Garage
Sheik Yerbouti
Does Humor Belong in Music?
You Are What You Is
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch

1988-1994:
YCDTOSA2
Ahead of Their Time
The Yellow Shark
YCDTOSA5
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life

(I'm unsure about the fifth spot. Could also be YCDTOSA1 or Make a Jazz Noise Here)

1994-today:
Läther
Road Tapes #1
The Lumpy Money Project/Object
Imaginary Diseases
Greasy Love Songs

I truly can't decide. I like the George Duke, Napolean Murphy Brock, Ruth Underwood, Chester Thompson line up the best, but I hold Shut Up N' Play Yer Guitar in the highest esteem. The earliest stuff was so ground breaking, though...Nope I can't make up my mind.

Yeah, that 79-94 era should be split up.

Well, none of the posthumous albums were recorded any time after 1993, but I wasn't sure how to include them. Thing is, they're their own beast. Some of them represent more than one era, like the YCDTOSA series. So I thought it was best to include them in their own era. The only thing I'm thinking i should have done differently was make era three 1979 - 1987 and era four 1988 - 1994, but it's not much of a big difference.