Frank Zappa, opinions?
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Topic: Frank Zappa, opinions?
Posted By: Hootywho
Subject: Frank Zappa, opinions?
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 05:34
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As stated, your opinions on Frank Zappa. Myself, I find his music rather hard to listen to with the exception of Hot Rats and some of his other jazzy stuff, generally, even then, I find myself changing the song when he comes up on random. I don't dislike it nor do I find it pleasing to the ear. How 'bout you? ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 05:40
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Takes some getting used to. My recommendation, as always: Roxy & Elsewhere. One of my favorite live albums with amazing musicianship, great tunes ... and great humor! The best way to get used to something like Zappa is to pick one of the albums and listen to it every now and then, instead of listening to random tracks.
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Evolver
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 06:27
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I find that Frank could create some of the most incredible music when he wanted to. He could also get very silly. I enjoy both aspects of his music. ------------- Trust me. I know what I'm doing. |
Posted By: npjnpj
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 06:38
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I can honestly say that Zappa ever made a track that I tend to skip (and I've got 75 Zappa albums, just counted 'em).
Hardly a day goes by without listening to his music.
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Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 06:59
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The only album I found difficult was lump gravy but now I have a great appreciation for that album now.I don't think he's done a bad album perhaps just better ones.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Captain Capricorn
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 07:20
| I think Zappa was an absolute genius...maybe even the best thing to happen in modern music (certainly in America). In It For The Money, Lumpy Gravy, & Uncle Meat still blow me away with each listen...masterworks! |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 09:17
| Have you tried ONE SIZE FITS ALL? It's magnificent symphonic rock, with jazzy soloing. |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 09:52
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yea Zappa is awesome. Though you dont get the full treatment when you have him on shuffle if you like his jazzier albums, then go with Hot Rats One Size Fits All Roxy & Elsewhere Overnite Sensation Burnt Weeny Sandwich Apostrophe () Lather (3 discs though, youd wanna save this for when you're well acquainted) Zappa New York i didnt recommend ant early Mothers album, since it doesnt seem like the original poster could handle it  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm 
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Posted By: Captain Capricorn
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 09:59
One Size is an excellent album! Back when I was just getting into Zappa I found a box set containing Over-Nite, Apostrophe, & One Size in their entirity...it was love at first listen
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fuxi wrote:Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 10:03
| I started with Sheik Yerbouti. It was good, but not great. Then I went for the Apostrophe/Overnite Sensation two-fer. Yes! I was hooked after that. Rather than taking it slow, I just dove into the Lather box. Amazing! I've bought three Zappa records in the last week, and all I can say is that Roxy & Elsewhere is an absolute must. |
Posted By: infandous
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 11:40
I wasn't sure what to make of Zappa's music for a long time. Eventually, I picked up Hot Rats and this got me interested. Got Roxy sometime after that, and was hooked, though I felt like I only really liked his instrumental stuff. The next thing I picked up was Lather, and I've been a fan ever since. I'd almost suggest Lather as a great starting point, since it has everything and is presented in a way that Frank originally intended. For me, having heard quite a lot of his other albums, Lather just sort of ties everything together. However, it IS a huge hunk of challenging and diverse music, 3 1/2 hours worth! But hey, were prog fans right, we love a challenge  But yeah, he was a genius, one of the best composers EVER in my opinion. But it took me literally years to come around to that viewpoint, and very careful and painstaking selection of albums to work my way into his vast catalog. Some stuff still leaves me scratching my head (like Civilization Phase III), but there is so much good stuff it's almost hard to believe it's all the work of one man (and his incredibly talented and skilled hand picked musicians). |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 11:53
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^ That's why I like to recommend Roxy ... it has both amazing instrumental pieces and humorous stuff, and a really warm/mellow vibe throughout ... plus it's really compact. YCDTOSA 2 is great too, but a bit more demanding. A great follow up to Roxy though, because it contains some of the songs of Roxy played a lot faster.
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: popeyethecat
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 12:32
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I don't like certain tracks of his, but in general I love Zappa. I think his music is intelligent as well as fun, which is not a fantastically common combination! I won't pretend to own every album of his, though. That'd take some work...
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Posted By: Cygnus X-2
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 12:37
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I absolutely love a pretty good majority of his output (basically everything from 71-81 is good in my eyes), but then he had to release such terrible albums like Thing Fish and Francesco Zappa... luckily those didn't shake my faith in him.
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Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 12:48
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I'm improving my opinion about him nowadays (let's just say I hated him ), so far I have six very good albums noted down (We're Only In It For The Money, Hot Rats, Fillmore East, Roxy & Elsewhere, Zoot Allures & Joe's Garage), and the journey continues.
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 12:56
My first was Bongo Fury, which was a little hard to get into at first, but now I pretty much like everything I've heard including Thing-Fish. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: meptune
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 13:15
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I love Zappa! Absolute genius. I have 45 discs, 3 DVDs, went to five shows and I've never been disappointed. AAAARRRRRRFFFFF! ------------- 
"Arf, she said" |
Posted By: Moatilliatta
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 13:36
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Zappa was certainly a genius. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for his work. That having been said, I don't really enjoy listening to any of it. Hot Rats is fun every now and then, or at least "Peaches en Regalia," but I don't really want to listen to him much beyond that. Not really my thing. ------------- www.last.fm/user/ThisCenotaph  
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Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 13:59
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^ I can only recommend Roxy & Elsewhere again. I think that if you enjoy listening to Peaches En Regalia, you'll definitely like that album, too. And yes, I'm talking about the whole album.
------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: Matthew T
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 14:51
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You have to get Overnight Sensation ( it has the Ikettes doing backing vocals Much to Ike's amusement at the time)
Aprostrophe is essential with the above selection
And Waka Jawaka ( nobody seems to have mentioned this little gem).
I could recommend about another 20 but they have all been covered above by other members.
Oh don't forget Chungas Revenge
 I would keep away from Thing Fish ( For real hardcore fans only)
But with Frank you got your Hamburger with the Lot.............Rock Jazz, Blues, DoWop,Big Band even Classical.
Hot Rats is one of his best for my choice of the fusion type albums but there are beauties out there as well in his catalogue, look at the lists above.
If you get Lather don't bother with Sleep Dirt or Studio Tan as those albums were taken off Lather as The record company kicked up at the time about releasing a triple album and took those 2 off Lather which was not properly released to the arrival of cds
Hope thats a help
------------- Matt |
Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 14:54
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I used to be very indifferent about the man's music, but these days, I've warmed up to it quite a bit. I would recommend One Size Fits All for your starting point. Songs like "Po-Jama People" and "Andy" are absolute masterpieces as far as I am concerned.
Like with most Prog, Zappa is not going to make sense to you upon first listen, but keep trying him out from time to time (when he comes up during shuffle mode next time, force yourself to listen without skipping), and eventually you will understand it. After that happens, you can then decide for yourself whether or not he is your taste, but don't write him off just because his music confuses you at first.
Most Prog has confused me at first, and had I not dug deeper and discovered what makes it so special, I would have missed out on alot of great music (Tool, Pain of Salvation, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Mogwai, Sigur Ros, The Mars Volta, Frank Zappa, etc.)
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Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 14:57
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He was the best. Period
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 15:48
Seconded. He truly took music to another level, and not only in just a few albums, but in almost any of them! Sadly his guitar playing is very overlooked. As a composer and song-writer he's the best, no doubt. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 17:08
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Frank, I am a big fan of 90% of his music. The other 10% will eventually come to me. Even at his worst (the dreaded Flo & Eddie years), there is a lot of great music to be found.
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Posted By: Cygnus X-2
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 18:16
It's nice to see you have a change of heart. My work may have been slow, but it payed off. -------------
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Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: March 19 2009 at 19:02
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Like a lot of people, it was the funny stuff that got me interested at first. But it was the quality of the compositions and the musicianship that kept me coming back.
Zappa is my favorite musical artist, PERIOD. I have most of the catalog. Never got to see him live - he retired from touring before I started going to shows - but I did see Dweezil on the ZPZ tour a couple years ago, and he did his old man proud.
------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: March 20 2009 at 10:06
i missed a couple more jazzier albums! Waka/Jawaka The Grand Wazoo Chunga's Revenge Imaginary Diseases Wazoo ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: March 20 2009 at 10:36
Good musicians, good albums -------------  |
Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: March 20 2009 at 10:42
Die-hards ought to know that the songs featured on Lather are, by and large, different than the ones on the late 70s LPs. http://lukpac.org/%7Ehandmade/patio/vinylvscds/lather.html - http://lukpac.org/~handmade/patio/vinylvscds/lather.html shows how some songs are longer, shorter, different mixes or different takes. Obsessives will likely revel in spotting the differences between the songs. |
Posted By: Cygnus X-2
Date Posted: March 20 2009 at 12:03
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Sleep Dirt and the songs from it on Lather are very different, the main difference being the vocals on the album being specifically for Sleep Dirt (Time is Money, Spider of Destiny, etc).
-------------
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Posted By: Matthew T
Date Posted: March 20 2009 at 16:53
------------- Matt |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: March 21 2009 at 17:49
| I love Zappa. I think between the mans more rock outfitted bands, classical, and jazz he is a musical genious. I got into him through We're Only In It for the Money |
Posted By: Petrovsk Mizinski
Date Posted: March 21 2009 at 21:07
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I barely listen to Zappa and to be honest, I think a fair bit of his music is pretty terrible, but for the stuff that I do like, I absolutely love it.
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Posted By: manofmystery
Date Posted: March 21 2009 at 22:18
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my opinion of Frank, simply put:  -------------  Time always wins. |
Posted By: Petrovsk Mizinski
Date Posted: March 21 2009 at 22:22
So you'd hug him? Now tell us how you feel about his music:P -------------
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Posted By: tszirmay
Date Posted: March 22 2009 at 02:07
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There is only one Zappa, his name is Frank, later Uncle Frank. While not a huge fan, my first hometown concert was Zappa and it was a guitar fest, no vocals, simply breathtaking! One of my first records was Chunga's Revenge , a delirious , at times puzzling set of music and tunes, namely Peaches in Regalia as well as Transylvanian Boogie. The title cut is no shab job either! The Mothers with Mud Shark and the ridiculously tight (no pun intended) Dinah-Moe Hum , made quite an impression back in the days when sex , was , well , sort of a new still taboo subject! Roxy and Elsewhere (with a title like that how can I say no -see avatar) only confirms the genius . Huge influence on a multitude of musicians worldwide, his irascible behaviour and sharp intellect is sorely missed in a world so full of apathy . In everything, just look at the news! ------------- I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth. |
Posted By: Owlchops
Date Posted: March 22 2009 at 17:24
| He was one of the originators of the prog genre, without actually being formally credited/associated with it. |
Posted By: song_of_copper
Date Posted: March 22 2009 at 19:34
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Ah... Frank Zappa. I pretty much became an instant fan the first time I heard his music. It was absolutely what I needed right then: something fiercely intelligent, cynical, complex, controversial, different, and above all, Fun. With A Capital 'F'. Recently I've been somewhat less interested in his music than I used to be. I think that's because my needs have changed: subject-matter wise, I want to hear hopeful music now, not so much an incisive summary of all that's stupid and frustrating in the world. But musically, it's still amazing. Listen to other people's music, then come back to Zappa, and you suddenly realise how densely-packed it is with ideas, how streamlined it sounds, how invincibly disciplined! In common with many super-intelligent types, Zappa seems to have combined the attention span of a gnat (sometimes he swaps genres more than once during one song, and a lot of people complain that his albums don't 'flow' or have a 'narrative' to them) with the most incredibly obsessive, zealous devotion and application to his craft (composing, playing, recording). This mixture of fickleness and monomania gives his music a very distinctive feel. It's not for everyone. And he puts many people off with his more off-colour moments in the humour department. But at its best, his music is utterly sublime - and it doesn't get old. Albums I've listened to hundreds of times still feel fresh to me after a few years of listening. A notable exception for me is 'Hot Rats'. Everyone always recommends 'Hot Rats' but I tend to think of that as a misleading starting point. It's... Zappa for people who don't like Zappa.  Someone recommended 'Roxy & Elsewhere': yes! That's an outstanding record. Excellent songs, amazing playing, and Frank's onstage persona is very entertaining!  Accessible but brilliant. |
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 22 2009 at 19:39
 That would be perfect to put on the artist page of Frank Zappa for newcommers! Except for the part that Roxy & Elsewhere is accesible  Be-Bop Tango accesible? |
Posted By: song_of_copper
Date Posted: March 22 2009 at 19:47
Aw, thanks! ...well, yeah, you're right... not so much the 'Be-Bop Tango'... although of course it does have a useful beginner's lesson in rhythm! ("...that's a pedestrian beat...")  'Cheepnis' and 'Village of the Sun' ought to appeal pretty widely though! |
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 22 2009 at 19:53
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^ha, I was just fooling around, hehe... Yeah, Cheepnis, Village of the Sun, Dummy Up, More Trouble Everyday, and some more, are highly complex, and still very accesible, and VERY ENJOYABLE!!! Damn, Zappa is good! hahhaaha |
Posted By: ghost_of_morphy
Date Posted: March 23 2009 at 00:08
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All sorts of people will try to convince you that One Size Fits All is the climax of what the Mothers did.
Screw that. Weasels Ripped My Flesh is Zappa's most experimentive and avant-garde album. It's not perfect, but it showcases why he is prog so much better than anything else.
As for the BEST Zappa album, give Apostrophe a spin. It's totally excellent! It introduces Zappa's more modern rock affiliations without compromising.
After those, grab Hot Rats. Zappa's first excursion into Jazz Rock was definitely his best. You will enjoy this, despite how different it is.
Time for a live album (although that's always hard to define with Zappa.). Zappa in New York and Sheik Yerbouti both deserve recognition here.
Let's end with an album that amounts to a protest against labeling albums. Joe's Garage started as a protest, but it ended up as so much more. ------------- 
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 23 2009 at 15:19
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^Hmm, I don't share same thought on a bit of that, either tastes, lol Zappa's albums, that show what Zappa is, IMO are One Size Fits All, Roxy & Elsewhere and Over-Nite Sensation. Then would come the trio of excellent jazz-rock albums, and then Zappa in NY is one of the best live albums I ever heard, so.... His 80's stuff, are Decent up to Great. Jazz from Hell is really complex, and innovating. |
Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: March 23 2009 at 15:39
| Maybe my favorite artist. I like most of his stuff. Also some of the more controversial/ low rated albums like Thing-Fish and The Man from Utopia. Iīve started from an end with my reviews of his discography and the next one is Apostrophe. Iīm looking forward to writing that one shortly. |
Posted By: Prospero
Date Posted: March 23 2009 at 20:52
| His music sucks. It is unfocused and the lyrics are irrelevant. No one should even bother listening to him. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 23 2009 at 21:00
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There is no truly bad Zappa album. There are some that just about scrape bottom, e.g., the Flo & Eddie years, but even on those there are moments that somehow, almost in defiance of Zappa's worst impulses, manage to redeem the entire album, or at least save it from what used to be cut-out bin oblivion. Now that being said, I think there is a reason that Hot Rats and One Size Fits All generally get top billing: they are, for Zappa albums, generally accessible to a newcomer to his music. I mean, I sort of enjoy Thing Fish (it has its moments, after all), but I don't think I'd necessarily recommend that as a starting point.
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Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 03:58
| No. Thing-Fish is definitely not the place to start with Zappa but itīs a favorite of mine. The Flo and Eddie years had its charm as well IMO. |
Posted By: Avantgardehead
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 04:44
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The Mothers of Invention: Great stuff Frank's jazz-fusion albums: Great aside from the filler The stuff in-between: Not too great... ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Avantgardian |
Posted By: popeyethecat
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 10:06
Are you sure that's a good reason not to listen to something? Because it sounds like a reason TO listen to me -------------
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 10:12
EDITED! |
Posted By: Alberto Muņoz
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 10:14
Looking your avatar i presume that is a joke  ------------- |
Posted By: Drummerboy
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 10:14
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He was an amazing composer and guitar player. I think he really created for himself, and if people were interested, fine, but he was not that concerned with how he came across to audience or critics. I think he got bored easily; it would have been very simple for him to have gravitated towards his more accessable side, which would have made him much more popular (including with me). (Same for Captain Beefheart, btw). Some of his work is deliberately off-putting or obtuse (sort of like free jazz) and other parts too silly to believe it is the same guy.
He could also be very self-serious. I saw him in a concert in SF and there was no humor at all; more like a musical lecture.
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Posted By: popeyethecat
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 10:20
Oops, I somehow didn't spot the 'tache  -------------
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 10:23
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^me neither
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Posted By: Jozef
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 11:33
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I've only listened to "Hot Rats" and I enjoyed it a lot. I've also listened to a live concert of his from 1977 on the Wolfgang's Vault website. He is one of those artists that I really want to get into but I always end up forgetting to give them the time to appreciate them. I do like his jazzier sounds though.
------------- 
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 11:38
Probably someone have already recomended you already, but I'll say it again, get The Grand Wazoo, if you liked his jazzy-rock stuff. If you want something more Zappa-avant-fusion-etc, make sure to check Over-Nite Sensation, One Size Fits All and Roxy & Elsewhere. And for some excellent compositions and musicianship, as well as for a big laugh, check Zappa in New York. |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 12:04
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^^^ dont forget Make A Jazz Noise Here and The Best Band You Never Heard In You Life both feature the legendary 1988 band. the former focuses on more of the music aspect than the humor. the latter focuses on a good mix of both. However, BOTH are probably his jazziest records ever! Highly recommended! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 12:09
I haven't heard the later, but Make a Jazz Noise Here is damn good, in the heights of Roxy & Elsewhere and Zappa in NY, just that MAJNH doesn't feature previously unreleased material. |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 12:20
i thought When Yuppies Go To Hell was an 88 original. either way, MAJNH is essential to any Zappa collection, for it contains re-workings and re-arrangements of his previous work, some sounding like completely different songs. not to mention the first Dupree's Paradise since the Roxy-era. plus the giant horn sections add so much color to Zappa's music. I could easily listen to that album, and then listen to any of his 70s albums, which contain those songs, and not feel like i already listened to them plus, think about the medley!!! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 13:37
Certainly I agree, it's ESSENITAL no doubt. What I was trying to say, is that, MAJNH is more of a Live album performing studio songs, while of course, this is Zappa we're talking about, they're done majestically. While Zappa in NY and Roxy & Elsewhere, are like Studio albums in the sense of new material, and perfomance(except for the improvisations), while of course, it's live in the sense of being performed live, duh! |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 14:13
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I don't have the Jazz Noise (so many Zappas, so little time or money). But I'll vouch for The Best Band. Has some really funny covers of Stairway To Heaven, The Godfather, Sunshine Of Your Love, Ring Of Fire (ow ow ow), Bonanza theme, ...Irish Eyes... In addition to various smoking tracks spanning most of his career. |
Posted By: Owlchops
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 15:29
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I generally don't like the idea of bands poking fun at other artists music as a matter of principle.
But in Zappas case I have to suspend my usual disapproval in deference to his complete godlike genius in all other areas! :-)
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 24 2009 at 18:33
Hmm, I'll agree with the other covers mentioned, but I never considered that version of Stairway To Heaven to be particularly making fun of the song. The band obviously put a lot of time into it -- moreso than they did with Sunshine of Your Love or Purple Haze -- to the point that the horn section plays Page's solo note-for-note.
There's a nice bit on one of the live albums (Roxy? YCDTOSA Vol. 2?) where someone in the audience loudly requests Whipping Post. FZ replies that the band doesn't know it. So of course he makes it a point for Whipping Post to show up on Them Or Us.
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: March 25 2009 at 13:27
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Hi,
In my book, Frank Zappa is the least appreciated American musician of the 20th century ... and it is sad.
His musical sense and intelligence is incredible ... and what really gets a lot of people's rats is the fact that he is aware of the seriousness associated with music and the pompousness that comes with being a star, or an idiot ... and he glorifies it in his music with 10 thousand innuendos and fun lyrics.
Upon further reading and study you will find one of the finest musical minds out there ... the incredible amount of work he did and the variation and his ability to flow from one style to another ... while never taking himself so seriously ... made his music ... and work ... special.
It is quite a ompliment that he can get his work performed in Austria ... and in America ... some pompous classical orchestras will not even consider touching ... peaches in regalia!
Personally I like the middle era a lot ... since things like "We're In it for the money" ... really throw a finger in the soup ... about what most of us love to consider "artistic contents" of things like Sgt Pepper's and MM Tour ... and what could be considered (we don't like to admit it much) slightly over zealous and clever lyrics ... not quite poems ... just songs.
But when it comes to "rock music" ... few people could pump it as well ... you chouls have Overnite Sensation and Apostrophe in your collection ... along with Chunga's Revenge and Hot Rats ... for sure.
I always like to dig in with this one ... Frank is so progressive that most people here are afraid to even consider a listen. They could never understand why so many European bands (including the Beatles) used to say that Frank's music was awesome ... I will admit it to you ... it took me a while too !!!
It is specially important that Frank was the ultimate anti-commercial artist ... ALL of his life ... and his music shows it ... and this defined his legacy and a lot of the hatred that many music honchos had in their pants ... this guy was making it despite the music business trash and Rolling Stone making a point of ignoring him and trash him senseless with each album so they could kiss LZ and the Who and ... whoever else as the ultimate musicians and rock artists.
In the end, I think Frank will be known for a lot more ... not in America ... but when you see someone in Austria and Germany play Franks' pieces with other classical music pieces ... it really makes you wonder ... what the fudge am I missing?
One more note ... his wife ... there is no couple in the history of music that was so gracious and wonderful in making sure that many people got through the bad trips and stopped doing drugs and drink ... long before it was fashionable to do so. If you ever want to read about it ... check out Pamela Des Barres book.
The beauty was not just in the music .... it was also in the house!
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 30 2009 at 12:13
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: March 30 2009 at 12:28
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[QUOTE=Slartibartfast]
[/QUOTE ] Just something else that the Japanese ripped off and tried to make better. |
Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: March 30 2009 at 20:18
The funny thing is, Frank would have agreed with the bolded portion. He more or less said so in his book.
------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 30 2009 at 20:55
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Posted By: Prospero
Date Posted: March 30 2009 at 20:58
Let me tell you this friends, I am not kidding. |
Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: March 30 2009 at 20:59
I don't like you. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: April 01 2009 at 15:19
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Been a fan for many years. One of my all-time favorite musicians. Still, I don't listen to him nearly as much as I used to. Nowadays, I heavily prefer stuff like "Lumpy Gravy", "Civilization Phaze III", and the early instrumental stuff. I have pretty much all of the albums though. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: hawkcwg
Date Posted: April 01 2009 at 22:57
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There really isn't a Frank Zappa song I don't like when i put my album on shuffle and i have about every album you can get. Some of the hard stuff to listen to is that song with John Lennons girlfriend/wife screaming, and some of Franks noise songs.
------------- 
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 01 2009 at 23:01
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Well yes that why it's titled A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: hawkcwg
Date Posted: April 01 2009 at 23:07
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Many musicians wouldn't be who they are if they didn't go through the "Zappa Meat Grinder" Including Chad Wackerman, Terry Bozzio, Steve Vai, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Vinnie Coliuta, Chester Thompson, all those fantastic musicians. -------------
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Posted By: hawkcwg
Date Posted: April 01 2009 at 23:08
God I wouldn't want to live in that Eternity, Lennon's probably in his grave saying thank god i escaped that girl haha. -------------
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: April 02 2009 at 11:10
I always thought that the Flo & Eddie stuff, was a bit more of Flo and Eddie wanting to get away from their Turtles history (big hits on radio) than it was about anything else ... and who better to play with but Frank Zappa.
Flo and Eddie, hardly make 200 Motels look bad or be bad! It's still a phenomenal movie with great music, the kind that radio audiences can't handle, of course! I will have some more respect for American Idiot when they do a Frank Zappa night ... and the contestants will be dressed and re-hearsed by Flo and Eddie ... or Pamela des Barres!
That said, they really added to the LA radio stuff/scene of the time, and it made sense ... and while not something a Turtles fan would by, still was classic for many other folks. It was similar, when a few years before this, another famous group tried to get away from their cardboard image ... the Monkees ... and they also had a movie that preceeded 200 Motels, but probably in the same vein ... Head ... which I would love to see ..
Speaking of that ... I have a couple of videos I have not seen released on DVD ... Uncle Meat and one other ... and I'm sorry that I'm too ignorant to have paid attention to these titles! I think I found them on a pile of garbage music!
Go figure! Perfect place ... lousy editorial!
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: April 02 2009 at 11:32
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^^^^^ you mean the ROXY VIDEO!
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: weetabix
Date Posted: April 03 2009 at 07:27
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Billy was a mountain
Ethel was a tree growing off
of his shoulder.
Whats your opinion on 200 Motels?
When Freak Out came out I was in awe.
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Posted By: hawkcwg
Date Posted: April 03 2009 at 09:55
I LOVE THAT SONG! -------------
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Posted By: LiquidEternity
Date Posted: April 04 2009 at 00:32
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Question about Frank Zappa regarding Steve Vai. So, right, Vai's on a number of Frank's later albums, playing stunt guitar or impossible guitar parts or whatever. The problem is, I can't find any really good example of this. Where does the man really stand out on Frank's albums?
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Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: April 04 2009 at 01:29
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Well he does play a guitar solo on Stevieīs Spanking. Thereīs some really crazy guitar lines which are synchrone to the vocals on two songs from The Man From Utopia album. And a bunch of other weird stuff going on in the songs. Sinister Footwear anyone?
He doesnīt take a lead role very often if thatīs what you mean. But listen very closely to the guitar on some of the early eighties albums from Zappa like You Are What You Is, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch, Them or Us and The Man From Utopia and Iīm sure youīll hear incredible things. I know I do.
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Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: April 06 2009 at 09:13
Ah yes, the elusive Holy Grail of Zappa releases. Pieces of it have been released (on the Dub Room Special DVD, for example), and the Baby Snakes DVD even had a trailer for it, claiming it was "coming soon". I gather it's been more difficult than was first thought to bring to completion - either that or GZ is purposely trying to stir the fans up into a "petulant frenzy". To be honest, though, I'm indifferent about it these days -- I'd much rather get Uncle Meat on DVD first. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: April 06 2009 at 14:32
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Hi,
I just want them to release the uncut version of 200 Motels ... that ought to be even more fun!
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: April 06 2009 at 19:00
you're right, Uncle Meat would be great. but i want to hear the Roxy lineup play all the songs they were playing on that tour (besides the Roxy & Elsewhere tracks obviously). I know they played Montana, Inca Roads, RDNZL, Cosmic Debris, etc i dont remember all the songs offhand. i dont know why they havent released it yet. it cant be a monetary problem, ZPZ has been making so much money, not to mention all the sales Zappa has been getting in the last 10 years (sales have gone up in his catalogue) I think they should also release more full concerts like Imaginary Diseases, Buffalo, Wazoo, FZ:OZ, etc. and not these other releases which have reheasals, guitar solos, and showcasing mixed up time periods ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: April 07 2009 at 01:38
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Zappaīs vault is such a treasure. Itīs a real treat for us hardcore fans that the releases from the vault probably will be neverending. I read an interview with Zappa once were he told how many hours of music he approximately had in his vault. And the count of hours were so ridiculous that Iīm still trying to make sense of it. So donīt worry weīll be seing releases many years into the future.
If you want to hear what the Roxy lineup played listen to You Canīt Do That on Stage Anymore Vol. 2 ( which is a full concert from Finland with that lineup). There are some songs on that album which doesnīt appear on Roxy & Elsewhere.
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Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: April 07 2009 at 01:44
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I enjoy Zappa. I didn't get off to the greatest start with him, as I started with Sheik Yerbouti after hearing that Belew plays on it...that album took a while to grow on me, and before it did I had checked out Hot Rats...and Hot Rats is the album which really made me a Zappa fan. I'm still fairly low on his material though.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: April 07 2009 at 02:07
| Sheik Yerbouti was one of my first encounters with Zappa as well, but I loved it from the first listen and I havenīt looked back since. There are very few releases in his discography that I donīt enjoy ( and Iīve listened to most of his releases) but Hot Rats is actually one of the few that I find rather average ( Except Peaches which is a favorite of mine). Iīm a bit surprised to see that itīs so highly regarded here on PA, because among me and my Zappa interested friends itīs never been the album we put on much. I guess it depends on your musical background and personal taste. |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: April 08 2009 at 09:55
From what I gather, the delay of the Roxy release has something to do with the quality of the tapes that haven't already been previewed. They're so careful not to release anything "sub-par" that perhaps they're just waiting for the resources (monetary or technological) to present it in the best quality possible. That's the optimist's view, anyway.
I agree I'd like to see more complete concerts, rather than the rehearsal tapes and hodgepodge live releases. However, I can't argue with their productivity - more new releases than I can keep up with in the past few years. It's been made pretty clear, furthermore, that the "Joe's ---age" series of releases is aimed at the hardcore collector who wants to sweep the vault. I can take em or leave em, personally, and still have enough good "complete productions" to choose from. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: A B Negative
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 09:16
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My opinion? I'd like Zappa's music more without the marimba/vibraphone. ------------- "The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time." |
Posted By: SgtPepper67
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 11:13
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I still can't get into Zappa. I downloaded four of his albums: We're only in it for the money, Hot rats, The grand wazoo and Apostrophe. Hot rats it's ok, but it doesn't really move me. I kinda like some stuff on We're only in it for the money because of the 60's sound, but the way he sings and the lyrics, are they supposed to be funny or what? It seems so but I don't get it. Plus I can't stand all those awfull wierd non sense noises between each song. I didn't pay too much attention to the other two albums and I think I've only heard them once, or maybe I couldn't even finished the first listen. ------------- 
In the end the love you take is equal to the love you made... |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 11:38
hmm.. how come? it kinda helps give it the trademark Zappa sound. its basically all over his discography ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 12:16
Yep itīs one of the biggests assets in his music to us hardcore fans ( At least to me).
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Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 12:21
Well Iīm not sure Zappaīs music is meant to move you ( at least if you mean in the way Genesis or any other emotional music is meant to move you). Itīs meant to make you think.
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 12:37
If you enjoy Jazz Rock, you should definitely pay more attention to Hot Rats and The Grand Wazoo. If you don't, get Over-Nite Sensation and('or' in your case) One Size Fits All, they're in Musimundo for 33$(pesos). They're awesome, they won't click you at first, well, not to everyone, but if you start getting into any of those, then you'll love it all. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 11 2009 at 16:35
Yes indeed, we're talking Ruth Underwood here, and I will not accept any dissing of Ruth (Chester's thing, on Ruth). ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: A B Negative
Date Posted: April 12 2009 at 08:22
It's overdone and incredibly annoying. It's the reason I only have a couple of Zappa albums. ------------- "The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time." |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: April 12 2009 at 09:58
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Anyone else out there get started with Bongo Fury?
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: April 12 2009 at 10:05
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I find myself being very picky with the irreverent moustachiod one, but do enjoy 'Hot Rats' and 'One Size Fits All' unreservedly. The orchestral material I just find irritating and there are way too many instances of Zappa's puerile humour that spoil some otherwise very fine music. e.g 'Lumpy Gravy' never gets a spin anymore on the Lemming hi-fi just because of the adolescent dialogue that intersperses the tracks (Shame)
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: April 12 2009 at 18:59
i think you're the only one i can think of that has complained about Zappa's use of marimba and vibes especially since it's not a regularly used instrument in non-orchestral music, not to mention had a big effect on later bands like TFK------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: A B Negative
Date Posted: April 13 2009 at 05:51
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I've nothing against the instruments, just the way they're used in Zappa's music.
I like the way Steve Reich or Pierre Moerlen use tuned percussion but the way it's used in Zappa's music irritates me.
Not a big fan of TFK... ------------- "The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time." |