The Frank Zappa Discography Thread - #39 - 'The Perfect Stranger'

[Podaar]

Supposedly, "Wowie Zowie" is popular with the toddler-set but I've never tried to find out.

[Podaar]

I'm wondering about this bit.

Zappa's take on Revolution #9, as it's been called, however it's really closer to a Stockhausen piece than to The Beatles' sidelong piece of experimentation.

Unless I'm missing something, Revolution #9 came out a few years after this record.

[Nihil-Morari]

I'm wondering about this bit.

Zappa's take on Revolution #9, as it's been called, however it's really closer to a Stockhausen piece than to The Beatles' sidelong piece of experimentation.

Unless I'm missing something, Revolution #9 came out a few years after this record.

Yeah you're right. 'Take on' is incorrect. They've been compared, but Zappa was earlier.

[Podaar]

Okay, cool. I was just wondering if I'd missed out on some cool nugget. It wouldn't be the first time. 

[Orbert]

I've read the comparison as well.

Basically, they're both pieces that nobody I know understands or likes, including myself, and just sound like noise.  Art of course is always subjective, but I've always suspected that in both cases, they were putting one over on us, the idea being that we just don't "get it" -- maybe we're just not sophisticated enough, or high enough -- but meanwhile the artists themselves were secretly laughing their asses off because they know damned well that it's garbage, but they enjoy watching people have fits arguing about it and trying to find meaning in it.

[Podaar]

 

With Frank, you never know.

Actually, I've often thought exactly same thing about a great deal of "modern art". Much of Picasso's late period seems like a piss-take to me.

[Nihil-Morari]

I've read the comparison as well.

Basically, they're both pieces that nobody I know understands or likes, including myself, and just sound like noise.  Art of course is always subjective, but I've always suspected that in both cases, they were putting one over on us, the idea being that we just don't "get it" -- maybe we're just not sophisticated enough, or high enough -- but meanwhile the artists themselves were secretly laughing their asses off because they know damned well that it's garbage, but they enjoy watching people have fits arguing about it and trying to find meaning in it.

Well, I have to disagree with you on that one. Coming from someone who likes pieces of Edgard Varese (see here the famous piece Ionization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9mg4KHqRPw ) you could imagine that Zappa wasn't laughing his ass off. I believe it's an actual attempt to make something like that. Listen for instance to Karlheinz Stockhausen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGIiBfWI0E For some it would take quite some imagination to see why this would be called 'art' or 'music', but this was the (type of) music Zappa was obsessed by when he was young.

[darkshade]

Alright, here we go! 

Like most debut albums, knowing the back story usually helps put the album in context. With Freak Out! there are also tons of recordings before the first Mothers album, most of which is available on posthumous official releases.

I started off listening to one of Frank's earliest recordings - "The World's Greatest Sinner". This can be found on Beat The Boots vol. 3 (disc 3) It's not the earliest of recordings, those can be found on The Lost Episodes and The Mystery Disc, which I assume will be covered later. This was recorded in 1961. Eleven minutes of symphonic classical music mixed with a dash of rhythm and blues, and some spoken word by a guy who sounds like your average 1950s announcer. The symphonic part is interesting, as Frank usually made avant-garde 20th Century classical in the vein of Varese and Stravinsky. There are some themes and melodies that would later appear on Frank's albums. Conceptual continuity started very early.

Next up, I listened to Cucamonga released in 1998. This is a collection of songs recorded during Frank's Studio Z days (1961-1965). Not a real Zappa album, but it contains sounds that would appear on early Mothers albums and beyond. One of the songs is called World's Greatest Sinner but has nothing to do with the symphonic piece from earlier. I think Frank played a couple of guitar solos on some songs, but it's mostly different bands that utilized the studio for recording and releasing singles. Mostly doo-wop, rhythm n blues, 50s type ballads (Earth Angel, Earrrrth AAAANGELLL!!!), and some comedy rock (think "Rock Lobster"). Again, this is for context, and really makes you appreciate Frank's early work, and his blues work which is all over his discography. Seriously, listen to this and then listen to Lumpy Gravy, you would see what I mean. I have a mild appreciation for Frank's doo-wop side as I grew up on 50s and 60s 'oldies' music since my dad listened to a lot of that stuff. This album gives you a sense of the sounds Frank was tinkering with in the early 1960s.
More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal_Recording_Studio

Next up is the album Joe's XMAS-age (released in 2004) which is a collection of early Frank songs recorded in 1963 and a couple of field recordings and dialogue from the Studio Z days.

Before he even made his debut, Frank Zappa was already on late-night television shows, giving some... odd performances. Very funny stuff. Frank went on The Steve Allen Show in 1963 and performed music using only a bicycle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MewcnFl_6Y

Also, in 1963, Frank conducted a classical performance of his own music, which can be found at https://www.zappateers.com/fzshows/orchestral.html the FM broadcast (very good sound) can be downloaded if you sign up at Zappateers. It contains mostly 20th Century classical as only Frank could create, with a light dose of jazzy rhythms. Frank was already a master composer and musician in 1963!

There are also recordings of Frank and The Mothers before they recorded their debut. The album Joe's Corsage (released in 2005) is basically a demo for Freak Out! but also contains some songs that didn't make it or was reworked for later albums.

Now on to Freak Out!
This is an album I didn't appreciate when I was new to Frank Zappa. I was attracted to the 72-79 era the most. However, I recall more than one time when I was younger and me and my friends were enjoying some 'chemical amusement aid' and we were blasting Help I'm A Rock and It Can't Happen Here and literally FREAKED OUT! It wasn't until later when I was exploring Frank's music more that I was able to give the album a real chance. Still not my favorite album, but it has grown on me a lot over the years. The key is to remember when this album was recorded (1965). Popular music at that point was very safe, coordinated, packed and shipped. There was no Beatles experimentation yet, the hippie movement, the progressive rock phenomena, the psychedelic movement was just getting under way barely. Along comes this album, and at first, you think it's a "nice album" until it gradually gets weirder and weirder until the last track you start losing your mind. Knowing what came later, this album can seem a little pedestrian for Frank, but at the time, it was revolutionary, and an influence on Paul McCartney to make Sgt. Peppers (which was then later mocked by Frank two albums later). Yup, without Frank Zappa, The Beatles would probably not have been as progressive and revolutionary as they were. Frank rarely gets the credit for basically being the first prog rock musician.

My favorite tracks:

Hungry Freaks, Daddy
How Could I Be Such A Fool
Trouble Every Day
Help I'm A Rock
It Can't Happen Here

[Mosh]

I've read the comparison as well.

Basically, they're both pieces that nobody I know understands or likes, including myself, and just sound like noise.  Art of course is always subjective, but I've always suspected that in both cases, they were putting one over on us, the idea being that we just don't "get it" -- maybe we're just not sophisticated enough, or high enough -- but meanwhile the artists themselves were secretly laughing their asses off because they know damned well that it's garbage, but they enjoy watching people have fits arguing about it and trying to find meaning in it.

Well, I have to disagree with you on that one. Coming from someone who likes pieces of Edgard Varese (see here the famous piece Ionization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9mg4KHqRPw ) you could imagine that Zappa wasn't laughing his ass off. I believe it's an actual attempt to make something like that. Listen for instance to Karlheinz Stockhausen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmGIiBfWI0E For some it would take quite some imagination to see why this would be called 'art' or 'music', but this was the (type of) music Zappa was obsessed by when he was young.

It's worth pointing out that Monster Magnet as we know it is unfinished. He ran out of time and/or budget and wasn't able to record much more than a "basic" track. It's hard to judge Monster Magnet because what we've got on tape is an apparently very stripped down version. It's sorta like trying to listen to any other song on the album with just bass and drums, except much more difficult given how outside it is. Perhaps because of that, I don't really enjoy or understand Monster Magnet. I think it falls flat, especially compared to other weirder pieces Zappa has done, even on that album alone. Chrome Plated Megaphone is a far superior "noise" piece IMO.

That aside, I really like Freak Out. It shows that Zappa was very well versed in this genre. In some ways it seems like he's making fun of it, especially with the lyrical content, but in a lot of ways it seems like genuine homage. The tight arrangements and harmonies suggest that this was a genre Frank was really fond of and saw a far greater potential than what we knew. I think you can forget the context on a lot of songs and just enjoy them at face value. I'm thinking How Could I Be Such a Fool and Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder in particular.

And personally I think that's the best satire/parody. Anybody can mock a genre's tropes without fully understanding it, but to really get inside of it and make something that could easily be authentic is way more satisfying I think. Especially in the case of Freak out! where it's mixed in with all that weirdness.

[Cyclopssss]

And so it begins!

Now, as a Zappa fan, I was late into the 'classic Mothers era' material. For a long period, all of my experience with the first Mothers of Invention line-up came with the appearance of 'YCDTOSA 5' in which a whole cd was dedicated to the early mothers. I thought it was interesting, but most of it was a lot of hippy dippy tongue in cheek ha ha stuff.

When I did start to listen tot he original Mothers though, I noticed a couple of things. First off, although technically not the most advanced players, they played, for a lot of the time, increddibly dense, complicated arrangements. Zappa loved to incorporate (!) a lot of Classical music themes into some of the songarrangements. Sometimes two or three different themes at a time. With the technical limits of the equipment at the time, that is nothing short of amazing.

In view of the time it was recorded, still coming out of the bland fifties, this album can't be viewed, in my humble opinion as anything but Revolutionary.

I for one, LOVED the Doo wop harmony songs. Ray Collins was not the best singer he ever had, but he gave those songs exactly the feeling they needed.

Furthermore, the lyrics were way ahead of their time. Hungry freaks, daddy, You probably wonder why I' m here, I'm not sattisfied and  Wowie zowie, all are pretty spot on and to the point  observations of life for young upgrowing people that were increasingly discontent with where their lives were going and how it was, in large part, being decided for them how they should live their lives. Who are the brain police? is taking this to new hights. The question asked fits right in with the political, social unrest people were feeling in those days. Censurship run rampant at the time. You can't dress like that, you can't wear you hair long, you shouldn't talk back (to grownups, authoritive figures). It's genius, a masterstroke of a song. Help, I'm a rock off course, is also brilliant and  constantly requested live.
Trouble Everyday though, is a different story. On this song, Frank sounds downright ANGRY, something that he wouldn't allow himself too often on later recordings.
He rarely sounded as sharp and scathing and political, as on this jewel of a song. He later toned it down a bit with updated arrangements, but he really meant what he said here.
I ain't got no heart, How could I be such a fool, Go cry on someone else's shoulder, You didn't try to call me, Motherly love, Anyway the wind blows, all terrific excersises in doowoop shtick, excersised brilliantly.

For a first album of an artist (and what an undertaking it was) one can not help but observe how MATURE it sounds (untill you come to the fourth side, off course, which has been discussed before already).

That is where Frank takes an already brilliant satyrical album and takes it to another extreme level. Give the material of the musicians and equipment he had to work with at the time, it's nothing but an Astonishing acomplishment. Frank though, was only getting started!

Frank played a large portion of Freak Out as a surprise encore with the 1974 band, somewhat lousy recorde on the 'Unmittigated Audacity' bootleg and the audience went absolutely bazerk when they realised what was going on. Napoleon Murphy Brock singing his ass off on 'How could I be such a fool', I still wish there was a good recording of that gig released cometime. One can dream.... 

[Nihil-Morari]

Listening to Unmitigated Audacity right now, that's been a while! The songs sound great, a lot more energy. And although it is a bad recording, it's very interesting to listen to the modern sounding old songs. For the fans of this first record, it's definitely worth checking out! (Although these bootlegs may be difficult to find)

[Cyclopssss]

Also, for a refference as to how good the 'Old Mothers' could be in a live enviroment, check out the second half of 'Ahead of their time' recorded at the Royal Albert Hall. ('68?) The first half is a 'play' which has some great moments, but the second half is fantastic listening. 

[sneakyblueberry]

Nice write up.  Was never much into this album, or much of earlier zappa tbh.  Looking forward to certain eras in particular, but its nice to read up (or re-read) some of the backstory around the albums.  Good times.

Nihil - I can't tell if they're typos in your text or if it's your native language coming through in your writing, but its pretty awesome

[Fluffy Lothario]

I tried Hot Rats and a few of his other jazz-rock albums some years ago, or whatever you want to label them, and nothing really did much for me.

Listened to Freak Out last night.

Sides 1&2 were a bit ho-hum - some songs dull, some ok, some had enough ideas on top of the "parodying modern pop music" to stand up pretty well.

Sides 3&4 were great. Trouble Every Day sounds vaguely reminiscent of Dylan, and there are moments on the other tracks that mean they would number amongst a small group of songs I've heard from the late 60s and early 70s with ideas that predate electronic music (electronic music in the modern sense, not in the Stockhausen sense - drum and bass-ey stuff). The fact that he put those songs on an album in 1966 is just hilarious.

[bout to crash]

Nice write-up indeed! I dig Freak Out! and think it's a lot of fun but wouldn't call it a favorite.

Have y'all watched The World's Greatest Sinner, btw? What a ridiculous movie.

[sneakyblueberry]

reminiscent of Dylan

FLAKES FLAKES

[Orbert]

Take it away, Bob!

[Nihil-Morari]

Nice write up.  Was never much into this album, or much of earlier zappa tbh.  Looking forward to certain eras in particular, but its nice to read up (or re-read) some of the backstory around the albums.  Good times.

Nihil - I can't tell if they're typos in your text or if it's your native language coming through in your writing, but its pretty awesome

I guess it's the latter. I can manage myself in English ok, but I guess you can always tell the difference

Nice write-up indeed! I dig Freak Out! and think it's a lot of fun but wouldn't call it a favorite.

Have y'all watched The World's Greatest Sinner, btw? What a ridiculous movie.

I've looked it up once, but couldn't stand the quality. It's not that great 

[Cyclopssss]

How about ´Run home slow´ wherein apparantly, the hero pooches a cowchick in a barn with a dead donky in the corner?

[hefdaddy42]

My first listen to this album in probably 20 years.

Charming, funny, weird, and fun.

Loved the do-wop stuff.

[jammindude]

After getting a taste of Zappa with Strictly Commercial and Joe's Garage, I decided I wanted to try to start from the beginning and slowly work my way forward.

I really like Freak Out!   The first half (what would have been the first record) is more enjoyable than the second...but the crown jewel is the first track of the second half.  Trouble Every Day.   I could put this song on an endless loop and not get tired of it.   It is amazing to me how relevant this song is 50 years after it was penned.   Just this last August (a mere two months ago) was the 50 year anniversary of the Watts riots that inspired Frank to write this song as the events unfolded.   It is perhaps even more relevant today than when it was written.     Pure...freakin....genius.

Hungry Freaks Daddy and Who Are the Brain Police are other favorites of mine.

[Nihil-Morari]

After getting a taste of Zappa with Strictly Commercial and Joe's Garage, I decided I wanted to try to start from the beginning and slowly work my way forward.

I really like Freak Out!   The first half (what would have been the first record) is more enjoyable than the second...but the crown jewel is the first track of the second half.  Trouble Every Day.   I could put this song on an endless loop and not get tired of it.   It is amazing to me how relevant this song is 50 years after it was penned.   Just this last August (a mere two months ago) was the 50 year anniversary of the Watts riots that inspired Frank to write this song as the events unfolded.   It is perhaps even more relevant today than when it was written.     Pure...freakin....genius.

Hungry Freaks Daddy and Who Are the Brain Police are other favorites of mine.

I remember seeing discussion on the genius of Roger Waters on here. That both The Wall and Amused to Death are just as relevant today as they were when they came out. We're talking about 1978 and 1992 there. The fact that a track from the mid 60's can be relevant in 2015 is nothing short of mind-blowing. Apart from that it's also a grim statement considering 'we' haven't been able to deal with it in 50 years.

Seeing the discussion on Freak Out! I like how people are either really enjoying the Doo-Wop songs, or don't really care for them. I guess we'll have two camps throughout this entire thread. I'm preparing Absolutely Free, I think I won't wait an entire week for each album. You'll see.

[Orbert]

When I bought my first Zappa album, Sheik Yerbouti, and put it on, I was quite stunned by the opening track, which is a Doo-Wop song.  I had no idea that there was that side of his music.  Of course, since it was my first Zappa (I'd heard One Size Fits All years before, but my main takeaway there was the R&B, plus the general insanity and irreverence of things), there were many sides to his music that I'd yet to explore, but the Doo-Wop has always thrown me.  I guess I'm one of those who appreciates it, but doesn't really like it.  The vocal harmonies are great, and that to me is the big draw, but overall it's a style that just doesn't grab me.

[KevShmev]

The only two songs from this record that have stuck with me at all are Help I'm A Rock and Trouble Every Day, both of which I like a lot.

[darkshade]

"That's why I got my khakis pressed." 

Can't believe no one is talking about How Could I Be Such A Fool? That song predates what The Beatles did in the same vein.

[Mosh]

That's one of my favorites. Love Ray Collins' vocals on that.

[jammindude]

Just a thought....

Did it occur to anyone that Trouble Every Day could technically be considered the very first rap song?

The riff reminds me of a sample...lyrics spoken in rap style, rhyme, and meter. Subject is about racial and police injustice... All the ingredients certainly seem to be there.

[Mosh]

I've definitely seen that discussed before. I can definitely see it as a proto-rap tune. The delivery, the lyrical content, the way the music seems to loop a single "beat" that stays simple enough to not overshadow the lyrics.

It seems like Trouble Every Day is the most popular song around here, but I guess you can file me in the doo-wop camp. My favorite songs are It Can't Happen Here, Anyway The Wind Blows, and How Could I Be Such a Fool.

Also, aside from Monster Magnet, I really love the weirder stuff on there. Who Are the Brain Police is awesome. And the screaming at the end of I Ain't Got No Heart is hilarious. 

[Nihil-Morari]

Just a thought....

Did it occur to anyone that Trouble Every Day could technically be considered the very first rap song?

The riff reminds me of a sample...lyrics spoken in rap style, rhyme, and meter. Subject is about racial and police injustice... All the ingredients certainly seem to be there.

It does tick all the boxes, you're right. To be considered 'rap' it had to have happened later though. But proto-rap. Avant-rap. I like that thought. There aren't a lot of Zappa songs that could be considered even Rap, even though he mostly used spoken word vocals. Promiscuous is an exception. But that was in the late 80s.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Just a thought....

Did it occur to anyone that Trouble Every Day could technically be considered the very first rap song?

The riff reminds me of a sample...lyrics spoken in rap style, rhyme, and meter. Subject is about racial and police injustice... All the ingredients certainly seem to be there.

I didn't say it reminded me of Dylan for nothing. This song here came out the year before, and I've seen it referenced tons of times as "the first rap song".

https://vimeo.com/72540087

[Ultimetalhead]

I really loved this album when I first heard it. It was...the third Zappa album I checked out (Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch and Apostrophe came first I think). I found myself quite enjoying the doo-wop and general catchy nature of it all. By the time Trouble Every Day hit, I was completely sold. And then the rest of the album happened. Holy fuck. There's just no way 1966 was ready for that shit.

Looking back at it now, the songs are still nice. I really don't "get" Monster Magnet at all, but I'd say that's more a result of my not enjoying the "noise collage" style of 20th Century Classical that Varese and his contemporaries popularized. 

[Nihil-Morari]

Just a thought....

Did it occur to anyone that Trouble Every Day could technically be considered the very first rap song?

The riff reminds me of a sample...lyrics spoken in rap style, rhyme, and meter. Subject is about racial and police injustice... All the ingredients certainly seem to be there.

I didn't say it reminded me of Dylan for nothing. This song here came out the year before, and I've seen it referenced tons of times as "the first rap song".

https://vimeo.com/72540087

Yeah, I get that too. Cool tune.

Next album is coming tomorrow I think!

[Cyclopssss]

'you know what peope? I may not be white, but I'm sure glad I ain't black...' (from Trouble coming everyday).

On the doowoop side: there's a fantastic section/medley (edited together from different shows, as he often did) of doowoop songs on You can''t do that on stage anymore part 4. The vocal harmonies of Ray White and Ike Willis are nothing short of fantastic there. All through his entire carreer Frank has professed his love for the genre, ever since he sat on Don van Vliet's (Captain Beefheart) porch listening to those records and drinking Pepsi's.

Also, 'Suzi? Suzi Creamcheese?'
'Yes?'
"Suzi Creemcheese, what got into you?'

[jammindude]

'you know what peope? I may not be white, but I'm sure glad I ain't black...' "Hey you know something people? I'm not black, but there's a whole lots of times I wish I could say I'm not white!" (from Trouble coming everyday).

On the doowoop side: there's a fantastic section/medley (edited together from different shows, as he often did) of doowoop songs on You can''t do that on stage anymore part 4. The vocal harmonies of Ray White and Ike Willis are nothing short of fantastic there. All through his entire carreer Frank has professed his love for the genre, ever since he sat on Don van Vliet's (Captain Beefheart) porch listening to those records and drinking Pepsi's.

Also, 'Suzi? Suzi Creamcheese?'
'Yes?'
"Suzi Creemcheese, what got into you?'

FTFY 

[Cyclopssss]

Good catch, memory does fade with age.