The Zappa Thread

[Nihil-Morari]

I agree on nearly all accounts with you Orbert, but I really think you should give the Mothers some more love.

I fell in love with Freak Out! lately. There are some fun songs on there, ranging from happy and simple songs, to modern classical compositions. And though not all Mothers albums are as great as Freak Out!, I still think a couple deserve more love than 'recording ourself fucking around with various pieces of musical equipment'.


Other than that: wonderful analysis.

[Genowyn]

You know I've been playing too many video games when the first person that came to mind when I saw this thread was this guy:

[ZBomber]

Maybe 2 weeks ago me and my friend got high. We went back behind my pool house and lit up a joint... we came back inside and we decided we were gonna listen to some music. He says "Dude, I brought the perfect thing." He then handed me a record, which I would put on the turntable. It was One Size Fits All. This was my first exposure to Zappa.... and it was an amazing moment.

[Orbert]

One Size Fits All was my very first exposure to Zappa/Mothers as well.  I was 12 years old, and they played it on the "Midnight Album Hour".  I still remember laughing my ass off to "Po-Jama People" and of "Evelyn, A Modified Dog".  ("Arf!" she said)

I agree on nearly all accounts with you Orbert, but I really think you should give the Mothers some more love.

I fell in love with Freak Out! lately. There are some fun songs on there, ranging from happy and simple songs, to modern classical compositions. And though not all Mothers albums are as great as Freak Out!, I still think a couple deserve more love than 'recording ourself fucking around with various pieces of musical equipment'.

Yeah, I guess I was a bit harsh on the early stuff.  There's a lot more structured stuff than there is unstructured, and most of it is fun, and amusing the first couple of plays.  I guess I still have bad memories of great anticipation surrounding the fourth side of Freak Out! only to find that it was, seemingly, just them fucking around and letting the tapes roll.  Or am I thinking of something else?  I haven't listened to the early stuff in a long time.  "Help, I'm a Rock" is fun.  "You Didn't Try to Call Me", "Plastic People", and of course "Call Any Vegetable" are fun, but they just don't have the replay value of the later stuff.

[Nihil-Morari]

The fourth side of Freak Out! is indeed just some fucking around, or so it seems.
It's his ode to modern classical composers using technology, something that became very popular a couple of years before Zappa recorded that song (The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet), composers like Stockhausen and Varese.

I don't quite get that song either, but the rest of that record is fun, happy music.

[bout to crash]

Has this really not been posted in since June??

Anyway, going to get my ZPZ tickets in a few minutes 

[bout to crash]

Done!
First row balcony. Fuck that orchestra shit.

[KevShmev]

I love Zappa's fusion stuff; Hot Rats and The Grand Wazoo are probably my two favorite CDs of his.  I am also pretty high on Zoot Allures and Apostrophe (').

I like both One Size Fits All and Over-Nite Sensation, but I have never gone nuts over them like a lot of Zappa fans do; I wouldn't call either a favorite.  

Joe's Garage has some great stuff, but gets somewhat tedious after a while.

I doubt I will ever come close to getting all of his CDs.

[bout to crash]

Really? Joe's Garage is probably my favorite of the limited selection I have. It was my first 

[Nihil-Morari]

I just got Joes Garage, it's my 40th Zappa release that I've got.

And it ranks a bit higher than that on my Zappa list, but I'm not too keen on it either. I like parts, and like some jokes, but if you compare that one to Just Another Band From L.A., man, that one makes me laugh every time, while being amazed by both music quality and compositional quality.

Joe's Garage lacks a bit of all three things most Zappa records have.

[Orbert]

Maybe, but I don't know if that's a fair comparison.  Frank had completely different goals with those two albums.  Just Another Band from L.A. is a chronicle, a document of a band and of a performance.  Joe's Garage is a concept album, a story, and a political statement. 

I'm not sure if comedy was one of the goals of Joe's Garage; it seems more like an aspect to his writing that couldn't help but show up.  More than anything else, it was meant to make you think, and hopefully entertain you along the way.  JABFLA was primarily meant to entertain, and if it gave you anything to think about, that's fine too.  Frank got into more "serious" music and issues later in his career.  This may have lessened the breadth of his appeal, but like anyone else, I'm sure he got bored with doing the same things all the time.


Anyway, I came into this thread to report that I heard "Blessed Relief" from The Grand Wazoo on the radio today, on the local listener-supported jazz station, WDCB from College of DuPage (Chicago area).  A jazz station!  Fucking awesome.  I heard the title track a while back, too.  Apparently somebody got ahold of The Grand Wazoo and has been having fun foisting it upon unsuspecting jazz fans.

[sneakyblueberry]

Its a pretty jazzy album though isn't it?  I love the riff from Eat That Question!  Killer!

[Orbert]

It is jazzy.  But jazz is not the first genre people think of when someone mentions Zappa.  It's probably not the second or even third.  To hear it on public radio in a serious context was very cool.

[KevShmev]

Zoot Allures is so great.  "The Torture Never Stops" FTW!

[Arcaeus]

Frank Zappa is an overrated, uninteresting and talentless hack, and all artists who were influenced by him are, similarly, absolute shit. I can't even begin to fathom how anyone could possibly find him an innovator, much less good.















































no just trolling he's fucking awesome but you should have seen the look on your faces

[KevShmev]

Nah, that was too obvious.  

"You father's waiting for you in the tool shed."  That line always makes me .

[Arcaeus]

In all seriousness now, I've heard plenty of his songs and enjoy them, but I've yet to get my hands on an album (it doesn't help that this discography is ridiculously large). What would be the best place to start?

[KevShmev]

I am hardly a Zappa authority, but...

I started with Hot Rats and that worked like a charm; it is mostly instrumental and has a strong fusion vibe going on; same with The Grand Wazoo, which is great, too.  I think Apostrophe (') and Zoot Allures would both be great starters, as well.

[Arcaeus]

Thanks I'll be grabbing one of those along with Radiohead's Kid A

[Orbert]

I am hardly a Zappa authority, but...

I started with Hot Rats and that worked like a charm; it is mostly instrumental and has a strong fusion vibe going on; same with The Grand Wazoo, which is great, too.  I think Apostrophe (') and Zoot Allures would both be great starters, as well.

Those are all excellent suggestions, because they'd each make great "starter" Zappa albums, and are also great albums anyway.  The only one I'd add to the list is Roxy & Elsewhere.  That one's a must-have.

[Nihil-Morari]

"Smash every creep in the face with a rock"

[bout to crash]

The new keyboardist for the ZPZ band is kickass... and he can sing too! When we saw them the other week (awesome show btw) for a second we thought it was Scheila.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R5W_swKHJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKsTOnMGRnU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCH42mAEwmU

[Perpetual Change]

Just discovered Joe's Garage. What a fantastic album!

[Slain]

Yeeeee!  Whats the previous ZPZ one like?  And who's seen the latest Live in Paris DVD?

The previous ZPZ dvd is playing in my DVD player right now, it's one of the best music DVD's I've ever seen. Great quality of audio and video, and great band.

I completely agree. I bought it, not knowing a whole lot about Frank Zappa, and it completely got me into his stuff. Great Quality DVD, there's really not one thing to complain about it.

[sneakyblueberry]

The new keyboardist for the ZPZ band is kickass... and he can sing too! When we saw them the other week (awesome show btw) for a second we thought it was Scheila.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R5W_swKHJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKsTOnMGRnU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCH42mAEwmU

Nice!  You can't have a Zappa tribute band without having an awesome keyboardist with the pipes to match.  That's like, a Zappa trademark   That and unisons involving marimba's

[bout to crash]

Fuck yes.

[Nihil-Morari]

Yeeeee!  Whats the previous ZPZ one like?  And who's seen the latest Live in Paris DVD?

The previous ZPZ dvd is playing in my DVD player right now, it's one of the best music DVD's I've ever seen. Great quality of audio and video, and great band.

I completely agree. I bought it, not knowing a whole lot about Frank Zappa, and it completely got me into his stuff. Great Quality DVD, there's really not one thing to complain about it.

Exactly, it might be the most tight band I've ever seen on DVD.

[ClairvoyantCat]

Yeah, I think that Dvd is one of Zappa's best moments, actually.

[SPNKr]

Hot Rats is FUCK AMAZING. I listened to it last night and I have it on again this morning. It's just so great.

[sneakyblueberry]

Hot Rats is FUCK AMAZING.

I never really cared for the album as a whole eh.  Some good songs, fo sho.  FO SHO.

[ZBomber]

I ordered Burnt Weeny Sandwich as a Christmas present for myself. Can't wait to listen to it. 

[sneakyblueberry]

That's a bit of a 'miss' Zappa album for me, but I hope to our dear lord that you enjoy it!

[ZBomber]

That's a bit of a 'miss' Zappa album for me, but I hope to our dear lord that you enjoy it!

Considering the state I'll be in when I listen to it, I shouldn't have a problem enjoying it. 

[darkshade]

I ordered Burnt Weeny Sandwich as a Christmas present for myself. Can't wait to listen to it.  

its probably the best of the later-Mothers albums. If youre into the 60s albums, you should have no problem enjoying it. I'd put it in my top 20 Zappa albums (which, when you consider his output, is very good)


EDIT: it's much more enjoyable that Weasels Ripped My Flesh. title track = fu38o2qtvibr649qtq3i 9y732y

i also agree that Hot Rats is overrated (except Peaches en Regalia). Better things were to come.

[Orbert]

You all is silly.  I can listen to Hot Rats end to end, then start it again.