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MikeEnRegalia 
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 22 2005
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 21634
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 Posted: January 07 2006 at 06:54 |
 Richardw wrote:
MikeEnRegalia wrote:
Richardw wrote:
Hierophant wrote:
Jazz from hell - the whole thing sounded like it was made on a 20$ kiddie keyboard
oh and i love weasels even with the screaming 
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Totally disagree. Jazz from Hell is a really good album in my opinion. There are many worse Zappa albums.
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Agreed. The keyboard sound is minimalistic ... I may be wrong, but I think that this was done on purpose, to emphasize the importance of the actual music (and not the sound).
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Good point, and not only that; there is 'St. Etienne' as well. One of THE great FZ guitar solos (from the track 'Drowning Witch'). Brilliant stuff. It's worth buying the album for that track alone.
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Since you mention it, I'd like to take this opportunity to mention that it was in fact played by Steve Vai (and later by Mike Keneally).
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Richardw
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 10 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 762
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 07:00 |
MikeEnRegalia wrote:
Richardw wrote:
MikeEnRegalia wrote:
Richardw wrote:
Hierophant wrote:
Jazz from hell - the whole thing sounded like it was made on a 20$ kiddie keyboard
oh and i love weasels even with the screaming
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Totally disagree. Jazz from Hell is a really good album in my opinion. There are many worse Zappa albums.
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Agreed. The keyboard sound is minimalistic ... I may be wrong, but I think that this was done on purpose, to emphasize the importance of the actual music (and not the sound).
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Good point, and not only that; there is 'St. Etienne' as well. One of THE great FZ guitar solos (from the track 'Drowning Witch'). Brilliant stuff. It's worth buying the album for that track alone.
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Since you mention it, I'd like to take this opportunity to mention that it was in fact played by Steve Vai (and later by Mike Keneally).
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Have you got 'Video From Hell' which shows Zappa playing it? Fantastic it is.
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MikeEnRegalia
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 22 2005
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 21634
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 07:11 |
No, unfortunately I haven't seen that - I only have the 1981 Halloween DVD.
About Drowning Witch: Zappa plays the lead guitar, that's true. But the song also contains various other guitar parts, which Zappa himself described as being "impossible to play". Those parts were played by Vai and Keneally.
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Richardw
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 10 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 762
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 07:22 |
MikeEnRegalia wrote:
No, unfortunately I haven't seen that - I only have the 1981 Halloween DVD.
About Drowning Witch: Zappa plays the lead guitar, that's true. But the song also contains various other guitar parts, which Zappa himself described as being "impossible to play". Those parts were played by Vai and Keneally.
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Yes, that's right. Zappa says it was so complicated that none of the bands that played it ever got it right. Every version i've heard always sounded great though.
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Eetu Pellonpaa
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 17 2005
Location: Finland
Status: Offline
Points: 4828
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 10:33 |
Most of his post 70's material that I have heard felt boring, like the "Thing Fish" mentioned. I also found "Joe's Garage" very dull, also "The Ship Arriving Too Late..." which I think is valued by others.
By the way, I think "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" is his best album along wiht "Hot Rats"! 
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RoyalJelly
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 29 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 582
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 10:42 |
gentletull wrote:
I don't recommend really anything before
1971 apart from Hot rats. Most of the others just sound like the
band jamming in their garage and joking around lol. We're only
in it for the money has some cool bits too. I think he started to
become good around waka/jawaka, grand wazoo, over nite
sensation and apostrophe. |
I think that's way off, you just have to listen to the early stuff
with a historical perspective (an ability in which most users of
this site seem to be handicapped). It was the early,
groundbreaking work of the Mothers that inspired so many
european bands, like Yes, Crimson, Soft Machine and Henry
Cow, that lead to the creation of the progressive genre we all
attest to love. Even that aside, early Zappa like Lumpy Gravy
(1967) and Uncle Meat (1968) still sounds astonishingly fresh
and unique, the latter especially is a milestone of chamber-rock
composition and studio wizardry, and hasn't aged a bit.
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timothy leary
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 29 2005
Location: Lilliwaup, Wa.
Status: Offline
Points: 5319
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 11:10 |
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playground psychotics is pretty rough to get into
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Hierophant
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 11 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 651
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Posted: January 07 2006 at 15:07 |
Richardw wrote:
MikeEnRegalia wrote:
Richardw wrote:
Hierophant wrote:
Jazz from hell - the whole thing sounded like it was made on a 20$ kiddie keyboard
oh and i love weasels even with the screaming
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Totally disagree. Jazz from Hell is a really good album in my opinion. There are many worse Zappa albums.
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Agreed. The keyboard sound is minimalistic ... I may be wrong, but I
think that this was done on purpose, to emphasize the importance of the
actual music (and not the sound).
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Good point, and not only that; there is 'St. Etienne' as well. One
of THE great FZ guitar solos (from the track 'Drowning Witch').
Brilliant stuff. It's worth buying the album for that track alone. |
Yea maybe I should give it another listen, I remember liking G-spot tornado 
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EL OSO
Forum Groupie
Joined: October 28 2005
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 91
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Posted: January 08 2006 at 21:27 |
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transend
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 15 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 876
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Posted: January 08 2006 at 22:39 |
I disagree with 'playground psychotics' I thought it was hysterical!! the tape recorded buts are so funny...yeah the music is not all that wonderful, for 'Billy the mountain' you have to love Flo and Eddie and they are certainly not everyones cup of tea, see 'Live at the Filmore' for why many people dont like that! I always liked that album just for the version of 'Peaches..'
I also disagree about 'Baby snakes'!! I love that album, it is a great intro to Zappa's mid-late 70's material. see my review!
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flaxton
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 08 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 110
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Posted: January 09 2006 at 13:51 |
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avoid anything after 1971.
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flaxton
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MikeEnRegalia
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 22 2005
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 21634
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Posted: January 09 2006 at 13:59 |
flaxton wrote:
avoid anything after 1971. |
I think that given the choice, most people would prefer his post 1971 albums.
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salmacis
Forum Senior Member
Content Addition
Joined: April 10 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 3928
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Posted: January 09 2006 at 16:51 |
I'd steer well clear of '200 Motels' and 'Tinseltown Rebellion'; both were really lacking in the song department and have long, often crude, monologues instead...  I also didn't like 'Them Or Us' or 'Waka Jawaka' a great deal.
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Flip_Stone
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 388
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Posted: January 09 2006 at 17:46 |
It sucks seeing people sl*gging great albums like Weasels Ripped My Flesh and Fillmore East. They're well worth getting. But for clarity, they aren't Frank Zappa albums. They're Mothers of Invention albums. It's too bad the two different groups aren't separated. Just causes confusion...
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Biggles
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 18 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 705
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Posted: January 09 2006 at 18:17 |
Fillmore East '71 is a great live album if you can step back and not take everything so seriously. The groupie routine and the mud shark story are hilarious!
Get everything Zappa from The Mothers of Invention up to Joe's Garage, and then a few more after that, although you might want to avoid 200 Motels which is just the original soundtrack for the movie and I don't think should be listened to without the movie. Of the Zappa albums I've heard (and I've heard about 50, Thing-Fish was the only one I really disliked. His 80s albums aren't as good as he was more interested in being controversial that making good music, but they still have their moments.
Albums that you desperately need right now:
Over-nite Sensation
Roxy & Elsewhere
Zappa in New York
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2
Studio Tan
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Just Another Band From L.A.
Fillmore East '71
Roxy & Elsewhere and Zappa in New York tie for greatest live album ever. Get them!
Edited by Biggles
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The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.
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gr8dane
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 11 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 1127
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Posted: January 09 2006 at 20:20 |
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Hmmm,do not avoid 'Zoot Allures' though.
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XTChuck
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 21 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 407
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Posted: January 10 2006 at 16:27 |
I own all of Zappa's material from Freak Out to Everything is Healing Nicely, over 60 albums. The ones to avoid would be a very short list and largely released in the 80's & 90's.....
Francesco Zappa
Them or Us
Thing Fish
The Yellow Shark
The Perfect Stranger
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch
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Zappa albums you donīt recommend
