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Topic ClosedWho IS Frank Zappa

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 17 2013 at 11:24
I listened to Thing-Fish thoroughly the other day and frankly I was shocked by the track 'Briefcase Boogie'.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 17 2013 at 11:30
Thing-Fish is one of the few Zappa albums I don't have or am not familiar with, but I got YCDTOSA vol. 4 recently and it features the song The Evil Prince, which I found to be extremely enjoyable. I'm going to get Thing-Fish sooner or later.

On the topic of Zappa's 80s albums, I think Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention is the best one, pre-'88 band.


Edited by darkshade - February 17 2013 at 11:33
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 17 2013 at 13:22
Originally posted by darkshade darkshade wrote:

Thing-Fish is one of the few Zappa albums I don't have or am not familiar with, but I got YCDTOSA vol. 4 recently and it features the song The Evil Prince, which I found to be extremely enjoyable. I'm going to get Thing-Fish sooner or later.

On the topic of Zappa's 80s albums, I think Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention is the best one, pre-'88 band.
I find it to be more for completists.  Many of the songs are rehashes of previously released tunes, and the story is written to be as offensive as Frank could get.  It was recorded and released during his well-publicized battle with Tipper Gore and the PMRC, who wanted to censor and label albums.  It's funny in some places, cringe inducing in more, and the original songs, while well played by Zappa's excellent band, are mostly forgettable.
Trust me. I know what I'm doing.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 17 2013 at 16:02
I highly like both Meets The Mothers... and Thing-Fish.
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 17 2013 at 16:36
Originally posted by Man With Hat Man With Hat wrote:

I highly like both Meets The Mothers... and Thing-Fish.
The latter even makes a couple of cameo appearances on the former!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 17 2013 at 16:46
Mothers of Prevention was surprisingly good, especially the second half.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2013 at 16:09
The Yellow Shark is such a great album. It's breathtaking at times, and doesn't get all tense and nervous like LSO does (which is a totally different beast of an album anyway). The case it came in is beautiful, and the pictures in the giant booklet are great; some are funny, some are just plain cool, but there's one that makes me sad, it's the last one, with some of the guys Frank worked with around that time, like producers and mixers, and they're sitting around him and everyone is smiling, but Frank clearly hadn't shaved for months, meaning the pic was taken not too long before he passed.

I always put The Yellow Shark off because I wasn't ready for it and other orchestral albums because I just wanted the rock and fusion stuff back when I first got into his music. And then when the reissues started coming out and I started collecting them, I still held off on getting The Yellow Shark (and Civilization Phaze III still), but now I realize that was a major error on my part, and I've been keeping myself from listening to one of Zappa's last great works, and it really is one of the best projects he ever put together. If only he had even a few more months to cherish it. He always said he made music for himself, and if others liked it, cool. But us fans have had more time to digest those last couple of releases than he ever did, even though he wrote the music. Point is, The Yellow Shark is magnificent, and I only wish I got it sooner, but now I can listen to it whenever I want.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2013 at 16:22
TYS was one of the first FZ things I got, and it was love at first listen.
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2013 at 16:31
I posted a review http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=329276
though I guess I rated it back in 2010 for some reason (I only heard it once maybe 6-7 years ago).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2013 at 20:55
I just ordered the remaining 2012 reissues on Amazon that I'm missing, (except the compilation album Have I Offended Someone?) including Playground Psychotics, Guitar, and Lather.

I'm still waiting on my copies of Thing-Fish and Francesco Zappa to come in.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 14:00
Scratch that, I got HIOS? and Cucamonga too.

Thing-Fish arrived in the mail today, and I'm currently listening to it for the first time. Not sure how I think about it yet, though I'm only up to The 'Torchum' Never Stops and I've already laughed out loud twice.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 14:26
"Hurt me, you little potato-headed whatchamacallit..."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 14:32
The Harry and Rhonda bits are uncomfortably funny. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 14:40
That's a good way to put it. LOL
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 14:59
It's interesting how you don't really hear Frank himself on the album, what with all this dialogue.

OMG I'm up to Briefcase Boogie ShockedShockedShockedShockedShocked
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 15:09
Only thing that would make the album better would be if there was a solo somewhere, or some instrumental sections of some kind
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 15:45
"Harry you're a worm"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 15:54
Originally posted by darkshade darkshade wrote:

Only thing that would make the album better would be if there was a solo somewhere, or some instrumental sections of some kind


Broadway doesn't have that crap.




My biggest complaint of Thing Fish is the redone songs with the TF vocals. Not bad, but I much would have preferred more new material. Still...I quite enjoy it. Still laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 16:09
I actually bought Thing Fish before I bought a lot of FZ albums.  It was actually one of my first!  I got into him in the early/mid 80s and only the more recent albums were still in print (and no CDs yet).  So my first time hearing "Mudd Club" , "Meek Shall Inherit Nothing", and "Torture Never Stops" were from the Thing Fish album.  I still interject Ike's asides in my head when I hear these songs.

I still only have it on vinyl, haven't made the move to CD for that album yet.  The vinyl box is nice.
 

"Push the button, pull the chain, out come the little brown choo choo train!"


Edited by HolyMoly - March 08 2013 at 16:12
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 08 2013 at 16:14
Haha...yeah. I mean, there are points were it's funnier than the old songs, but I just prefer new material in general. Though, I must say I quite like Won Ton On. Works perfectly for me.


And excellent choice of one of your first Zappa albums.
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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