Frank Zappa, opinions?

All sorts of people will try to convince you that One Size Fits All is the climax of what the Mothers did. 

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. I´ve started from an end with my reviews of his discography and the next one is Apostrophe. I´m looking forward to writing that one shortly.

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. 

The Mothers of Invention: Great stuff
Frank's jazz-fusion albums: Great aside from the filler
The stuff in-between: Not too great...

EDITED!


Edited by cacho - March 24 2009 at 10:16

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.

^me neither

Jozef wrote: 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.

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.

darkshade wrote: ^^^ 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!

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.

darkshade wrote: cacho wrote: darkshade wrote: ^^^ 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! 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. 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!!!

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!