Zappa - Love/Hate relationship

Grand Wazoo? Really? Odd, since I'd expect a Hot Rats fan to enjoy the big band jazziness of that record. The avant-noise-weirdo Weasels, I suppose I can understand... but the Grand Wazoo? How strange.

The only Uncle Frank recordings that make me cringe are the Flo and Eddie records. Mostly because of Flo and Eddie.

I like him a lot.  I wish his music clicked with me, despite how genius it is.

Even the stuff that many people tend to hate, I like.  So it's more of a love/like relationship.

Given his vast and multifarious output it's very difficult to come up with an overview of Zappa's music. I like his rock/fusion instrumental music (mostly) but am less enthusiastic about his classical works and loathe his humour.

He has kept me busy over the many years. To go from Roxy Elsewhere to Imaginary Diseases? I.D. being a true instrumental jazz orientated album where now, he is taking you on a completely different musical journey. In some strange way after hearing over 65 of his titles, in my sub-con, I feel like I'm listening to a whole different artist. To be a musician and a composer and transform to those levels naturally the way Zappa did, is a very rare gift in life. I feel anger over his death. Do you find that strange? I wished he were still with us. I would love to hear his comments about the world we live in today. But you know? We had to lose someone like that right? It's that old depressing feeling that sets in and I said before, What kind of  a world do we live in when 2 of "The Beatles" are dead, and all 4 of the Monkees are still alive?

I massively respect the impact he had (and continues to have) on music in general, but I really have never got him. that's a personal fault, or personal taste, not down to him as such.

Maybe I should try again

The only album I don't like very much so far that I own is We're Only In it for the Money; I enjoyed maybe 2 or 3 songs on that one, the rest was pretty uninteresting for me. 

I love the guy and his work, yeah he has some mediocre albums but he was a genius nonetheless and you got various albums of his that demonstrates it: Zappa in New York, Overnite Sensation, Apostrophe, Roxy, One Size Fits All, Wazzo, Hot Rats, Jazz from Hell, Absolutely Free, Burnt Weeny Sandwich and although I don't get much of Weseals for me that's an influential or at least an important RIO album.

I like everything I have by him except Uncle Meat so I like Joe's Garage, Hot Rats, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, The Grand Wazoo, and We're Only In It For the Money.

I've got a bunch already and there is still more of the non-posthumous albums I could get.
Zappa, Frank/The Mothers of Invention    Freak Out!    1966   
Zappa, Frank/The Mothers of Invention    Uncle Meat    1968   
Zappa, Frank    Hot Rats    1969   
Zappa, Frank/The Mothers of Invention    We're Only In It for the Money    1969   
Zappa, Frank/The Mothers of Invention    Burnt Weeny Sandwich    1970   
Zappa, Frank    Over-nite Sensation    1973   
Zappa, Frank    Apostrophe (')    1974   
Zappa, Frank    Zoot Allures    1976   
Zappa, Frank    Studio Tan    1978   
Zappa, Frank    Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III    1979   
Zappa, Frank    Sheik Yerbouti (Remaster)    1979   
Zappa, Frank    Thing-Fish    1984   
Zappa, Frank    Jazz From Hell    1986   
Zappa, Frank    Broadway the Hardway    1988   
Zappa, Frank and Captain Beefheart   Bongo Fury  1975
Zappa, Frank   Lumpy Gravy  1967
Zappa, Frank   The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life  1988
Zappa, Frank   Tinsel Town Rebellion  1981
Zappa, Frank   You Are What You Is  1981
Zappa, Frank/The Mothers of Invention   One Size Fits All  1975




Edited by Slartibartfast - November 12 2010 at 18:57