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King Manuel View Drop Down
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Points: 952 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Some advice on Frank Zappa needed
    Posted: July 22 2011 at 03:57
Those who have wittnessed me on the PA Forums have noticed that my taste in prog tends towards the more comercial and straight foward type of prog. Neo Prog makes King Manuel happy!
 
However I recently after many years listend again  to Mothermania -The Best of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, an album which my brother bought sometimes in the 1990s. And strangely, I love this album although it does not really go with my general taste in music.
 
So what Zappa albums can you recommend to me???
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Points: 617 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 05:17
Is it this one? http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=5421

If so the material on there's all from Frank's earliest albums with the original Mothers of Invention lineup. Depending on which tracks you're most fond of, I'd recommend Absolutely Free and We're Only In It For the Money first, which are the best of the early Mothers psychedelic-era material (and if you're really into them, I'd also recommend Freak Out!, but I'd put it a shade lower in priority to the other two). If you like them, then you might want to try the lineup's other albums - Uncle Meat and Burnt Weeny Sandwich are excellent, Weasels Ripped My Flesh is also pretty good (and includes a few out-takes from We're Only In It For the Money), Cruising With Ruben and the Jets should probably be steered clear from unless you're really into the band's output because it consists entirely of mostly-sincere doo-wop material and isn't really much like their other stuff.

If you want to branch out into Zappa's later band lineups, then there's a whole world out there to explore and it might be best to come back for more recommendations after you've digested the early Mothers material and decided what you like about it. But I can recommend Hot Rats as being a really, really good early fusion album, and One Size Fits All as being a good album from the highly-regarded mid-70s backing band.
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Points: 4287 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 05:26
Even though from a later period, i think  Apostrophe (') 1974, is allways worth a listen, for the Zappa "beginner"
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Points: 3247 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 05:50
I'd suggest, Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, You Are What You Is, and Sheik Yerbuti.
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Points: 6088 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 05:58
Apostrophe (')
Over-Nite Sensation
One Size Fits All
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Points: 739 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 06:11
Originally posted by Anthony H. Anthony H. wrote:

Apostrophe (')
Over-Nite Sensation
One Size Fits All
Good call - Hot rats?
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Points: 6088 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 06:45
Originally posted by Ruby900 Ruby900 wrote:

Originally posted by Anthony H. Anthony H. wrote:

Apostrophe (')
Over-Nite Sensation
One Size Fits All
Good call - Hot rats?


HR doesn't seem to jibe with his stated tastes.
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Points: 617 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 06:55
The thing is he's saying the Zappa stuff he's heard and liked is on the Mothermania compilation, and I think Hot Rats is closer to the early Mothers sound than Apostrophe/Overnite Sensation/One Size are.

Though those three are excellent albums.
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Points: 4460 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 11:12
Originally posted by Warthur Warthur wrote:

Is it this one? http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=5421

If so the material on there's all from Frank's earliest albums with the original Mothers of Invention lineup. Depending on which tracks you're most fond of, I'd recommend Absolutely Free and We're Only In It For the Money first, which are the best of the early Mothers psychedelic-era material (and if you're really into them, I'd also recommend Freak Out!, but I'd put it a shade lower in priority to the other two). If you like them, then you might want to try the lineup's other albums - Uncle Meat and Burnt Weeny Sandwich are excellent, Weasels Ripped My Flesh is also pretty good (and includes a few out-takes from We're Only In It For the Money), Cruising With Ruben and the Jets should probably be steered clear from unless you're really into the band's output because it consists entirely of mostly-sincere doo-wop material and isn't really much like their other stuff.

If you want to branch out into Zappa's later band lineups, then there's a whole world out there to explore and it might be best to come back for more recommendations after you've digested the early Mothers material and decided what you like about it. But I can recommend Hot Rats as being a really, really good early fusion album, and One Size Fits All as being a good album from the highly-regarded mid-70s backing band.
also Uncle Meat.
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Points: 617 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 16:01
Though the obvious caveat with Uncle Meat is to avoid the "penalty tracks" appended to most CD editions - the two extracts from the film and Tengo Na Minchia Tanta. When you're listening to the second CD, skip those and go straight to King Kong, you'll be happier that way.
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Points: 166183 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 16:05
Originally posted by yanch yanch wrote:

I'd suggest, Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, You Are What You Is, and Sheik Yerbuti.
 
Agreed.
 
I'd also add Freak Out!, Absolutely Free and We're Only In It For The Money since you like the early compilation album.
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Points: 376 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 16:54
What everybody else said, and Roxy and Elsewhere.
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Points: 29630 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2011 at 18:38
Don't eat that yellow snow.  Oh wait, that's advice from Frank Zappa.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Points: 26138 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2011 at 07:12
We're Only In it for the Money first, followed by Absolutely Free.  Uncle Meat is my personal favorite but that one's a bit easier to swallow if you're already a fan.
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King Manuel View Drop Down
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Points: 952 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2011 at 03:03
Well, thanks everybody! I got Apostrophe and Hot Rats. Gues what, Hot Rats is my favourite!
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Points: 617 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2011 at 05:25
If you loved Hot Rats then I'd particularly recommend Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo (semi-sequels to Hot Rats, which saw Zappa applying similar aesthetic and compositional principles to a really *big* band), as well as Uncle Meat or Burnt Weeny Sandwhich, where you can hear the original Mothers of Invention lineup working on fusion-ish material which would end up influencing Hot Rats a lot.
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Points: 2585 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2011 at 15:57
Overnite sensation, Roxy and elsewhere, Zoot allures, Grand wazoo, Waka jawaka, Hot rats,One size fits all, Apostrophe, Broadway the hard way, The best band you never heard in your life,+ a few others.....
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Points: 24 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2011 at 18:57
Originally posted by Warthur Warthur wrote:

If you loved Hot Rats then I'd particularly recommend Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo (semi-sequels to Hot Rats, which saw Zappa applying similar aesthetic and compositional principles to a really *big* band), as well as Uncle Meat or Burnt Weeny Sandwhich, where you can hear the original Mothers of Invention lineup working on fusion-ish material which would end up influencing Hot Rats a lot.


I agree - that'll take you nicely into extended-jam-type territory.

 Can I also make a recommendation for Joe's Garage?  My personal favorite of Zappa's catalog (though I can't claim to have heard every FZ album ever), it has some tasty jamming, some catchy songs, and some pretty heartfelt stuff too, along with some very adolescent humor (par for the course).  It's not the most like the other stuff you've liked, but I think it borders it more closely than a lot of other FZ material.  Please let me know if you like it - I'm always spreading Joe's gospel.
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Points: 2585 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2011 at 01:51
Yes Joe's garage and Sheik Yerbouti are good too, You are what you is is only half good....
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Points: 29630 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2011 at 07:15
Originally posted by jean-marie jean-marie wrote:

Yes Joe's garage and Sheik Yerbouti are good too, You are what you is is only half good....
It are what it is and I like it whatever the hell it is.  I mean, Harder Than Your Husband, the dumb song, a conehead song.

By the whole catalog and head straight to the poorhouse. LOL


Edited by Slartibartfast - July 26 2011 at 07:16
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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