Just listened to some Frank Zappa
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Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47023
Printed Date: February 15 2025 at 10:41
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Topic: Just listened to some Frank Zappa
Posted By: tuxon
Subject: Just listened to some Frank Zappa
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 00:44
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I just visited the Frank Zappa mymusic space: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=11993640 - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=11993640
I listened to the third song on the list, and was completely blown away.
tell me I'm not the only one.
I have a lot of frank's albums, but now It seems to be I have to buy some more, great and fabulous
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Replies:
Posted By: Petrovsk Mizinski
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 01:23
YOUR THE ONLY ONE!
In all seriousness, FZ was an absolute madman and genius, I'm not surprised. ------------- 
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Posted By: crimhead
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 02:20
| It is amazing how many great musicians went through Frank's band and went onto stardom on their own. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 06:50
I'm sorry, hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly. 
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: AShowOfHands
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 07:00
| Baby Snakes kicks my arse. |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 07:42
Didn't know the track (or I forgot about it). But out of those tracks the most hilarious has got to be Cosmik Debris. 
------------- https://awesomeprog.com/release-polls/pa" rel="nofollow - Release Polls Listened to: 
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Posted By: Paulieg
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 09:36
| I saw Franks backing band at the good old Harvestfest two years ago. They were pretty awesome. Can't recall what they called themselves though. |
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 10:27
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On the whole I'm not really blown a way by Frank Zappa. Some songs do, but he's not so consistant to me. I prefer the Captain to Zappa. ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: tuxon
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 11:59
Didnt know the track myself, now I'm searching through my albums to see if I can find it somewhere, but it's not there.
apparently it was taken from the Petite Wazoo tour in 1972, and indeed musically it fits in with the Grand Wazoo so that's solved, now al I have to do is buy the album Imaginary Diseases.
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MikeEnRegalia wrote:Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 12:06
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^ of course Zappa fans know the phrase "Imaginary Diseases" from Stinkfoot: "Out through the night An' the whispering breezes To the place where they keep The Imaginary Diseases"  ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/release-polls/pa" rel="nofollow - Release Polls Listened to:
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Posted By: tuxon
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 12:12
I don't know the lyrics of Zappa, often they don't make sense to me anyway
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Posted By: Paulieg
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 14:22
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Unfortunately, some of Zappa's lyrics make a whole lotta sense to me!!!!
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Posted By: mpomy
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 15:13
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Any time is the right time to put a little Frank in your tank. If we only had his composing alone - that would still be incredible. If we only had his humor and nothing else, he would be an immortal. If we only had his blistering guitar work - he would still be an icon. Instead of any one of those things, he excelled at all three. His band were among the tightest in the land, James Brown tight, sometimes. the only knock is that more of his proteges didn't have his same success and fame (compare the way Miles' sidemen almost all became successful band leaders). That's a pretty small piece of criticism for a career that was so prolific and extraordinary. ------------- 
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Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 17:07
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Just think what could have been if Zappa had a good editor or even some restraint ... sometimes you have to wonder if he released EVERYTHING he ever wrote ... which is not a good thing.
------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 13 2008 at 06:59
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^ ^ I can kind of see your point. But it seems Zappa's one of those artists, that was compelled to churn out stuff. And it's really up to you what you want to listen to and collect. The info and reviews are here to help you pick and choose. I'd be surprised if even the most dedicated fan has collected and totally enjoys everything. And new stuff is still being released. I haven't heard of anything in that category that is particularly compelling. I'd recommend sticking to the stuff that got a good airing when he was still alive for the most part. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: March 13 2008 at 20:20
| Brown shoes don't make it. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 13 2008 at 22:10
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Yes Frank was prolific, and quality control was not always Job One at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen. But even at his worst, he was still better than 95% of the other drivel being released during any of the eras -- 60's, 70's, 80's -- when he was active.
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Posted By: Speesh
Date Posted: March 14 2008 at 03:23
You should check out The Real Frank Zappa Book! Apparently a lot of his songwriting was based on some of his more ridiculous real life experiences, and the book clarifies a lot of it. Either way, its an interesting and hillarious read from what I've read so far. |
Posted By: Dominic
Date Posted: March 14 2008 at 04:27
Zappa is one of my biggest musical inspirations. He uses so many notes in his guitar playing and had the rare ability not to come off as aimless or showy in his solo's. (ok, maybe in his later self indulgent guitar albums, but i don't listen to those) I also admire that he didn't regurgitate some mundane and sappy lyrics about sexual relationships to sell records but made them fun. (and in a satirical way, sometimes made some pretty good points) |
Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: March 14 2008 at 05:56
| Zappa was great! I especially enjoy his seventies stuff.......One Size Fits All, Over-nite sensation, Apostrophe, Zoot Allures, Live in New York, Joe's Garage to name a few classics. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 14 2008 at 06:58
Second thumbs up for the book. I got it when he was still alive. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Zardoz
Date Posted: March 16 2008 at 10:50
| Zappa was a geius. I especially love "Uncle Meat", "Hot Rats", "200 Motels" and "Fillmore East, June 1971". |
Posted By: KrakAtack
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 03:05
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I recommend the entire Apostrophe CD.............. The first four tracks make up the "Yellow Snow Suite," which follows the adventures of Nanook the Eskimo as he battles against an evil fur trapper, who ends up being blinded when Nanook rubs a "dog doo snowcone" into his eyes. The trapper seeks a cure at St. Alfonzo's parish, which is overseen by Father O'Blivion, master pancake chef. Yeah, the lyrics are completely ridiculous, but they're basically just an excuse to tie together some funky and fantastic musical ideas. The high-speed "Father O'Blivion" is incredible, and Ruth Underwood's percussion is amazing throughout. "Cosmik Debris" is another of Frank's social criticism songs, this time mocking phony psychics and seers (especially those who use the "dust of the Grand Wazoo"). "Excentrifugal Forz" is a short rocker, mainly a warm-up for the thick instrumental jam of the title track, on which guest musician Jack Bruce tries to outdo Zappa's guitar with his bass. "Uncle Remus" is another song of social consciousness, with lyrics about the evils of racism, which features some beautiful piano work from George Duke. The final track, "Stink Foot" (a concert favorite) is an oddball rocker with lyrics about a man who couldn't get his boots off for months on end and became afflicted with stink foot. He tries to get his dog to fetch his slippers, but the dog runs off yelping. It's revealed at the end of the song that the dog is the poodle from "Dirty Love." Overall I think I like Apostrophe(') better than Overnite Sensation. http://www.zappa.com/ - Frank Zappa http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000009SI/nightstrykerevie - Apostrophe(')
http://www.rykodisc.com/ - Rykodisc (10519) Frank Zappa, guitar, bass, vocals; Jim Gordon, drums; Johnny Guerin, drums; Aynsley Dunbar, drums; Ralph Humphrey, drums; Jack Bruce, bass; Erroneous, bass; Tom Fowler, bass; George Duke, keyboards, backing vocals; Sugar Can Harris, violin; Jean-Luc Ponty, violin; Ruth Underwood, percussion; Ian Underwood, saxophone; Napoleon Murphy Brock, saxophone, backing vocals; Sal Marquez, trumpet; Bruce Fowler, trombone; Ray Collins, backing vocals; Kerry McNabb, backing vocals; Susie Glover, backing vocals; Debbie, backing vocals; Lynn, backing vocals; Ruben Ladron De Guevara, backing vocals; Robert "Frog" Camarena, backing vocals
Tracklist:
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Posted By: Zardoz
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 06:49
| One of my favorite Zappa songs is "Cosmik Debris". |
Posted By: tuxon
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 07:02
Good post, I haven't heard the album in a while, but anyway don't copy from other site's please, better to use your own words, that's always better.  ------------- I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT |
Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 07:43
I prefer Toni (Tenille) to either the Captain or Zappa. Mind you, she could use implants. ------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: debrewguy
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 07:46
Which means that there is 4% that was better than him & the other 95 % crap. I think most would say that those percentages(5/95) might apply to his own work. And most of these would say the same of my posts  ------------- "Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case. |
Posted By: Dominic
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 18:23
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"Frank Zappa, isn't that the guy who's the king of doing weird songs?" A friend who doesn't listen to prog. mentioned this to me in the car today. I thought it was only appropriate to share :D |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 17 2008 at 22:11
I would not necessarily disagree with that, other than to perhaps adjust the percentages to say a 25/75 split, excluding the albums that are pretty much perfect. I think we could make a similar assessment of most bands' output.
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Posted By: KrakAtack
Date Posted: March 19 2008 at 00:27
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Good post, I haven't heard the album in a while, but anyway don't copy
from other site's please, better to use your own words, that's always
better. Great Googly Moogly The Franks play Frank Zappa's "nanook rubs it" at Curacao's "de Tropen" cafe! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmqM_q6iORQ - Nanook rubs it! Well right about that time, people, A fur trapper Who was strictly from commercial (Strictly Commershil) Had the unmedicated audacity to jump up from behind my igyaloo (Peek-a-Boo Woo-ooo-ooo) And he started in to whippin' on my fav'rite baby seal With a lead-filled snow shoe . . . I said: With a lead LEAD Filled LEAD-FILLED A lead-filled snow shoe SNOW SHOE He said Peak-a-boo PEEK-A-BOO With a lead LEAD Filled LEAD-FILLED With a lead-filled snow shoe SNOW SHOE He said Peak-a-boo. PEEK-A-BOO He went right up side the head of my favourite baby seal He went WHAP! With a lead-filled snow shoe An' he hit him on the nose 'n he hit him on fin 'n he . . . That got me just about as evil As an Eskimo boy can be . . . so I bent down 'n I reached down 'n I scooped down An' I gathered up a generous mitten full of the deadly . . . YELLOW SNOW The deadly Yellow Snow from right there where the huskies go Whereupon I proceeded to take that mitten full Of the deadly Yellow Snow Crystals And rub it all into his beady little eyes With a vigorous circular motion Hitherto unknown to the people on this area, But destined to take the place of THE MUD SHARK In your mythology Here it goes now . . . THE CIRCULAR MOTION . . . (rub it) . . . (Here Fido . . . Here Fido) And then, in a fit of anger, I . . . I pounced And I pounced again GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY I jumped up 'n down the chest of the . . . I injured the fur trapper Well, he was very upset, as you can understand And rightly so Because The deadly Yellow Snow Crystals Had deprived him of his sight And he stood up And he looked around And he said: I CAN'T SEE (DO . . . DO DO-DO DO DO DO . . . YEAH!) I CAN'T SEE (DO . . . DO DO-DO DO DO DO . . . YEAH!) OH WOE IS ME (DO . . . DO DO-DO DO DO DO . . . YEAH!) I CAN'T SEE (DO . . . DO DO-DO DO DO DO . . . WELL!) NO NO I CAN'T SEE NO . . . I . . . He took a dog-doo sno-cone An' stuffed it in my right eye He took a dog-doo sno-cone An' stuffed it in my other eye An' the huskie wee-wee, I mean the doggie wee-wee Has blinded me An' I can't see Temporarily Well the fur trapper Stood there With his arms outstretched Across the frozen white wasteland Trying to figure out what he's gonna do About his deflicted eyes And it was at that precise moment that he remembered An ancient Eskimo legend Wherein it is written On whatever it is that they write it on up there That if anything bad ever happens to your eyes As a result of some sort of conflict With anyone named Nanook The only way you can get it fixed up Is to go trudgin' across the tundra . . . Mile after mile Trudgin' across the tundra . . . Right down to the parish of Saint Alfonzo . . . Yes indeed, here we are! At Saint Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast Where I stole the mar-juh-reen... BTW..Frank was 100% against censorship...........I wonder if he would have included posting his songs and videos free for the masses as something he would have approved of? |
Posted By: KrakAtack
Date Posted: March 19 2008 at 00:28
| If nothing else, Frank was a vastly under rated guitarist.......... |
Posted By: AnthemOne
Date Posted: March 19 2008 at 00:59
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The entire "You Cant Do That On Stage Anymore" (YCDTOSA) catalogue is incredible. Six volumes, IIRC, that cover all the bands to play thru the great FZ...
Personal favorite is Volume 2 the "Helsinki Concert", with "Pigmye Twilight" and "Inca Roads".
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Posted By: ghost_of_morphy
Date Posted: March 19 2008 at 04:11
Of what I've heard from Uncle Frank, this album seems to capture the spirit of what he's doing exceptionally well. I agree that this would be an excellent album to start off with exploring Frank's worlds.
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Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: March 20 2008 at 20:53
Not his best, but my fave...
And here's a tribute to Zappa from my brother's room: 
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Posted By: ProgBagel
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 00:54
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I liked most of his stuff from what I've heard. Some of his most virtuous material came after 'The Mothers' broke up. Specifically, 'Hot Rats' and 'The Grand Wazoo'.
He put out some great albums in every decade. God bless the man. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: March 24 2008 at 12:30
OK, I was a pretty weird kid but I feel so ashamed now that I didn't have such a Zappa/music monument in my room. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: March 25 2008 at 22:33
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Nice wall, I only had "The Mothers Sincerely Regret to Inform You" poster on my wall way back when.
I was just listening to In France, from Them or Us, possibly the funniest song I have ever heard. You know, In France...that's where it's located...
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Posted By: Bornlivedie UK
Date Posted: March 26 2008 at 10:31
This was how I got into Zappa, it's a really great album... What annoys me is how everyone I know that's heard of Zappa just thinks he wrote gimmicky and funny songs. They don't realise what an amazing musician / composer he was. Such an underrated guitarist as well. |
Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: March 26 2008 at 20:18
This. This. A thousand times THIS.
------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: ghost_of_morphy
Date Posted: March 27 2008 at 01:52
There is no one CD out there that can encapsulate all of what Frank was about, but Apostrophe blankets most of it.
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Posted By: Lionheart
Date Posted: March 27 2008 at 10:57
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You're not the only one!
I saw Frank Zappa twice, once in 1984 and in 1987. In my humble opinion, Frank Zappa was a genius. My favorite album of his is "One Size Fits All". |
Posted By: zachfive
Date Posted: March 27 2008 at 20:30
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He is a genius. He was on crossfire in the 80's as well as slew of other shows. During his interviews he stands his ground while making his hosts look like fools. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISil7IHzxc - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISil7IHzxc |
Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: March 29 2008 at 11:28
Mine too.
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Posted By: song_of_copper
Date Posted: March 29 2008 at 13:15
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Ahhh, I'm listening to FZ RIGHT NOW!! Something that strikes me is how tight, how disciplined, how 'grammatically correct' his music sounds, compared to a lot of other stuff - next to a really great Zappa track, other music sounds sloppy and unfocused. Yes, he was a control freak but... I forgive him. And it's great that there's something for everyone in the FZ back catalogue - even my boyfriend (who views most of my music collection with suspicion!) likes some of it! (I think "our song" is SOFA. ^_^) |
Posted By: Explorer-eighth
Date Posted: April 25 2008 at 19:56
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I've got two Frank Zappa/Mothers CDs - ABSOLUTELY FREE and FREAK OUT. F.O. is good and A. F. is brilliant. I love the way it moves quickly from one track to the next and everything is in exactly the right order. The words combine serious and humorous themes so that it is never flippant as such. Some of the themes can be quite disturbing with a message in them. It has grown on me more with each listening.
I still have a vinyl copy of WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY which is a good album.
Frank Zappa was a great composer and he must have been very influencial on later prog bands like Soft Machine and Henry Cow. ------------- The music I enjoy is complex; varied; deep and well played. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: April 26 2008 at 10:18
Thanks for that link. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: April 26 2008 at 15:46
have you heard Imaginary Diseases (2006) or Wazoo (2007)? i rank those 2 up there with the best of FZ, since they are from the grand wazoo era. question to everyone. When would you say Zappa peaked with his brand of jazz-fusion? some would say the Grand Wazoo era. some would say Hot Rats. some would say One Size Fits All/Roxy and Elsewhere. Some would say Overnite Sensation/Apostrophe era. Some would say the Lather/Zappa NY/Shiek Yerbouti era. i personally go with the One Size Fits All/Roxy and Elsewhere era, since he combined jazz, rock, humor, classical, blues, and everything in between perfectly IMO. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm 
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: April 26 2008 at 15:54
IMO Lather comes sooooooooo close to summing up what Zappa was about. i dont even listen to Sleep Dirt or Studio Tan, or even Orchestral Favorites really, even though there's stuff. Zappa NY comes on because there's stuff on there that's not on Lather. but idk, sometimes i feel like Lather is the ultimate Zappa album (as big as it is). it should have been released as it was originally intended. not the 4 off-shoot albums (except NY) ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 26 2008 at 16:42
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I've got a Lather 3-CD set, which unfortunately was replaced by Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt, etc. when they re-released the entire FZ catalog on Ryko. I'd have to agree that it pretty much sums up much of the FZ experience. The cover has a cow/meadow theme, maybe or maybe not a nod to Atom Heart Mother.
Then again, I've never met an FZ album I didn't like.
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: April 27 2008 at 07:42
I like it but Thingfish is fairly well reviled...  ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 27 2008 at 09:17
Not one of my favorites, and certainly not the first album I'd recommend to someone just starting out with FZ, but there are some damn fine tunes on ThingFish.
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Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: April 27 2008 at 09:31
I agree,his guitar playing is controversial.I meet very few people who appreciate his guitar playing along with his ability to compose. It hurts my feelings. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Shakespeare
Date Posted: April 27 2008 at 10:27
GRAAAAAAA ...mmar nub. |