GUITAR

Frank Zappa was so many things. First and foremost, he was possibly the greatest composer of the late twentieth century. He was also a funny and entertaining performer. But also, he was one hell of a guitar player. Unique and exciting, his solos were one of the highlights of every live show. This is the second collection of guitar solos that Zappa released (the first being "Shut Up And Play Your Guitar" - if you don't count the separate LP releases of that set). Both sets spotlight Frank's unusual and amazing guitar style.

I have heard complaints about how Zappa always played over fairly simplistic chord progressions. My thought was that he did that to contrast the complexity of his playing. In fact, his solos usually consisted of many of the odd timing and melodies that made his written pieces so interesting.

While I love this whole set, two pieces always stand out to me. On In-A Gadda- Stravinsky, Zappa dares to play "The Rite Of Spring" over the famous Iron Butterfly riff, until the piece breaks down into "Taps". And It Ain't Necessarily The Saint James Infirmary Frank, along with keyboardist Tommy Mars, play a great bluesy version of the Gershwin classic.

I highly recommend this for the serious guitar freak.