The Frank Zappa Thread

[WTBOnlineFather]

I wish Zappa had focused on less experimental and subversive music making. In later albums he also really let his comedy overwrite the music. Whether it was a Rock song like Anyway The Wind Blows :
View attachment 5677162

or an Electronic track like Night School :
View attachment 5677188

I think Zappa was at his best when making genuine music.

Have you tried the instrumental albums? (Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar)

 

[Blood Unit]

At first I was really into his humourous stuff like Joe's Garage but nowadays when I listen to Zappa I tend to listen to his instrumental stuff. It is undeniable that he was a genius composer. The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka are amazing fusion albums, and Eat That Question has one of my favorite guitar riffs of all time. Roxy and Elsewhere also has some great instrumentals. Pygmy Twylyte, Echidna's Arf, and Don't You Ever Wash That Thing are god-tier. RDNZL from Studio Tan is also amazing and has one of my favorite Zappa solos during the mid section. And of course, Hot Rats has some iconic ones like Peaches En Regalia.

 

[Crocodylus Acutus]

At first I was really into his humourous stuff like Joe's Garage but nowadays when I listen to Zappa I tend to listen to his instrumental stuff. It is undeniable that he was a genius composer. The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka are amazing fusion albums, and Eat That Question has one of my favorite guitar riffs of all time. Roxy and Elsewhere also has some great instrumentals. Pygmy Twylyte, Echidna's Arf, and Don't You Ever Wash That Thing are god-tier. RDNZL from Studio Tan is also amazing and has one of my favorite Zappa solos during the mid section. And of course, Hot Rats has some iconic ones like Peaches En Regalia.

His instrumental stuff is his creative zenith for sure, as it really lets him show off his skills as composer, and his might as a guitarist, but still lets him experiment and do the crazy shit that he enjoyed doing. I will add though that I also enjoy his more straight forward rock and roll pieces too, but I'm just biased because that's the sort of stuff I was raised on. Good example of this is 'Camarillo Brillo' which is more streamlined, but still a little raunchy and humorous. And those trumpets that kick in for the last part of the song never get old. The only rock song I've seen do horns that good is Fleetwood Mac with 'Tusk.'

 

[Blood Unit]

His instrumental stuff is his creative zenith for sure, as it really lets him show off his skills as composer, and his might as a guitarist, but still lets him experiment and do the crazy shit that he enjoyed doing. I will add though that I also enjoy his more straight forward rock and roll pieces too, but I'm just biased because that's the sort of stuff I was raised on. Good example of this is 'Camarillo Brillo' which is more streamlined, but still a little raunchy and humorous. And those trumpets that kick in for the last part of the song never get old. The only rock song I've seen do horns that good is Fleetwood Mac with 'Tusk.'

Oh for sure, his rock stuff is great too. He was great at creating catchy riffs and melodies while still making them complex and interesting. Overnite Sensation has a lot of good examples of this. I really like the melody from I'm The Slime in particular.

 

[!Felid_Transmuter666!?]

I forced Zappa on my husband and got him to eventually see the light on his genius. First album I heard was the first Mothers when I was in high school. I sing an amended version of "Yo Mama" to my kids. One of my current favorites is "Uncle Remus". Not many musicians can successfully pull off multiple genres like he did. You can definitely see that he influenced Weird Al with his more comedic albums.

 

[AnOminous]

And of course, Hot Rats has some iconic ones like Peaches En Regalia.

There's a Zappa thread? And yes, Peaches En Regalia is one of the best songs ever.

 

[Looney Troons]

Shoutout to Bobby Martin, keyboardist, who provided backing vocals for Zappa’s band. I’ve always loved this live version of Stairway to Heaven. Ike Willis does a great job, and then Bobby Martin absolutely slays the outro. What a legend.

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

Jazz From Hell is one of my main jams, also that Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation two-pack

 

[AnOminous]

Jazz From Hell is one of my main jams, also that Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation two-pack

In other Zappa (mostly) instrumental work, you probably won't be surprised Hot Rats is big on my list, even though I'd originally gotten into him as a teenager because of his edgy shitlord lyrics and his attacks on scumbags like Tipper Gore.

 

[Looney Troons]

Willie The Pimp just randomly played and it prompted me to listen to every live version of Peaches En Regalia and Watermelon in Easter Hay.

On that note, has anyone been to one of Dweezil’s Zappa Plays Zappa shows? I have the opportunity to go see the performance as I’ll be in one of the touring cities in August. I ask because I’ve seen Queen with Adam Lambert, and where the show was awesome, it wasn’t really Queen… if that makes sense.

 

[AnOminous]

This is Zappa in 1963 on the Steve Allen show, where he basically tricked him to get on the show by claiming to be an expert in playing the bicycle as a musical instrument, then admitted he'd only started doing it two weeks ealier.

He plays it completely deadpan, though, and did he have any earlier appearances in pop culture?

One of my favorite bits of this is he mentions his wife at the time (he did actually have one) and Steve Allen is astounded that he has a wife.

 

[Looney Troons]

I just listened to the entirety of Broadway the Hard Way. Awesome live album. ‘Any Kind of Pain’ is an incredible song. I’ve had the LP in my collection for years and never listened to it before. I’d recommend it.

 

[Helping Friendly Book]

I love me some Zappa from time to time, and I’d have to say my favorite albums from him are Hot Rats, Apostrophe, Reuben and the Jets, Joe’s Garage Acts I-III, and Sheik Yerbouti. These might be basic choices, but these are the albums I’ve listened to from him that I think are excellent. Also love his live work in the early 70’s, amazing output there.

 

[Asian tech support]

On that note, has anyone been to one of Dweezil’s Zappa Plays Zappa shows? I have the opportunity to go see the performance as I’ll be in one of the touring cities in August. I ask because I’ve seen Queen with Adam Lambert, and where the show was awesome, it wasn’t really Queen… if that makes sense.

I'm LATE and GAY but yes I went to a Dweezil show with my dad a few months back. Apart from a couple of broccoli boys who might've been lost, I was probably the youngest person in attendance. Lots of gray farts wearing 40 year old tour shirts showing up high as kites.
To be completely honest, I'm not all that much of a Zappa fan and as such, I'm not all that good of a judge of how well the band performed in regard to staying true to the original material. His stuff is the musical equivalent of a shitpost which I can appreciate, though it doesn't do it for me personally. As a (shitty) guitar player, I've always appreciated the technical musicianship of the various Zappa acts and Dweezil's band showed up, especially this young kid he had playing guitar. Really on point.