Talk with me about Frank Zappa

Onebean

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
So I'm always seeking out new music / artists to expand my musical pallet. On a whim I made a Frank Zappa channel on Pandora, looking for a sample of his music. I have always been interested in Frank, but had never listened to much of his music, because it didn't seem approachable to me. By that, I mean there doesn't seem to be a springboard album to start with, then dive into the rest of the collection. This could be because the body of work is so big, or because I don't know anyone who is a fan. After 3 days of Pandora tracks here is my take away.

1- The musicianship is off the charts good. Frank is a very very good guitar player. The rest of the band, which sounds like there are a lot of players, is tight, and on their game at all times. Lots of live tracks have come up, and to say the band is tight is an understatement. I haven't heard many live tracks that can match the group effort.

2- The songs are a bit like when I eat leftovers out of the fridge. I mix a bunch of stuff together, some bites are amazing, and some I can't get through fast enough. Not that it's bad, it just doesn't work for for me after the tastee bite I just finished. Add to that what seems like silly lyrics most of the time, make the songs hard to stay connected with for me.

3- Dweezil Zappa is a very good musician as well.

This post is not intended to offend fans, and I hope it doesn't come off that way. I'm hoping for insightful commentary on how my early assessment of Franks music relates to your long or short term assessment. He is a very interesting man.

Onebean
 
I agree completely with your assessment. Frank's music is an acquired taste and not everyone gets into it.

As far as a starting point.. I started with Apostrophe and I think a lot of people do. Probably just because of the commercial success of Don't Eat The Yellow Snow.

From there I found Sheik Yerbouti and the Joe's Garage albums to be pretty accessible.

I got to see Frank in 1978 and it stands out as one of the best concerts I ever saw... one member in our party tried to give Frank a note with a song request on it. Frank actually took the note but apparently that wasn't the way to make a request. He just read the note and said "This will become a dollar bill..." as he threw it out into the audience. :)
 
1- The musicianship is off the charts good. Frank is a very very good guitar player. The rest of the band, which sounds like there are a lot of players, is tight, and on their game at all times. Lots of live tracks have come up, and to say the band is tight is an understatement. I haven't heard many live tracks that can match the group effort.

I agree. One may not like the genre Zappa is attacking (e.g., jazz, modern classical, doo-wop), but I don't see how there can be any question that the musicianship is always first-rate.

2- The songs are a bit like when I eat leftovers out of the fridge. I mix a bunch of stuff together, some bites are amazing, and some I can't get through fast enough. Not that it's bad, it just doesn't work for for me after the tastee bite I just finished. Add to that what seems like silly lyrics most of the time, make the songs hard to stay connected with for me.

Not sure I follow the leftovers analogy, but his lyrics can ruin a song for me. Some like them, some don't, and others (perhaps most) don't really care. When his lyrics aren't perverted and/or scatalogical, which I find too distracting (for lack of a better word), they can be quite entertaining.

3- Dweezil Zappa is a very good musician as well.

Almost like seeing the man himself, I suspect. I saw him live doing one of his Zappa Plays Zappa shows. He too has assembled some fine musicians (which do his father's work justice).
 
No matter what Zappa album you listen to, or by any means you listen by, I've found it takes 3 complete listening times to fully figure it out.
If you "get" Frank Zappa, no explanation is necessary. If you don't, no explanation is possible.
 
Does the bust in mhardy6647's post look like Samuel Clemens to anyone else?

I've been listening to Zappa recently after running across some used vinyl at the record store.
I've always liked Zappa but the comedy aspect has often been a turn off for me.

But right now I'm loving Sleep Dirt and Overnight Sensation.
 
Try Waka Jawaka. Lyrics are suitable for general listening and the compositions he's pretty close to traditional norms.
 
When you're in the mood for Zappa, there is no substitute!

I was introduced to Zappa through an older brother when I was about 14. I've always felt that Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, and One Size Fits All were his most easily approached albums.
 
Zappa used to say that all of his records weren’t for everyone. People would like some, but not all.

Hot Rats is one of his best, and basically a jazz record. Be sure to check it out.
 
I was only able to see him once in concert. Wow what a show. Just watcing the people who came to the show was entertaining in itself. He had so many musicians that the horn sections were off in the wings. Two drummers a couple keyboard players, I forgot how many guitars and other string instruments. Also a long scaffolding with a percussionist running full lenth of the stage hitting bells, simbals and such. And Frank center stage playing his guitar through a small Fender amp. The best music though was the tape of him playing his guitar while everyone was being seated. No tape loop, just him playing away for over a half hour. He had this huge, not fat, but huge completely tattooed bald guy leaning on a stage pillar the whole show. No one tried to rush the stage. Plenty of panties and even a dolls head stuffed with love letters was thrown up on stage. His tour bus was really cool. Air brushed paintings depicting things from his songs. The back had a picture of him riding a pygmy pony next to a dental floss bush. And yes his zircon encrusted tweezers were twinkling in the moon lighty night.
 
A guy locally plays a of Zappa on his show. It's brainy and it seems like Zappa wants to appear like he's "above" good song writing and fills the music with a lot of Looney Tunes xylophone stuff. If you don't "get" it you're not alone.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I don't get it yet, but I'll keep working at it. The advice on albums to try, helps me a lot. I sure like the more structured songs versus the more abstract songs.
 
He was a major figure of the Laurel Canyon scene that had an unusually high concentration of rock & folk stars, actors and political figures of dubious lifestyles (e.g. Charles Manson, John Phillips, Jerry Brown, Dennis Hopper, Dennis Wilson, etc).

Something very sinister was going on in that canyon community. Many house fires and mysterious deaths http://centerforaninformedamerica.com/laurelcanyon/ or buy the book "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon".
 
Many musicians quit because of the complexity of Zappa's composition arrangement, which tells how much music genius Frank actually contained.
 
I used to be a big fan, saw him many times. These days most of my listening is basically to three albums and then just picking tunes from his other releases.

These three are favorites because the lyrics are sparse and they a bit more interesting than the silly humor stuff.

1. Hots Rats
2. The Grand Wazoo
3. Waka/Jawaka

I have a list of the other tunes around here somewhere, will add once found.



Screen Shot 2017-10-24 at 7.29.19 AM.png
 
Many musicians quit because of the complexity of Zappa's composition arrangement, which tells how much music genius Frank actually contained.

Well, that and he was actually kind of a dick to people and there was the no drug use policy.
 
I hesitate to mention this -- but I will :)

I introduced our son to FZ via a "greatest hits" (for lack of a better word) collection of Zappa material called Strictly Commercial.
This album is akin to the WB Grateful Dead "hits" collection called Skeletons from the Closet. To wit, real fans would abhor to be caught dead listening to either collection -- but I would still opine that collections like these are a way to dip one's toe into the treacherous waters of both of these artists :)

Our son went on to be a huge Zappa fan, with a collection that far outstrips mine.
He's also a mathematics professor with a PhD. Coincidence? ;)

DSC_6302s.jpg


So -- anyway -- if one is starting from scratch, maybe -- maybe -- Strictly Commercial may be just the gateway drug.

R-1731076-1286145379.jpeg.jpg


MI0000079295.jpg


FZ was one of the few truly challenging pop/rock/modern music artists (at least, in terms of those who had substantial airplay and even a few hit singles!).
 
Back
Top Bottom