Anybody recall Frank Zappa?

I sure do.

10 years ago, one of my favourite musicians joined the "great gig in the sky"

Hope you all are spinnin' some, for Frank.

 

Kinda hard to choose...was always fond of ABSOLUTELY FREE, for no real reason.....maybe "Status Back Baby" did it for me....always like his bad attitude, though I found some of his more adventurous music, starting with LUMPY GRAVY, somewhat maddening. But a real gadfly and moral conscience, and he understood what being an American was all about. I've read a few books about him, and he was sure an intelligent, fascinating cat. One of the last interviews he gave was for Playboy, in fact, and as usual, he was his same old snarky self, even while he knew he was dying at the time.


R.I.P., FZ!


ED

 

"Dog Breath in the Year of the Plague" was playing in my head from Uncle Meat for much of this afternoon, even though I haven't heard that excellent album (possibly my favorite Zappa) in years. Spooky.

 

If my amp didn't just blow up last night I'd be playing Zoot Allures right about now.

 

I actually just re-downloaded the WOIIFTM acetate from sharingthegroove.org...I haven't played it in years, and some guy had a better version than I'm used to. I have a half-finished "Only Money" FAQ lying around at home that I never worked up the energy to complete. His catalogue is, of course, variation hell.

 

Doing that just right now: Roxy & Eslewhere.

Matti

 

I haven't spun any Zappa recently (not that I have much by him), but I must say WOIIFTM blew me away like few records did when I first heard it. On headphones. Again and again and again.

 

Some may not have liked his delivery style, especially towards the late 70s, but he had a very keen awareness of what our society was all about and what made us tick.

 

I'm with Ed.....Absolutely free is playing now.....

 

-Father I'm glad you're here . . . I want you to hear this . . . I have a confession to make, you know?
-Well, spit it out, son!
-Ee-el-eel-el-el-ell-LÄTHER . . .
-Well, don't be ashamed.

 

So now playing: Läther disc 1


Matti

 

Love the Halloween DVD-A. Gonna have to give that a spin for FZ.

A true genius

 

Läther disc 2 playing now.

Matti

 

And now Läther disc 3


Matti

 

There is no such thing as too many notes, but listening to Läther all the way through may leave you feeling dizzy. Go for it, Matti!

 

This is a great record, IMO. Always have liked it and most certainly will listen all the way trough it, since I haven't listened to FZ for a while. Not that many notes left anymore.

Thanks for the encouragement.


Matti

 

Matti

 

Found a cut-out of the Ryko "Strictly Commercial" comp on vinyl a few days ago and played that last night.

My favorite Zappa moment might just be the opening salvo of "Heavy Duty Judy/Ring Of Fire/Cosmik Debris" from The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life.

We miss ya, Frank.

Ryan

 

Love is not music.
Music (and Frank Zappa) is the best.

Listening to Frank in college totally opened my eyes to what music composition and presentation can be. Granted, I don't like everything (some of the Flo & Eddie material is a bit too grating and I admit to not being able to appreciate some of his orchestral music), but most of it totally does it for me more than any other music.

I have over 60 FZ CDs, but here's a quick list of my faves:

1. Lather
2. Joe's Garage
3. Roxy & Elsewhere
4. One Size Fits All
5. Uncle Meat
6. Hot Rats
7. Overnite Sensation
8. You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol 2
8. Them Or Us
9. Weasels Ripped My Flesh
10. Live in NY

 

Well, I have only 54 FZ cds, but that list is pretty close to mine too. Still I would add at least Grand Wazoo, Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar and WAOIIFTM.

BTW, YCDTOSA vol. 2 has been recorded in this country . Good show.


Matti

 

If you want a real challenging Zappa album to listen to, try The Yellow Shark. It's a 2-disc release from a series of concerts put on in Europe of Frank's instrumental music.

Frank was not that involved in the performances - he directs a couple numbers, but the musicians were really well rehearsed. This is very modern, clasically-oriented music, and one of his last releases.

 

I like Yellow Shark a lot, it's very well recorded. Mine is a single disc, though.

 

Call me a sick bastard but I'm a huge fan of Frank's "comedy music" as the guy in 200 MOTELS would say. JUST ANOTHER BAND FROM L.A., FILLMORE EAST 1971 and especially SHEIK YERBOUTI always bring a smile to my face. So over the top...my wife hates Zappa and actually will leave the house if I put it on when she's around (not that I do at this point).

 

I Love that stuff too, especially the Live In New York album. Luckily my wife likes Frank (as long as the kids aren't there to hear it), too. In fact one of our early dates was to see Frank back in 1980 and once or twice after we were married.