Essential & Non-Essential Zappa

Studio Tan
Uncle Meat
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
One Size Fits All

 

"Cruisin' With Ruben & The Jets" is cornball and jokey, but also sweet and heartfelt unlike Zappa's other attempts at satire.

 

I too think STUDIO TAN is essential!


Greggary Peccary is a studio masterpiece!
One of his most brilliant pieces IMO

 

If I’m a Zappa virgin and want to explore, am I better off with the project/objects versions - specifically, MOFO 2 disc, Lumpy Gravy 3 disc, Meat Light 3 disc, Crux of the Biscuit, and Greasey love songs - or the “standard” album (cd) versions? Reading though this thread I think I’m getting that the project/objects are reworked versions of the originals along with outtakes, etc?

 

The stand alone versions of Freak Out and Uncle Meat are okay if you're not obsessive about sound quality. MOFO and Meat Light have better sounding and all original mix versions of those albums, along with outtakes.

The stand alone versions of We're Only In It For The Money and Lumpy Gravy are good. Lumpy Money has various alternate mixes.

The stand alone version of Ruben & The Jets is the controversial remix with 80's bass and drums tracks. Greasey Love Songs is the original mix.

The stand alone Apostrophe is good. Crux Of The Biscuit is alternate mixes, live material and outtakes, good stuff, but probably best left until after you are familiar with the original release.

 

A little thread detour...

Zappa and Nektar: Herb Coen, with prodding from Frank, tried to sign Nektar to their newly created DiscReet Records in '73 as Nektar had supported Frank on several dates during his European tour and Frank thought enough of them to try and get them to sign up on the label and open for him for his upcoming US dates. The business deal never materialized and I don't know whether Nektar ever opened for Frank again. I do know that Frank's music inspired Nektar's first use of brass and was an influence in their song Nelly The Elephant:

 

Most of the Project/Objects include the original albums. The regular CD's are usually the "reworked" ones.

 

All of that material is on Läther, too.

But, yeah. You need to have one or the other.

You have to have "Greggary Peccary". You have to have "Revised Music". "RDNZL" should go without saying.

Okay, "Lemme Take You To The Beach" may not be essential, but it's still a lot of fun.

Classic stuff.

 

"Studio Tan" was actually the original follow-up to "One Size Fits All", but with "200 Years Old" in place of "Lemme Take You To The Beach". Why it took so long to come out is a mystery to me. It's a classic!

 

Both Meat Light and Greasy Love Songs are at about $10 each. Grab them while you can.

 

Although the test pressing that exists also has "Regyptian Strut" in place of "RDNZL."

 

Unfortunately, Magdalena has a great melody and Steve Vai playing along with Zappa's sing-song in Jazz Discharge is mind blowing.

Plus, Brown Shoes is really almost as objectionable, lyrically, especially with the little girl's voice dubbed in.

 

But his "singing" on that song is possibly the most annoying thing he ever recorded.

 

It is, but I dig it because
A. To me it is musically way above the other too.
B. Lyrically I think it has some worthwhile content mixed in with the gross. Often listened to it on my way to job interviews

 

I always liked Jazz Discharge. Sort of like an Ornette Coleman solo with a lyric set to it about groupies.

 

Roy Estrada's singing that is. I love the vocals and the melody on that tune. And Arthur Barrow's bass part wouldn't be anything like it is without the vocals/vocal melody being in that vein.

 

Nice FZ Guitar solo too!

 

Essential is a hard to define for Zappa because his music crossed several genres that are not always mutually compatible. Someone who loves Frank's symphonic work may have no use For One Size Fits All, and vice-versa.

I have not really gotten into any of his synclavier work to date (exception: G-Spot Tornado), his early pre-Uncle Meat Mothers recordings hold little interest for me at this time, beyond some of the songs he tended to feature in his live shows in 68-69. The Flo and Eddy stuff has some great moments (most of Chunga and select live cuts), but much of it I find unfunny and just impossible to listen to. I like most of his output from '72-80 and most of my "essential" choices would be bunched in that narrow period of time.

 

If I find out he's doing THIS, during that 'virtual Zappa' show.....
I'm sorry, I'M GOING!!!!!

 

I haven't heard Lumpy Money a ton, and I kind of forgot about the 1984 UMRK remix. It just came up for me on shuffle now, and holy crap do I love the vocal overdubs at the start! I wish that had been on the standard version of Lumpy Gravy.

 

I thought he was talking about Zappa's singing on Drowning Witch? (Since this was the last item mentioned in the sentence)

But I agree with you about ICFN. An amazing track, and Estrada's weird singing fits in perfectly.

 

Maybe . . . I figured since I was campaigning for "I Come from Nowhere" he was talking about that. Also, relative to Zappa's output, the singing on that tune is a lot more unusual and up front about it than the singing on the title track.

 

Speaking of unusual vocal versions of tunes (I mentioned the vocal version of "Duodenum"/the Lumpy Gravy "theme" above), does anyone else love the (Tommy Mars) vocal version of "Envelopes" as much as I do?

 

I hate them. The worst thing on Halloween 77 IMO.