Frank Zappa Song By Song Thread (1966-96)*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, Aug 21, 2018.

  1. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    This may be the most incredible undertaking in the history of the forum.
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    I Ain’t Got No Heart:

    And now onto I Ain’t Got No Heart, an anti-love song done Zappa style.
    The tune is musically more straightforward compared to Hungry Freaks, the band is nontheless a well-oiled Machine on here, Ray and Frank excellently conveying such dripping sarcasm, and they really do take a piss out of the old Doo Wop ballad style, with a total freak Out at the end.
    I love this song, as I love songs that take the piss out of love songs.
     
  3. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I ain't got no heart
    again the guys have a track that could pass for one of their contemporaries of the day. Zappa was shrewd in putting some of the more accessible stuff early on the record..... a double album debut at that, probably so they could get the less commercial stuff on there also. A good song that reappears many times through the years
     
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  4. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    Another great number with a caustic set of lyrics. Frank and Ray sing together again.
    If we listen to the basic tracks recorded during the sessions, the "freak out" section was not originally planned. It's actually a fragment of "section B" from "Who Are The Brain Police?" edited in, to great effect, by the way!

    Edit: The addition of that section also adds some "conceptual continuity" aroma to it, doesn't it?
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2018
  5. mcchocchoc

    mcchocchoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oregon
    Solid track. Frank must have liked this tune a lot, as it was played on several tours. I like all versions, but this is my favorite. I could listen to Ray sing all day.

    I enjoyed listening to MOFO last night, disc 2 has a lot of tracks that feature vocal overdubs. Great stuff.
     
  6. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    Well, maybe not like the ABBA single thread, but close enough.
     
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  7. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    An early version from Joe’s Corsage with Henry Vestine from Canned Heat on lead guitar:

    Gotta say, I really dig this version, a really cool raw blues rocker.
     
  8. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Live in 1976:


    I know people usually aren’t big on this period of Zappa Live, but this is my favorite of all the live arrangements I know.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2018
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  9. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Zappa Buffalo in 1980:

    Overall, a good rocking arrangement, although I’m not as big on the keys.
     
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  10. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    The studio version is definitely the one.
     
  11. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    I’d agree with that.
     
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  12. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    I Ain't Got No Heart

    There's still a heaviness to the guitar here and a modern sound. I'm really glad that he put this as track 2, before the album gets into the sarcastic doo-wop love songs. It's perfect to state your true feelings up front. I love the anger in Frank's & Ray's voices. This isn't some cheeky song, he means this! I absolutely love the short freak-out at 2:23. Great song!
     
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  13. drad dog

    drad dog A Listener

    Location:
    USA
    I love the music on here more than I remember. I probably have not listened to this LP at this level of fidelity before or with any real perspective.

    This song has great music in it aside from the tag. I think i like the orchestrated parts best here. Ity hits very hard, and could go somewhere else if frank had wanted to. Wow. I think Frank might have sometimes effaced himself by tryiing to be funny, or being cynical. I'm trying to place this in its context of 1966, pre blonde on blonde, post spector. I had had the idea that this was the most "far out" LP released in pop, at the time, by a couple of measures anyway, but it sounds quite reasonable now.
     
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  14. edenofflowers

    edenofflowers A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular!

    Location:
    UK
    Not a great fan of I Ain't Got No Heart. It's a fairly straightforward rocker, a little too musically straight for my early Zappa tastes. I like some of the later bands versions a bit more that this one (the 1988 band's take I particularly like). However, the next track is when things start to get really interesting and the true freak out begins...
     
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  15. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Live in 1988:
     
  16. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
  17. Fastnbulbous

    Fastnbulbous Doubleplus Ungood

    Location:
    Washington DC USA
    :edthumbs:
     
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  18. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Here’s a documentary on the list of artists in Freak Out’s liner notes:
     
  19. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    This thread will go on until the end of times, especially if you include the endless variations on themes, especially on his live albums. :D
     
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  20. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    Gotta give the guy a break, man. I wouldn’t have done it any differently, starting at Official Release #1. I think most, if not all, of those tidbits are covered later in his discography anyway.
     
  21. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    It’s every bit as essential as the rest of his discography and also a great listen in it’s own right.
     
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  22. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Agree; one of the best compilations I can think of.
     
  23. Beatnik_Daddyo'73

    Beatnik_Daddyo'73 Music Addiction Personified

    ...let’s give it up for Ray Collins. :shtiphat:

    “Ain’t Got No Heart” ...gotta love that little bit o’ freakness at the end.
     
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  24. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Who Are The Brain Police?:

    Now we are heading into trippy territory man with the song that Frank once said was of religious theme, and deals with the themes of control and submission. In addition to the members, Eugene Dinovi performs piano on the track and Gene Estes contributes timpani and additional percussion.
    The track kicks off with Roy’s bass wobbling, with droning guitars shading it, and it creates this creepy, surreal atmosphere depicting a collapsing setting and the helplessness that follows, and all these voices collide with each other to create a truly disturbing sensation of claustrophobia and paranoia, and even the kazoo somehow adds to that.
    I forgot to mention this, but this is the song that Frank presented the Soul Giants with when he persuaded them to perform his songs. I can see how he swayed this, cause hot damn this is a good one!
     
  25. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Great singer!
     

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