Questions for Frank Zappa fans*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by gazzaa2, Jun 1, 2020.

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  1. Terrapin Station

    Terrapin Station Master Guns

    Location:
    NYC Man/Joy-Z City
    Never heard of Ian Penman before so I looked up what he had to say about Zappa, and the oddest thing about what I found is that he didn't seem to be aware that especially musically, Zappa had a fondness for most things he seemed to be satirizing. For example, with Ruben & the Jets. Zappa wasn't ragging on doo-wop by any means. Zappa worshipped doo-wop.

    Zappa did so many different kinds of music because he had very wide-ranging musical interests as a fan, and he wasn't interested in narrowly focusing on just one or two of them.

    It seems like it's often misunderstood that you can like something but have fun with it, joke around about or with it, etc. at the same time. Just because you love something you do not need to treat it like a sacred cow and not have a sense of humor about it.
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2020
  2. Tiki

    Tiki Forum Resident

    [​IMG]

    Here is an image that may be helpful. It has floated around on other forums before. His work charted fairly well, but is obviously open to discussion, especially in terms of a starter record (theirs being Apostrophe) My own personal opinion would be Hot Rats or Chunga’s Revenge.

    My favorite albums are found under the “something more jazzy” section:

    The Grand Wazoo
    Imaginary Diseases
    Hot Rats
    Waka/Jawaka
    Sleep Dirt
    Roxy & Elsewhere


    But I’d have to say my all time favorite is Uncle Meat. God, is that album addictive!
     
  3. jloweinmo

    jloweinmo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City
    My first was Joe's Garage as well. We wore that out in High School. I think it was the humor that first reeled us in. In college I started listening to it all and each record was a new experience. As others have said, I suggest Apostrophie and Overnight Sensation to someone coming from Joe's....All the reissues that I have heard from the Zappa family are very well done and inexpensive.
     
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  4. tug_of_war

    tug_of_war Unable to tolerate bass solos

    Whenever his humour doesn't stand in the way of his music, I'm in.

    For example, I can't stand the Adventures Of Greggary Peccary. But the other half of "Studio Tan" is totally my kind of ****. That's how I like Zappa.
     
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  5. HitAndRun

    HitAndRun Forum Resident

    I wouldn't say so much that he's hit and miss. I think that Zappa covered so many different styles of music that it's natural that not everyone enjoys everything. I think that 'Jazz From Hell' is a good album, just not in a style of music that I enjoy.
     
  6. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I love his more "stripped-down" rock tunes like what's on Zoot Allures, Apostrophe, and Them or Us. Here's one of my favorites.

    Stevie's Spanking.

     
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  7. gazzaa2

    gazzaa2 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    I tend to buy stuff I like on Vinyl and stream stuff i'm giving a try to.
     
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  8. 3coloursbeige

    3coloursbeige Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Ha! I'd never seen that before - pretty good...though I think Uncle Meat should be in the More Experimental With Instrumentals section...
     
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  9. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    I think you pretty much nailed it. I’m kind of a fan of the early 80’s stuff but I may be an outlier ;). And if course that ‘88 tour.
     
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  10. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca

    Lol. Right out of Zappa's mouth;)
     
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  11. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    On a certain day AF is my favorite of all the early MOI albums .
     
  12. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA

    Good questions. Lots of folks recommend beginning their Zappa exploration
    with "One Size Fits All", but I think "Freak Out" is a better choice. Why? You
    want to understand how he progressed to "Size ...".

    As with any artist, your mileage may vary. Personally, I find his '80s work
    wanting, generally, but there's good stuff in all phases of his work. Some
    of his early post-Mothers music is challenging, but "challenging" listening
    pretty much is par for the course considering Zappa. It's not just the blatantly
    offensive material ( again, YMMV as to what exactly constitutes "offensive" )
    but his complex pieces may thrill or utterly bore you. For example, I found
    "Joe's Garage Act I" thrilling, but "... Acts II and II" boring. "Thingfish" is
    another work for which I found little care. His three intended "Läther"
    releases that got out in The Late '70s also don't fare as well to my ears
    either and I'm not particularly enamored of The Mk2 Mothers. So as
    some can tell, I tend to prefer Zappa's more successful pop releases.

    "Hot Rats" is an absolute gem of fusion. However, I wouldn't start there.

    The "Zoot Allures" period is wonderful and inspired if you enjoy fusion.

    Back to "Joe": I think it's his most successful pop LP since "Overnight ..."
    or even "Apostrophe" and comes closest to The Mothers' aesthetic in
    many years. Obviously, I have a soft spot for Frank's first band.
     
  13. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    From a discussion on here a while back, I seem to recall that, thought there can be no such thing as a ‘representative Zappa record’, One Size Fits All comes closest to being one.

    You may like a tiny proportion of Zappa’s work, but once you start to explore and move out of your comfort zone, you may find you enjoy most, if not all of it.

    The in-jokes/humour are very alienating to the neophyte (‘I’m using the chicken to measure it’, etc) but once you’re ‘in’ and you get it, you’ll enjoy being part of the ‘club’.
     
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  14. citizensmurf

    citizensmurf Ambient postpunk will never die

    Location:
    Calgary
    Well said. And to quote Zappa's rhetorical question:

    "Does humor belong in music?"

    Most people think humor = comedy/jokes, but the subtlety and nuanced humor that Zappa weaved into not only his lyrics, but instrumentation, and live performances, is genius. Had the humor been the only thing Zappa was good at, he still would be memorable. That he was so prolific and masterful and so many other elements of music, is what made him legendary.
     
  15. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    No waiting...
     
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  16. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    I've been saying we need something like this for years: a website dedicated to, "If I likes this Zappa album, where should I go next?". That is one helluva good start.

    Imagine punching in "RDNZL" or "Watermelon In Easter Hay", or "G-Spot Tornado", and being presented with a manageable handful of other compositions that would appeal to the lovers of those, along with their source albums. What if you checked-on an album cover you just heard, maybe two, maybe one you didn't like, then an engine could draw you a path to your next most-likely satisfying discoveries, with a short description of why. I figure, if mankind can develop algorithms for Pandora, we can do this. The above chart is an excellent example.
     
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  17. steve phillips

    steve phillips Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Overnite Sensation and Apostrophe are my 2 favorites.
     
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  18. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    If you find yourself getting more seriously into Frankie I will suggest this Zappa treasure trove of information of his many albums. Zappa you will find was a workaholic. I'm not a Zappaphile like many here on Hoffman but this book above helps me out just like the many Zappaphiles here will always answer your Zappa questions.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1554201462/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_lst1Eb435JCD0
     
  19. StarThrower62

    StarThrower62 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Although I heard some stuff from Joe's Garage, and Sheik Yerbouti when they were first released, I bought many other Zappa albums before those. I started with Hot Rats, Uncle Meat, We're Only In It For The Money, Lumpy Gravy, and Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar. I found all of these very interesting and enjoyable.

    Others I would definitely not pass on are Grand Wazoo, Sleep Dirt, One Size Fits All, Roxy & Elsewhere, Bongo Fury, Overnite Sensation, and Apostrophe. All Zappa classics.
     
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  20. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    o_OI think that is an odd analogy.
    Joe's Garage isn't incredibly simple, it includes "Watermelon in Easter Hay" a signature piece.
    If the OP has heard that, then I guess they are ready for lots more.
     
  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Never suggested it was simple.... but there is nothing remotely like mo n herbs vacation on Joe's Garage lol
     
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  22. dlokazip

    dlokazip Forum Transient

    Location:
    Austin, TX, USA
    Joe's Garage was my third album after Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch and Sheik Yerbouti. My media server tells me I have 145 albums, 120 of which are physical copies.

    Enjoy the journey. Just remember that Frank, more often than not, constructed albums as albums. As such, some of them should be listened to that way. I remember trying to sample Uncle Meat in a CD store and I didn't get it. It wasn't until I bought the WB cassette out of a bargain bin that I absorbed it correctly.
     
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  23. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    Depends on where you came in. I was a teenager in the 60’s and my favorite Zappa albums are the ones on Verve. Plus a few others. Up to 1971 or so. They resonate with me the most. But he did great work throughout his life.
     
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  24. egebamyasi

    egebamyasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Worcester, MA
    In the Joe's Garage realm I would recommend Sheik Yerbouti and You Are What You Is.

    Then mid period solo Apostrophe, Over-Nite Sensation and Hot Rats

    Then for some early Mothers Freak Out and We're Only In It For The Money (these are my favorites)

    That's my essential Frank. After that you're on your own.

    I don't need everything. Maybe you will.
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  25. The Bishop

    The Bishop Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dorset, England.
    Everything in the 60s and 70s is essential, IMO. I’m not a huge fan of his later work, but many are.
     
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