Quite the endeavor. In my opinion, there isn't such a thing as a bad Frank Zappa album or song. Been a fan since the early 70's, and have around 80 Zappa/Mothers albums within my collection. Spent years discussing him in other forums, so I'd say there won't be a whole lot here that I haven't heard, read, etc. That being said, this thread is a fantastic introduction for someone just getting into Frank, or the least bit curious. Best of luck!
Now to cover the Zappa related works of the 1970s! (And 1969 works I overlooked). First up, Jean-Luc Ponty And George Duke, The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience With The George Duke Trio: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qgty0XwLnKI Released in 1969, this was George Duke’s second record as well as Ponty’s sixth. Produced by Dick Bock and recorded September 22,1969 at Thee Experience in Hollywood,the album is considered an early example of the jazz fusion genre, which Ponty was inspired to perform by Miles Davis’ work of the same time. Rounding out the lineup is John Heard on the amplified upright bass and Dick Berk on drums. This is a very strong record, with Ponty and George really showing why they’re legends and this is also very helpful in completing the Zappa puzzle (not least because Ponty is the one that introduced George to Frank). For Zappa fans or jazz fusion fans, I can give this a solid recommendation.
Jean-Luc Ponty, King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa: Released on May 25, 1970 on World Pacific/Liberty and produced once again by Richard Bock (who I forgot to mention was the one that hooked Ponty and George up), the album is a series of Zappa pieces as interpreted by Ponty on October 7-9 of 1969. In addition to Frank, the album also features contributions from George, Ian, Art, John Guerin, and Gene Estes among others. I do really love this album, so cool to hear Frank’s work interpreted outside of a Rock context (which we will talk more about soon enough with the orchestral stuff), and Ponty performs beautifully on here. I know Frank found him difficult to work with, but I can’t lie, I still love the stuff they did together (plus, to bail out on Ponty for being a prima donna when I continue listening to records with Roy would be pretty hypocritical). I highly recommend this album to any lover of Zappa or fusion.
Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band, Lick My Decals Off, Baby: Now we come to Trout’s successor, also the first full album with Art Tripp/Ed Marimba/Ted Cactus/Art’s-Name-Was-Already-Pretty-Beefheartian-So-Why-Use-A-Stagename as a member of the Magic Band, and the first without Jeff “Antennae Jimmy Semens” Cotton, leaving just Bill “Zoot Horn Rollo” Harkelford on guitar. And once again, John “Drumbo” French and Mark “Rockette Morton” Boston round out the rhythm section. As I’ve said before on this forum, this album is in many ways a more concise Trout, and possesed a more frantic character to it. And of course Art’s marimba work adds a super cool touch to the Beefheart sound. It’s not really orchestral like we expect from Frank, but more another color for Don to use to color his painting. As far as where I rank this in the Beefheart canon, I’d probably put this at third or fourth place, I love this record. It’s not quite as groundbreaking or fresh as Trout, but still poses a musical puzzle for you to piece together while being slightly easier to digest. I can easily recommend this one, though I’d probably put this as the fifth album for a Beefheart virgin to check out.
The Turtles, It Ain’t Me Babe: This is The Turtles’ debut, released in October of 1965 on White Whale Records. While there are select tracks written by vocalist/keyboardist Howard Kaylan, The album largely consists of covers and material by outside writers. On this album, the lineup consists of Howard, Mark Volman on guitar and vocals, Al Nichol on vocals/guitar/bass, and Don Murray on drums. Going into this album, the band clearly have some strong vocal talent and Don Murray shows himself a good rock’n’roll drummer. Material wise, the album is fairly spotty and Howard’s writing isn’t quite there yet. That said, there are some enjoyable tracks and if you’re a Turtles completist it’s worth checking out. Otherwise, you’re good with a Greatest Hits release.
The Turtles, You Baby: We now come to The Turtles’ sophomore effort, released in April of 1966 and produced once again by the team of Bones Howe, Lee Lasseff, and Ted Feigin. The album sees the band making a greater focus on original material, with not only Howard but also Al Nichol and newcomers Jim Tucker and Chuck Portz contributing songs. The band on this album consists of Mark, Howard, Al Nichol, Don Murray, Jim Tucker on rhythm guitar, Chuck Portz on bass, and Dwight Dunji Trio on percussion and special effects. I’d say this is a stronger effort overall, with the band more fleshed out and starting to show some decent writing chops. They still have some way to go, but still a very enjoyable pop record.
Some days I rate Decals as the good Captains' best. I agree, it's a more concise, more digestible Trout Mask Replica — probably not for beginners though.
The Turtles, Happy Together: Here we have the third studio album by The Turtles, released April 29, 1967 and produced by Joe Wissert and Bones Howe. Don Murray and Chuck Portz left the band prior to recording; replacing them on this album is John Barbata and Chip Douglas, The former a known session drummer and the latter having also worked with The Monkees. While the album is still somewhat of a hodge podge like many pop records of the time, it’s material is more consistent than the previous albums. Even without its title track, we get a great slice of sunshine pop of that era with a streak of cheeky humor throughout. I can definitely recommend this album to fans of pop and sixties pop in particular.
The Turtles, The Turtles Present The Battle Of The Bands: Now we come to The Turtles’ most acclaimed record, which was released November 1, 1968 and produced by Chip Douglas, who had left the band the prior year. The album is a parody of “battle of the band” contests and features the band performing in different styles as different bands. The Turtles here consist of Mark, Howard, Al Nichol, Jim Pons (who of course would also join Frank’s band in time), and John Barbatta before he left to join CSN. This is a really fun record with some nice variety yet still maintaining a cohesive flow. In addition, the band show themselves to be fairly versatile players and writers with a knack of offbeat humor not unlike Frank himself. I think it’s worth going more into Mark and Howard’s time with Frank, and more specifically their reception. It’s not a secret that they were really hated back in the day by a lot of fans. Part of it was the increase in raunch as well as bitterness over the Mothers’ breakup. It was also perceived that Frank was selling out by hiring these seemingly teenyboppers or corporate puppets, when in reality, nothing could have been further from the truth. But with time, anybody who bailed on Frank at that time has been replenished with newcomers with no preconceptions about Mark and Howard and who aren’t as tied to the Mothers. As a result, the Flo and Eddie era is simply another period of Frank’s career to enjoy or not enjoy on its own merit. Plus, let’s face it, far more controversial entries into the Zappa canon make it look better by comparison. Back to the record, yes, I definitely recommend it, it’s a great record to add to your collection.
I have both Ponty albums on CD. I like his spacey, psychedelic electric violin sound from that period. The live CD is pretty rare nowadays.
Love love LOOOOVE this album, even though I'm lukewarm at best on JLP's solo work. He really knew how to channel Frank's music and he displays an improvisational style that seems absent in his later albums. "How Would You Like To Have a Head Like That" is a real gem. If I were to recommend Beefheart to a newbie, I'd probably suggest Ice Cream for Crow or Bat Chain Puller, in that they're relatively more accessible, but I can see your point as Decals would give the initiate an inkling of what awaits with Trout. OTOT it might be best to simply get it over with and hit them with Trout since few people are prepared for the Captain in any of his incarnations.
As I’ve said in other threads, I generally recommend starting with Safe As Milk and Clear Spot since those are the most accesible of his big albums, then get into Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller and Doc if you want to get a little weirder, then Decals, then Trout.
Still are! Not by me, though. I love the Flo & Eddie period, I love their singing and all the silliness those two got up to as Mothers. They also strike me as nice people, likable individuals (which is my totally gratuitous impression, as I've never met either). And I'm both happy and sad about that period ending so abruptly. Happy because the albums that immediately followed are absolute gems, and yet sad because I've always wondered what was around the corner for these Mothers after 200 Motels. Raunchy humour aside, they were a great live band with theatrical potential. Can't help wondering what Frank might've make them do next.
The Turtles Present The Battle of the Bands I'm probably not alone but "Food" inspired one of those "wait, what did they just say", lift the needle up and go back a bit to listen again. But yeah, definitely worth hearing if you can find a copy.
Fair enough, but in my experience one either "gets" Beefheart or one does not; people I've introduced TMR to and have not recoiled in horror tend to love it and prefer it to his other albums. It's a very small sample since most recoil in horror.
As far as I'm concerned the truly vital, subversive aspect of Zappa/Mothers ended after Flo & Eddie. The musicianship improved but the lyrics weren't as acerbic and focused on the sociopolitical sphere. We got yellow snow, dental floss, and cheap sex lyrics, as entertaining as they might be. I suppose Montana pokes fun at rich folks buying up cheap acreage, but I'm The Slime is really the only song that smacks people in the face saying "wake up zombies".
The Turtles, Turtle Soup: Here we are at the final Turtles studio album, released in October of 1969 and produced by none other than Ray Davies of Kinks fame. The album also features John Seiter of Spanky And Our Gang fame, replacing John Barbatta on drums. While not on par with Battle Of The Bands, this is still a great record and a nice way to go out. It’s a good rocking album while posing some strong hooks. I can definitely recommend this album, it’s a good one. Overall, while I don’t necessarily put The Turtles on par with say, The Beatles (Ohmyga!), I do think they deserve better than being seen as just another sixties group because they were a very good group, certainly among the best the Sunshine Pop genre had to offer.
Tim Buckley, Tim Buckley: Now we cover Tim Buckley’s studio debut, which features Jim Fielder on bass and Billy Mundi on drums just prior to their joining The Mothers. Released October of 1966 on Elektra and produced by Paul Rothschild and Jac Holzman, the album consists largely of material that Buckley and Larry Beckett wrote while in high school. The album also features contributions from Van Dyke Parks and Jack Nitschze. Overall, it’s a good record and Buckley shows promise as an artist and as a writer. In addition, Fielder and Mundi deliver the goods, they really give the album a boost with their presence. I can give a solid recommendation to this album, though it wouldn’t be my first album to recommend to someone interested in Tim Buckley.
