Alien Orifice This is a really cool jazz feel track. It is an instrumental. The percussion is great, and we get it doubled by Vai the second time through. Meanwhile Thunes does a really good job of holding down that jazz feel bass. I assume we have Tommy Mars laying down a really nice little synth interlude .... The its the money shot, with Zappa laying down a typically great lead break .... I need to rebuy this album, I haven't had it for a while now, and this is a lot better than I remember ... I wonder what the deal is there. We come out of the lead break and into a fantastic series of runs that involve a little bit of everybody, and slide effortlessly into the opening theme, with a couple of variations. Excellent track.
Yo Cats This track has a kind of old timey Jazz club feel. Ike Willis puts in one of his somewhat effected vocals, and it is pretty decent as a track, but I just find it a little dull. And dull isn't something I can generally say about Zappa, nor do I want to.
What's New In Baltimore? This sounds like it could have been on Flex-able lol. This track is wonderful. We get this wonderful meandering series of arpeggios that have the Ed Mann, Tommy Mars and Steve Vai special sauce, and it is a really intense instrumental that rolls along nicely and then we burst into a very cool musical refrain, that would really be used to great effect in live shows. On the album it is a Zappa guitar clinic, and I, of course, Love it.
I'll look forward to reading any comments you have about the material, and also to you joining us on the stuff we are in the process of going through. Have fun
Little Beige Sambo Is this Zappa's first synclavier based release? This track somewhat pointed the way to Jazz From Hell. It is a very interesting track, but comes off somewhat cold sounding in context with the other stuff on the album ... in my opinion of course. There is no real debating the musicality, and I completely understand the composer in Frank enjoying the ability to use this tool to more fully realise some of his ideas. This is a sonic assault with some quite amazing runs of notes that leave the listener who is really listening somewhat breathless.
Porn Wars This track is a collage of speeches, and sounds that Zappa chose to put with it. I never had this US version of the album, so I am not particularly close to this track. I found the whole PMRC stuff intriguing, and quite disconcerting, but this track never crossed my radar. this is somewhat in the avant garde Zappa mode, and although I appreciate it for what it is, it isn't something that I particularly reach for when I feel like getting my Zappa fill.
I'll give updates so you know I'm on the case and you don't miss me My first experience of Steve was Jack Butler and that put me off him for years.-My loss I know he adored Frank Zappa and I hear elements of FZ in his albums. However hard I try I can't get into FZ. Good in places is about it for me. Also love most of what Beefheart did and I know the FZ connection there too.... Tried FZ again recently. Good music, hated the singing and lyrics seemed pointless
I enjoy eighties Zappa, but for me the prime Zappa period is Hot Rats through to probably Zoot Allures. Zappa certainly liked to use unusual lyrics, but in that period he was more focused (to me) and his lyrics were better.... having said that though. Joes Garage and Sheik Yerbouti from 79 are among my favourite albums of his.
Good point. Will try those albums, possibly again. Must get it into my head that artists produce different albums
I have most or all of Steve's albums and some DVDs so will put them in date order and go through them - for the first time in date order. Not played for a while on the super upgraded system so way more music to come to me Will add in the albums he played on as a group member later. This is taking even more time than I thought with all those video clips - not a problem! - just played the Crossroads duel - wonderful I'll be back
No worries mate. Enjoy! Every Saturday I put a reference list up with links, so that the albums and songs are more easily found/accessible. So you can always skim through and go back for listens if it makes the journey easier for you
I rarely listen to Prevention. I like some of the tunes including Alien Orifice, and Baltimore but I listen to the live versions. Orifice from Vol 6 has a really good synth solo by Mars.
Steve Vai - a rough history The JEM guitar Interview Talking about Zappa Some guitar techniques Stevie's Spanking with Zappa 1981 May 1981 Zappa Tinseltown Rebellion Fine Girl Easy Meat For The Young Sophisticate Love Of My Life Ain't Got No Heart Panty rap, Tell me you love me, Now You See it now You don't, Dance Contest, Blue Light, Tinseltown Rebellion, Pick Me I'm clean Bamboozeld By Love, Brown Shoes Don't Make It, Peaches 3 1981 - Shut Up And Play Yer guitar - Frank Zappa Guitar Book sept 1981 Zappa You Are What You Is Teenage Wind Harder Than Your Husband Doreen, Goblin Girl, Theme From the 3rd movement of sinister footwear Society Pages, I'm A beautiful Guy, Beauty Knows No Pain Charlies enormous mouth, Any Downers, Conehead, You Are What You Is You Are What You Is - video Mudd Club, The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, Dumb All Over Heavenly Bank Account, Suicide Chump, Jumbo Go Away, If Only She Woulda, Drafted Again NYC Palladium 1981 - with Zappa May 1982 Zappa Ship Arriving Too Late to Save A Drowning Witch No Not Now Valley Girl I Come From Nowhere Drowning Witch Envelopes Teenage Prostitute Mar 1983 Zappa Man From Utopia Cocaine Decisions The Dangerous Kitchen Tink Walks Amok The Radio Is Broken Moggio The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou Stick Together Sex Jazz Discharge Party Hats We Are Not Alone Jan 1984 Zappa Flex-able + leftovers Little Green Men Viv Woman Lovers Are Crazy Salamanders In The Sun Boy/Girl Song The Attitude Song Call It Sleep Junkie Bill's Private Parts Next Stop Earth There's Something Dead In Here Oct 1984 Alcatrazz - Power Live dvd Oct 1984 Zappa - Them Or Us The Closer You Are In France Ya Hozna Sharleena Sinister Footwear II Truck Driver Divorce Stevie's Spanking - live Vai and Zappa jam Baby Take Your Teeth Out Marque-son's Chicken Planet Of My Dreams Be In My Video Them Or Us Frogs With Dirty Little Lips Whipping Post March 1985 Alcatrazz Disturbing The Peace God Blessed Video Mercy - actual song Will You Be Home Tonight Wire And Wood Desert Diamond Stripper Painted Lover A Lighter Shade Of Green Sons And Lovers Skyfire Breaking The Heart Of The City - live Vai Live at the Spirit Club 1985 Nov 1985 Frank Zappa - Meets The Mothers Of Prevention We're Turning Again Alien Orifice Yo Cats What's New In Baltimore Little Beige Samb Porn Wars with David Lee Roth - Big Trouble The Crossroads dual For The Love Of God -live with the Metropole Orchestra
Mostly instrumental FZ albums for you to try: Hot Rats Burnt Weeny Sandwich Waka/Jawaka The Grand Wazoo Sleep Dirt Make A Jazz Noise Here
Phew. Through 16 pages and that was skimming. Thanks Mark for the in depth analysis. Working out if I stick with Steve's own albums or follow right from the beginning now. The boss has a task for me in the garden so my brain can work on my decision
Being a Beefheart fan, he may like Bongo Fury too. One Size Fits all is brilliant, and that was my breakthru Zappa album @MikeMusic ... The lyrics are not as ... sort of juvenile as the later albums
I may have played or sampled all the FZ albums. Bongo Fury some years back Will give them all another bash Soon I will be working on sorting the boss's pc, screen, interweb connection. Not a great list for the technically challenged punter like wot I am Still thinking on all or solo Stevie output
Aerobics In Bondage Another interesting exercise in synclavier. I like the melodies and the typical structural diversity that one gets with Frank, but one thing that Zappa's synclavier work misses, from my perspective is the warmth and personality of the guys he used to get in his bands. There is kind of a cold sterile feel to a lot this stuff. Which doesn't discount it as valid.... For me, each of Zappa's bands had a unique character that was infused to the ideas Zappa would get them to execute ... the original Mothers, Flo and Eddie, George Duke and Napoleon Murphy Brock, Ray white and Ike Willis etc etc ... there are certain definable sections of Zappa's career, where the members had a significance on the music and its personality. The synclavier removed this dynamic, and I think it ends up a little lesser because of it.
I Don't Even Care This is almost a good example of what I mean in the last post. This is musically a less interesting track than aerobics in bondage, but Johnny Guitar Watson adds enough personality to give this a better presence. Also we cab clearly here Ike and Ray in the backing vocals. This isn't a favourite track, but Watson makes it worth a revisit every now and then... Of course this is from the European version. The tracks covered prior to this are the US version of the album.
One Man, One Vote This is another track that seems to be synclavier based, and it is surprisingly almost a Zappa variation on new wave or something. It starts with a perky kind of beat, that is almost danceable, but then of course being Zappa he wanders into fields unknown to experiment with the rhythmic and melodic structure.
Yo Cats Here we have a Zappa/ Tommy Mars composition. This track has a sort of jazz feel to it. It is essentially some layered keys with Ike doing his best to breathe some life into this track. Lyrically this kind of follows the Joe's garage ideas that Joe had in the twilight realm of his existence, and the prison sequence. Kind of a scathing attack on industry types. This isn't really a favourite.... it is there, but it doesn't tweak my interest the way Zappa normally does.
H.R 2911 This track has a sort of cross between Lumpy Gravy, and the synclavier years thing going on. It is working on atmosphere, and it manages to create a lot of atmosphere. We have some, sort of erratic percussion, with sound effects and little chordal and melodic sections coming through. We get the snorks also. To me this is Zappa just messing about and creating an aural landscape.