The Big Note: A Guide To The Recordings of Frank Zappa

My love affair with Frank now having reached unforeseeably dizzying heights after my first pass through the HR Sessions yesterday, I just ordered Big Note on Amazon for $30 total. Now what I really need to know now is, who's got the colouring book?

Specious, yet somehow seductive, reasoning.

 

So you’re saying I should get it?

 

With all the big releases that won't be covered in book it's kind of a bummer. Just sayin...

 

Thanks

 

Even the OED missed out words.

 

...I could see a second edition coming out in 10 years or so to include all that was missed in the first.

 

...it’s a liner note freaks wet dream.

 

Yeah ordered will be here Friday!

 

I am not kidding: I've been reading this daily for the past 3 months.

 

Ordered ! I discovered the post today, waiting for the delivery in France, I confess I'm quite impatient...

 

Zappa arrived today, snail mail.

 

Looks big enough to choke Ben Watson’s Poodle.

 

You sure ain't kidding.

 

Still lovin' this big book.

 

Ulrich should write a book about about Ben Waton's Poodle. They were both hanging out on the newsgroup at the same time.

 

I don't remember Ben Watson posting to a Zappa newsgroup.

 

You don't remember him being in there? I do. I read it for a few years before I was in here. More reacting to his book than his presence, to be fair.

Who was the guy in the desert who intended to throw a party for the newsgroup members, though...he was a composer and a fan...? Not Watson himself, but apparently aware of him writing the book..?

 

I remeber Keneally taking on that book. Link >
The Poodle Bites!

 

Thanks to forum member @timriepe I am now in possession of said tome. Its rekindled my fandom tenfold, I know %90 of Franks music, and now investigating everything all over again.

Can't wait for the update. Hopefully there will be one.

 

I've been spending most of my New Year's Holidays with this book and I'm loving every page of it.

If compared to Watson's book, I would say that this is an engineer's / techician's point of view, while Watson takes a scholarly approach.
The amount of technical trivia is just unbelievable. Sometimes it is beyond my understanding but that is completely my fault. For me, Lydian could just as well be something to eat.

It is also beyond my understanding how the author has managed to track down all the edits between different concerts. For example, Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk from Broadway The Hard Way has 21 edits between 12 different concerts, and they are all marked here. Is there some computer program that helps to find the sources? I suppose that shuffling between the concert tapeas and just looking for matches would be impossible, at least for me.

I have always loved FZ's habit of playing quotes from any songs by any artist just anywhere. Those quotes are all analyzed here, and lots of them I never heard before. For example, anybody can hear Whole Lotta Love in Leather Goods (Lather), but did you know that Dazed And Confused is also quoted there?

 

I loved this book as much as you did and also, like you, marveled at the level of detail, especially regarding all the edits. One of the best music-related books I own, and worth every penny. I think I've read every page at least twice at this point (though definitely not in chronological order!). The cool thing is that it's not merely a reference book (though it definitely is that, too); there's a lot to really dig into.

FYI there's a new book of Zappa interviews out that looks very interesting (and the endorsements of Vai and Dweezil are encouraging):
Frank & Co - Co de Kloet - Haverproducties.nl

 

Den Simms figured those out for the fanzine Society Pages in the early 90's. I believe he did that only using the audience cassettes that circulated at the time.

 

It’s very much a compendium of a lot of research done by a great many contributors (Including yourself). I had a great time pouring through all those pages back in the day, the tape traders. Fzshows, the patio, etc. a lot of minutia that Zappa freaks really go for.

 

Huge thanks to the author and everybody who have somehow contributed in all that research work!

One remarkable thing about this book is that it has only facts, and millions of them. There are no opinions about this solo being better than the other, it doesn't describe how beautiful is Black Napkins or Watermelon In Easter Hay. Just pure objective facts, like it or not.

 

It probably even documents what Ben Watson's Poodle eats...