Zappa appreciation thread

[number51]

Can u be my dad after my dad dies? Its either u or @Xuder O'Clam

It would be an honor.

I already feel bad for waltzing into this thread and giving my unsolicited opinion BUT... I like humor. I like music. I can never reconcile the 2. Like, I will listen to a humorous song and say 'those lyrics are funny' but I can't bliss out to it. I can't bliss out to comedy on its own, either. I'm a cuck. Frank Zappa's humorousness always got in its own way for me with his songs, although I think he (and his kids!) is/are talented musicians.I also had to listen to the same Zappa song over and over again with my ride to high school until sophomore year. The lyrics made jokes about 'super vulva' or something. Love Maybe, Dad

Frank has entire albums with no attempts at humor, Shut Up And Play Your Guitar, 100% instrumental. The man has a 112 album library, no two alike, not all excellent, but all very different, he didn't like to repeat himself.

In the late 70's early 80's he played small venues like the Uptown Theater, and did two shows a night, we always got tickets for both shows, because they were entirely different. I hate when every album sounds like a retread of their last successful album and when they go on tour it's the same set list for every stop, mindless shit.

Zappa kept things moving, I appreciated that.

 

[KittiesKorner]

It would be an honor.



Frank has entire albums with no attempts at humor, Shut Up And Play Your Guitar, 100% instrumental. The man has a 112 album library, no two alike, not all excellent, but all very different, he didn't like to repeat himself.

In the late 70's early 80's he played small venues like the Uptown Theater, and did two shows a night, we always got tickets for both shows, because they were entirely different. I hate when every album sounds like a retread of their last successful album and when they go on tour it's the same set list for every stop, mindless shit.

Zappa kept things moving, I appreciated that.

you all have converted me. gonna listen.

conditional love, e-DAD

 

[KittiesKorner]

I think I was negatively disposed to Frank because the person who gave me a ride to school smelled like unwashed birkenstocks and wet farts and I would only ever hear any of 3 songs while getting a ride to school: [Kinks: 'Lola' live (and I love the Kinks but am not a fan of that song, especially live), Phish: Fee, Zappa: whatever the super vulva song was]

 

[Icculus]

If you have a Spotify or Apple Music subscription, you can check out a lot of Live Zappa, especially Deluxe Anniversary Editions of Zappa in New York, Orchestral Favorites, The Roxy Performances, and Halloween 1977 (The basis of the Baby Snakes movie).

 

[ytsejam]

 

[Penny Traitor]

The only thing more shocking than me missing this thread the last couple of days...is the OP listening to schmucks like Tim Heidecker or SeniorHateMe about Frank Zappa. His collection is like going to a buffet...there is just about everything you want there, but expect to come across a few sections that make you gag.

I personally love his Zoot Allures album:

 

[botfly10]

I really like Apostrophe

That might be a noob Zappa album - like Closing Time from Tom Waits, but I dig it.

 

[botfly10]

I think I was negatively disposed to Frank because the person who gave me a ride to school smelled like unwashed birkenstocks and wet farts and I would only ever hear any of 3 songs while getting a ride to school: [Kinks: 'Lola' live (and I love the Kinks but am not a fan of that song, especially live), Phish: Fee, Zappa: whatever the super vulva song was]

 

[Penny Traitor]

Just some random Zappa stuff to appreciate:

The custom made "Warning/Guarantee Label" he voluntarily put on his albums during his famed anti-censorship crusades of the 1980's....

Weird Al Yankovic doing his best Frank Zappa impression....

And finally, here is Frank being totally outstaged by Napoleon Murphy Brock....

 

[HeHateMe]

Just some random Zappa stuff to appreciate:

The custom made "Warning/Guarantee Label" he voluntarily put on his albums during his famed anti-censorship crusades of the 1980's....

Weird Al Yankovic doing his best Frank Zappa impression....

And finally, here is Frank being totally outstaged by Napoleon Murphy Brock....

Zappa has already been instilled into my Alexa everywhere group whether wife or kids like it or not. They like some of it a lot.

I'm obsessed now.

 

[HeHateMe]

Can someone more experienced tune me in to the guitar work? I thought willie the pimp was pretty good but???

 

[ytsejam]

 

[number51]

And finally, here is Frank being totally outstaged by Napoleon Murphy Brock....

Zappa was a very generous musician, at every performance I ever saw, at least once he would take off his guitar, sit down on a stool on stage, light a smoke and just enjoy the show like the rest off us. He always had great musicians in this band, George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Steve Vai, many more. The man had no problem sharing the stage, and it was very cool seeing him become another audience member, of course when he picked his guitar back up, there was an ovation.

 

[puckthefackers]

My fave thing about Zappa was he fired Lowell George from his band. Little Feat > Frank Zappa

 

[BearFanJohn]

Talented, intelligent dude whose music I have yet to really appreciate.

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

 

[HeHateMe]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Page


WOW

 

[HeHateMe]

Jjeesh Christmas he is literally a God of guitar. I've been scouring YouTube and am in awe. He does a blues solo and then has modes and scales from somewhere else with absolute ease. Amazing

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

Watermelon in Easter Hay

Black Napkins (there is a live version on YT on the Mike Douglas Show, with Jimmie Walker and Kenny Rogers as the other guests)

The solo on Any Kind of Pain from Broadway the Hard Way

Or the perfect and rare 20 second solo on Wind Up Working in a Gas Station

One of my favourite solos on a Zappa album though is Ian Underwood's sax on Gumbo Variations

 

[number51]

Jjeesh Christmas he is literally a God of guitar. I've been scouring YouTube and am in awe. He does a blues solo and then has modes and scales from somewhere else with absolute ease. Amazing

One of my favorite things from his live shows, he's jamming and having some fun, then gets serious looking and puts some talc on his left hand, the crowd goes nuts, because he is about to shred, and yeah he is. I don't know what percentage of that was theatrics, but is was always fun.