"Probably one of the great pieces of music of our time." FZ 1976
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 พ.ย. 2024
- A short analysis of Zappa's masterpiece "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" from the 1978 album "Studio Tan". In this video I look at some of the melodic and harmonic structures and illustrate references from other pieces of Zappa's music.
When I first heard Studio Tan I was a big Zappa fan and thought he was great musician but after hearing Greggery Peccary I thought - "No he's not just a great musician he's a Genius of the highest order" - cause that piece is mind-bogglingly Brilliant.
Yes. Zappa was a genius.
Studio Tan tracks..included on never released triple album LÄTHER is Zappa at his absolute best. On side two there’s Revised Music for Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra + RDNZL … Masterpieces. Greetings from Sweden. I saw Zappa in 1979 Gothenburg..I was 18yo
Incredible analysis. People thought I was crazy when I had people listen to the piece many many years ago. Fz is finally getting his due in the classical world. Thanks.
You might be crazy . Firesign Theater convinced my friends I was crazy . I might be .
If Ruth Underwood hadn't existed, somebody would have had to invent her just so she could play with Zappa. It's almost impossible for me to imagine Zappa's music without her contributions.
Damn if I wasn’t just this morning listening to Zappa’s live music from early to mid-70s and marveling how much Ruth wove and held his compositions together and how much FZ must have valued her prowess to make sure ALL the percussions, all the damn mallets, marimbas, bongos, gongs, etc were brought along the tour, so that Ruth can play everything everywhere all at once. Such magical musical amazement. Wish I could have seen those shows with Ruth!! 🤘🏼🎧🤟🏼
@@papacarl2002 , there's an interview on TH-cam where Ruth talks about reluctantly, very reluctantly, allowing Frank to put pickups on her instrument.
She didn't write Frank Zappas songs Frank Zappa wrote his own songs. Ruth just played in his band
@@jasonmillion5970 , true, but Zappa clearly was composing music that put her talents to heavy use.
Frank Zappa's the greatest
I often think this is Zappa's best piece, and I have listened to most, if not all, of them. An under-appreciated masterpiece.
His music is so layered, complex, and oftentimes simple and spacious. When interviewed, he thinks and never wastes a word. An amazing mind.
My favourite Zappa piece, by far. I think I've listened to it several dozen times, and still, the whole 23 plus minutes pass without me even noticing.
Thank you very much for this insightful analysis of what may be my favorite composition of all time. Though I know the piece extremely well, I learned so much here.
Zappa during the 70s was at the highest peak of productivity. Lather was fantastic!
Zappas musical genius knew no bounds. He was taken too early. I never tired of listening to his work. GP is certainly a wonderful example of his musical imagination
One of my favorite songs of all time. I pity people who have never heard it. I've played it for my son since he was very young and we both still insert "yoo hoo-hooooo" and "voo-den, vooden" into our conversations for no reason.
Interesting insights in this masterpiece. Thx for sharing!
It's a perfect example of his "conceptual continuity". I've been listening to it quite a lot lately. It is absolutely a masterpiece, from the music to the lyrics... the whole thing. One of my favorites. Definitely the work of a genius.
This piece always reminded me of L'Histoire du soldat by Igor Stravinsky. Great video, thank you so much for doing this. I absolutely love this piece.
As a teen in the 80s buying 2nd hand Zappa LPs I had the choice between Studio Tan and Drowning Witch I asked the shop guy what they were like... Studio Tan was described dismissively as "Jazzy". I bought it and it was so much more... still one of the most amazing Zappa albums after 40 years of listening to it. GP is just such a deep dive of amazing music, yet Zappa was just prepared to put fun vocals and story over it... to trick people into listening to something that was "better for them in the long run"?
Cheers for video, wonderful album. Never occurred to me before you played the chord from blessed relief how it sounds like outside now. Take care.
Thank you so much for this! Some of those chords are breathtaking. If I remember correctly, the "Blessed Relief" chord gets reused a few years later in "Outside Now."
Just posted that observation myself...missed your comment
Contains my favourite go to Zappa quote . . . "Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?"
Which continues to be relevant 50 years later, with (NYC) people glued to their cell phones. They can't even look up while climbing the subway stairs. "I'm the slime oozing out from your internet..."
This was one of the very first Zappa compositions I'd ever heard. I'd heard valley girl a number of years earlier with a passing interest as a generic rock fan and had watched the 2020 documentary as a puerile curiosity. I was recommended Studio Tan on TH-cam by complete chance. I listened to RDNZL and Low Budget and was stunned by their sophistication, complexity, wit, creativity, etc. Then I checked out Greggery Peccary. I was a jazz fanatic prior to my introduction to rock, fusion, anything of that variety; played 3 instruments, was in concert bands. I thought I was hot shit. From the first few bars of Greggery, I knew instantly I knew absolutely NOTHING. I dove headfirst into everything Zappa, and never looked back. This piece changed my life.
Longtime Zappa fan and, out of an astounding catalogue, Greggery Peccary has to be my all-time favorite Zappa piece and I felt that way when it first came out. It is such a totality and easily the best merging of his "comedy music" side with intensely serious music. So many banger sections, amazing chords, amazing rhythms, great, memorable melodies.
I’ve always loved this amazing song!
I remember hearing this in 1982 in my early teens and thinking that it was an audio movie if there ever was one. For me it remains one of the Himalayas by a composer and musician who himself is my Mount Everest.
The very 1st time I did acid, I was 17 and alone. 97 Rock out of Buffalo was playing the entire side of the Studio Tan LP before it was released and I was listening with headphones. I was peaking right when the part with the "They appear to be casting sinister glances his way through their....GLINTING ACID BURNT OUT EYEBALLS" Needless to say I lost it! Still one of my all time favorite tracks.
The phrase is actually "acid burnout eyeballs"
Slightly different meaning. Although still potentially disturbing while peaking on acid 😳
@@Tharg_the_mighty At that moment, I knew exactly what he meant...LOL
Thanks for doing this! Man o man has this been a favorite of mine. Such a great opus, I love how it can randomly come in my head. Sometime i wonder why ill be humming to: "Who is making those new brown clouds, who is making those clouds today?" and than Ill remember that, 20 years ago I spent a good 4 years of listening to pretty much only Zappa.
Living in CA ...that line comes to mind a lot ...I say it out loud in the car
I often find myself randomly singing entire portions of GP (for years already) while doing things like household chores. It's to Zappa's genius credit that he was able to connect words and music in such a way that even though it's immensly complicated it somehow sticks and becomes a part of your everyday life. I even do all the funny voices. 🙂 Thank you for your yet again insightful video.
Same !
absolutely same dude i can NOT believe it other people do this too = some of the melodies and lyrical lines have totally lodged themselves into my subconcious !!!
@@Draxtor Ben Watson talks about this in his book "The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play". He says something in the line of Zappa's mention of everyday common things together with his absurdist humour and quirky melodies makes it pop up in your mind at the most unexpected of times. He experienced a very strange Zappa moment when he discovered a brand of umbrella at Harrod's in London called Knirps. This is referenced in "Penguin in Bondage" where Zappa says "Knirps for moisture". Things like that just lock themselves into your brain. How Zappa was able to retain all that information and then use it in songs with all these layers of meaning is mind boggling to say the least. Florentine Pogen was an obscure Scandinavian cookie if I remember correctly. This stuff is just endless. I can't tell you how many times I've said "Yes, it's definitely a case of moooo-eeeh" (from the video Does Humour Belong In Music) everytime I came upon something silly or stupid. 🙂 It's like "Zappa for everyday use".
Man, It happens to me too! Cleaning, cooking, showering... GP is the perfect soundtrack.
@@splankhoon yep, Zappa lyrics are full of commercials and popular culture references. In Flakes the verse "She's frosting a cake with a paper knife" is from the Pillsbury Frosting Supreme 'Paper Knife' commercial (1977).
Fantastic piece, fantastic study on your part. From a devoted Zappa fan for nearly 50 years... thank you, Chanan!
One of my favorite Zappa tunes. Studio Tan was my first CD of his. I can't thank you for making this masterpiece, your musicianship is TOP. All the information was new to me. Really. Thank YOU!
You're doing not only a hugely valuable job culturally speaking, it's love that I see the most in your videos about Zappa's music and this thing is, instead, invaluable.👍🏼👍🏼
Absolutely brilliant, thanks so much Chanan. Bravo for your hard and intuitive work.
This was the piece that got me into Zappa, the first piece of his I ever heard at age 12/13 fantastic escape into a different world.
Wow, loved this video. Now I need to give Gregory Peccary another listen. It’s always been one of my favorites
Great analysis. In the midst of the loud 20th cent. dissonance, controveries and his glare, I always found a moments of child-like glee in Zappa's music.
It's amazing to think that he composed most of the musiic in a hospital bed, recovering from that push off stage in London in December '71.
The steno pool originated a the first section of a suite called Farther Oblivion.
Yes, wonderful. And even more so than I could discern. 1969, 1972! Scott Bradley! Thank you.
Wonderful video. Your insights are always eye opening helping us to see/hear more of the conceptual continuity :)
Once again, thanks for this analysis of the Zappa's composition. Studio Tan is one of my favorite Zappa's albums.
in the cacophony section of the transistor radio segment...if you listen REALLY carefully...you can hear little snippets of The Sound of Music and Climb every Mountain.
He would often cram so many musical quotations into just one song that there's no way to catch all of them on first listen.
Greggery should never have invented the calender!
Zappa Lives!
Awesome insight and understanding Chanan .Thanks for your analysis of this and other FZ compositions .
Look forward to seeing more .
👍
The man was definitively a music genius!
Yes!
Great analysis,thank you so much. ("...although I'm playing all of the notes in the harmony,they're not in the same order." At this point I had a mental image of Eric Morecambe(who was a big Zappa fan according to his son)grabbing 'Andrew Preview' by the lapels and uttering a similar sentence.)
Thank you for all of the hard brain work you put into this analysis. I learned o'bunch.
I absolute love this track. Studio Tan is in my top 10 all-time albums. And as much as I love Gregory Peckary, the B-side is even better... hint, hint!!
Thank you for such an astute breakdown of this masterpiece. One of my go-to listens during longer drives (and yes; I do sing along with all the parts!).
The added bonus; Reading the other comments here. It warms my heart to realize I am not alone in my love for 'Studio Tan'. It has remained among my favorite Zappa albums since its release. I do hesitate recommending it to friends as an intro to Zappa's music, not being as immediately accessible as 'One Size Fits All' or 'Apostrophe'. But 'Studio Tan' gives the listener so much more to take in, such rich and nuanced compositions, (statistical density?) but they hold up to repeated listening so well, always a rewarding experience. .. Even the deceptively goofy 'Let Me Take You To The Beach' is a pure joyride. (BTW that's 'Grand Funk's' Donny Brewer on the bongos!). It never gets tired.
.. And in addition to having a really deftly arranged and mixed version of 'The Adventures of Greggery Peccary' Studio Tan also contains arguably the BEST version of 'RDNZL'. I've heard at least half a dozen different arrangements of that piece by Zappa over the decades, live and in studio, and that version on 'Studio Tan' is my favorite.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much for making this! I've championed GP since the first time I heard it (in 1989).
Always one of my fave Zappa pieces (as well as the rest of the three albums released at that time: Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt, Orchestral Favorites). This is a fascinating look at this piece. I was especially surprised that Frank recorded each section of band and orchestra separately then mixed it all together. It worked! Everything in the piece is extremely clear and distinct. Amazing process. Thanks so much for your appreciation of this and your wise analysis. I’ve always recognized the ‘’cartoon music” elements, but there are so many other things going on, including the hilarious story. Crazy depth of ideas and execution.
The "Blessed Relief" chord is - at first glance - reminiscent of the chords in the "Outside Now" vamp
True.
After finding a brave orchestra's rendition of this piece, I've revisited "Greggery Peccary". While I've always loved this piece, I now appreciate it as maybe my favorite single Zappa work. As Chanan so expertly touches on, the elements to discover are almost endless! Here's a link to the Aurora Orchestra rendition th-cam.com/video/EwL-E2iI44Q/w-d-xo.html
The Nocturnal Gregarious Wild Swine!
Another brilliant analysis!
Well done friend! TAoGP has long been one of my favorite Zappa pieces, since the days of listening to Studio Tan on a cassette Walkman. People on the bus thought I was losing my mind... and I was! Thanks for the great video and analysis!
Many thanks! One of my favourite!
Extraordinary analysis of this piece....your exploration throws new light into the workings of this arrangement..
Really appreciate the time and effort put in to explaining the workings of this piece. Thanks!
such a good video thanks! good to have some understanding of my goosebumps
This is the first time I have seen anyone draw a comparison between the music of Frank Zappa and that of Carl Stalling. I think you are spot on. I bought a CD of Carl Stalling music because it reminded me of Frank!
The first time I heard it I, really wasn't expecting much. I knew the title of the song, and I had an idea it was going to be some silly jokey thing. On first listen, I couldn't take it all in, it was pretty confusing. But on each re-listen, I realized more and more what a fantastic creation it is.
My first Zappa, and still the best.
Dear, Here is indeed a Masterpiece in his work! I find Frank's music fascinating but not always easy to understand. Even if we manage to detect (sometimes) his influences, it is such an abundance of ideas, totally unique, unconventional and inimitable! A big thank you for your very serious and irreplaceable work for anyone who wants to go deeper into this fabulous music. It’s really great that you give us all these reading keys! THANKS ! THANKS ! Friendly musical thoughts
As a young FZ fan I was blown away when this first hit the record stores and I was able to listen closely. It has always stuck with me as one of the most complicated, yet somehow accessible, pieces of music I've ever heard in my life. Since the album sleeve had no liner notes and no lyrics included. I spent a lot of time writing out all the lyrics and keeping all those sheets of paper in the sleeve with the vinyl. "Singing" along with this was a real blast when you were 19 and getting really high with your friends. But the "statistical density" of this music is just astounding. (Fans will see what I just did there ..!!)
These harmonic structures and rhythmic groupings, not to mention the instrumental choices in the ensemble, make for a piece of music that is just now starting to be understood for what it is. For me, this piece became a piece of my "classical music" history and a large piece of my musical development and understanding. And it's so rewarding to see this analysis by someone who really appreciates this piece and has the musical knowledge and vocabulary to discuss it in detail.
When I first heard this I was saying that FZ's compositional brilliance probably won't be understood and fully appreciated for generations. It's been a couple of those now and here comes this detailed and beautiful breakdown which of course only scratches the surface of the entire piece. Thanks to Mr. Hanspal for this wonderful breakdown which clearly illustrates his appreciation for FZ's brilliant musical (and philosophical) mind.
This is the first Zappa I remember hearing. I heard it after school at a friend’s house who fittingly enough,was the son of Savoy Brown guitarist,Kim Simmons. He still is, I’m sure. Anyway, it’s been decades since I’ve listened to Gregory. Good memories. Thanx!
Your analyses of FZ's music have been fantastic throughout.
The notation, mechanics, and theory involved in this piece/video go a bit over my head; but this is by far the most entertaining Zappa video I've watched in a long time.
Thanks a lot for breaking it down for someone like myself who isn't particularly well versed in notation or theory. Isolating the details has definitely enriched my understanding of a song I've loved for many, many years.
Zappa was a million years ahead of everyone and was truly a special person.
Cheers! Love your work.
Can’t wait to watch this! Peccary is one of my favorite FZ pieces and I even wrote a term paper on it while in college
Frank was probably thinking “I wonder if anyone will ever discover all these little quotes in the universe of conceptual continuity?”
Well, Chanan did, down to the sea shanty.
Zappa was amazing on so many levels; thanks for the great analysis.
One of the greatest albums ever made
my life will be complete when a top drum and blugle corps plays the wagon train portion of GP
This is fantastic stuff. All the right ingredients came together at the right time to make Frank the only person EVER who could do stuff like this. This same album also has Revised Music For Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra, another fantastic piece. Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbeque, This Town is a Sealed Tuna Sandwich suite from 200 Motels, The black page #2, Sinister Footwear...... Nothing else comes close. Chanan's analysis of these pieces are what I have been searching for my whole adult life. There were just no journalists capable of interviewing him in-depth about his compositions, they just wanted to talk about toilets and eating shit or whatever; But Chanan's contribution to the understanding of the Master is priceless. Thank you brother !
Wonderful video,it must have taken you ages! Thanks very much.
Always loved this one, was extra excited when I finally heard an instrumental version of it on a bootleg of one of the Grand Wazoo shows.
I understand that Schott has published the score and parts. I would kill to play it!
I always look forward to these videos. Thanks.
I love this video you did: great explaining!
Thanks very much for this. I first heard Greggary as a 16 year old laughing so hard it hurt. And that music! Even if I couldn’t pick out chords I could tell this was cartoon music. A postmodern masterpiece.
Thank you, this is such a great and important piece of music history.
What a great video! Thank you!
I don't know which is more impressive...Chanan's excellent breakdown of the song, or his ability to play so many difficult parts of it on his guitar. This is incredibly well done. My favorite 'Greggery' is the instrumental version of the Steno Pool section played by the '73 M.O.I. with Jean-Luc Ponty. It was actually the beginning part of Farther O'Blivion at that time.
Frank Zappa is, like Steely Dan, Primus, etc, (insert your favourite) a genre all his own. Just breathtaking in his artistry and imaginative weaving of parts together to create such rich tapestries.
When I first bought the album, I didn't really get into GP. Over time that has definitely changed. GP is an amazing composition, with layer upon layer of Zappa's signature sounds. I still have my original vinyl.
Back in the 70s I went to a Zappa concert in Ottawa Ont,great show, the hash back then was awesome 🇨🇦👍👍👍
Right on, sailor
Wow, always loved that first chord in blessed relief, and holy shit, it's the outside now chord!
Giant!...
Thank you
What you said about FZ recording in layers makes sense when you deconstruct the layers!
Cartoon music... Yeah... I'm embarrassed that I missed that element for all these years. He absolutely does give props to those creators in his compositions and then raises it to another level.
This is amazing. The ultimate Zappa tune.
Its not only an amazing piece of music. its pretty fun too!
". . . sea shanty aroma . . . " ❤️
i often think of carl starling's music when i listen to this brilliant piece
I think it's cool and creative how you're approximating those huge chords by fretting with your index finger and strumming with another finger.
12:12 one of the most intriguing harmonies of all music history. zappa had a couple of em in his pocket. that alone i deem a feature of a great musician or composer. and a little portion of this arpeggio is already a part of another prominent song about his prison time. lsiten closely to the rintuntinuntintunttudidoo^^
5:45 The look on your face after plucking that chord out is pretty awesome
If asked about my favourite Zappa composition, I definitely mention Greggary Peccary, because it has kinda everything in it. I'm lucky that I've seen this played live by an orchestra with my very own eyes and ears
Totaly agree with the title. Such a Master Piece!!!
It was Frank's favorite piece for many years
sir you need a patreon and get paid this is Academia level videos. please keep doing theeeeese
thanks, again ...
It’s his major masterpiece.
"Billy was a mountain/ Ethel was a tree growing out of his shoulder....." 🙂
Once in a while that will pop into my head at the most random moments....
Reading the above quote from the lyrics I am actually SINGING these complex phrases out loud now. I haven't heard the song for about 3 years - which only goes to tell how many times I have heard the song since its release. Now I will give it a warm relisten in its entirety 🙂
@@Jan-m5c2r , don't forget the "yada yada yah dah, yada yuh yah da...."😉
@@goodun2974 Yeah, I actually forgot that. All the best to you 😀
Every time they say “ New York “ or “ vacation “ they play the line from
Tonight Show theme.
It was strange ...I loved this album , but amongst my friends who liked ZAPPA, it wasn't on their play list as much as mine ...I had it on lp, 8 track and cassette all bought from my local WOOLCO....the ghetto woolworths ??? They had an amazing music section for a 9 year old to go wild in
Thank YOU for making this video. Where do you get the score? Love your insight here!!