I’m 68 years old, when I was in 8th grade we had a music appreciation class. Our teacher was super cool, brought in a copy of Zappa’s and the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out. I’ve never been the same! 👍🏼😎✌🏼
Zappa is the definition of a rabbit hole. Lots of great suggestions here but for one specific version, the version of Black Napkins at the very end of the Halloween '77 album (played Halloween Night) is freaky good. Steve Vai himself said that Zappa played like no one else he'd ever heard that night. Terry Bozio on drums also plays out of his mind on that one.
What an intro to Zappa... I am guessing I have stumbled upon a giant rabbit hole. lol Thank you so much for watching y'all! It means the world to me, it really does. If you want to help support the channel, please consider liking this video and subscribing to the channel. If you would like to make a request or just send a one time donation, here's how! @L33Reacts - PayPal $LeeMann3011 - Cash App WWW.PATREON.COM/L33REACTS Thank you so much. A donation of any amount will get your named added to the supporter video that plays at the end of every video.
Yes, you have stumbled upon a massive musical rabbit hole with Zappa. He was a guitar god and a legitimate musical genius. His bands were always chock full of insanely-gifted musicians who could play any and all genres. They had to be able to play all of the complex stuff he wrote, and be able to improvise in weird keys, time signatures, polyrhythms, etc.
The musicians that have gone thru his band Steve Vai Chester Thompson (Genesis) Jean Luc Ponty George Duke The percussion/vibe player is Ruth Underwood. Fabulous musician in her own right And yes, super deep rabbit hole here Some suggestions from him Black Napkins Peaches en Regalia Talented composer and a funny guy.
Hell Yeah L33 - bro, so glad you enjoyed your first foray into the music of Francis Vincent Zappa, the man, the myth, the mustache, the maestro. Herein ya got to see a little of FZ the conductor- all of the musicians he chose were f’kn top notch and relentlessly rehearsed - he had different hand signals that he’d throw out randomly to take the band in crazy directions, sometimes for just a few seconds, and then back to the tune, so they always had to keep an eye on him. And one cannot give enough praise to Ruth F’kn Underwood 💥 top-tier all around *AMAZING* percussionist. When you have time look up a few from this band, like George Duke 🎹 🎙️ and Chester Thompson 🥁 to see who they went on to play with after a few years with Zappa. F’kn legends. 🤘🏼🎧🤟🏼
Um... Frank Zappa. Frank didn't know that his name wasn't Francis, after his father, until probably 1967 when he likely got his passport to play his first tour of Europe. He put Francis Vincent Zappa on the Lumpy Gravy album to sound really official and all, including his middle name, but the CD release corrected it to Frank.
OMG, Ruth Underwood was the icing on the cake for that era. I never knew marimba & xylophone could be played like that, and she literally blew my mind. But let's not forget drummers Aynsley Dunbar and Terry Bozzio. And on stunt guitar, little Stevie Vai. Zappa's musicians were the cream of the crop.
There are many boxcars in the Zappa train. Frank was a one-man-force who constantly surrounded himself with master musicians, and then got even more from them than they knew they could give. He started with a band called Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, which would later be shortened to Frank Zappa and the Mothers, and later still simply Frank Zappa. By then it was the "Flo and Eddie" band with the two singers from the Turtles leading the vocal efforts. Somewhere in there he was putting together films and claymation shorts, and did symphonic/orchestral level work where he wrote all the music forl classical players to perform. Worked with the Ike and the Ikettes (Tina Turner) on a number of tunes. Then there is the Roxy Band (the line up you witnessed in this video, and a lot of fan's favorite line up). After that is the Adrian Belew & Terry Bozzio stage, quickly followed by the Ike Willis and Ray White band line up with Steve Vai taking a turn in the middle of all that, and then there was a middle 80s lineup that helped close out his touring career. Frank was a musical force unlike anyone else I've heard of in the industry. Prince might be the next best comaparison in terms of talent and scope, but Frank was one of a kind and just different. He often made the lyrics quite silly in order to "keep away the pretentious riff raff." I would first recommend sticking with the Roxy line up to get familliar with Zappa. There are many avenues one can get lost very easily within the extensive catalog. Would highly recommend a reaction video to "Inca Roads" next from the "Dub Room Special" for your next one. You can see the claymation film bits he did in this one. th-cam.com/video/wqp71DOJ3aY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=WSJAKXV4QTD5nr7Q
FZ does everything. Orchestral works? check. Big Band? check. Being silly on stage? check. Sexual innuendo everywhere? check. Now taught in music theory classes in school? check. AWSOME rock and blues? check. Been called a genius (as has Fripp). Famous for writing all this stuff out, issuing music sheets to each band member... one of those being the infamous "Black Page" to a drummer - who'd joked that FZ's music sheets where so dense with notes, they were covered in black. There'yo go... Now play that! (intertwining polyrhythms across the set, with a steady backbeat and mad bursts). Frank only ever had the peak tip-top musicians in his band, with an ever-changing line up. His stuff could be difficult to play. Oh, about 70 albums released, all excellent / standout. Some so theoretical as to be unlistenable... most very very good. Try Peaches En Regalia, Inca Roads, Florentine Pogen, Son of Orange County / More Trouble Every Day, The Grand Wazoo (try a snipette: th-cam.com/video/r_t8ZIny0yc/w-d-xo.html ) and 1,001 more. PS FZ despised commercial rock - he had a motto: _Fight Ugly Radio!_ The only band he said were "interesting" were.... Gentle Giant
Inca Roads (from the same live show) and the Don't Eat the Yellow Snow suite (yes, you read that right) are essential Zappa. Since you're a drummer, you might like The Black Page 1 and 2 from the Zappa in New York album.
Frank Zappa is his name. This is music people of my age grew up with. Even his children's names are out of this world. He was ahead of his time musically. One song JOE'S GARAGE is a good listen. My friends and I enjoyed partying and listening to ZAPPA. Good laughs and good music but an acquired taste and imagination is the key to his music. Oh, and a touch of psychedelic things passed around the party as well. Glad you are getting to find out that growing up in the '70s was a blast in its own way. Times were different then. Imagine this, my parents sitting in the living room and this kind of music coming out of my bedroom off my turntable and what went threw their minds. God Bless them !!!!!!
I am so eternally hurt that I was born in this era. Sure the technology is cool but they kinda put you in a box and make you lazy and stupid. And dependant. We have ruined generations of kids already with how we are told to parent them by the government and soft, weak people. Back in your day people were real. Now we are caricatures of ourselves. Going through the motions but not really quite there. I wish I had a shot to exist back then. I probably did in a past life and that's why i connect so deeply to this era. Who knows. Anyways ZAPPA rules:) definitely doing something from him next week.
@@L33Reacts people were no more real back then as they are now, Frank wrote a few songs about that in the 1960s. Plastic People and Trouble Every Day are examples of songs about how f-ed up society was back then, and not much has changed. Explore more Frank, its worth your time.
As soon as you think you figured it out you will hear something totally different. It is Brother Frank... He played with a lot of different people over the years I think it was a badge of honor to have played with Frank. I got to see-hear him in concert two times-good times!
Zappa was the greatest musician of the twentieth century .Zappa wrote sheet music for every part of every song. Every musician in his band was the best at their instrument. Zappa's catalog of work is literally endless covering every musical style.His guitar playing was fantastic. Every live guitar solo was unrehearsed and spontaneous. There's Frank then everything else.
Frank had one big hit song called 'Valley Girl' which involved his daughter speaking in the way girls in the San Fernando valley spoke at the time. Maybe they still do. Idk. But it's a funny song. Otherwise, Frank was highly respected. Many talented musicians went thru his band. They had to read music because he wrote all of this down on music sheets. It wasn't improvised.
That sounds great I will definitely check it out. I have actually seen that song name somewhere so it rings a bell. I for sure haven't heard it, though.
Zappa has a small but rabid contingent of hardcore fans, but he is so avant garde and purposefully eclectic that he is an acquired taste. You definitely have to "get" his unique sense of humor to have any hope of appreciating the music. If you really enjoy his guitar work (like I do) check out his album "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar" which is a double album solely consisting of live guitar solos and nothing else.
Whenever anybody says "acquired taste", I have to opine that, at least speaking for myself, it's all-in, all-at-once. On the other side of that coin, folks instantly hate it and move on. It's like there's no such thing as a casual fan. You're either all-in or not interested at all.
@@lesblatnyak5947 Although it's true, "only" 61 in a span from 1966 to 1993 is pretty impressive. More than that has, and continues to, be released in the 30 years since he passed.
Frank was the greatest musical mind to ever walk this Earth.Listen to him on the studio version of this song and Frank is the ultimate shredder in 74,no solo was ever the same, no sound was ever the same,he was the master of the wah pedal using it to change his sound as his solo progressed.Listen to Echidna Arf and Dont You Ever Wash That Thing,they are usually played together,their on Roxy and Elsewhere. Its Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. I saw Frank over 35 times in NyC from 74 when i was 14 until his last concert there in 1988. There is no name for his music he did it all in his most unique way.
Frank Zappa used multiple amps and effects, combining a clean biting tone with the distorted sound of the 2nd amp and extreme eq to provide the tone and feedback... The genre is Zappa...
@@L33Reacts My favorite stuff is Live at the Roxy. You may want to check out Black Page as it is a drum solo that uses all sorts of weird meters and rhythms. The black page are all the notes on the transcription sheet for the piece.
We all come into this thing at different times. You may not know FZ now, but go ahead and dive in to the whole thing, man. Great swimming around in there. ALSO - there’s a DVD called “Dub Room Special” that has a lot of the Token of His Extreme songs, but the editing is MUCH better! 🖖🐰🍷
Better than Dub Room Special, with regard to the material played here in 1974, is the A Token of His Extreme DVD. That contains only the 1974 performances while the Dub Room Special goes back and forth between this and 1981 Halloween.
@@Royale_with_Cheeze oh yeah! Totally - I just thought I bring up Dub Room, because the editing on Token is a bit much. lol Plus, then folks get to discover Massimo 😜🐓📏
Bro, You're done, you're finished, it's all over for you if you're just discovering Frank Zappa now. It's never too late but there's no turning back now, I envy you a little. The requests will start rolling in and you'll become a fan uncontrollably, you'll wonder why you've never heard of him before. You're going to hear a truck load of bands and artists he's influenced, not just Primus. A musical Genius with a great sense of humour. Cheers.
@Smulpaap - Yes, Inca Roads!!! I recommend the version from One Size Fits All for a first listen. The claymation from the Token of My Extreme is too distracting for a first listen IMO.
Zappa's most famous composition is the absolutely bizarre and hilarious, 11 min. long, "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow Suite," which I think you'll love. He has other great songs, but the suite will likely get the most views. Great reaction! ❤✌
The studio version is on the Over-nite Sensation LP. It is trippier and the background vocals alone are worth checking out, sung by Tina Turner and the Ikettes.
Zappa live in London 40 years ago is still the best gig I've ever seen. A young Steve Vai was in the band. You need to check out Ruth Underwood; Zappa wrote insane percussion parts for her and they are some of his best stuff. You'll love the Helsinki concert.
@L33Reacts - Thank you for noticing Frank's guitar tone! I don't hear many people mention that. You'll hear different amazing tones from different eras. He was an innovator, had electronic effects before others, often played with very hot pick ups. His son Dweezil tours and plays his music and has some of his studio gear and guitars, including one played by hendrix that was set on fire during a concert. There are videos and articles from Dweezil talking about his gear, including a Guitar Player magazine article. Also, thanks for noticing Ruth! As a percussionist, you would likely appreciate many of Franks amazing drummers often included on various lists of either best Jazz drummers, or best Rock drummers. Including Ansley Dunbar (was going to be in Led Zeppelin, chose Zappa instead, also asked by Hendrix), Ralph Humphrey (went to to play with Weather Report), Chester Thompson (playing here, then with Phil Collins - a major step down IMO), Terry Bozzio (Zappa wrote the Black Page for Terry, the drummer with "The Kit!"), Chad Wackerman, Vinnie Collauita (Chad and Vinnie both played with Allan Holdsworth, Vinnie also played with Jeff Beck). Check out the TH-cam video "The Drummers of Frank Zappa", or "Frank Zappa Drummers Ranked" for more info. The first is a round table of 5 drummers including Ruth! Regards! And welcome to the Zappa rabbit hole! Frank is his own genre...
Thank you for watching! I appreciate it. I am very glad I stumbled upon this guy and company... just all around a great time. Come for the music, stay for the abstract satire :)
Great that you got to watch a live performance video. It is so much better than just listening to the lp. Zappa's visuals and expressions add so much to the stories.
Such an Interesting blend of genres. It's like a genre of its own basically." You nailed it on your first exposure. Frank blended all kinds of genres together to come up with the genre best described as ZAPPA. To quote Ruth Underwood, the goddess on percussion in this video, from the film ZAPPA: *"You couldn't really categorize it. You couldn't say Oh yeah, it's Rock 'n Roll, because it wasn't. It's Jazz. No, it really wasn't. It's Pop music. No. Not at all. Well, what the Hell is it? It's ZAPPA."*
@@L33Reacts You just dipped your big toe into the water, my good man. You have no idea when you say "bands like this." When you get into the deep end of the pool, you're going to realize that there aren't really any other "bands like this." It's a long journey. Pack some KIND protein bars in your knapsack for the hike.
@@Artificialintelligentle - Yes Ruth wasn't an improvisor, but probably the most technically proficient Mallet-Based percussionist (Marimba, etc) ever. Her chops were incredible!
His composition used to audition players: _Black Page_ (refs. score's ink density) has insane time signature changes. Ruth Underwood and George Duke were players who attended Juilliard. Ruth's changed her career plans after seeing Zappa a few times.
In the studio recording, the background vocals are performed by Tina Turner and the Ikettes - but were uncredited for years because Tina liked Frank's music, but Ike Turner hated it & denied permission to credit them! And thus, "zircon-encrusted tweezers" entered the English vocabulary!
There have been many musicans who worked with Zappa and became better as a result only to go on to have a huge impact in the industry whether in production, as session musician, or a members of other bands. Back in the 70s, when I was a college, it was a thing to put on a Zappa album and do a bong hit or two and just enjoy the weird funky, jazzy, blues fusion with the complementary warped lyrics. But in no way is this anything but a small sample of the diverse stuff Zappa created. There are some legendary instrumental pieces that are considered almost impossible to replicate.
I'm 70 and Zappa was one of my favorite mentors @2:34 More recently like a few years back i heard Jerry was a race car driver then more recently, while down south visiting my mid 30s friends and I asked one of them who did that song because it reminded me of Zappa. but they both are very unique.
With 128 Albums one of the deepest rabbit holes to go down.alot of railing against religion, politics, stupid people and all mixed with comedy and satire, and alot of killer musicianship.Give a listen to City of tiny lights
Thanks for this - its not the best version of this particular band playing this song, but it was great to see you enjoy it. Zappa did everything, there's very few genres he didnt cover and his body of work is so diverse its tough for a newcomer to get the right stuff! This era was fantastic for Rock lovers, though I think the band with Terry Bozzio on drums and Steve Vai on guitar is also seriously fantastic. If you are interested in his brilliant orchestrated compositions, try the 'yellow shark', which has dynamics and compositions to really stretch your mind. Up until recently, I thought Zappa would the only true musical genius I'd get to see in my life time. There a guy called Ren blowing up the internet right now, who in my opinion is the second one I've been blessed to see - totally different musical space from Zappa, but if you know, you know :)
Yeah, listen to the version from Overnite Sensation with the Ikettes on background vocals. Also watch the TH-cam video of Frank rehearsing Montana with the Ikettes. The level of musicianship is insane!
This is its own genre, as you will notice. A huge amount of unique music - don't get lost! Zappa engaged only the best musicians, expected to deliver any of 50+ songs on a concert. All concerts were different. Zappa's solos are always improvised. Unfortunately there are quite few videos before the 80s. Start with the Yellow Snow suite (four songs; audio 10:50), and after that RDNZL (instrumental, any version) after that you can pick anything from the first 100 albums!
@@erikahlander3489 Slight correction: There wasn't 50+ songs on any given concert, but the band had to rehearse 50+ songs, even more as his repertoire grew in the 80s as up to 100 songs, because as you mentioned, the sets weren't the same. But then again, up until probably 1978, the setlists were pretty much the same, starting off with Stink Foot into Poodle Lecture into Dirty Love... The setlists got different in the 80s and, to the dismay of the band, would be written just a few minutes before the show and then handed to them. Members would say to themselves, "Uh oh... I gotta play *this* tonight..." But they rehearsed 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for a couple of months before each tour, so they were prepared to play any of the 100+ songs that Frank would choose from. As far as actual number of songs played in any given concert, no more than 20 or so, owing to some of them were long (King Kong, Little House I Used to Live In, Let's Move To Cleveland) compositions.
@@erikahlander3489 I see your post is edited. Did you originally write 50+ songs for the concert? If so, that's what I was replying to. I've seen Frank a few times with two shows a night, specifically 1980 and 1981. Both shows were different and, obviously, both great! Arf arf!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!" That's the sound of you falling into the deepest musical rabbit hole out there. 62 albums put out during his life. Another 64, mostly live, released posthumously by the family trust. That you've never heard him blows my mind. My high school soundtrack in the seventies? Yes. Genesis. Gentle Giant. King Crimson. Mahavishnu Orchestra. And COPIOUS amounts of Zappa. He wasn't just a musician, he was a modern day composer. And yes, he has written pieces for orchestra. Blessings.
Good again man .How bowt Trouble Coming Up Every Day. Zappas only great overtly political song on the first album, Freak Out As a 16 yr old in 67, this song helped me to freak out the rest of my life. So far.
The "marco righi - IPER" channel has a video named "Frank Zappa & T Bozzio EPIC performance !" As a drummer, you might enjoy Terry Bozzio's antics, I don't know. If you watch that video closely, you might see guitarist Adrian Below of King Crimson and The Talking Heads wearing a skirt.
Zombie Woof, I am the Slime , Dinah-Moe Humm, and Muffin Man are great tracks! Seen Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention many times in the 70's and 80's
Definitely a rabbit hole!! He has a huge catalogue including live recordings. They never repeated themselves from concert to concert and FZ never played a guitar solo twice.. The live stuff is excellently recorded as he often used them as the basis to build new studio tracks. I think I have about 25 Frank Zappa albums and that still doesn't qualify as a true fan.
Same (Live) performance: More Trouble Every Day - A Token Of His Extreme (very likely where Phil Collins got his monster drum fill inspiration for _In The Air Tonight_ )
Check out the track Camarillo Brillo or Yellow snow for a taste of Frank's awesome sense of humour. I can't imagine you'll regret it... The mdn was a super talented musician AND hilarious! 😮
Frank Zappa is really "out there," but he had a big following because he was definitely extremely talented. But he also went across the grain, which people liked.
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Zappa IS a genre.
Frank ,still pulling in new fans. It brings a tear to my eye. New Zappa fans deserve some kind of reward ,literally.
The music is the reward!
I’m 68 years old, when I was in 8th grade we had a music appreciation class. Our teacher was super cool, brought in a copy of Zappa’s and the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out. I’ve never been the same! 👍🏼😎✌🏼
Likewise! First listen in 1970 and still listening EVERY DAY more than 50 years later.Zappa Lives!
55 here and still on it. English too! First heard Frogs With Dirty Little Lips in 1985 and that was that.
Freak Out was one of my first albums. A Christmas present from an older cousin.
Me too, my 1st thought...this is real music.
Ruth Underwood is a fantastic percusionist.
I could tell her proficiency very quickly. She was playing all kinds of different stuff and making those sound effects on cue are not easy lol
@@L33Reacts Inca Roads then will blow your mind. She really shines on that one (from the same 'token of his extreme' show)
the genre is zappa. He's a planet on his own
Zappa is the definition of a rabbit hole. Lots of great suggestions here but for one specific version, the version of Black Napkins at the very end of the Halloween '77 album (played Halloween Night) is freaky good. Steve Vai himself said that Zappa played like no one else he'd ever heard that night. Terry Bozio on drums also plays out of his mind on that one.
What an intro to Zappa... I am guessing I have stumbled upon a giant rabbit hole. lol
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Yes, you have stumbled upon a massive musical rabbit hole with Zappa. He was a guitar god and a legitimate musical genius. His bands were always chock full of insanely-gifted musicians who could play any and all genres. They had to be able to play all of the complex stuff he wrote, and be able to improvise in weird keys, time signatures, polyrhythms, etc.
Watermelon in easter hay.......Is a beautiful piece of guitar work!
Zappa Lives!
Gotta love Frank.
Great googlie mooglie L33!! Ya done gone did it my man - can’t wait to enjoy FZ and thee tomorrow morning ☕️ when I “getta cup’a coffee” 🤘🏼🎧🤟🏼
What's up bro! Good to see you. This was a TRIP... I hope you enjoy!
Saw Frank on campus in 1980. Amazing show. The following Saturday Jeff Beck came to SIU. Two legends in two weeks!! Will never forget it!🎸🎸😎
Excellent! Saw Frank twice. Never saw Beck but when I was in Chicago a radio station carried Beck live.
@@lesblatnyak5947 Which station? You know I was born and raised in Chicago. 👍😎
@jeffschielka7845 not sure but they did live shows seems like every time I was in Chicago. Greatful Dead, Eagles and Dr.Hook?
@@lesblatnyak5947 Probably WXRT. Great station. They played what the others didn't!👍😎
@jeffschielka7845 I think dats it. But at my age who knows lol. Hot as piss eh?
The musicians that have gone thru his band
Steve Vai
Chester Thompson (Genesis)
Jean Luc Ponty
George Duke
The percussion/vibe player is Ruth Underwood. Fabulous musician in her own right
And yes, super deep rabbit hole here
Some suggestions from him
Black Napkins
Peaches en Regalia
Talented composer and a funny guy.
Don't forget Lowell George of little feat.
He does a song called "Don't eat the Yellow snow", and yes, it's just what you think it means. and it only gets stranger from there 🤣
Don't Eat the Yellow Snow Suite, 3 songs in 1
Hell Yeah L33 - bro, so glad you enjoyed your first foray into the music of Francis Vincent Zappa, the man, the myth, the mustache, the maestro. Herein ya got to see a little of FZ the conductor- all of the musicians he chose were f’kn top notch and relentlessly rehearsed - he had different hand signals that he’d throw out randomly to take the band in crazy directions, sometimes for just a few seconds, and then back to the tune, so they always had to keep an eye on him. And one cannot give enough praise to Ruth F’kn Underwood 💥 top-tier all around *AMAZING* percussionist. When you have time look up a few from this band, like George Duke 🎹 🎙️ and Chester Thompson 🥁 to see who they went on to play with after a few years with Zappa. F’kn legends. 🤘🏼🎧🤟🏼
Um... Frank Zappa.
Frank didn't know that his name wasn't Francis, after his father, until probably 1967 when he likely got his passport to play his first tour of Europe.
He put Francis Vincent Zappa on the Lumpy Gravy album to sound really official and all, including his middle name, but the CD release corrected it to Frank.
OMG, Ruth Underwood was the icing on the cake for that era. I never knew marimba & xylophone could be played like that, and she literally blew my mind.
But let's not forget drummers Aynsley Dunbar and Terry Bozzio. And on stunt guitar, little Stevie Vai. Zappa's musicians were the cream of the crop.
Man , what a rabbit hole alright !
I have two words for you :-
Zomby Woof 👍👏👍🤪
There are many boxcars in the Zappa train. Frank was a one-man-force who constantly surrounded himself with master musicians, and then got even more from them than they knew they could give.
He started with a band called Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, which would later be shortened to Frank Zappa and the Mothers, and later still simply Frank Zappa.
By then it was the "Flo and Eddie" band with the two singers from the Turtles leading the vocal efforts.
Somewhere in there he was putting together films and claymation shorts, and did symphonic/orchestral level work where he wrote all the music forl classical players to perform.
Worked with the Ike and the Ikettes (Tina Turner) on a number of tunes.
Then there is the Roxy Band (the line up you witnessed in this video, and a lot of fan's favorite line up).
After that is the Adrian Belew & Terry Bozzio stage, quickly followed by the Ike Willis and Ray White band line up with Steve Vai taking a turn in the middle of all that, and then there was a middle 80s lineup that helped close out his touring career.
Frank was a musical force unlike anyone else I've heard of in the industry. Prince might be the next best comaparison in terms of talent and scope, but Frank was one of a kind and just different. He often made the lyrics quite silly in order to "keep away the pretentious riff raff."
I would first recommend sticking with the Roxy line up to get familliar with Zappa. There are many avenues one can get lost very easily within the extensive catalog. Would highly recommend a reaction video to "Inca Roads" next from the "Dub Room Special" for your next one. You can see the claymation film bits he did in this one. th-cam.com/video/wqp71DOJ3aY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=WSJAKXV4QTD5nr7Q
FZ does everything. Orchestral works? check. Big Band? check. Being silly on stage? check. Sexual innuendo everywhere? check. Now taught in music theory classes in school? check. AWSOME rock and blues? check. Been called a genius (as has Fripp). Famous for writing all this stuff out, issuing music sheets to each band member... one of those being the infamous "Black Page" to a drummer - who'd joked that FZ's music sheets where so dense with notes, they were covered in black. There'yo go... Now play that! (intertwining polyrhythms across the set, with a steady backbeat and mad bursts).
Frank only ever had the peak tip-top musicians in his band, with an ever-changing line up. His stuff could be difficult to play.
Oh, about 70 albums released, all excellent / standout. Some so theoretical as to be unlistenable... most very very good. Try Peaches En Regalia, Inca Roads, Florentine Pogen, Son of Orange County / More Trouble Every Day, The Grand Wazoo (try a snipette: th-cam.com/video/r_t8ZIny0yc/w-d-xo.html ) and 1,001 more.
PS FZ despised commercial rock - he had a motto: _Fight Ugly Radio!_ The only band he said were "interesting" were....
Gentle Giant
Kill Ugly Radio.
It's been billed as Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.
Inca Roads (from the same live show) and the Don't Eat the Yellow Snow suite (yes, you read that right) are essential Zappa. Since you're a drummer, you might like The Black Page 1 and 2 from the Zappa in New York album.
Haha don't eat the yellow snow... I can only imagine how out there that one is 🤣
Inca roads from the same show is awsome!
@@L33Reacts No you can't. 😂🤣😂🤣
.....and you´ll surely love "Punkys Whips"
@@xane4101 I thought about recommending that one, but perhaps it’s a little too wild for a Zappa newbie?
Frank Zappa is his name. This is music people of my age grew up with. Even his children's names are out of this world. He was ahead of his time musically. One song JOE'S GARAGE is a good listen. My friends and I enjoyed partying and listening to ZAPPA. Good laughs and good music but an acquired taste and imagination is the key to his music. Oh, and a touch of psychedelic things passed around the party as well. Glad you are getting to find out that growing up in the '70s was a blast in its own way. Times were different then. Imagine this, my parents sitting in the living room and this kind of music coming out of my bedroom off my turntable and what went threw their minds. God Bless them !!!!!!
I am so eternally hurt that I was born in this era. Sure the technology is cool but they kinda put you in a box and make you lazy and stupid. And dependant. We have ruined generations of kids already with how we are told to parent them by the government and soft, weak people. Back in your day people were real. Now we are caricatures of ourselves. Going through the motions but not really quite there. I wish I had a shot to exist back then. I probably did in a past life and that's why i connect so deeply to this era. Who knows.
Anyways ZAPPA rules:) definitely doing something from him next week.
@@L33Reacts people were no more real back then as they are now, Frank wrote a few songs about that in the 1960s. Plastic People and Trouble Every Day are examples of songs about how f-ed up society was back then, and not much has changed. Explore more Frank, its worth your time.
As soon as you think you figured it out you will hear something totally different. It is Brother Frank... He played with a lot of different people over the years I think it was a badge of honor to have played with Frank. I got to see-hear him in concert two times-good times!
Weir Al. Genius in France. 😁
Not until you listen to at least 6 Zappa songs.
Zappa was the greatest musician of the twentieth century .Zappa wrote sheet music for every part of every song. Every musician in his band was the best at their instrument. Zappa's catalog of work is literally endless covering every musical style.His guitar playing was fantastic. Every live guitar solo was unrehearsed and spontaneous. There's Frank then everything else.
Frank had one big hit song called 'Valley Girl' which involved his daughter speaking in the way girls in the San Fernando valley spoke at the time. Maybe they still do. Idk. But it's a funny song.
Otherwise, Frank was highly respected. Many talented musicians went thru his band. They had to read music because he wrote all of this down on music sheets. It wasn't improvised.
That sounds great I will definitely check it out. I have actually seen that song name somewhere so it rings a bell. I for sure haven't heard it, though.
Joe's Garage
Zappa has a small but rabid contingent of hardcore fans, but he is so avant garde and purposefully eclectic that he is an acquired taste. You definitely have to "get" his unique sense of humor to have any hope of appreciating the music. If you really enjoy his guitar work (like I do) check out his album "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar" which is a double album solely consisting of live guitar solos and nothing else.
Whenever anybody says "acquired taste", I have to opine that, at least speaking for myself, it's all-in, all-at-once. On the other side of that coin, folks instantly hate it and move on. It's like there's no such thing as a casual fan. You're either all-in or not interested at all.
Frank only made 61 albums, 61!
@@lesblatnyak5947
Although it's true, "only" 61 in a span from 1966 to 1993 is pretty impressive.
More than that has, and continues to, be released in the 30 years since he passed.
I would not say small. He sold out Big arenas and the albums did very well in the charts.
Frank was the greatest musical mind to ever walk this Earth.Listen to him on the studio version of this song and Frank is the ultimate shredder in 74,no solo was ever the same, no sound was ever the same,he was the master of the wah pedal using it to change his sound as his solo progressed.Listen to Echidna Arf and Dont You Ever Wash That Thing,they are usually played together,their on Roxy and Elsewhere. Its Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. I saw Frank over 35 times in NyC from 74 when i was 14 until his last concert there in 1988. There is no name for his music he did it all in his most unique way.
Frank Zappa used multiple amps and effects, combining a clean biting tone with the distorted sound of the 2nd amp and extreme eq to provide the tone and feedback... The genre is Zappa...
Be careful... a giant rabbit hole just opened up underneath you and it is deep! Another one of my favorite bands here.
Dude I looked at the TH-cam search alone for frank Zappa and it went on for miles lol
@@L33Reacts My favorite stuff is Live at the Roxy. You may want to check out Black Page as it is a drum solo that uses all sorts of weird meters and rhythms. The black page are all the notes on the transcription sheet for the piece.
We all come into this thing at different times. You may not know FZ now, but go ahead and dive in to the whole thing, man. Great swimming around in there.
ALSO - there’s a DVD called “Dub Room Special” that has a lot of the Token of His Extreme songs, but the editing is MUCH better!
🖖🐰🍷
Better than Dub Room Special, with regard to the material played here in 1974, is the A Token of His Extreme DVD. That contains only the 1974 performances while the Dub Room Special goes back and forth between this and 1981 Halloween.
@@Royale_with_Cheeze oh yeah! Totally - I just thought I bring up Dub Room, because the editing on Token is a bit much. lol
Plus, then folks get to discover Massimo 😜🐓📏
@@_mrcrypt
Yep. I got a big bunch of minga!
Bro, You're done, you're finished, it's all over for you if you're just discovering Frank Zappa now. It's never too late but there's no turning back now, I envy you a little.
The requests will start rolling in and you'll become a fan uncontrollably, you'll wonder why you've never heard of him before.
You're going to hear a truck load of bands and artists he's influenced, not just Primus.
A musical Genius with a great sense of humour. Cheers.
Nice reaction, a new sub here! 'Inca roads' would be a good next step, although the visuals for the live version will surely freak you out :)
I totally agree....killer.
@Smulpaap - Yes, Inca Roads!!! I recommend the version from One Size Fits All for a first listen. The claymation from the Token of My Extreme is too distracting for a first listen IMO.
Hey dude! I’m the Brand x guy. I didn’t think you were ready for FRANK!!! 😂
Thanks for the wonderful Zappa!
Zappa live was such a fun concert. Fortunate that I got to see him. Hung out with his son,Dweezle, in latter years
Whaaaat really?? That's so cool lol I bet you have some fun stories
Sorry I missed it when it was new. I always like to see how people react to Zappa. Fun stuff. The only genre Zappa fits into is zappa.
Zappa's most famous composition is the absolutely bizarre and hilarious, 11 min. long, "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow Suite," which I think you'll love. He has other great songs, but the suite will likely get the most views.
Great reaction! ❤✌
The studio version is on the Over-nite Sensation LP. It is trippier and the background vocals alone are worth checking out, sung by Tina Turner and the Ikettes.
xylophone is features heavily in lots of his music. frank's first instrument was drums.
A young Kevin Smith reacts to Clerks.
I get that when I wear my hat like this and I'm in a fat phase 🤣
Zappa live in London 40 years ago is still the best gig I've ever seen. A young Steve Vai was in the band. You need to check out Ruth Underwood; Zappa wrote insane percussion parts for her and they are some of his best stuff. You'll love the Helsinki concert.
The genre is music. Good music played by top skilled musicians.
@L33Reacts - Thank you for noticing Frank's guitar tone! I don't hear many people mention that. You'll hear different amazing tones from different eras. He was an innovator, had electronic effects before others, often played with very hot pick ups. His son Dweezil tours and plays his music and has some of his studio gear and guitars, including one played by hendrix that was set on fire during a concert. There are videos and articles from Dweezil talking about his gear, including a Guitar Player magazine article.
Also, thanks for noticing Ruth! As a percussionist, you would likely appreciate many of Franks amazing drummers often included on various lists of either best Jazz drummers, or best Rock drummers. Including Ansley Dunbar (was going to be in Led Zeppelin, chose Zappa instead, also asked by Hendrix), Ralph Humphrey (went to to play with Weather Report), Chester Thompson (playing here, then with Phil Collins - a major step down IMO), Terry Bozzio (Zappa wrote the Black Page for Terry, the drummer with "The Kit!"), Chad Wackerman, Vinnie Collauita (Chad and Vinnie both played with Allan Holdsworth, Vinnie also played with Jeff Beck).
Check out the TH-cam video "The Drummers of Frank Zappa", or "Frank Zappa Drummers Ranked" for more info. The first is a round table of 5 drummers including Ruth!
Regards! And welcome to the Zappa rabbit hole! Frank is his own genre...
Thank you for watching! I appreciate it. I am very glad I stumbled upon this guy and company... just all around a great time. Come for the music, stay for the abstract satire :)
I will definitely check out the drummers of zappa. Seems like he had a ton of legends on the sticks 🤔
Great that you got to watch a live performance video. It is so much better than just listening to the lp. Zappa's visuals and expressions add so much to the stories.
Such an Interesting blend of genres. It's like a genre of its own basically."
You nailed it on your first exposure.
Frank blended all kinds of genres together to come up with the genre best described as ZAPPA.
To quote Ruth Underwood, the goddess on percussion in this video, from the film ZAPPA:
*"You couldn't really categorize it. You couldn't say Oh yeah, it's Rock 'n Roll, because it wasn't. It's Jazz. No, it really wasn't. It's Pop music. No. Not at all. Well, what the Hell is it? It's ZAPPA."*
I love bands like this. They're always a well that you can come back to over and over because you can't really define it
@@L33Reacts
You just dipped your big toe into the water, my good man.
You have no idea when you say "bands like this."
When you get into the deep end of the pool, you're going to realize that there aren't really any other "bands like this."
It's a long journey. Pack some KIND protein bars in your knapsack for the hike.
Ed Mann was levels better than Ruth. Ruth couldn't improvise a lick.
@@Artificialintelligentle - Yes Ruth wasn't an improvisor, but probably the most technically proficient Mallet-Based percussionist (Marimba, etc) ever. Her chops were incredible!
Saw them during this show FIRST time TRIPPING other second row
Inca Roads (exclamation mark) - live and/or studio (Ruth Underwood, by the way. A virtuoso percussionist and all-'round great person.)
Man from Utopia - a banger.... Zappa is a genius....
Love Zappa! Friend of mine's sister went to school with Moon Unit in Encino!
His composition used to audition players: _Black Page_ (refs. score's ink density) has insane time signature changes.
Ruth Underwood and George Duke were players who attended Juilliard. Ruth's changed her career plans after seeing Zappa a few times.
One of my all time fave zappa songs.
Zappa ,not just a guitarist. A real composer. The great Ruth underwood on percussion.
In the studio recording, the background vocals are performed by Tina Turner and the Ikettes - but were uncredited for years because Tina liked Frank's music, but Ike Turner hated it & denied permission to credit them!
And thus, "zircon-encrusted tweezers" entered the English vocabulary!
There have been many musicans who worked with Zappa and became better as a result only to go on to have a huge impact in the industry whether in production, as session musician, or a members of other bands. Back in the 70s, when I was a college, it was a thing to put on a Zappa album and do a bong hit or two and just enjoy the weird funky, jazzy, blues fusion with the complementary warped lyrics. But in no way is this anything but a small sample of the diverse stuff Zappa created. There are some legendary instrumental pieces that are considered almost impossible to replicate.
Ruth Underwood. There's your bells...
Check out "Inca Roads" from the same album.
Chester Thompson (of Genesis live) was the other drummer.
Absurdism mixed with the most amazing musicians of the day.. sarcasm, social commentary? Maybe .. or just FUN! cheers man
Inca Roads in the one that got me really in to him Check it out
so glad you discovered him
I'm 70 and Zappa was one of my favorite mentors @2:34 More recently like a few years back i heard Jerry was a race car driver then more recently, while down south visiting my mid 30s friends and I asked one of them who did that song because it reminded me of Zappa. but they both are very unique.
Great to share this with you. Welcome onboard the Zappa train. I hope you will stay on board for a good while.
Thank you my friend! Glad you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for tomorrow... we're going down an Inca road :)
He's definitely a story teller. Check out almost anything off his Apostrophe album. Yellow Snow would be a good one. Stinkfoot, another.
Thanks for the Frank notes!
You are in fact correct that it's said ler especially was a fan of Zappa
OK, “It’s a lot of -fecta” wins as one of the best descriptions of Frank Zappa. ;-)
Hahaha I didn't know what else to say but it totally worked lol
Tom Fowler is subtly the greatest bass player ever. Always finishing other phrases happening in the moment
And THATS how it starts, the next thing you know you’ve got 60+ albums
With 128 Albums one of the deepest rabbit holes to go down.alot of railing against religion, politics, stupid people and all mixed with comedy and satire, and alot of killer musicianship.Give a listen to City of tiny lights
Thanks for this - its not the best version of this particular band playing this song, but it was great to see you enjoy it.
Zappa did everything, there's very few genres he didnt cover and his body of work is so diverse its tough for a newcomer to get the right stuff! This era was fantastic for Rock lovers, though I think the band with Terry Bozzio on drums and Steve Vai on guitar is also seriously fantastic. If you are interested in his brilliant orchestrated compositions, try the 'yellow shark', which has dynamics and compositions to really stretch your mind.
Up until recently, I thought Zappa would the only true musical genius I'd get to see in my life time. There a guy called Ren blowing up the internet right now, who in my opinion is the second one I've been blessed to see - totally different musical space from Zappa, but if you know, you know :)
Yeah, listen to the version from Overnite Sensation with the Ikettes on background vocals. Also watch the TH-cam video of Frank rehearsing Montana with the Ikettes. The level of musicianship is insane!
This rabbit hole goes deeeeep 😊
Dude I can tell... and I really liked this so I am definitely doing more!
This is its own genre, as you will notice. A huge amount of unique music - don't get lost!
Zappa engaged only the best musicians, expected to deliver any of 50+ songs on a concert. All concerts were different. Zappa's solos are always improvised. Unfortunately there are quite few videos before the 80s. Start with the Yellow Snow suite (four songs; audio 10:50), and after that RDNZL (instrumental, any version) after that you can pick anything from the first 100 albums!
@@erikahlander3489
Slight correction:
There wasn't 50+ songs on any given concert, but the band had to rehearse 50+ songs, even more as his repertoire grew in the 80s as up to 100 songs, because as you mentioned, the sets weren't the same. But then again, up until probably 1978, the setlists were pretty much the same, starting off with Stink Foot into Poodle Lecture into Dirty Love... The setlists got different in the 80s and, to the dismay of the band, would be written just a few minutes before the show and then handed to them. Members would say to themselves, "Uh oh... I gotta play *this* tonight..."
But they rehearsed 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for a couple of months before each tour, so they were prepared to play any of the 100+ songs that Frank would choose from. As far as actual number of songs played in any given concert, no more than 20 or so, owing to some of them were long (King Kong, Little House I Used to Live In, Let's Move To Cleveland) compositions.
@@Royale_with_Cheeze I wrote "any of" but good that you make it clear for L33!
@@erikahlander3489
I see your post is edited. Did you originally write 50+ songs for the concert?
If so, that's what I was replying to.
I've seen Frank a few times with two shows a night, specifically 1980 and 1981. Both shows were different and, obviously, both great! Arf arf!
Overnight Sensation is part 1 and Apostrophe is Part 2. Listen to every song in order. This is the last song off of O.S. and my first FZ song.
He is the Frank Zappa School of Advanced Music.
It has many alumni
Hahaha I bet there is... I saw the list of people who went through his band. Damn. Lol
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!" That's the sound of you falling into the deepest musical rabbit hole out there. 62 albums put out during his life. Another 64, mostly live, released posthumously by the family trust.
That you've never heard him blows my mind. My high school soundtrack in the seventies? Yes. Genesis. Gentle Giant. King Crimson. Mahavishnu Orchestra. And COPIOUS amounts of Zappa.
He wasn't just a musician, he was a modern day composer. And yes, he has written pieces for orchestra.
Blessings.
I love his album "The Greatest Band You've Never Heard Of In Your Life". Your comment reminded me of it :)
A mind is like a parachute, it has to be open to work. Zappa feeds the mind!
It's just called Zappa the best❤
Welcome in the Zappa rabbit hole...You´ll love it if you dare the dive!....
Yea, yea, yea. Dental floss is good, important. Bless this guy
Good again man .How bowt Trouble Coming Up Every Day. Zappas only great overtly political song on the first album, Freak Out As a 16 yr old in 67, this song helped me to freak out the rest of my life. So far.
A lotta 'fecta ! 😆
🤣🤣🤣
Welcome to an artist where you'll be told to start with 1 of 50 different albums because they are all so good. Dive on in!
The "marco righi - IPER" channel has a video named "Frank Zappa & T Bozzio EPIC performance !"
As a drummer, you might enjoy Terry Bozzio's antics, I don't know.
If you watch that video closely, you might see guitarist Adrian Below of King Crimson and The Talking Heads wearing a skirt.
It's Eclectic!
Zombie Woof, I am the Slime , Dinah-Moe Humm, and Muffin Man are great tracks! Seen Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention many times in the 70's and 80's
Careful, Zappa can lead to Captain Beefheart. It’s a dangerous path!
Zappa was a GREAT composer, primarly......
Definitely a rabbit hole!! He has a huge catalogue including live recordings. They never repeated themselves from concert to concert and FZ never played a guitar solo twice.. The live stuff is excellently recorded as he often used them as the basis to build new studio tracks. I think I have about 25 Frank Zappa albums and that still doesn't qualify as a true fan.
The Frank Zappa Rabbit Hole is bigger than the Universe
By the way, Dental Floss used to be made out of waxed spun Hemp fibers long ago...
It's the Zappa genre. It's all his own.
Watermelon in Easter Hay. Yeah….do it.
Same (Live) performance: More Trouble Every Day - A Token Of His Extreme (very likely where Phil Collins got his monster drum fill inspiration for _In The Air Tonight_ )
Just go straight to The Black Page #1 and #2 by Zappa, you'll appreciate it as a drummer
❤
Check out the track Camarillo Brillo or Yellow snow for a taste of Frank's awesome sense of humour. I can't imagine you'll regret it... The mdn was a super talented musician AND hilarious! 😮
There’s definitely that comedic side to Zappa, but getting down to it, he’s a serious and talented musician.
Wisdom is not knowledge knowledge is not truth
truth is not Beauty
beauty is not love
love is not music
music is the best
and Frank is the best music!
zappa is a genius
Zappa and his version of Progressive Metal. He was an original original
Check out Frank on Dick Cavet playing Black Napkins
I love Ruth !
Frank Zappa is really "out there," but he had a big following because he was definitely extremely talented. But he also went across the grain, which people liked.