And during the day. This was no 9pm prime time performance. Frank never did The Midnight Special. He probably saw Don Kirshner as an affront to his intelligence.
Mike Douglas wasn't hesitant about having musical acts on that weren't the norm for daytime talk shows. I also remember seeing Tom Waits on his show, too. Have to mention that Zappa was also on the Steve Allen show, playing (believe or not) a bicycle!! Only Frank could make music from a bicycle! I give these talk show hosts tremendous credit.
@@williamhinshaw6838 Yeah, he really did seem sincerely interested. If you want to see a light morning talk show gone wrong, check out Zappa on the Dinah Shore Show. This was back in 1979 and there are clips here on TH-cam. Let's just say Frank was in rare form and Dinah and her guests were totally unprepared!
Gotta love Frank. His funny and rude songs get your attention when you're a teenager, then you get older and realize what a phenominal musician he is/was.
FZ was way ahead of his time. I saw him three times, and each time, I just could not believe how good he and his musicians were. He was a truly phenomenal musician and guitarist, very creative, and created complex music that captivated. A true original and genius. Love live Frank Zappa!
nice stuff . i was born to late to see frank, but i was able to see Dweezil play One size fits all for 2 and a half hours live non stop. Greatest experience of my life, brought me to tears.
Even now, in 2020 i still watch this video often. Sure the studio version is great but this is something different. Even now it brings a tear to my eye. Frank was so ahead and beyond of anything and everything in his time. I miss him. Beautiful song
This piece and Watermelon In Easter Hay always make me emotional... I'll have Watermelon In Easter Hay played at my funeral. His music and his thinking have inspired me all through my life. It saddens me that I was too young to see him live...
@David Franke No this is like 4 x better then the Studio version One of the very few beautiful Songs he wrote. Also a lot of hidden Gems on Joe s Garage
"as a guitar player" is missing the comparison. Zappa and Prince were complete artists, composers, visionaries, and totally original with their own style, wit, and intelligence. they're in a league that few have obtained. I would count Miles Davis in this group
Embarrassed to say, I never really sat down and listened to anything by Frank Zappa. Had absolutely no idea he played anything remotely like this. I am stunned...🎉❤
oh man what a journey you have ahead of you! Start at the beginning (Freak Out!) and then prepare to be amazed! I spent YEARS listening to FZ and pretty much nothing else. He is an entire universe unto himself.
@@ensenadorjones4224 To be able to do what he did in a short 52 years is nothing short of miraculous. Then factor in 70+ albums released in his lifetime alone, ALL of which are entirely different and more diverse that would take a PhD thesis to get into the specifics of the intricacies of his music, etc etc etc...when you look at the big picture he was absolutely one of if not the single greatest and most musically diverse composer of the 20th century. Genius doesn't even begin to cover what FZ was truly about.
@fcamiola is it good because it's technically sophisticated, or is it accessible and fun to listen to? I'm not a Dr and don't want a thesis about any music. I want the music to make me feel something. Zappa is great. I love Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and other guitar virtuoso. I'm just discovering Zappa. Are his records available, or did his estate prevent them from being released?
@@petermaxwell2965 no doubt he was the rocket man that Elton spoke l eloquently of.... Frank zappa was on kerosene he was scirtchibgly hot and brutally talented
What I really love about this performance is how nonchalant Frank is about the whole thing. To me that speaks to his level of mastery of his craft. It's like he could do it in his sleep and still make it beautiful. It just amazes me endlessly.
I use to know Frank back in the 70's when he produced Ruben and the Jets but I had never heard this before. He was truly a genius and could play different genres. Here's a bit of trivia that not many know because he wasn't mention in the credits but he asked if he could trade guitar licks our lead guitar player, the late Tony Duran at the end of one of the songs I sang, "Dedicated to the One I Love" on our first album "For Real" on Mercury records. It was an honor for him to back me up as this was the only song he played on despite producing the whole album.
was he a chain smoker when you knew him? i am a brit and he was my favorite growing up in the early 70's . I think he was a pretty straight arrow sort of guy despite his looks .Those must be amazing memories you have.
Was there an outro of this on one of the Ruben and the Jets songs? Stuff up the Cracks or something? I think this is where I heard this song first and last until last night when someone posted the link to this show.
At 0:07 you can just see him turn on a Pignose 7-100, though he could also have been using that as a pre-amp. The SG he is using also has some custom modulation/phase circuitry which adds a little bit of bite to the top-end
The small amplifier he's using is a Pignose 7-100. I have 3 of them. They've been used in the studio on recordings forever. In this case, Frank rocked it live on television.
@@emanueltzikas7800 As an individual I'd tend to agree - what sort of hippie-dippy wierdo scars his kids for life by giving them names like "Dweezil" and "Moon Unit"? But the man could certainly play guitar...
Zappa's appearances on establishment TV programmes like this revealed that a lot of the personalities and producers back then were a lot hipper than we give them credit for. Frank had fans in many places, and they opened doors for him when they could.
OrchestrationOnline Zappa was actually TALENTED, and during those years you had to hold your own without technology. That opens doors today, and it may not bring fame and fortune, but you can get gigs.
+OrchestrationOnline People tend to forgot how BIG Frank Zappa was between 1968 to 1976 he was almost as Big and famous as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones
The older I get the more I understand Frank’s playing. When I was 11 what I liked about him was that he was very funny, but I didn’t get his guitar work at all. After a lifetime of tragedies and struggles, most of the pop music I used to listen to is intolerable now, but when I hear Frank play guitar I feel right at home.
Thats exactly my view. 20 years ago loved die Flo & Eddie things that I cant´s hear now any more. Every time the same tasteless jokes about penises, puking etc.. Boring. But since a number of years I mostly hear the oldest Zappa recordings, the incredible guitar solos in every phase of his live performances, the numberless great musical variations about his standards like Pound For A Brown, Uncle Meat ... all the things around the London visits in Royal Festival Hall, BBC studio ... You are right. It´s like beeing home where everyou find yourself ... on airports during business trips, on boring and endless rides on motorways, ....
The same happened to me, Bikewithlove, except for the fact that I never used to listen to pop music that much. I feel that I'm not fully appreciating his solos yet, though. That must be due to no being a guitar player myself. Nonetheless, I consider him to be the greatest genius composer of the 20th century. Hands down.
@@3three3three3three thanks man! I do play reasonably well, but Frank was just something else! I'm in the process of learning to read sheet music so that I will be able to better understand his work...it's almost impossible to get any tab for it!
Mike Douglas! Thank you for welcoming Frank. I could listen to Frank play guitar for hours on end. This song is near 50 years old. I honestly remember when Zoot Allures came out! Love this! Franks utter genius shines!
Although He grew up composing mostly in the 70's, He was not experimenting with drugs, (He didn't even like playing with players that were high). Frank, was just a crazy loveable, super creative, and, an experimental Genius....as a true Genius tends too 🐝, there is soo much you left, for our enjoyment - Thank you F.Z. & Dweezil for spreading the Gospel
This man has the soundtrack to my life 60 y/o and still right there everyday if poss Got me through the best and worst I owe a debt to this man a nd his music Thank you frank R i p
I still listen to Frank just about every day. Just imagine - if you even can - the kind of music he'd be composing today. Amazing and totally unique musician.
agreed! , what a beautiful recording.....and you're so right.....that tone man. the pick hand work is outstanding, Zappa was a freaking monster on guitar!
I’ve seen videos of tapping even earlier…there is one on TH-cam of an Italian guitar player on Italian TV…sorry I can’t remember the name but he was tapping….and I believe Stanley Jordan the jazz guitar player tapped in early seventies
i've learned on YT about Eddie coming over to Frank's house and teaching Dweezl some good stuff...I think Frank picked up on it. Haven't seen him do it elsewhere. Guitarists who were drummers first have a inherent advantage in finger tapping.
Zappa was a true genius who actually had most all of his music charted, not just improvised! Yes, all that wild-assed stuff was on sheet music. You really had to be a competent technical artist to hang with Frank, and he demanded perfection. In a head space of his own, with a keen social and hilarious outlook on life, especially in the surrealistic 1960s L.A. environment, Frank blazed a trail few but the intellectually twisted could appreciate. Only Hendrix could riff as fast and good as FZ.
@Kurt But that guy just plays white-dude blues, which is okay if you like that kind of stuff. Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix were doing major experiments in studio technology and processing as well as writing great songs and playing guitar extremely well. And Zappa was also composing classical music at the same time as all that.
Even tho what you're saying is true, most of his music is charted, but this particular song has a lot of improvisation, the main riff is the theme and there's de B section played on C myxolidian. Most of this song is his improvisation. You are spot on with the rest of your opinion
Frank Zappa was such an awesome musician... and that still doesn't him him fully. He was unique. He was a visionary. As far as Mike Douglass, he was a visionary in daytime television. I spent many afternoons after school watching The Mike Douglass Show.
A Zappa follower since 1966 when I was 12. Over the years as this song emerged, dont know why, it brings tears to my eyes, damn near every version. Some more than others.
Zappa was a legendary guitarist, composer, band leader, social commentator, and satirist. I think it's great that apparent "legit" musicians were on to his uncompromising approach to music. And how cool was it that he was on the "Mike Douglas Show"? You know for a guy from an earlier generation he had a lot of cool acts on and he treated them with respect. Kudos to Frank and Mike. Man I miss Frank.
Also wonderful. One could draw parallels between these pieces stylistically, but at its core it’s raw visceral electric guitar improvisation at its most intense. Zappa was very compositionally minded when he improvised in situations like these, making grand and complicated musical statements at every turn. Eddie in maggot brain captures the essence of intensity with his playing. The nature of emotion itself is put on display! Love them both very very much.
I agree, though the word genius is bandied about in music; Zappa is one, if not the only one. Brian Wilson in the mainstream? But Zappa was a composer on the level of Brian Wilson and also a virtuoso musician. Some say Robert Fripp. I do not know. I do know that Kanye is not a musical genius, though some in that genre may be. I cannot imagine a life without Hendrix, Dylan or Lennon but, again they are mainstream and all modern music has passed through them. But electricity comes to us via Edison who was not a genius instead of Tesla who was.
Frank Zappa was square in some ways. He wrote the music down and thought punk was nonsense. Intelligent people never stick to simple stereotype. Also would not say he was ahead of his time just that not many were as of his time as he was.
I've watched this so many times. It gets better every single time. It ages like an extremely fine wine. This actually may be one of the greatest things ever created, musically or otherwise.
The man playing was 100000000 years ahead of his time.i belive this man lived in the future but was in the wrong time zone.after 45 years or so guitar players are still finding out how to get a good tone out of a guitar or an amp.greatly missed genius.
I saw him at the Barbican in '83...my late husband's go to musician ...I have loved this musician/composer/singer/genius since I was 17 ....we were blessed with him......
you are a brit and i am too he was my favorite in the 60;s-70;s despite me being a hippy and everything Zappa hated. He of course got thrown off a stage here in the UK in London and got badly injured. He probably hated us limeys after that.
If you look back into the archives, fewer daytime talk hosts EVER featured a cooler list of acts appearing for them than Mike Freaking Douglas! God bless, ol' Mike. He didn't hesitate to let the freaks take over for a few minutes!
+Sublime Music Channel I honestly can only think of one other show that came close. And it that wasn't even during the daytime (Sanborn's "Night Music").
The only other talk show that came close to Mike Douglas was Tom Snyder. The difference being Tom was on late at night. Great bands and most guests were so high. But Mike was the king of the afternoons. Ah the 70's. what great days.
And everyone thinks Eddie Van Halen invented tapping. Nope. And Frank on the Mike Douglas show?! I guess Mike was a bit hipper than we all realized. Nice vid.👍
Not really. Plenty of people respect him as a player and a composer. But he was a douche of the highest order like miles Davis, strong-arming musicians for composition credit they deserve, and being a bit pretentious overall.
@@stevenmilliman412 Are you referring to the improvisational solo sections that the individual band members did during live shows that Zappa put on record and called his? I look at it like this; Zappa hired them all to play his music and be instruments for him. He organized and led the band and taught them all how he wanted them to play to fit his style. He rehearsed them, booked the tours, picked the set lists and the chords to improv to..Then he recorded it all, sometimes with his own equipment and edited, and mixed it.. He pulled all the strings to get the performances made and released. Without him, those pieces of improv would have never been created or seen the light of day. Just like a guitar, bass and drums are instruments, Zappa used his members like individual instruments and those instruments had his particular flavor to them.
@@pechondelgado well put. The man was a composer and used the best of the best to get his works produced. Anyone joining his band did it knowing they had to live up to his certain standard and perform a certain way but still chose to do it because of their love for music and especially Frank’s music. They knew he saw the best in all of them and would let them shine where they truly needed to
Was a Zappa fan from about 1971 and heard this number on the day I finished my last high school exam. It was memorable along with the 'rooms. '76 was a good year...
One of the most underrated guitarists ever. And then the fact that he just walks in and hands a studio band sheet music he transcribed and they nail it (probably with no practice). Awesome!
Prince and Zappa, two very different musical geniuses, sound so much alike on the guitar.. Oh, and by the way, they are two of the greatest guitar players of all time, players who never get the love they deserve. So soulful, inventive, unique, artistic, playful.
This was in Cleveland on a local new show my mom supported me being a musician since I was four years old and she came home from work yesterday and I said Pay mom Frank Zappa's on TV and I just love the fact that it's has stood up the test of time on the internet he had Mike Douglas's Orchestra he must have just handed him a chart and they played it back in the days when musicians were everywhere and could read what a great moment that was thanks mom thanks frank Mom thanks Frank
I got a guitar when I was 14 JUST to play this riff (then I learnt other stuff) Zappa's name will no doubt be remembered as a composer for centuries along with Bartok, Copeland, Bernstein and yes even innovators of their time like Mozart. Yes I said that.
Just read on Reddit someone who pointed out how onomatopeoic his music could be. According to that guy, the guitar playing is literally Frank playing a musical interpretation of drinking shots at the bar, slamming the shot glass down with each shot (1:13-1:21 for one) and then getting slightly more inebriated as it goes on, then stumbling out of the bar with the door closing behind him (3:52-4:10; then 4:11). Whether that was intended by Frank or not, it's certainly an interesting interpretation. Point is, I think we all get something different out of Frank's music and it's well known that Frank was composing and performing for careful, thoughtful listeners. He worked tirelessly to make the kind of music he wanted to make. If I had to sum up FZ's body of work (been a great fan for 30 plus years) in one word, I'd use the word "integrity". That's what separates the true geniuses from the rest of us in any walk of life. Driven to do what they must do, it goes the way it goes simply because it cannot go any other way.
Some music seems so powerful and perfectly balanced or something, so abstract, I dont know how to say it, it's like my brain is trying to force it to have some kind of image that I can wrap my mind around, like on some level I just can't simply let go and experience it for what it is
Zappa on Mike Douglas: Amazing, & Mr. Z's performance was, as usual, dope AF. How many regular viewers of MD experienced FZ for the 1st time here & what % of them went to the record store the next day 4 some nice FZ?
Saw him 3 times in the 80s; at the Palladium NYC on halloween, Stonybrook U., and Nassau Coliseum. Been listening for 47 years, love that my brother, now gone, introduced me to One Size Fits All in '77.
There used to be a guy in high school that made fun of me for picking by moving my fingers and not my wrist when I pluck. I played faster and cleaner than him. I just realized that Frank plays that way too! I feel even better about it now!
Zappa was of course, one of the real luminaries of his time. And you know, Damn that old Mike Douglas!!!! He looked and acted so straight, one easily forgot what a true showbiz man he was. I used to watch his daytime variety show, when I was home sick from school. I clearly remember seeing Wes Montgomery, as a guest. I honestly don't think you could do that show today. Zappa on Mike Douglas! What a trip.
You have to give props to the horns at 3:10 for perfectly nailing those notes. I imagine he's soloing over a pre-recorded track but those dudes had the perfect intonation in the recording
The beauty of Frank’s television show appearances is that he could give his charts and sheet music to the any of the show bands to play and back him up!! Genius!!
It’s hard to express how important the Mike Douglass show was to music fans back then. One of the few shows to air live performances
And during the day. This was no 9pm prime time performance. Frank never did The Midnight Special. He probably saw Don Kirshner as an affront to his intelligence.
Mike Douglas wasn't hesitant about having musical acts on that weren't the norm for daytime talk shows. I also remember seeing Tom Waits on his show, too. Have to mention that Zappa was also on the Steve Allen show, playing (believe or not) a bicycle!! Only Frank could make music from a bicycle! I give these talk show hosts tremendous credit.
@@321snoot I agree that Mike Douglas was a pretty open minded guy...actually seemed interested in his guests.
@@williamhinshaw6838 Yeah, he really did seem sincerely interested. If you want to see a light morning talk show gone wrong, check out Zappa on the Dinah Shore Show. This was back in 1979 and there are clips here on TH-cam. Let's just say Frank was in rare form and Dinah and her guests were totally unprepared!
Mike was not shy in promoting bands of of all genre in spite of losing some followers.
This is one of those songs where you don’t forget listening to it for the first time
I dont forget all the summer listening to it every day !
Well - I am so we’ll see
Yes exactly!
I BEG to differ 😂
Shit made me cry why?
Gotta love Frank.
His funny and rude songs get your attention when you're a teenager, then you get older and realize what a phenominal musician he is/was.
I like the cub scout neck tie
今は無き浅草国際劇場での日本公演でゴジラに捧げる曲として大々的にブチかましていたのが此の曲だと思います。
@@mickdeegan4651 n no
Definitely in my top five guitarist, absolute genius.
his tone was truly a marvel, rich with overtones, borderline fuzz saturation
A tiny Pignose mic'd! He made them very popular.
That SG is such a magic machine in his magic hands
Can't believe they let him play this on TV back in the day? Awesome!
Daytime television none-the-less!
Mike Douglass show. He had the most amazing musical acts performing
He played "I'm the Slime" on SNL. Had the video monitors rigged up to some sort of goo machine.
People were far more open-minded in the 70s.
We can thank Mike Douglas.
FZ was way ahead of his time. I saw him three times, and each time, I just could not believe how good he and his musicians were. He was a truly phenomenal musician and guitarist, very creative, and created complex music that captivated. A true original and genius. Love live Frank Zappa!
Was it Van Halen that invented tapping? Not so by this
I think a few came before evh not least of all steve hackett. Amazing musician all of the..@@andrewking4885
nice stuff . i was born to late to see frank, but i was able to see Dweezil play One size fits all for 2 and a half hours live non stop. Greatest experience of my life, brought me to tears.
@@andrewking4885every time I see this I wonder if there’s a video earlier than this that features tapping.
@@Hegder I finally found footage of Ace Frehley doing some tapping in a live 1975 gig.
Even now, in 2020 i still watch this video often. Sure the studio version is great but this is something different. Even now it brings a tear to my eye. Frank was so ahead and beyond of anything and everything in his time. I miss him. Beautiful song
This piece and Watermelon In Easter Hay always make me emotional... I'll have Watermelon In Easter Hay played at my funeral. His music and his thinking have inspired me all through my life. It saddens me that I was too young to see him live...
@David Franke
No this is like 4 x better then the Studio version
One of the very few beautiful Songs he wrote. Also a lot of hidden Gems on Joe s Garage
I tear up every time i watch this. It's perfect.
His tone is so filthy and he plays with so much conviction. I love this performance
Me too. Back here again....
Frank and Prince, despite the credit they get I still feel they don't get enough. This is beautiful
Amen
Please don't ever mention Prince as a guitar player, he was about as good as Springsteen, LOL
@@kennethward4985 that is a lie dude...
@@kennethward4985 go watch his performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps immediately
"as a guitar player" is missing the comparison. Zappa and Prince were complete artists, composers, visionaries, and totally original with their own style, wit, and intelligence. they're in a league that few have obtained. I would count Miles Davis in this group
Embarrassed to say, I never really sat down and listened to anything by Frank Zappa. Had absolutely no idea he played anything remotely like this. I am stunned...🎉❤
oh man what a journey you have ahead of you! Start at the beginning (Freak Out!) and then prepare to be amazed! I spent YEARS listening to FZ and pretty much nothing else. He is an entire universe unto himself.
Me too. While it is good and he influenced so many people I am not seeing genius. Talent yes! Genius no.
@@ensenadorjones4224 To be able to do what he did in a short 52 years is nothing short of miraculous. Then factor in 70+ albums released in his lifetime alone, ALL of which are entirely different and more diverse that would take a PhD thesis to get into the specifics of the intricacies of his music, etc etc etc...when you look at the big picture he was absolutely one of if not the single greatest and most musically diverse composer of the 20th century. Genius doesn't even begin to cover what FZ was truly about.
@fcamiola is it good because it's technically sophisticated, or is it accessible and fun to listen to? I'm not a Dr and don't want a thesis about any music. I want the music to make me feel something. Zappa is great. I love Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and other guitar virtuoso. I'm just discovering Zappa. Are his records available, or did his estate prevent them from being released?
@@ensenadorjones4224you can get any of the official Zappa releases - over 50 albums of content were released after his death.
I grew up on Frank Zappa. I’m 59 in 2024. I am a lucky person. 🎶
i'm 60 this year. i tried to understand Zappa's music as a kid, but i didn't get it. 2 or 3 years ago this is the song that finally did it for me.
I watched this song first with a young Steve Vai who got me into Frank.
Likewise. I’m 66 since Apostrophe
@Gratefulman1965 - Same, same, and same... cheers!
Grew up on Zappa and can still write a message? We're all lucky.
Plugs in guitar in TV studio then nonchalantly opens a portal into another world via music. Nice =o)
Amazing performance for sure . 🎸🎵
Just a guitar and a small battery powered Pignose amp. (Probably modified a little, knowing Frank as I dont, lol).
Zappa was the "mad scientist" of rock music !
@@petermaxwell2965 no doubt he was the rocket man that Elton spoke l eloquently of.... Frank zappa was on kerosene he was scirtchibgly hot and brutally talented
so unique and so talented
What I really love about this performance is how nonchalant Frank is about the whole thing. To me that speaks to his level of mastery of his craft. It's like he could do it in his sleep and still make it beautiful. It just amazes me endlessly.
He's a child prodigy.. he was on the Steve Allen show when he was twelve.
@@allen6924 He went to the library and taught himself to read music and compose it.
He goofed around so much, many people forget how talented and brillant he was.
+Mike Rodgers
Everyone watching this video watches it for his talent and genius not for his goofyness
Mike Rodgers One of America's greatest blues and rock'n'roll musicians, not to mention one of America's greatest comedians.
sounds like a cross between Hedricx and Trower at parts. Great tune.
Was just having this conversation with a former coworker and musician friend of mine yesterday. Sent them St. Etiene and this as a follow-up.
ahhhhh no no no, only morons that know zip about life and music, and do they really even count?
I use to know Frank back in the 70's when he produced Ruben and the Jets but I had never heard this before. He was truly a genius and could play different genres. Here's a bit of trivia that not many know because he wasn't mention in the credits but he asked if he could trade guitar licks our lead guitar player, the late Tony Duran at the end of one of the songs I sang, "Dedicated to the One I Love" on our first album "For Real" on Mercury records. It was an honor for him to back me up as this was the only song he played on despite producing the whole album.
was he a chain smoker when you knew him? i am a brit and he was my favorite growing up in the early 70's . I think he was a pretty straight arrow sort of guy despite his looks .Those must be amazing memories you have.
A live version is on his album “Zoot Allures” which is phenomenal!! This version is just as phenomenal!!! Love the horns on this also!
Was there an outro of this on one of the Ruben and the Jets songs? Stuff up the Cracks or something? I think this is where I heard this song first and last until last night when someone posted the link to this show.
Zappa was garbage
Did you know Jeff Simmons or his friend Kerry Magness?
This is one of the best compositions I’ve ever heard of his. Zappa is and always will be a legend ✌🏽🔥
This is the most wholesome blues I ever heard Zappa play. If you dont feel this in your heart, you have no soul.
Chill
Not blues dummy.
@@spacejockey4746 this is blues fusion 100%. Are you some kind of retard? Are your parents siblings?
@@spacejockey4746 just because you have a limited perception of what blues is, doesn't mean you aren't the dummy.
@@LfunkeyA “Limited sense of blues” … give me a fucking break. This is NOT blues, you retard.
My son & I just saw Dweezil play Black Napkins w horns at Tipitina's in NuAwlins. I saw Frank play it when I was my sons age. Special Nite!
frank at tips is almost as good as fess at tips
Ojb 1959 , I can relate with that. I saw Frank many times and one of the first shows I took my sons to was Zappa plays Zappa. His music lives.
Ojb 1959 h
that's magic my dude
Ojb 1959 Dweezil is a money grubbing hack.
Not just a great musician....one of the coolest guys on the planet.....👍
That tone is so perfect
Sounds a bit like he used a Mk 1 Boogie but other comments say it was a little Pignose.
Sounds like a Mark 1, those early boogies have that nasal high gain.
At 0:07 you can just see him turn on a Pignose 7-100, though he could also have been using that as a pre-amp. The SG he is using also has some custom modulation/phase circuitry which adds a little bit of bite to the top-end
The small amplifier he's using is a Pignose 7-100. I have 3 of them. They've been used in the studio on recordings forever. In this case, Frank rocked it live on television.
It's basically a fuzz pedal with a speaker.....and I LOVE it. One of the best kept secrets of studios.
Sell me one of them please?
@@nathanoman1 They're still being made, and not expensive, either.
Zappa was garbage
@@emanueltzikas7800 As an individual I'd tend to agree - what sort of hippie-dippy wierdo scars his kids for life by giving them names like "Dweezil" and "Moon Unit"? But the man could certainly play guitar...
For some reason it's easy to forget how great a guitar player he was. He didn't just compose, he tore up the guitar as well.
I listen to him almost solely for his guitar work
It is?
@@ViveLeQuebecLibreTabarnak same
He was very ordinary
Zappa's appearances on establishment TV programmes like this revealed that a lot of the personalities and producers back then were a lot hipper than we give them credit for. Frank had fans in many places, and they opened doors for him when they could.
OrchestrationOnline Zappa was actually TALENTED, and during those years you had to hold your own without technology. That opens doors today, and it may not bring fame and fortune, but you can get gigs.
+OrchestrationOnline
People tend to forgot how BIG Frank Zappa was between 1968 to 1976 he was almost as Big and famous as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones
+Kurt Standford
WHAT ? He played Im the Slime on Tv here: th-cam.com/video/RWoxUvWHtB4/w-d-xo.html
Kurt Standiford he played the slime on SNL in 1977.
Kurt Standiford He played the slime on Saturday night live what are you talking about even Don Pardo said all right folks don’t touch that the
The older I get the more I understand Frank’s playing. When I was 11 what I liked about him was that he was very funny, but I didn’t get his guitar work at all. After a lifetime of tragedies and struggles, most of the pop music I used to listen to is intolerable now, but when I hear Frank play guitar I feel right at home.
Thats exactly my view.
20 years ago loved die Flo & Eddie things that I cant´s hear now any more. Every time the same tasteless jokes about penises, puking etc.. Boring.
But since a number of years I mostly hear the oldest Zappa recordings, the incredible guitar solos in every phase of his live performances, the numberless great musical variations about his standards like Pound For A Brown, Uncle Meat ... all the things around the London visits in Royal Festival Hall, BBC studio ...
You are right. It´s like beeing home where everyou find yourself ... on airports during business trips, on boring and endless rides on motorways, ....
The same happened to me, Bikewithlove, except for the fact that I never used to listen to pop music that much. I feel that I'm not fully appreciating his solos yet, though. That must be due to no being a guitar player myself. Nonetheless, I consider him to be the greatest genius composer of the 20th century. Hands down.
It saddens me that no matter how much I practice, I'll never be as good as Frank. I can try but it's no use...he was a great guitarist.
@@alwhyte6533 you'll never be frank, but he couldn't be you if he tried (if he could try). your individual voice is important.
@@3three3three3three thanks man! I do play reasonably well, but Frank was just something else! I'm in the process of learning to read sheet music so that I will be able to better understand his work...it's almost impossible to get any tab for it!
Mike Douglas! Thank you for welcoming Frank. I could listen to Frank play guitar for hours on end. This song is near 50 years old. I honestly remember when Zoot Allures came out! Love this! Franks utter genius shines!
Although He grew up composing mostly in the 70's, He was not experimenting with drugs, (He didn't even like playing with players that were high). Frank, was just a crazy loveable, super creative, and, an experimental Genius....as a true Genius tends too 🐝, there is soo much you left, for our enjoyment - Thank you F.Z. & Dweezil for spreading the Gospel
This man has the soundtrack to my life
60 y/o and still right there everyday if poss
Got me through the best and worst
I owe a debt to this man a nd his music
Thank you frank
R i p
me too
I still listen to Frank just about every day. Just imagine - if you even can - the kind of music he'd be composing today. Amazing and totally unique musician.
I just love when the trumpets join. Especially at the end for the call and respond with Frank
That tone.....
+Adam Subtract Fuckin' A...gotta love those Pignose amps.
agreed! , what a beautiful recording.....and you're so right.....that tone man. the pick hand work is outstanding, Zappa was a freaking monster on guitar!
0:45 seconds in... holy crap that thing screams
U know man... Can't argue if it puts a smile on my face u know?
Frank could always pull a killer tone out of any amp. I don't know how he did it. During the '88 tour, he did most of his solos through a clean tone
Play this when I go
Is nobody going to acknowledge the fact that Frank Zappa is tapping in 1976?
th-cam.com/video/u7M8L1rAUsI/w-d-xo.html
He did not invent it and neither did Ed.
I’ve seen videos of tapping even earlier…there is one on TH-cam of an Italian guitar player on Italian TV…sorry I can’t remember the name but he was tapping….and I believe Stanley Jordan the jazz guitar player tapped in early seventies
i've learned on YT about Eddie coming over to Frank's house and teaching Dweezl some good stuff...I think Frank picked up on it. Haven't seen him do it elsewhere. Guitarists who were drummers first have a inherent advantage in finger tapping.
Frank was a drummer
Zappa was a true genius who actually had most all of his music charted, not just improvised! Yes, all that wild-assed stuff was on sheet music. You really had to be a competent technical artist to hang with Frank, and he demanded perfection. In a head space of his own, with a keen social and hilarious outlook on life, especially in the surrealistic 1960s L.A. environment, Frank blazed a trail few but the intellectually twisted could appreciate. Only Hendrix could riff as fast and good as FZ.
@Kurt But that guy just plays white-dude blues, which is okay if you like that kind of stuff. Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix were doing major experiments in studio technology and processing as well as writing great songs and playing guitar extremely well. And Zappa was also composing classical music at the same time as all that.
Even tho what you're saying is true, most of his music is charted, but this particular song has a lot of improvisation, the main riff is the theme and there's de B section played on C myxolidian. Most of this song is his improvisation. You are spot on with the rest of your opinion
A genius of boring ugly clowns
Most beautiful tone I’ve ever heard
Bless Mike, the King of Television for exposing Frank to the public!
This is the first time I’ve heard and seen this performer, but I’m already incredibly amazed by his performance.
Frank Zappa was such an awesome musician... and that still doesn't him him fully. He was unique. He was a visionary. As far as Mike Douglass, he was a visionary in daytime television. I spent many afternoons after school watching The Mike Douglass Show.
if youve heard the album version you realize how hard he just crushed that performance... possibly even better.what a legend
Anthony R one of my favorite versions.. this might take the cake
This IS my favourite version of this (the one on Zoot Allures is damn good too, though!). He was an amazing player.
th-cam.com/video/hfMtYvFRBbc/w-d-xo.html
A Zappa follower since 1966 when I was 12. Over the years as this song emerged, dont know why, it brings tears to my eyes, damn near every version. Some more than others.
Black Napkins.. one of my personal favorites.
One of the most underestimated lead guitarist ever. He was amongst the very best.
A total genius musician, Zappa is Zappa for ever, and period ! (Love his SG !!)
great playing by that studio band !!
Zappa was a legendary guitarist, composer, band leader, social commentator, and satirist. I think it's great that apparent "legit" musicians were on to his uncompromising approach to music. And how cool was it that he was on the "Mike Douglas Show"? You know for a guy from an earlier generation he had a lot of cool acts on and he treated them with respect. Kudos to Frank and Mike. Man I miss Frank.
Don't know why, but this always makes me think of Funkadelics 'Maggot Brain'
Also wonderful. One could draw parallels between these pieces stylistically, but at its core it’s raw visceral electric guitar improvisation at its most intense. Zappa was very compositionally minded when he improvised in situations like these, making grand and complicated musical statements at every turn. Eddie in maggot brain captures the essence of intensity with his playing. The nature of emotion itself is put on display! Love them both very very much.
George Clinton once said he was deeply influenced by FZ.
same. Heard the Zoot Allures album before I nosedived into P-Funk and early, post Mothers, George Duke. I feel that they were all connected.
This is one of the reasons that he is my favourite guitar player
His best guitar piece out of the lots
And well worth harvesting .
The tone .Approach is sensational .
Very good. Frank is a genius.
Mozart of the 20th century.
I agree, though the word genius is bandied about in music; Zappa is one, if not the only one. Brian Wilson in the mainstream? But Zappa was a composer on the level of Brian Wilson and also a virtuoso musician. Some say Robert Fripp. I do not know. I do know that Kanye is not a musical genius, though some in that genre may be. I cannot imagine a life without Hendrix, Dylan or Lennon but, again they are mainstream and all modern music has passed through them. But electricity comes to us via Edison who was not a genius instead of Tesla who was.
@@drewwolf533 You don't say?
@@drewwolf533 Let Zappa be Zappa.
@@drewwolf533 Kanye may not be a musical genius but he certainly is some type of genius; he is a multi-billionaire, so there is that.
Mike Douglas might look square but he certainly wasn't. FZ sadly missed. A man ahead of his time.
Titties and beer
Frank Zappa was square in some ways. He wrote the music down and thought punk was nonsense. Intelligent people never stick to simple stereotype. Also would not say he was ahead of his time just that not many were as of his time as he was.
I've watched this so many times. It gets better every single time. It ages like an extremely fine wine. This actually may be one of the greatest things ever created, musically or otherwise.
Love Frank's bending technique here. With that tone he's getting out of that Gibson SG, it reminds me so much of Carlos Santana's sound
I was 5 months old on this Date if We could go back..
Genius at another level and I wasn’t ready for him to leave. Rest well Mr. Zappa.
I can listen to this Guys' compositions/solos...ALL DAY ~ never gets old, just better, better appreciated 👍
The man playing was 100000000 years ahead of his time.i belive this man lived in the future but was in the wrong time zone.after 45 years or so guitar players are still finding out how to get a good tone out of a guitar or an amp.greatly missed genius.
You said it Joe.
Some of was the very hot pickups in that guitar. Plus he had it loaded with a Q frequency/semi parametric control. It wasn't just a standard issue SG.
A most gracious & accurate comment from someone who knows from whence he cometh. Much love to you, Joe.
Joe Satriani . Frank took me to that place we all want to find . So I decided to stay and look out of his windows.
@@hjahful do you really think that's the actual Joe satriani 😂
He dont play guitar to impress other he play guitar because he loves playing guitar.
And i love him playing guitar and his music.
Gorgeous playing and that tone
I saw him at the Barbican in '83...my late husband's go to musician ...I have loved this musician/composer/singer/genius since I was 17 ....we were blessed with him......
you are a brit and i am too he was my favorite in the 60;s-70;s despite me being a hippy and everything Zappa hated. He of course got thrown off a stage here in the UK in London and got badly injured. He probably hated us limeys after that.
If you look back into the archives, fewer daytime talk hosts EVER featured a cooler list of acts appearing for them than Mike Freaking Douglas! God bless, ol' Mike. He didn't hesitate to let the freaks take over for a few minutes!
+Sublime Music Channel Douglas had week long co-hosts too, with John and Yoko being a couple of them.
+Sublime Music Channel that's a heck of a tribute...Sublime !
Tom Loughlin Jr. He deserves it and I wanted folks to know how cool this seemingly corny guy was.
+Sublime Music Channel I honestly can only think of one other show that came close. And it that wasn't even during the daytime (Sanborn's "Night Music").
The only other talk show that came close to Mike Douglas was Tom Snyder. The difference being Tom was on late at night. Great bands and most guests were so high. But Mike was the king of the afternoons. Ah the 70's. what great days.
You've got to give some props to the band.
Lmao twice?
@@dennisst.pierre210 haha
They were doing their damndest to mesh well with Zappa.
Fully agree. They were tight.
Is slightly under estimated (-:
I love hearing an SG ring out.
For me it's sincerely one of the best videos on TH-cam. How amazingly good this is.
Wow! The man is awesome.
Disregarded because he was exceptional, but loved by those who experienced the magic of his mind and music.
And everyone thinks Eddie Van Halen invented tapping. Nope.
And Frank on the Mike Douglas show?! I guess Mike was a bit hipper than we all realized. Nice vid.👍
Black Napkins unbelievable Frank Masterpiece awesome 👍 hell Ya!!!!rock om Mr Zappa!!
Still phenomenal in 2022 timeless
One of the most disrespected geniuses of our time
Not really. Plenty of people respect him as a player and a composer. But he was a douche of the highest order like miles Davis, strong-arming musicians for composition credit they deserve, and being a bit pretentious overall.
I'd say misunderstood and too far ahead of his time! LOVE YA FRANK!!!!!
@Jeffrey Chase
Why disrespected ?
1.6 Million people watched this video id call that a sign of Deep respect over 25 years after he died.
@@stevenmilliman412 Are you referring to the improvisational solo sections that the individual band members did during live shows that Zappa put on record and called his? I look at it like this; Zappa hired them all to play his music and be instruments for him. He organized and led the band and taught them all how he wanted them to play to fit his style. He rehearsed them, booked the tours, picked the set lists and the chords to improv to..Then he recorded it all, sometimes with his own equipment and edited, and mixed it.. He pulled all the strings to get the performances made and released. Without him, those pieces of improv would have never been created or seen the light of day. Just like a guitar, bass and drums are instruments, Zappa used his members like individual instruments and those instruments had his particular flavor to them.
@@pechondelgado well put. The man was a composer and used the best of the best to get his works produced. Anyone joining his band did it knowing they had to live up to his certain standard and perform a certain way but still chose to do it because of their love for music and especially Frank’s music. They knew he saw the best in all of them and would let them shine where they truly needed to
Black Napkins and the entire album of Zoot Allures are my favorite Zappa of all time, have about 20 of his and the Mothers albums in my collection
This is a song you can totally relax by. I love it!!!!!
Was a Zappa fan from about 1971 and heard this number on the day I finished my last high school exam. It was memorable along with the 'rooms. '76 was a good year...
One of the most underrated guitarists ever. And then the fact that he just walks in and hands a studio band sheet music he transcribed and they nail it (probably with no practice). Awesome!
My favorite Zappa song hands down. It tells such a desperate story
Prince and Zappa, two very different musical geniuses, sound so much alike on the guitar.. Oh, and by the way, they are two of the greatest guitar players of all time, players who never get the love they deserve. So soulful, inventive, unique, artistic, playful.
When he started playing, tears flowed, because of the overwhelming beauty.
Saw Frank in concert 4-5 times in the 70's, when I was growing up in Chicago. We always did acid when we went.
That’s pretty much what you had to do when watching Frank and the mothers of invention. Consume mind altering drugs!
I was exactly 13 yrs old (my birthday) when Zappa appeared on the Mike Douglas show
one of the best guitarist ever!
That is so pleasing to the ears. I picture myself with a drink sitting and watching people dancing to that all night
Zappa is One my favorite guitarist unique and different from everyone else.
The rythym is beautiful...
This was in Cleveland on a local new show my mom supported me being a musician since I was four years old and she came home from work yesterday and I said Pay mom Frank Zappa's on TV and I just love the fact that it's has stood up the test of time on the internet he had Mike Douglas's Orchestra he must have just handed him a chart and they played it back in the days when musicians were everywhere and could read what a great moment that was thanks mom thanks frank Mom thanks Frank
That just shows the immense heart Frank had....just beautiful, completely enveloping those times, the zeitgeist of the 70's
I got a guitar when I was 14 JUST to play this riff (then I learnt other stuff) Zappa's name will no doubt be remembered as a composer for centuries along with Bartok, Copeland, Bernstein and yes even innovators of their time like Mozart. Yes I said that.
Just read on Reddit someone who pointed out how onomatopeoic his music could be. According to that guy, the guitar playing is literally Frank playing a musical interpretation of drinking shots at the bar, slamming the shot glass down with each shot (1:13-1:21 for one) and then getting slightly more inebriated as it goes on, then stumbling out of the bar with the door closing behind him (3:52-4:10; then 4:11). Whether that was intended by Frank or not, it's certainly an interesting interpretation. Point is, I think we all get something different out of Frank's music and it's well known that Frank was composing and performing for careful, thoughtful listeners. He worked tirelessly to make the kind of music he wanted to make. If I had to sum up FZ's body of work (been a great fan for 30 plus years) in one word, I'd use the word "integrity". That's what separates the true geniuses from the rest of us in any walk of life. Driven to do what they must do, it goes the way it goes simply because it cannot go any other way.
you have the reddit link?
Some music seems so powerful and perfectly balanced or something, so abstract, I dont know how to say it, it's like my brain is trying to force it to have some kind of image that I can wrap my mind around, like on some level I just can't simply let go and experience it for what it is
I like to chew my medication
Get a life
Onomatopoeic.
Easy for you to say….😂
my heart, soul & spirit connected with this tune. the airwaves are packed with passion & feeling
Zappa on Mike Douglas: Amazing, & Mr. Z's performance was, as usual, dope AF. How many regular viewers of MD experienced FZ for the 1st time here & what % of them went to the record store the next day 4 some nice FZ?
It's amazing to hear it with a horn section. That was really something.
This guy id a genius! Didn’t make it big because he didn’t sell out to the DEVIL! He’s a masterpiece!
He was a phenomenal guitarist.
I saw this performance on TV when it was on originally, it made me realize that there was something more to Zappa than the goofy/novelty type stuff.
Saw him 3 times in the 80s; at the Palladium NYC on halloween, Stonybrook U., and Nassau Coliseum. Been listening for 47 years, love that my brother, now gone, introduced me to One Size Fits All in '77.
It's the Baby Snakes....love that guitar!
There used to be a guy in high school that made fun of me for picking by moving my fingers and not my wrist when I pluck. I played faster and cleaner than him. I just realized that Frank plays that way too! I feel even better about it now!
Zappa was of course, one of the real luminaries of his time. And you know, Damn that old Mike Douglas!!!! He looked and acted so straight, one easily forgot what a true showbiz man he was. I used to watch his daytime variety show, when I was home sick from school. I clearly remember seeing Wes Montgomery, as a guest. I honestly don't think you could do that show today.
Zappa on Mike Douglas! What a trip.
Exceptionally Brilliant, glad I got see him in the late 70's
Thank you Frank for great music from my teens. R.I.P...........
master, thank you for all the great music you left us!. RIP
Straight edge musical genius addicted to coffee and nicotine. I'm 38 yrs old and everytime I eat pancakes I say, "welcome to st alfanso's." Rip fz
Are they light and fluffy white? 😉
@@alwhyte6533 where I stole the Margereen!
If you're addicted to caffeine and nicotene, you're not straight edge
You have to give props to the horns at 3:10 for perfectly nailing those notes. I imagine he's soloing over a pre-recorded track but those dudes had the perfect intonation in the recording
WOW!!!!! Man always have Loved Frank's Playing 😎🎸!!!!!!
45 years ago today. Absolutely wonderful. RIP FZ
The beauty of Frank’s television show appearances is that he could give his charts and sheet music to the any of the show bands to play and back him up!! Genius!!
um... besides sounding wildly outta place. The band was the baddest studio cats L.A. had.
Jimi played with the house band on Dick Cavette
A+F ing Amazing!!! Frank can stand up with ANY or all the best...or maybe he just is!