I was just about to type the same thing when I saw your post. I totally agree! What a powerful range and excellent intonation! I saw Ray singing Easy Meat with Zappa in 1981 on a video. Similar greatness!
A live tune called "Yo Mama" by Zappa is a short story about what happens to band members when they sleight Frank by leaving the band to go play for David Bowie. Frank showed no mercy and even made the band member play in the song that was about this issue. (PS: In that tune, David Bowie is referred to as Mamma.)
When that song was first written, it was about Tommy Mars because he screwed up too much during rehearsals. Only during the final few performances before the tour ended, and Zappa was pissed that Bowie poached Belew, did he change the lyrics to "Maybe you should stay with your David. He could do your laundry and cook for you."
Another tune called "Mud Sharks" is a story told by Frank about the Band Led Zeppelin and the fun they had in a hotel room in upper state NY back in the 70's as witnessed by Frank.
In case no-one's said it, the song was written when Kenyon was on the loose and formally debuted when he was awaiting trial. Frank's speculation about what would happen in the trial was, in a way, not far off - there were no "monster fangirls" but the fact they could only successfully bring armed robbery charges, and he was just as unrepentant about the enema-assaults as your average hospital paediatrician, made it even more amusing to Frank (hence, presumably, all the miming and puppeteering that went with the song on the early '76 tour).
i know what you mean too, its supposed to show the absurdity of what the guy is doing. not trying to make him seem cool or something, i think he did armed robbery or something, he never killed anybody but, still it is supposed to make fun of him.
Next on your list of geographical perversion Zappa songs should be "Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy." Keeping with the 'real life' theme, it was based on a sexual experience someone in the band was introduced to while on tour in South Carolina.
This is not an endorsement of the acts committed, not by any stretch. It’s like instead of making a movie about this guy he made a song. It’s too crazy to just be ignored, ya know? Zappa is just observing and immortalizing the craziness around him for further study :)
No no no no no. Zappa is not by any means giving this man credit....ok, how to explain....Frank was just one of those people that liked to write about Real Life. Real life people, Real life events, Real life situations and scenarios. Like, if something happened in life, Frank would write a song about it. Hahaha, I don't know why, but that was Frank. However, and this is a very important However...However, when writing about Real Life stuff the thing you have to remember is Frank ONLY wrote about it. Not in a Good way, Not in a Bad way, Not in His opinion of whether or not this Real Life whatever was Good or Bad, Just and Only that it WAS. It's like he would just put IT out there and let the listener decide. But he would never try to persuade you on something, Only give you the Facts of how Things went down. For example, He has a song called Teen-Age Prostitute from 1982 (Ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch album). And in the song he is not condoning or condemning, He is merely telling you that this is something that exists in the world today and here is a song about it. And these things will continue to happen whether he writes a song about it or not. I don't know man, Frank was One of a Kind for sure. Miss him now more than ever. He would have had 100 new albums worth of subject material with all the crazy shit going on in the World today!!
the amazing vocal talents of Mr. Ray White.
I was just about to type the same thing when I saw your post. I totally agree! What a powerful range and excellent intonation! I saw Ray singing Easy Meat with Zappa in 1981 on a video. Similar greatness!
Magnifique !
A live tune called "Yo Mama" by Zappa is a short story about what happens to band members when they sleight Frank by leaving the band to go play for David Bowie. Frank showed no mercy and even made the band member play in the song that was about this issue. (PS: In that tune, David Bowie is referred to as Mamma.)
When that song was first written, it was about Tommy Mars because he screwed up too much during rehearsals.
Only during the final few performances before the tour ended, and Zappa was pissed that Bowie poached Belew, did he change the lyrics to "Maybe you should stay with your David. He could do your laundry and cook for you."
One of my fave FZ solos.
Great reaction
He just be pumping everyone of them up with all the bag full, Illinois Enema Bandit Juice.
And the Judge would say "No Poo Poo jokes!!"
Another tune called "Mud Sharks" is a story told by Frank about the Band Led Zeppelin and the fun they had in a hotel room in upper state NY back in the 70's as witnessed by Frank.
The song was about the Edgewater Inn in Seattle.
In case no-one's said it, the song was written when Kenyon was on the loose and formally debuted when he was awaiting trial. Frank's speculation about what would happen in the trial was, in a way, not far off - there were no "monster fangirls" but the fact they could only successfully bring armed robbery charges, and he was just as unrepentant about the enema-assaults as your average hospital paediatrician, made it even more amusing to Frank (hence, presumably, all the miming and puppeteering that went with the song on the early '76 tour).
funny content in the song, but the serious playing, and passion of the vocals make it convincing, great stuff.
i know what you mean too, its supposed to show the absurdity of what the guy is doing. not trying to make him seem cool or something, i think he did armed robbery or something, he never killed anybody but, still it is supposed to make fun of him.
Next on your list of geographical perversion Zappa songs should be "Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy." Keeping with the 'real life' theme, it was based on a sexual experience someone in the band was introduced to while on tour in South Carolina.
This is not an endorsement of the acts committed, not by any stretch. It’s like instead of making a movie about this guy he made a song. It’s too crazy to just be ignored, ya know? Zappa is just observing and immortalizing the craziness around him for further study :)
... Because it's funny.
"Heinous" was mispronounced as "h' anus" - butt of course!
No no no no no. Zappa is not by any means giving this man credit....ok, how to explain....Frank was just one of those people that liked to write about Real Life. Real life people, Real life events, Real life situations and scenarios. Like, if something happened in life, Frank would write a song about it. Hahaha, I don't know why, but that was Frank. However, and this is a very important However...However, when writing about Real Life stuff the thing you have to remember is Frank ONLY wrote about it. Not in a Good way, Not in a Bad way, Not in His opinion of whether or not this Real Life whatever was Good or Bad, Just and Only that it WAS. It's like he would just put IT out there and let the listener decide. But he would never try to persuade you on something, Only give you the Facts of how Things went down. For example, He has a song called Teen-Age Prostitute from 1982 (Ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch album). And in the song he is not condoning or condemning, He is merely telling you that this is something that exists in the world today and here is a song about it. And these things will continue to happen whether he writes a song about it or not. I don't know man, Frank was One of a Kind for sure. Miss him now more than ever. He would have had 100 new albums worth of subject material with all the crazy shit going on in the World today!!
Well...... Frank did describe himself sort of as an anthropologist documenting through music! 😂
1982-1984 versions are better because you dont have Bozzio's fuckin cymbals