I HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT! And I have just realised my first cover on Spotify. Let me know what you think! And follow me on Spotify to hear the album as soon as it comes out. open.spotify.com/track/6qfvKbg6ukHJOGykx2MARB?si=8a2fa85792b14d15
The word "genius" is often used to refer to artists and musicians, so much so, that it has lost a lot of it´s value. Frank Zappa, he was a true genius, with all the value of the word. One of a kind.
He was a fantastic musician in every way imaginable. He would conduct the band during rehearsal and sound check, like with a conductor stick and all. He was not just great at playing and writing, he knew the theory of music as well...
Don Pardo, who does the spoken part, was a very well known voice to people who watched SNL back in the 70s. He also is on Frank's "Zappa In New York" album when he did the voice over live in concert.
Frank Zappa is/was beyond most people (politically/philosophically/musically) ... he also was decades ahead of society. He utilised many great vocalists to fill the gaps he couldn't do or didn't want to do. I've got about 30 Zappa albums and certainly not an expert in any way, but Sheik Yerbouti (his pop album) includes a fantastic love song called "Broken Hearts are for Arseholes" which is so much fun. $0.02
Frank was an amazing composer who was ALWAYS writing - there is a Ruth Underwood video about her and the percussion that she had to learn - worth finding
FZ was really one of a kind. I'm not a huge fan, but he has a few very special songs. And he was highly intelligent. And underrated. We have should listen more what he was telling us. And for you Beth, I really like your Wicked Game cover !! Well done !!
Zappa will be as well remembered in the future as Bach and Beethoven. His song "Trouble Every Day" could have been written today, and shows his social conscience. The track you have to listen to is "Uncle Remus", simply brilliant.
I would say this version is not the most representative ; give the studio version a try 😁 As for his low voice... In 1971 (one week after losing all of his equipment in the Montreux Casino's fire that has been brilliantly documented in Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water), during a concert in London, an irate patron pushed him off the stage. He fell down in the orchestral pit five meters down, had his skull pierced and his larynx crushed. As a result, he spent more than one year in a wheelchair. His voice lost more than an octave but he managed to learn how to use it to his advantage!
A different side of his career was his contemporary orchestral composing, which resulted in material recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, etc.. For a more complex piece on the rock side of things try "Inca Roads". This video was from the SNL broadcast. It was the album (Overnight Sensation), one of Zappa's more commercial ones, that had the Ikettes on it, and Ike Turner objected most to a song with a sexual theme that they participated on.
Among Zappa's 70 albums, you will find a little gem from 1970--the beginning of his and pop music's greatest decade, hands down--called Hot Rats. Check out "Willie the Pimp."
I think I understand why you chose this example but I'm just really happy that you gave Frank a try. There is a lot of FZ/Mothers music out there so keep exploring Beth!
Great pick from a great album Over-Nite Sensation. Frank always had a great sense of humor which really added to his "message" songs. He also loved innuendo, Dynamo Hum on that album is a good example.
Forget about the messenger - did you get the MESSAGE ? Frank Zappa was a Great guitarist and songwriter, the man was truly a GENIUS !!!!! And the announcer doing the voice over is the Legendary Don Pardo, who was with NBC radio and television from 1938-2014....76 YEARS !!! Using Don Pardo to do the narration is like Michael Jackson using Vincent Price on Thriller.....they turned these great songs into MASTERPIECES 😁
His range was far greater earlier in his career, following an attack by a fan in London 1971, which left Frank so injured his bandmates thought he was dead. Frank was left with a crushed larynx, he underwent surgery on his neck and that limited his vocal abilities.
A lot of people say Frank was ahead of his time...NO...he was of his time but everyone else were back in the dark ages..He covered all music with his unique bent from punk-to avant garde music concrete to orchestral...big band..jazz and jazz rock...actually he and Miles davis led in that field...he pioneere maybe the first proto rap with ;'trouble every day'...He work incessantly on his music and I believe he was the last true artist of the 20th century
Oh if you want creepy and scary, check out a documentary called "The Amazing Mr Bickford" about a claymation/stop motion artist. Zappa did this insane free jazz soundtrack that along with the claymation, is quiet an unnerving experience.
Frank Zappa was actually something of a musical genius and all the members of The Mothers of Invention were really accomplished musicians. They all said that his music was very technically demanding. There are a great number of entertaining Zappa songs.
I went to see Zappa in concert 10 times over 12 years. The strangest thing about a Zappa concert was us, the audience. He and his musicians were all business, He conducted his bands sometimes with a baton! But I could tell after seeing so many of his concerts the the band members watched him like a hawk. All he had to do was twich a hand or slightly turn a shoulder and they all turned on a dime and were off in a completely new directtion. I really miss him.
Don Pardo -- Legend. The voice of our childhood. He always sounded like a party was going on in the background. Norm Macdonald told a funny story about him after his divorce.
"Inca Roads" would be an excellent choice for something strange but grounded. It has a serious underlying message but done is his bizarrely lighthearted way. Plus Ruth Underwood's marimba is mind-blowing.
This performance of this specific song made me a lifelong fan of Frank's. Still have my concert jersey from seeing him in the late 70s. The man was a musical genius.
The announcer was the late great Don Pardo, who was the voice of SNL from its inception in 1978 until his passing in 2014. Pardo tried to retire several times during his last 10 years, but SNL producer Lorne Michaels always managed to convince him to stay. During that time Pardo alternated between pre-recording his parts from his home in Tucson, and commuting to NYC. After this particular SNL episode Zappa had a series of concerts at The Palladium in NYC, where Pardo reprised his role, and also provided narration for two other songs. The double LP "Zappa in New York" came from those performances.
Those are both part of the "Yellow Snow" suite that also includes "Nanook Rubs It", and "Father O'Blivion". IMHO the fours songs in the suite should be heard as a single piece.
The original Overnight Sensation album which this song is from and the Apostrophe album were recorded at Ike Turner's Bullock sound studio, backing vocals were done by the Ikettes (Linda Sims, Debbie Wilson and Tina Turner). T.V. voice courtesy of the late great Don Pardo.
Frank was always kind of critical of his vocal abilities. He said that originally he had a 13 note range. In December of 1971, he was pushed into the orchestra pit of the Rainbow Theater in London. He wound up in a wheelchair for nine months and due to his larynx being crushed in the fall, he lost 2 notes in his range. He wrote a lot of music for other vocalists in his band to sing.
This is 100% the wrong first song to be exposed to Zappa. Especially if it’s live. His studio recordings are perfect and should be the focus Inca Roads or Yellow Snow Suite are the best for first impression
He was a genius composer, arranger, guitarist, performer, producer and independent mind. I got his first record album in 1967, “We’re Only In It For The Money”, by The Mothers of Invention.
I worked for a radio station as a teenager back in the sixties. I got the pick of the promo recordings that didn’t fit our format. WOiiftM was one of these. Fortunately, both my brothers and I had a broader musical education than most, so our minds were both blown and forever changed.
That performance was from Dec. 11, 1976. Later, at the end of that month, Frank had a series of concerts between Christmas and New Years in NYC and he brought the NBC horn section along with him for those gigs. Even on his debut album from 1966, notable players sat in on the sessions with him. Before he really made his name, other musicians knew he was somebody to be involved with.
G'day! Am I a fan of Zappa? Well I have 42 of his 60 or so albums and there are just so many fabulous tracks try looking at some of the ones with Steve Vai and also he was responsible for some of the first animated music videos using stop frame and clay! Frank was totally anti drugs...Since you mentioned Moon Unit check out "Valley Girl" which she sings...That song. has a great back story too... Cheers!
Mercury and radium pellets and stuff like that weren't unusual playthings for American kids when Frank was growing up, though. The A.C. Gilbert company produced science kits with all kinds of fun substances to experiment with. Most of us even survived and had great fun doing it.
A complete entertainer on stage. The great and unique Frank Zappa. Composer, producer, a leader capable of bringing out the great talent of the musicians he worked with on different tours and recording sessions.
More Zappa! Note that son, Dweezil, is a fine drummer. The best musicians wanted to play with Frank, somewhat like with Steely Dan and Zappa has written a fair amount of 'serious' jazz and symphonic music.
Zappa was amazing. Many people assume with all the wacky lyrics and on stage antics that there intoxicants involved - but he was very strict about requiring everyone in the band be sober for rehearsals and performances. The music he created was too complex to play if you were not all there.
he was so good and so different! i think if you were to listen to Parilament Funkadelic even though the music was different it really was not as different as you might initially think!
Seen the incredible masterful Frank Zappa 6 times… two Concerts with Flo & Eddy. One of the most memorable performances was at the Nassau Coliseum(played songs from Fillmore East; Just another Band from LA; also Hot Rats & Waka Jawaka)with a headliner of John McLaughlin with Ravi Shankar(Birds of Fire Concert). First of all this Song… is about the brainwashing of TV . Frank always brought politics into his music sarcastically with funny puns about our culture. He was a genius in mind & talent. He is missed. Take good care. Work your way through The Mothers of Invention to Fillmore East Live Album… continue on. Please don’t forget his Hot Rats and Waka Jawaka albums. There’s a rare album with Wild Man Fisher… incredible Guitar Solos… Fisher is a mentally challenged individual(Merry go round).
Been a zappa fan for many years and my housemate was on the same label that used to publish his music in the uk so we have a signed photo of him on the mantelpiece and a lot of demos.The easist albums to start with i think would be sheik yerbouti and you are what you is.....loved the reaction as always ...peace...
He was one of the actual REAL non-sellouts. He was a very intelligent man. He didn't suffer fools and idiots. He was definitely not mainstream. I grew up listening to him but didn't "get" his lyrics until I was in my 20's. I wish society would revisit his work. The Radium pellets certainly were suspect in him getting cancer and dying.
First off, I'm a Zappa fan from my first listen of "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" in 1970. I have often argued Frank's anti-drug stance belied his dependences on caffeine and nicotine. Then this radium thing came up a few years ago, and his wiki states a doctor jammed radium pellets up his nose to cure sinusitis! It goes on to explain the lack of any clear link between cancer of any kind and this treatment. I'm not going to research how many curies Zappa might have been dosed with, but Marie Curie died from overexposure to its deadly gamma rays. Prostate cancer is directly connected to smoking, making this radium link speculative. Dying from an exotic source like radium exposure seems to fit the man more than too many Marlboros. Alas, the mundane tends to play a greater role in each individual demise than highly unusual causes. Nothing will ever diminish his legacy as as wildly creative artist with an unflagging work ethic.
I have seen him in concert. He was a master performer. He was very intelligent and appeared before the senet committee on censorship I believe twice actually.
Zappa also wrote music for an adult cartoon called duck man which premiered in 1994 and featured the voice of Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame as the voice of duck man. A hilarious series I recommend anybody to watch.
"I write and play music for myself, my sole intended audience" - Frank Zappa Dweezil's full name is Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. The radium pellets were prescribed by a doctor and were placed up Frank's nose into his sinuses to combat some type of illness one he was young.
You have GOT to check out Franks's version of the Allman brothers "whipping post". You will love the vocals. Very few have reacted to it. Now, for Frank in general, you may want to stick to the studio songs for these reactions.
Actually, according to Mr. Zappa, his father worked for the defense department. During his childhood he underwent an experimental treatment for rhinitis which consisted of placing radium pellets in his naval cavity.. As for his children, Moon had a big hit with the song "Valley Girls", while Dweezil had a good gig as a TV show host, and is currently playing his father's music in a tribute band called "Zzappa Plays Zappa". Coincidentally, in 1983, Frank released an album featuring chamber music by the Italian composer Francesco Zappa, who composed between 1763 and 1788.
Zappa as I'm sure others pointed out was a world reknowned symphony conductor and a prolific composer. Something I didn't know in the 70s. FYI this is a silly version of I'm the Slime- the original is a very musical, strait-laced song (except for the lyrics.) I mean this is ok but nothing to judge Zappa on. It has its moments but listen to the original studio version. Please. Best song on that Overnite Sensation: album: Zomby Wolf.
If you want to truly hear something that will blow your mind (Tokyo ghoul OP) TK sings “ unravel” but you absolutely have to find the song with subtitles.
Girl, if you wanna check out something beyond quirky, listen to Mothers Live at the Fillmore East, featuring Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, the 2 guys from The Turtles on vocals. Recorded live and released in 71, the entire album is a satire on the groupie culture of the day, so it's quite lascivious. And very funny.
I would love for you to listen to the studio version as well. I am a huge fan of Frank Zappa's music humour & social observations. Be prepared for such gems as "Don't eat the yellow snow" "Zomby Woof" the instrumental beauty of "Watermelon in Easter Hay" "& the superb "Inca Roads" (the live version with the amazing Ruth Underwood on percussion), same percussionist as in this live piece. Saw him a few times years ago, enjoyed every minute.
Ahhh, the Zappa wormhole. He is an artistic genius. This version is very poor quality but you would find the album version is particularly well produced. If you go a little further down the Zappa wormhole you may find Captain Beefheart interesting.
Listen to the studio version on Apostrophe (vinyl, preferably though original ones from the day are quite expensive now lolz). I grew up with Frank's cousin (poor feller slept in Frank's hand-me-down crib as a toddler, no kidding!!).
Great review! Zappa surrounded himself with the best musicians. In this video on drums is Terry Bozzio who is one in a chain of world class drummers Frank hired. Terry played drums on The Black Page which gets its name from the sheet music having so many notes it’s virtually black! Steve Vai, an incredible guitarist, notated that sheet music!
The great thing about Vai is he's been very open I'm admitting he wouldn't be half the guitarist he is if it wasn't for Frank. Working with Zappa makes you better because he'd push you until you hit your limit and then make you go beyond it.
@@astrosteve very well said! Steve has a great story about being in the studio with Frank and Terry while Vinnie Colaiuta was recording Mo N Herb’s Vacation which was even more intricate than The Black Page. The story goes Vinnie had some sushi on the ledge of the music stand and during a really complex section Vinnie reached over to get a piece of sushi, pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, did the section only left handed without missing a note and when Frank and Terry saw that they threw papers in the air and walked out! 😂
Great live performance. Zappa suffered serious injuries when a crazed fan pushed him off the stage in London, including vocal chord injuries. His voice was considerably lowered after that.
Went to a Zappa day at the Barbican just down the road from you maybe. It was his classical music performed by a massive orchestra in the main hall and a second in a smaller venue. The discussion in the middle was very entertaining also. If I was going to play a Zappa track to anyone it would be Oh No/orange county lumber truck from Weasels ripped my flesh. Easy listening for the uninitiated
I would suggest listening to (I don't know if there are videos) songs such as "Trouble Every Day" (th-cam.com/video/Dtk2gozGtbg/w-d-xo.html) that is social commentary, "Inca Roads" (th-cam.com/video/wqp71DOJ3aY/w-d-xo.html) which shows off his compositional skills, "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder" (th-cam.com/video/2kv7DDku3KE/w-d-xo.html) which is DooWop.
Hey!! Love Zappa but and I can at least name 5 songs with more interesting vocal performances I think you will appreciate whipping post with Bobby Martin in vocals or Florentine pogen with Napoleon Murphy Brock
I don't know why you chose to do the SNL version, and not the studio version. The studio version had the Tina and the Ike-ettes, and way better sound. Zappa's playing is killer either way though I guess. It's cool you're hitting his stuff.
The perfect song to watch TH-cam by. Also known as grab a glass of Beaujolais and walk around mesmerised by the smart phone screen in front of you. Come on people learn how to love the commodified video ooze the worshippers of Mammon put up social media. Sing it: “I am the…"
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I HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT! And I have just realised my first cover on Spotify. Let me know what you think! And follow me on Spotify to hear the album as soon as it comes out. open.spotify.com/track/6qfvKbg6ukHJOGykx2MARB?si=8a2fa85792b14d15
The word "genius" is often used to refer to artists and musicians, so much so, that it has lost a lot of it´s value. Frank Zappa, he was a true genius, with all the value of the word. One of a kind.
He was a genius!
He was a fantastic musician in every way imaginable. He would conduct the band during rehearsal and sound check, like with a conductor stick and all. He was not just great at playing and writing, he knew the theory of music as well...
Agreed Wholeheartedly !!
Best guitarist ever. Musical genius is not fair enough he was the goat. And still not respected for what he did.
Zappas shit music without sense, is suitable for flushing the toilet 😂😂😂
Don Pardo, who does the spoken part, was a very well known voice to people who watched SNL back in the 70s. He also is on Frank's "Zappa In New York" album when he did the voice over live in concert.
For me he's easily the best American composer ever
Frank Zappa is/was beyond most people (politically/philosophically/musically) ... he also was decades ahead of society. He utilised many great vocalists to fill the gaps he couldn't do or didn't want to do. I've got about 30 Zappa albums and certainly not an expert in any way, but Sheik Yerbouti (his pop album) includes a fantastic love song called "Broken Hearts are for Arseholes" which is so much fun. $0.02
Zappa, one ofthe most under the radar genius ever. Bizarre, yes. Brilliant, yes. Just listen the the album Apostrophe
Frank was an amazing composer who was ALWAYS writing - there is a Ruth Underwood video about her and the percussion that she had to learn - worth finding
FZ was really one of a kind. I'm not a huge fan, but he has a few very special songs. And he was highly intelligent. And underrated. We have should listen more what he was telling us. And for you Beth, I really like your Wicked Game cover !! Well done !!
Thank you!
People who "underrated" Zappa? No one....ever.
Zappa will be as well remembered in the future as Bach and Beethoven. His song "Trouble Every Day" could have been written today, and shows his social conscience.
The track you have to listen to is "Uncle Remus", simply brilliant.
Nobody today listens to Zappa's 60's albums unfortunately. Back then, "Freak Out" was a game changer for me.
A lot of Zappa's work is still topical today, for better or worse. See also, "Dumb all Over" and "Jesus thinks you're a Jerk"
I would say this version is not the most representative ; give the studio version a try 😁
As for his low voice... In 1971 (one week after losing all of his equipment in the Montreux Casino's fire that has been brilliantly documented in Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water), during a concert in London, an irate patron pushed him off the stage. He fell down in the orchestral pit five meters down, had his skull pierced and his larynx crushed. As a result, he spent more than one year in a wheelchair. His voice lost more than an octave but he managed to learn how to use it to his advantage!
Yes, studio version is better
Finally! The amazing, one and only, musical genius of Frank Zappa. I sure hope you will continue to explore his masterful work.
I grew up on Zappa. My uncle gave me, when I was like 7, a cassette tape with Apostrophe on it. Never looked back.
Frank knew his limitations, and was fearless in exceeding them! He has been missed for a long time, and will continue to be missed!
Watching someone discover Zappa warms my heart
A different side of his career was his contemporary orchestral composing, which resulted in material recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, etc.. For a more complex piece on the rock side of things try "Inca Roads". This video was from the SNL broadcast. It was the album (Overnight Sensation), one of Zappa's more commercial ones, that had the Ikettes on it, and Ike Turner objected most to a song with a sexual theme that they participated on.
He is not just a "great guitarist" but one of the greatest musicians of all time. Wagner, Beethoven, Puccini and company included
The people you mention were composers.
Calling Frank Zappa "quirky" is a bit like calling a ghost pepper "a little spicy". :)
Hahaha! Good one!
Lol
Inca Roads live with George Duke! The vocals are insane
Frank Zappa is the deepest rabbit hole of all rabbit holes. I would recommend diving in.
Among Zappa's 70 albums, you will find a little gem from 1970--the beginning of his and pop music's greatest decade, hands down--called Hot Rats. Check out "Willie the Pimp."
I think I understand why you chose this example but I'm just really happy that you gave Frank a try. There is a lot of FZ/Mothers music out there so keep exploring Beth!
That was Terry Bozo on the drums wildly, and Ruth Underwood was playing the timpani.
Great pick from a great album Over-Nite Sensation. Frank always had a great sense of humor which really added to his "message" songs. He also loved innuendo, Dynamo Hum on that album is a good example.
One thing Zappa has never been accused of is having a massive vocal range.
He would hire other people for that.
Forget about the messenger - did you get the MESSAGE ? Frank Zappa was a Great guitarist and songwriter, the man was truly a GENIUS !!!!! And the announcer doing the voice over is the Legendary Don Pardo, who was with NBC radio and television from 1938-2014....76 YEARS !!! Using Don Pardo to do the narration is like Michael Jackson using Vincent Price on Thriller.....they turned these great songs into MASTERPIECES 😁
@@ITILII FZ is my favorite artist.
His range was far greater earlier in his career, following an attack by a fan in London 1971, which left Frank so injured his bandmates thought he was dead. Frank was left with a crushed larynx, he underwent surgery on his neck and that limited his vocal abilities.
Illinois enema bandit is a fun ride and a killer jam! I think you would dig it and laugh.
Zappa and his back up band are all amazing players. A true musicians band.
A lot of people say Frank was ahead of his time...NO...he was of his time but everyone else were back in the dark ages..He covered all music with his unique bent from punk-to avant garde music concrete to orchestral...big band..jazz and jazz rock...actually he and Miles davis led in that field...he pioneere maybe the first proto rap with ;'trouble every day'...He work incessantly on his music and I believe he was the last true artist of the 20th century
Oh if you want creepy and scary, check out a documentary called "The Amazing Mr Bickford" about a claymation/stop motion artist. Zappa did this insane free jazz soundtrack that along with the claymation, is quiet an unnerving experience.
Fun fact: one of Zappa's albums, Jazz from Hell, was sold with an RIAA Parental Warning. Jazz from Hell was entirely instrumental.🙄
Your videos are fantastic, Beth. Hi from Brazil.
Frank Zappa was actually something of a musical genius and all the members of The Mothers of Invention were really accomplished musicians. They all said that his music was very technically demanding. There are a great number of entertaining Zappa songs.
The thumbnail is a 10/10 and says a lot about the song, exactly how I feel with Zappa.
I went to see Zappa in concert 10 times over 12 years. The strangest thing about a Zappa concert was us, the audience. He and his musicians were all business, He conducted his bands sometimes with a baton! But I could tell after seeing so many of his concerts the the band members watched him like a hawk. All he had to do was twich a hand or slightly turn a shoulder and they all turned on a dime and were off in a completely new directtion. I really miss him.
Don Pardo -- Legend. The voice of our childhood. He always sounded like a party was going on in the background. Norm Macdonald told a funny story about him after his divorce.
For a true Zappa treat, do yourself a favor, put on some headphones, crank the volume a bit, and listen to Zappa's "Dinah Moe Hum".
Frank was so ahead of his time that it still hasn't come yet.
"Inca Roads" would be an excellent choice for something strange but grounded. It has a serious underlying message but done is his bizarrely lighthearted way.
Plus Ruth Underwood's marimba is mind-blowing.
I like Chester Thompson on drums also.
This performance of this specific song made me a lifelong fan of Frank's. Still have my concert jersey from seeing him in the late 70s. The man was a musical genius.
The announcer was the late great Don Pardo, who was the voice of SNL from its inception in 1978 until his passing in 2014. Pardo tried to retire several times during his last 10 years, but SNL producer Lorne Michaels always managed to convince him to stay. During that time Pardo alternated between pre-recording his parts from his home in Tucson, and commuting to NYC.
After this particular SNL episode Zappa had a series of concerts at The Palladium in NYC, where Pardo reprised his role, and also provided narration for two other songs. The double LP "Zappa in New York" came from those performances.
Zappa was a talent like no other. Everything he had to say 50 years ago still rings true today.
LOL saw him many times when I lived in LA. My favorite songs by him are "St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast" and "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow".
Those are both part of the "Yellow Snow" suite that also includes "Nanook Rubs It", and "Father O'Blivion". IMHO the fours songs in the suite should be heard as a single piece.
This is the best version, great solo of franck, live in nyc is great too
The original Overnight Sensation album which this song is from and the Apostrophe album were recorded at Ike Turner's Bullock sound studio, backing vocals were done by the Ikettes (Linda Sims, Debbie Wilson and Tina Turner). T.V. voice courtesy of the late great Don Pardo.
Frank was always kind of critical of his vocal abilities. He said that originally he had a 13 note range. In December of 1971, he was pushed into the orchestra pit of the Rainbow Theater in London. He wound up in a wheelchair for nine months and due to his larynx being crushed in the fall, he lost 2 notes in his range. He wrote a lot of music for other vocalists in his band to sing.
This is 100% the wrong first song to be exposed to Zappa. Especially if it’s live. His studio recordings are perfect and should be the focus
Inca Roads or Yellow Snow Suite are the best for first impression
He was a genius composer, arranger, guitarist, performer, producer and independent mind. I got his first record album in 1967, “We’re Only In It For The Money”, by The Mothers of Invention.
I worked for a radio station as a teenager back in the sixties. I got the pick of the promo recordings that didn’t fit our format. WOiiftM was one of these. Fortunately, both my brothers and I had a broader musical education than most, so our minds were both blown and forever changed.
That performance was from Dec. 11, 1976.
Later, at the end of that month, Frank had a series of concerts between Christmas and New Years in NYC and he brought the NBC horn section along with him for those gigs.
Even on his debut album from 1966, notable players sat in on the sessions with him. Before he really made his name, other musicians knew he was somebody to be involved with.
I actually was able to check out Dwessel Zappa studio at Joe's Garage in 1990. Joe's Garage is Frank Zappa studio
G'day! Am I a fan of Zappa? Well I have 42 of his 60 or so albums and there are just so many fabulous tracks try looking at some of the ones with Steve Vai and also he was responsible for some of the first animated music videos using stop frame and clay! Frank was totally anti drugs...Since you mentioned Moon Unit check out "Valley Girl" which she sings...That song. has a great back story too... Cheers!
Wow: you know a lot. Tks for sharing. To be honest, it's the very first time I come accross him.
Check out his cover of Whipping Post for a powerhouse vocal performance.
You are going to love Inca Roads (Zappa) 🙂
Cheers Beth, you've managed again to annalise one of my favourite artists.
Mercury and radium pellets and stuff like that weren't unusual playthings for American kids when Frank was growing up, though. The A.C. Gilbert company produced science kits with all kinds of fun substances to experiment with. Most of us even survived and had great fun doing it.
A complete entertainer on stage. The great and unique Frank Zappa. Composer, producer, a leader capable of bringing out the great talent of the musicians he worked with on different tours and recording sessions.
More Zappa!
Note that son, Dweezil, is a fine drummer. The best musicians wanted to play with Frank, somewhat like with Steely Dan and Zappa has written a fair amount of 'serious' jazz and symphonic music.
Zappa was amazing. Many people assume with all the wacky lyrics and on stage antics that there intoxicants involved - but he was very strict about requiring everyone in the band be sober for rehearsals and performances. The music he created was too complex to play if you were not all there.
he was so good and so different! i think if you were to listen to Parilament Funkadelic even though the music was different it really was not as different as you might initially think!
Seen the incredible masterful Frank Zappa 6 times… two Concerts with Flo & Eddy. One of the most memorable performances was at the Nassau Coliseum(played songs from Fillmore East; Just another Band from LA; also Hot Rats & Waka Jawaka)with a headliner of John McLaughlin with Ravi Shankar(Birds of Fire Concert). First of all this Song… is about the brainwashing of TV . Frank always brought politics into his music sarcastically with funny puns about our culture. He was a genius in mind & talent. He is missed. Take good care. Work your way through The Mothers of Invention to Fillmore East Live Album… continue on. Please don’t forget his Hot Rats and Waka Jawaka albums. There’s a rare album with Wild Man Fisher… incredible Guitar Solos… Fisher is a mentally challenged individual(Merry go round).
Been a zappa fan for many years and my housemate was on the same label that used to publish his music in the uk so we have a signed photo of him on the mantelpiece and a lot of demos.The easist albums to start with i think would be sheik yerbouti and you are what you is.....loved the reaction as always ...peace...
He was one of the actual REAL non-sellouts.
He was a very intelligent man. He didn't suffer fools and idiots.
He was definitely not mainstream. I grew up listening to him but didn't "get" his lyrics until I was in my 20's.
I wish society would revisit his work.
The Radium pellets certainly were suspect in him getting cancer and dying.
First off, I'm a Zappa fan from my first listen of "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" in 1970. I have often argued Frank's anti-drug stance belied his dependences on caffeine and nicotine. Then this radium thing came up a few years ago, and his wiki states a doctor jammed radium pellets up his nose to cure sinusitis! It goes on to explain the lack of any clear link between cancer of any kind and this treatment. I'm not going to research how many curies Zappa might have been dosed with, but Marie Curie died from overexposure to its deadly gamma rays. Prostate cancer is directly connected to smoking, making this radium link speculative. Dying from an exotic source like radium exposure seems to fit the man more than too many Marlboros. Alas, the mundane tends to play a greater role in each individual demise than highly unusual causes. Nothing will ever diminish his legacy as as wildly creative artist with an unflagging work ethic.
I have seen him in concert. He was a master performer. He was very intelligent and appeared before the senet committee on censorship I believe twice actually.
Zappa is both funny and bloody serious, both dance music and satire.
Zappa also wrote music for an adult cartoon called duck man which premiered in 1994 and featured the voice of Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame as the voice of duck man. A hilarious series I recommend anybody to watch.
"I write and play music for myself, my sole intended audience" - Frank Zappa
Dweezil's full name is Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa.
The radium pellets were prescribed by a doctor and were placed up Frank's nose into his sinuses to combat some type of illness one he was young.
You have GOT to check out Franks's version of the Allman brothers "whipping post". You will love the vocals. Very few have reacted to it. Now, for Frank in general, you may want to stick to the studio songs for these reactions.
Decades later, and you're all still hooked.
Actually, according to Mr. Zappa, his father worked for the defense department. During his childhood he underwent an experimental treatment for rhinitis which consisted of placing radium pellets in his naval cavity.. As for his children, Moon had a big hit with the song "Valley Girls", while Dweezil had a good gig as a TV show host, and is currently playing his father's music in a tribute band called "Zzappa Plays Zappa". Coincidentally, in 1983, Frank released an album featuring chamber music by the Italian composer Francesco Zappa, who composed between 1763 and 1788.
I have a couple of Zappa Albums. Apostrophe And Overnight Sensations. Both are good albums.
Napoleon Murphy Brock was amazing, who else can sing a dog whistle? (Babette)
Unique, one of a kind, genius, my idol.
Zappa as I'm sure others pointed out was a world reknowned symphony conductor and a prolific composer. Something I didn't know in the 70s. FYI this is a silly version of I'm the Slime- the original is a very musical, strait-laced song (except for the lyrics.) I mean this is ok but nothing to judge Zappa on. It has its moments but listen to the original studio version. Please. Best song on that Overnite Sensation: album: Zomby Wolf.
If you want to truly hear something that will blow your mind (Tokyo ghoul OP) TK sings “ unravel” but you absolutely have to find the song with subtitles.
Frank was a composer, first and foremost.
He made Tina Turner and the Ikettes sing tricky background vocals for his song "Montana".
Vocals are definitely not Zappa's best quality, but he hasmd a lot of incredible vocalists in his bands over the years.
Girl, if you wanna check out something beyond quirky, listen to Mothers Live at the Fillmore East, featuring Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, the 2 guys from The Turtles on vocals. Recorded live and released in 71, the entire album is a satire on the groupie culture of the day, so it's quite lascivious. And very funny.
I would love for you to listen to the studio version as well. I am a huge fan of Frank Zappa's music humour & social observations. Be prepared for such gems as "Don't eat the yellow snow" "Zomby Woof" the instrumental beauty of "Watermelon in Easter Hay" "& the superb "Inca Roads" (the live version with the amazing Ruth Underwood on percussion), same percussionist as in this live piece. Saw him a few times years ago, enjoyed every minute.
Frank wasn't a Liberal or Conservative. He was a free thinker and what mattered was the issue not the party.
A true genius! Music is the best... And beauty is not love 😂
Frank Rules !!!!
With Adrian Belew getting a shout out from Marvel, do City of Tiny Lights.
Need to listen to The Muffin Man recorded live at the old Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin.
Ahhh, the Zappa wormhole. He is an artistic genius. This version is very poor quality but you would find the album version is particularly well produced. If you go a little further down the Zappa wormhole you may find Captain Beefheart interesting.
Onto Beefheart followed by Waits.
Listen to the studio version on Apostrophe (vinyl, preferably though original ones from the day are quite expensive now lolz). I grew up with Frank's cousin (poor feller slept in Frank's hand-me-down crib as a toddler, no kidding!!).
I'm The Slime is from Over-Nite Sensation. That album, as well as the following Apostrophe, should be listened to in full, multiple times.
This is the snl episode.
Great review! Zappa surrounded himself with the best musicians. In this video on drums is Terry Bozzio who is one in a chain of world class drummers Frank hired. Terry played drums on The Black Page which gets its name from the sheet music having so many notes it’s virtually black! Steve Vai, an incredible guitarist, notated that sheet music!
The great thing about Vai is he's been very open I'm admitting he wouldn't be half the guitarist he is if it wasn't for Frank. Working with Zappa makes you better because he'd push you until you hit your limit and then make you go beyond it.
@@astrosteve very well said! Steve has a great story about being in the studio with Frank and Terry while Vinnie Colaiuta was recording Mo N Herb’s Vacation which was even more intricate than The Black Page. The story goes Vinnie had some sushi on the ledge of the music stand and during a really complex section Vinnie reached over to get a piece of sushi, pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, did the section only left handed without missing a note and when Frank and Terry saw that they threw papers in the air and walked out! 😂
Well done Beth. Zappa was brilliant.
Great live performance. Zappa suffered serious injuries when a crazed fan pushed him off the stage in London, including vocal chord injuries. His voice was considerably lowered after that.
Went to a Zappa day at the Barbican just down the road from you maybe. It was his classical music performed by a massive orchestra in the main hall and a second in a smaller venue. The discussion in the middle was very entertaining also. If I was going to play a Zappa track to anyone it would be Oh No/orange county lumber truck from Weasels ripped my flesh. Easy listening for the uninitiated
love this song
I would suggest listening to (I don't know if there are videos) songs such as "Trouble Every Day" (th-cam.com/video/Dtk2gozGtbg/w-d-xo.html) that is social commentary, "Inca Roads" (th-cam.com/video/wqp71DOJ3aY/w-d-xo.html) which shows off his compositional skills, "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder" (th-cam.com/video/2kv7DDku3KE/w-d-xo.html) which is DooWop.
Actually, a shame that you did not get the album, or studio version. With the studio version, you get the full effect of his intention.
I personally know Frank Zappa, he's still making music and his tremelo guitar chops are out of this world
Interesting since he has been dead for 30 years
I love her accent, when she says m instead of um.
For a great Zappa vocal listen to "Lemme take you to the beach" from Studio Tan
Hey!! Love Zappa but and I can at least name 5 songs with more interesting vocal performances I think you will appreciate whipping post with Bobby Martin in vocals or Florentine pogen with Napoleon Murphy Brock
I don't know why you chose to do the SNL version, and not the studio version. The studio version had the Tina and the Ike-ettes, and way better sound. Zappa's playing is killer either way though I guess. It's cool you're hitting his stuff.
More Zappa please
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You had to have extreme chops to be in his band. Just a short example, George Duke, John luc Ponty, Steve Vai.
Jean Luc Ponty: he is still french born and I don't think he intends to change this option.
@frankfertier34 what the hell does that to do with him playing in Frank's band? He played with him in the early 70's both in concerts and on albums.
it has to do with the spelling of his name: Jean luc, and not John whatever.@@chitownlee
The perfect song to watch TH-cam by. Also known as grab a glass of Beaujolais and walk around mesmerised by the smart phone screen in front of you. Come on people learn how to love the commodified video ooze the worshippers of Mammon put up social media. Sing it: “I am the…"