Never thought this would appear I remember doing an interview for this..... we played like Frank was in the room .... Thanks Tom for being there for the journey Bless....
I think someone should do a documentary about the Zappa cover bands that existed in the underworld... The ones that attempted to play this music with all odds against them and basically no'one cheering them on because it wasn't Pearl Jam or The Grateful Dead. What a fight it was to play a Zappa record in the presence of the perfect people. The hate. The struggle.
If you are a Zappa fan it's like being handcuffed in the back seat while a monkey drives the car on a road with cliffs and twists and turns. The car is music.
What a time to be alive, eh? Hell, I became a fan in ‘08 when I was in high school and I had the same issue until the reissues hit a few years later. Now, all his stuff is EVERYWHERE! It’s pretty damn awesome. His discography is the gift that keeps on giving!
I have a copy of Keyboard magazine from the early 80's and he tells the story, only he omitted the fact that Frank had a toothache here...can you imagine auditioning for him when he's in pain and a bit pissed that you're not getting it right? Brutal. Loved hearing him tell the story again and I really liked all of what he had to say, there was a lot of joy in his recollections. Nice to see Ike here....watched the "Zappa" doc, and he's only on camera for a few seconds and he was in the band the longest...of course, his image flashes right after Mrs. Z. says something about some musicians being assholes...well, those weren't her words, but there was no love lost between the two, so it's nice to see him have his say here. So glad I happened upon this today, very enjoyable!
Always love the fact that the majority of his music to me seemed other-worldly and surreal. Since watching Zappaverse, loving how many of these videos I’ve never seen are showing up on my home page ❤
Have to say also . . . Thank you to the whole band for carrying on Franks legacy. It was important for Franks fans, and for you all to continue to tour without Frank must have been tough mentally. You did him proud.
I remember a time where I saw Frank in LA then Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Sacramento and on to Reno. All in a week. No two concerts were alike. It gave me a whole new perception to his music. Never ceased to amaze me.
I got more out of this than I did out of the new Zappa doc. There's a perspective here that usually gets lost in amid the legends and the reverence for the Great Man. I'd definitely contribute to a gofundme or what have you to see this finished up proper.
This was about his music. Not his personality, not his life, not his eccentricities, not the names he gave his kids, not his difficult relationship with Gail. His music, which he considered the most important part of his time on Earth. And that was the primary part of him that these guys dealt with and related to.
I remember seeing Frank in '75 at USB's gymnasium.The band started playing & then Frank sauntered up from the back of the gym with his shirt off & a cig dangling on the tuning pegs of a beat up Strat (love beat up Strats) being the total definition of cool. You will be missed sir.
There are a lot of things about zappa that get recycled by people of the (you and me) from the goatee. Beard to the torn jeans, except in the mothers it was because they were "broke” .. not trendy
The musicians: 4:32 Robert Martin 6:06 Ike Willis 6:46 Jay Dittamo 7:08 Ed Mann 8:30 Bruce Fowler 9:46 Kurt McGettrick 11:55 Tommy Mars 29:40 Arthur Barrow 1:04:16 Tom Fowler
Thanks a lot for uploading this. First Zappa documentary I've not seen before in a while. Also I love Robert Martin but I just realized he has this kind of American Psycho thing going on.
This documentary is such a great combination of live FZ music with stories. Good to get there just when his music captured my attention once again. Thank you for sharing this. And here’s to another Zappanale next year!
After hearing the accounts from these musicians, it makes me realize how much of Zappas musical journey was so similar to his first Steve Allen appearance playing the bicycle! “It’s amazing how many different sounds one can make with a bicycle.” The only difference following that exercise was using expert musicians to explore and unravel this same curiosity 😊
Fowler might be right about FZ's contrarian tendencies starting around 13:00. The comment about Zappa compositions not giving you the Sunday groove may be true if you haven't listened to the stuff much. FZ works some gorgeous flowing rhythmic patterns, (grooves) into most of his tunes. He does slam the brakes on and make sudden turns, but after the records print in your head, you're screwed and his choices seem pretty natural... you can't hear things the way you did on the first listen or two.
This is so great, more sound and information about the Zappa approach to music and life. I’ll fork out the $6.99 for Alex Winter doc later. Right now this is just what I wanted. I hope this band was well compensated for their talent and hard work.
I'm just glad that Earl came over that day in '71 when I live in Santa Barbara. He brought over a new album he just purchased. The rest is History. (and thanks to the brother of Lee Michael's who played it on the radio station)
Also 09:45 I agree or why would he write The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbeque but would Farnk have had chops good enough to play with Mingus himself... probably not.. as he so eloquently talks about the 'hybrid composer'. These guys are really insightful. Great video..
Like that succulent piano solo was edited out the first time, then they saw sense and put it back in. One of my favourite melodies, up there with Oh No
2 minutes in, and realizing that most of these guys killed the 1988 tour and then saying that they want to keep Frank's music alive. Also. Who turned Ikes guitar up in the mix?
what I believe happening is Ed Mann was the senior player in the band and he and Chad Wackerman were being wankers playing games against Scott the bass player...Then when the brass section came in we saw the trombone player Bruce Fowler lead the brass against Scott...So he claimed seniorority with Ed Mann and they thought who is this punk kid telling us what to do...so those two Bruce and Ed did a mutiny on the bounty style rebellion trying to get rid of a personality that annoyed them.....Frank would have known who was the trouble....road managers and sound men would have reported what was happening.
"LIKE" button has been torqued to the manufacturer's recommended specification. "CLICK". God forbid you should be running around with a loose "LIKE" button !
Could I be forgiven for saying it's just not the same without Frank conducting? I'm not stating the obvious I hope and it isn't meant as a criticism of these fantastic artists. It just doesn't sound the same. At all. That is not to say the musicians aren't performing the music.... It's just quite glaring that Frank isn't there because his direction was such a huge part of the coherence and flow of the performance.
Clarification: I believe when Frank Zappa said things like “Jazz isn’t dead, it just smells funny” he was being ironic and humorous, he really wasn’t declaring his hatred for jazz, or whatever, not in the slightest. I think one of the interviewees missed the point there…
I think Bruce Fowler has it wrong when he says the band went in more of a jazz direction when he joined, I think Zappa's music was always heavily infused with Jazz. He seemed to go more rock and roll around the mid 70s in my opinion.
Haven't gotten to it yet unless I've already passed it last time when I started this video but there are about 3 videos of the band rehearsing from 1994 here on TH-cam and I thought it sounded fine then and there.
@@alexanderalexander9292 Guess what Frank is dead dumbass a band still needs someone to lead rehearsals and the band on stage. You're weird if you think that is disrespectful in anyway.
Unfortunately, from what I have learned from various interviews is that Frank wasn’t exactly the most personable guy. His main purpose in life was to write music and get people to play that music. Check out the new Zappa documentary. Ruth Underwood talks about it
@@jsyarto04 I think Kurt wasn´t exactly nice about Zappa´s MUSICAL skills ("He coulnd´t play jazz" " let´s see if he will be considered a great musician"). COME ON! Those comments on a documentary about a band paying tribute to Zappa´s fantastic music, sound offensive (to me). The fact of him beeing´t "not the most personable guy", doesn´t mean he wasn´t a musical genius. Peace.
@@dlcreizdrumz3310 Personally, I actually find it interesting and a little refreshing to hear people give an evenhanded account of his strengths AND his weaknesses. To me, the notion that the limits of his genius may have informed some of his attitudes is an interesting insight. Whether accurate or not, I like hearing what the people who worked for Frank have to say about the experience. Plenty of praise out there, and Tommy Mars' account of his experiences more than counterbalances what McGettrick had to say. I appreciated all of their perspectives. The BBC radio documentary "Jazz From Hell" is another great chance to hear the musicians reflect on the experience with the Zappa band.
Never thought this would appear I remember doing an interview for this..... we played like Frank was in the room .... Thanks Tom for being there for the journey Bless....
Tom Freeman up here wanted to ask you if the band was in fact called "Banned From Utopia". lol.
You played great!
@@kevichiking3563This will be thirty years ago …. Thanks ….. :-)
I think someone should do a documentary about the Zappa cover bands that existed in the underworld... The ones that attempted to play this music with all odds against them and basically no'one cheering them on because it wasn't Pearl Jam or The Grateful Dead. What a fight it was to play a Zappa record in the presence of the perfect people. The hate. The struggle.
If you are a Zappa fan it's like being handcuffed in the back seat while a monkey drives the car on a road with cliffs and twists and turns. The car is music.
Tommy Mars' story about his audition was incredible!
Blows my mind the zappa stuff available today. I was a huge fan from the late 80s and back then you couldn't get jack shit.
What a time to be alive, eh?
Hell, I became a fan in ‘08 when I was in high school and I had the same issue until the reissues hit a few years later.
Now, all his stuff is EVERYWHERE!
It’s pretty damn awesome. His discography is the gift that keeps on giving!
22:52 Tommy Mars' audition story...so awesome!
yes, great story!
I have a copy of Keyboard magazine from the early 80's and he tells the story, only he omitted the fact that Frank had a toothache here...can you imagine auditioning for him when he's in pain and a bit pissed that you're not getting it right? Brutal. Loved hearing him tell the story again and I really liked all of what he had to say, there was a lot of joy in his recollections. Nice to see Ike here....watched the "Zappa" doc, and he's only on camera for a few seconds and he was in the band the longest...of course, his image flashes right after Mrs. Z. says something about some musicians being assholes...well, those weren't her words, but there was no love lost between the two, so it's nice to see him have his say here. So glad I happened upon this today, very enjoyable!
Well that's the best thing I've watched this year. Love the love for Frank, music is the best
Can't get enough of Frank's music, this is very special.
Always love the fact that the majority of his music to me seemed other-worldly and surreal. Since watching Zappaverse, loving how many of these videos I’ve never seen are showing up on my home page ❤
Jeheezuz, I'm only 4 minutes in and I'm already in awe! Thank you for this! XXXXXX
Have to say also . . . Thank you to the whole band for carrying on Franks legacy. It was important for Franks fans, and for you all to continue to tour without Frank must have been tough mentally. You did him proud.
This is GREAT !!!
That was great
Thanks for sharing
RIP Frank
RIP Tom
Tom?
Amazing!!! The best musicians on Earth is an understatement!!!! Thanks for the music!
I remember a time where I saw Frank in LA then Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Sacramento and on to Reno. All in a week. No two concerts were alike. It gave me a whole new perception to his music. Never ceased to amaze me.
This was heavenly good...what a delight.
All these guys are so humble and normal, its amazing
I got more out of this than I did out of the new Zappa doc. There's a perspective here that usually gets lost in amid the legends and the reverence for the Great Man. I'd definitely contribute to a gofundme or what have you to see this finished up proper.
Id contribute...because the audio here is really unbalanced and messy.
This was about his music. Not his personality, not his life, not his eccentricities, not the names he gave his kids, not his difficult relationship with Gail.
His music, which he considered the most important part of his time on Earth. And that was the primary part of him that these guys dealt with and related to.
HOW COME I NEVER HEARD OF THIS????? OMG !!!!!
I remember seeing Frank in '75 at USB's gymnasium.The band started playing & then Frank sauntered up from the back of the gym with his shirt off & a cig dangling on the tuning pegs of a beat up Strat (love beat up Strats) being the total definition of cool. You will be missed sir.
There are a lot of things about zappa that get recycled by people of the (you and me) from the goatee. Beard to the torn jeans, except in the mothers it was because they were "broke” .. not trendy
Probably the Hendrix Strat (the one Hendrix burned and Frank later had fixed up)
The musicians:
4:32 Robert Martin
6:06 Ike Willis
6:46 Jay Dittamo
7:08 Ed Mann
8:30 Bruce Fowler
9:46 Kurt McGettrick
11:55 Tommy Mars
29:40 Arthur Barrow
1:04:16 Tom Fowler
I’m
Any chance of listing the songs?
47:58 Bruce Fowler is the man, played the sweetest solo in Stockholm, happy to hear him talk, for sure a philosophy I share.
Thanks a lot for uploading this. First Zappa documentary I've not seen before in a while. Also I love Robert Martin but I just realized he has this kind of American Psycho thing going on.
What do you mean?
This documentary is such a great combination of live FZ music with stories. Good to get there just when his music captured my attention once again. Thank you for sharing this. And here’s to another Zappanale next year!
The best fucking Zappa video I have seen to date! Everything is measured and placed just right.
Nice to see Tom Fowler playing violin in BeBop Tango.
It's always good see tom fowler ..🎼🥁🎻🎺🎩📸📸
Howz about a little crowdfunding to get this effort to the finish line? Nice Job Tom! and all involved!
After hearing the accounts from these musicians, it makes me realize how much of Zappas musical journey was so similar to his first Steve Allen appearance playing the bicycle! “It’s amazing how many different sounds one can make with a bicycle.” The only difference following that exercise was using expert musicians to explore and unravel this same curiosity 😊
Wowie...zowie!!!
Bruce Fowler is the man!
This is excellent! Thank you!
Fowler might be right about FZ's contrarian tendencies starting around 13:00. The comment about Zappa compositions not giving you the Sunday groove may be true if you haven't listened to the stuff much. FZ works some gorgeous flowing rhythmic patterns, (grooves) into most of his tunes. He does slam the brakes on and make sudden turns, but after the records print in your head, you're screwed and his choices seem pretty natural... you can't hear things the way you did on the first listen or two.
This is so great, more sound and information about the Zappa approach to music and life. I’ll fork out the $6.99 for Alex Winter doc later. Right now this is just what I wanted. I hope this band was well compensated for their talent and hard work.
01:00:30 Stravinsky on a Steinway and Sons played by Tommy Mars … priceless
Yes he is!
RIP Ed Mann
I love the comment at 7:32 'the center of his soul' absolutely agree.
I'm just glad that Earl came over that day in '71 when I live in Santa Barbara. He brought over a new album he just purchased. The rest is History. (and thanks to the brother of Lee Michael's who played it on the radio station)
Oh thank you guys. It means so much to us.
Dam ❗what a fantastic band .. 🎵🔉🟢🔵🟣🟠
Ed Mann, the hardest working man in show business!
#2 has to be Bobby "F'n" Martin
@@dlxinfinite7098 Yes for sure!
Great ! Great! Great! Wonder when this was filmed and where ? PM 4000 house console.
july 94 stuttgart :)
@@koucak I've actually been to Stuttgart many years ago.
Also 09:45 I agree or why would he write The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbeque but would Farnk have had chops good enough to play with Mingus himself... probably not.. as he so eloquently talks about the 'hybrid composer'. These guys are really insightful. Great video..
This docco is a jewel! Has this ever been published/broadcasted?
Glad you enjoyed it. To the best of my knowledge, it has not.
Anyone listen to the end? After an hour you get the last 8 minutes repeated. Mind you, I didnt mind listening to 20 small cigars again!
Like that succulent piano solo was edited out the first time, then they saw sense and put it back in. One of my favourite melodies, up there with Oh No
2 minutes in, and realizing that most of these guys killed the 1988 tour and then saying that they want to keep Frank's music alive. Also. Who turned Ikes guitar up in the mix?
Ike is assuming he has a right to be the leader of this band...
what I believe happening is Ed Mann was the senior player in the band and he and Chad Wackerman were being wankers playing games against Scott the bass player...Then when the brass section came in we saw the trombone player Bruce Fowler lead the brass against Scott...So he claimed seniorority with Ed Mann and they thought who is this punk kid telling us what to do...so those two Bruce and Ed did a mutiny on the bounty style rebellion trying to get rid of a personality that annoyed them.....Frank would have known who was the trouble....road managers and sound men would have reported what was happening.
Shut up and up your guitar
"LIKE" button has been torqued to the manufacturer's recommended specification. "CLICK".
God forbid you should be running around with a loose "LIKE" button !
Could I be forgiven for saying it's just not the same without Frank conducting? I'm not stating the obvious I hope and it isn't meant as a criticism of these fantastic artists. It just doesn't sound the same. At all. That is not to say the musicians aren't performing the music.... It's just quite glaring that Frank isn't there because his direction was such a huge part of the coherence and flow of the performance.
Clarification: I believe when Frank Zappa said things like “Jazz isn’t dead, it just smells funny” he was being ironic and humorous, he really wasn’t declaring his hatred for jazz, or whatever, not in the slightest. I think one of the interviewees missed the point there…
23:41 Me to my enemies
Baritone sax!
How great it sounds!
I think Bruce Fowler has it wrong when he says the band went in more of a jazz direction when he joined, I think Zappa's music was always heavily infused with Jazz. He seemed to go more rock and roll around the mid 70s in my opinion.
33:53 Make Tommy sweat and Moan?
Is it just me or was that the worst peaches you’ve ever heard?
Let's just pretend it was the mixing board and instrument tuning problem just so I don't lose faith in these accomplished musicians.
@saadatabad1 just listened to it again and it still sucks. Goddamn shame. i think ike was tryna be like zappa or someshit everyone was off too
Haven't gotten to it yet unless I've already passed it last time when I started this video but there are about 3 videos of the band rehearsing from 1994 here on TH-cam and I thought it sounded fine then and there.
@@ManicMovesDrowsyDreams its in the very beginning
It is the mixing. The recording is missing a few tracks.
Ike assuming Frank's role makes me uncomfortable....conducting and then doing band extrapolation with hand signals is Frank and no one besides.
Whom would you suggest? The rest of the band have their hands full playing their instruments.
That's nobody's job besides Franks. Ike should have just relaxed and sat down or grabbed a cowbell. BTW I like Ike so that's no diss to him.
@@alexanderalexander9292 Guess what Frank is dead dumbass a band still needs someone to lead rehearsals and the band on stage. You're weird if you think that is disrespectful in anyway.
@@klinkov6393 YOU HAVE THE CLONE MEISTER THERE in the bass player...Ike has no musical chops..
@@mikedemike5393 not true , listen to ikes solo album shoulda gone before I left , shows his chops all over it
I distinctly remember Frank saying that he couldn’t stand listening to be bop.
I remember he said that
Is it just me or Kurt McGettrick didn´t say anything really nice about Frank? Damn!
Unfortunately, from what I have learned from various interviews is that Frank wasn’t exactly the most personable guy. His main purpose in life was to write music and get people to play that music. Check out the new Zappa documentary. Ruth Underwood talks about it
@@jsyarto04 I think Kurt wasn´t exactly nice about Zappa´s MUSICAL skills ("He coulnd´t play jazz" " let´s see if he will be considered a great musician"). COME ON! Those comments on a documentary about a band paying tribute to Zappa´s fantastic music, sound offensive (to me). The fact of him beeing´t "not the most personable guy", doesn´t mean he wasn´t a musical genius. Peace.
@@dlcreizdrumz3310 I’m sorry, I totally misunderstood your original comment.
@@jsyarto04 No problem at all, Jim! As long as we keep enjoying Zappa´s astonishing music work, right? Cheers from Brazil .
@@dlcreizdrumz3310 Personally, I actually find it interesting and a little refreshing to hear people give an evenhanded account of his strengths AND his weaknesses. To me, the notion that the limits of his genius may have informed some of his attitudes is an interesting insight. Whether accurate or not, I like hearing what the people who worked for Frank have to say about the experience. Plenty of praise out there, and Tommy Mars' account of his experiences more than counterbalances what McGettrick had to say. I appreciated all of their perspectives. The BBC radio documentary "Jazz From Hell" is another great chance to hear the musicians reflect on the experience with the Zappa band.
Ike is sick guys 😟😟please donate the fund ???
What do you mean?
Horrible sound. You can’t hear half of the instruments.
Good enough. Better this than not this!
I love it
Frank is smiling.
RIP Tom Brown