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Essential Frank Zappa

#8
Everyone seems to have their own era of FZ that they prefer. Some like the early stuff, some like the 70's stuff, some like the later stuff.

Live at the Roxy comes to mind
Live in NY
Freak out (and that era, very different from the 70's, 80's and 90's stuff but just as important to grasp the "conceptual continuity" and folklore elements)

There's so much. Take a random sampling and see what happens. As a former FZ "lifer" I'll just tell ya to sit back , enjoy the listening and don't take it personally when he finally insults you because sooner or later it'll happen :D

I miss having him around for sure.
 
#12
Shut up and play your guitar, volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Apostrophe/ Overnite Sensation.

They have some Zappa on the instant view option on Netflix. You can get a look at just how amazing a performer he was.

He has an auto biography that makes for interesting reading. There was a very good interview with him in Playboy shortly before his death.

His congressional testimonies during the PMRC clown fight (explicit labels on records) are priceless. Frank gives the US house of reps a lesson on freedom of expression and the constitution.

That live in NY is excellent.
 
#13
I've been a Zappa fan since I was a kid - Here's my take:

Frank's music changed over the years, with my "favorite" bits being from Apostrophe to One Size Fits All. He had a long "let's see how vulgar we could be" period which, to me, got a little tired. I was actually listening to a tune on my ipod last night and thinking "Frank, ya got lazy..."

At some point, perhaps when he realized he was sick, he started really focusing on instrumental music which, while *difficult*, is very cool.

For my money, though, Apostrphe, Overnight and One Size Fits All are three of the best albums ever recorded, with my favorite being Once Size - - every track on that album is great. Every one.
 
#17
Zappa is my all-time favorite musician. It is important to understand the context in which his albums were written, and they will make MUCH more sense. For example, listening to the albums from different periods can be a little confusing. Zappa throws in a lot of inside jokes, which he refers to as "Conceptual Continuity".

Based on my own collection (I have quite a few), here is what I would recommend (in this order). Feel free to change the order, but it should prevent being turned off prematurely.

1. Best Band You Never Heard in your Life.
2. Apostrophe / Overnight Sensation. Yes, that is Tina Turner singing backups...
3. Joe's Garage
4. Just Another Band from LA - a great example of the Flo&Eddie period. "Billy the Mountain" is a classic, and due to Zappa's "Conceptual Continuity", appears in later works (e.g., in "Greggary Peccary", both the musical themes and as characters in the story). This has a lot of LA references, apparently they would customize it for each city they visited.
5. You can't do that on Stage Anymore (Volumes 1-6). Great examples of musicianship in his bands, particularly during the whole "Whipping Post / Montana" bit.

In terms of Zappa films, I would check out:
1. "Does Humor Belong in Music" (NYC, 1984), an excellent version of "Whipping Post" as an encore. "...Mind the Harbor!!!"
2. "Baby Snakes" - Patrick O'Hearn and Terry Bozzio on bass & drums. O'Hearn's fretless playing is very tasty.
3. "Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation" - posthumously, published by his family; great focus on Ruth Underwood's percussion as well as Zappa's recording tricks.
4. 200 Motels - A bit bizarre, but very funny to me.
5. "Dub Room Special" - Meh.

Also, if you are interested in hearing someone else's take on Zappa, check out the Ed Palermo Big Band. FANTASTIC!!!!

For your reading pleasure:
"The Real Frank Zappa Book" - Zappa
"Zappa, a Biography" - Barry Miles (a really good read)

I have at least 25 Zappa albums. Apparently I only have 22 on my ipod!

ian
 
#18
SHEIKH YERBOUTI! A great feature of this album is just the huge range of recording and production techniques that went into the tracks. A real motley mixture of every trick in the book.

Also Joe's Garage, which is mentioned in the OP - I guess you're referring to acts 1, 2 and 3, right? Used to be two separate albums on vinyl, but now they all get lumped together.
 
#19
BigOldHarry said:
I've been a Zappa fan since I was a kid - Here's my take:

Frank's music changed over the years, with my "favorite" bits being from Apostrophe to One Size Fits All. He had a long "let's see how vulgar we could be" period which, to me, got a little tired. I was actually listening to a tune on my ipod last night and thinking "Frank, ya got lazy..."

At some point, perhaps when he realized he was sick, he started really focusing on instrumental music which, while *difficult*, is very cool.

For my money, though, Apostrphe, Overnight and One Size Fits All are three of the best albums ever recorded, with my favorite being Once Size - - every track on that album is great. Every one.
Click to expand...
there was a period of five records or so that were reputed to be contractually necessary,and not his best work...
 

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