Jeff Berlin fired by Frank Zappa

[cowsgomoo]

Sorry to correct you on this one, but Zappa dispells this rumor in the preface to his autobiography.

b..b...b...but, it must be true, it's an urban legend!!

 

[fretlessman71]

from what i've learned about Jeff Berlin's personality, I can't imagine he'd have what it took to keep his mouth shut and play Frank's music without pissing everyone off even more than Scott Thunes did... to play that comedy music you probably need to have a sense of humor, and I've not seen much evidence that Jeff Berlin has one of those... Jeff Berlin & Frank Zappa doesn't seem like a good fit to me

Jeff has a sense of humor, but it runs so contrary to Frank's that I can see where he didn't last. Plus, I can't imagine Jeff liking being told what to play by ANYBODY.

Not to mention Frank probably wanted him to play to a clicktrack...

 

[Snarf]

Yeah, Berlin is too much of an egomaniacal, and at the same time OMG-I'm-so-insecure-I-have-to-post-myspace-bulletins-telling-everyone-
how-awesome-I-am, kind of guy to be in FZ's band.

 

[baba]

maybe I will check out some Zappa. I have never heard a single Zappa tune. Most people just say it's "different".

You owe it to yourself to do this as soon as possible. Start with something more accessible like Apostrophe, One Size Fits All, or Overnite Sensation.

 

[kesslari]

if you think that poop jokes is the sum total of frank's contribution to music, you're missing out.

True. His pee jokes can't be overlooked, either.

of course it was. frank -was- a genius. that term - genius - is tossed around a lot today, but the real deal is exceedingly rare. frank was one. folks will still be playing his music in a hundred years.

Amen to that. How many rock musicians' have any tunes that wind up in the Real Book? Or being played by orchestras?
NVFM (Not Very Freakin' Many).
The man wrote some amazing music, mixed it in with some very funny and irreverent music, and put together bootykicking bands.
Among other things.

sacking Vinnie Colaiuta for the same thing was far, far more significant, because Vinnie was probably in the 'top 5 most influential Zappa sidemen ever' (the other 4 probably were Ian Underwood, Ruth Underwood, Terry Bozzio & George Duke... in my humble opinion)

Yep. If you can tell me straightfaced that Jeff Berlin (who is an amazing bass player, no doubt) is more musically talented and deserves to be paid more than George Duke, or Terry Bozzio, or Vai or either of the Underwoods, or....
then you're definitely a bass player rather than a musician.

I saw Zappa live on Halloween of 1978. It was an amazing performance. Bozzio on drums, I think Patrick O'Hearn on bass. It was just before Sheik Yerbouti came out (and who else could have, or would have, managed that? Great answer to the disco crap that was actually popular during the '70's).

I miss Frank.

 

[bassist15]

I would disagree with Vinnie being in the top 4 sidemen Frank had.
George Duke ...Ian Underwood...Ruth Underwood..and Jean-Luc Ponty!

 

[CapnSev]

Maybe Jeff ate the yellow snow.

 

[fishtx]

I saw Zappa live on Halloween of 1978. It was an amazing performance. Bozzio on drums, I think Patrick O'Hearn on bass. It was just before Sheik Yerbouti came out (and who else could have, or would have, managed that? Great answer to the disco crap that was actually popular during the '70's).

I miss Frank.

The 1977/78 tour had O'Hearn on Bass, Bozzio on Drums, Adrian belew on Guitar, Tommy Mars on keys, and a percussionist (can't think of his name). It was a great tour (I saw it in KC at the Uptown theater).

I also saw the 1975 "Bongo Fury" tour, and the 1981 "You are what you is" tour.

I miss Frank too, and have over 30 of his albums on CD...some are difficult to listen to, but all are original and unique, and brilliant. I will agree that at times, his tone was not great...but at times his tone is incredible...like in "Watermelon in Easter Hay" from the Joe's garage album...I love his tone on all the Joe's garage stuff for that matter...

Frank was not only a genius as a composer, arranger, and musician...but he was also a guy who took care of his family. Before he past away he set up the Zappa Family Trust, that owns an unpublished collection of live concert audio that goes back to the 60's. He recorded almost every live show he ever played....and tons of unreleased studio recordings, that his wife Gail is slowly releasing over time to take care of the family.

 

[Hoover]

The 1978 tour had O'Hearn on Bass, Bozzio on Drums, Adrian belew on Guitar, Tommy Mars on keys, and a percussionist (can't think of his name).

Ed Mann was the percussionist, and Peter Wolf was the second keyboardist. I saw the October 29th 1978 show in NYC's Paladium.

I also saw the 1974 tour at the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ with Chester Thompson, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, George Duke, and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Wow. Just freakin' wow.

 

[Bass_Machine]

I don't know anything about this, but kinda reminds me of a story I heard about James Brown.

Basically, his band was tired of the way he made them work, stuff like fining them for every mistake they made etc. Basically, at a sound check before the show they just left him, they all quit on him; thinking that he would never cope without them so close to the show and he would take them back under their terms.

Joke was on them, as JB said "Fine" and found himself another band and they lost themselves and incredible gig working with James Brown!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how Bootsy first ended up playing for him?

 

[Baryonyx]

It wasn't working out for them, simple as. While it's not hard to believe that Jeff would rate himself as more technically proficient than any of the other band members (imo, aside from Steve Vai, he is the most technically gifted band member Zappa ever had), it didn't do either Jeff nor Frank any harm to part ways.

 

[jerry]

I don't know anything about this, but kinda reminds me of a story I heard about James Brown.

Basically, his band was tired of the way he made them work, stuff like fining them for every mistake they made etc. Basically, at a sound check before the show they just left him, they all quit on him; thinking that he would never cope without them so close to the show and he would take them back under their terms.

Joke was on them, as JB said "Fine" and found himself another band and they lost themselves and incredible gig working with James Brown!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how Bootsy first ended up playing for him?

Yup, Bootsy and his brother Catfish.

 

[jerry]

I also saw the 1974 tour at the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ with Chester Thompson, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, George Duke, and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Wow. Just freakin' wow.

I was at that show too, great show, great venue!

 

[Baryonyx]

b..b...b...but, it must be true, it's an urban legend!!

As soon as you know it's not true you can stop reading the book!

 

[Orangeclawhammr]

Ed Mann was the percussionist, and Peter Wolf was the second keyboardist. I saw the October 29th 1978 show in NYC's Paladium.

I also saw the 1974 tour at the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ with Chester Thompson, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, George Duke, and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Wow. Just freakin' wow.

Was Captain Beefheart on that tour? I remembering seeing Zappa with Beefheart. I went to see Beefheart and was disappointed that he did not have a bigger part of the show. OTOH, with all the other people in that band, I could understand.

 

[Hoover]

Was Captain Beefheart on that tour? I remembering seeing Zappa with Beefheart. I went to see Beefheart and was disappointed that he did not have a bigger part of the show. OTOH, with all the other people in that band, I could understand.

Pretty sure the Zappa/Beefheart tour was 1975.

 

[Ian Perge]

Plus, I can't imagine Jeff liking being told what to play by ANYBODY.

When you're playing as a "sideman" your job is to play someone else's music to the best of your ability. You're extremely lucky if you get the change to sub in your own fills from time-to-time.

Not to mention Frank probably wanted him to play to a clicktrack...

Vinnie Colaiuta is a human clicktrack!

 

[fishtx]

Pretty sure the Zappa/Beefheart tour was 1975.

Beefheart was on a few of the shows during that tour...but rumor has it that him and Zappa fought most of the time, and he didn't perform very often. I saw the 1975 tour in November of that year, and beefheart did not perform with them.

 

[burnunit]

I also saw the 1974 tour at the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ with Chester Thompson, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, George Duke, and Napoleon Murphy Brock. Wow. Just freakin' wow.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama was a stop on that tour. He played two completely different shows (Tom Waits opened) and there was not one single person that didn't come with tickets for both shows. We all filed out and filed right back in again. A perfect show in a small venue.

Okra was the secret word for the night. I'm picking the ole Okra Floss!

 

[john turner]

The 1977/78 tour had O'Hearn on Bass, Bozzio on Drums, Adrian belew on Guitar, Tommy Mars on keys, and a percussionist (can't think of his name). It was a great tour (I saw it in KC at the Uptown theater).

I also saw the 1975 "Bongo Fury" tour, and the 1981 "You are what you is" tour.

I miss Frank too, and have over 30 of his albums on CD...some are difficult to listen to, but all are original and unique, and brilliant. I will agree that at times, his tone was not great...but at times his tone is incredible...like in "Watermelon in Easter Hay" from the Joe's garage album...I love his tone on all the Joe's garage stuff for that matter...

Frank was not only a genius as a composer, arranger, and musician...but he was also a guy who took care of his family. Before he past away he set up the Zappa Family Trust, that owns an unpublished collection of live concert audio that goes back to the 60's. He recorded almost every live show he ever played....and tons of unreleased studio recordings, that his wife Gail is slowly releasing over time to take care of the family.

talking about sweet frank tone - how about the solo for inca roads? man i love that toon, and the guitar solo is fantastic, especially for a live performance spliced into a studio recording .

here's a cool youtube of it - the sound effects are alittle loud during the guitar solo - and dig the animation. eat your heart out adam jones