Frank Zappa | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the 90s. His disparate influences included doo wop music and avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and complicated, modern serious music, sometimes inducing orchestras to play along. As if his music were not challenging enough, he overlay it with highly satirical and sometimes abstractly humorous lyrics and song titles that marked him as coming out of a provocative literary tradition that included Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and edgy comedians like Lenny Bruce. Nominally, he was a popular musician, but his recordings rarely earned significant airplay or sales, yet he was able to gain control of his recorded work and issue it successfully through his own labels while also touring internationally, in part because of the respect he earned from a dedicated cult of fans and many serious musicians, and also because he was an articulate spokesman who promoted himself into a media star through extensive interviews he considered to be a part of his creative effort just like his music. The Mothers of Invention, the 60s group he led, often seemed to offer a parody of popular music and the counterculture (although he affected long hair and jeans, Zappa was openly scornful of hippies and drug use). By the 80s, he was testifying before Congress in opposition to censorship (and editing his testimony into one of his albums). But these comic and serious sides were complementary, not contradictory. In statement and in practice, Zappa was an iconoclastic defender of the freest possible expression of ideas. And most of all, he was a composer far more ambitious than any other rock musician of his time and most classical musicians, as well. Zappa was born Frank Vincent Zappa in Baltimore, MD, on December 21, 1940. For most of his life, he was under the mistaken impression that he had been named exactly after his father, a Sicilian immigrant who was a high school teacher at the time of his sons birth, that he was "Francis Vincent Zappa, Jr." That was what he told interviewers, and it was extensively reported. It was only many years later that Zappa examined his birth certificate and discovered that, in fact, his first name was Frank, not Francis. The real Francis Zappa took a job with the Navy during World War II, and he spent the rest of his career working in one capacity or another for the government or in the defense industry, resulting in many family moves. Zappas mother, Rose Marie (Colimore) Zappa, was a former librarian and typist. During his early childhood, the family lived in Baltimore, Opa-Locka, FL, and Edgewood, MD. In December 1951, they moved to California when Zappas father took a job teaching metallurgy at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey. The same year, Zappa had first shown an interest in becoming a musician, joining the school band and playing the snare drum. Although the Zappa family continued to live in California for the rest of Zappas childhood, they still moved frequently; by the time Zappa graduated from Antelope Valley Joint Union High School in Lancaster in June 1958, it was the seventh high school he had attended. Meanwhile, his interest in music had grown. He had become particularly attracted to R&B;, joining a band as a drummer in 1955. Simultaneously, he had become a fan of avant-garde classical music, particularly the work of Edgard Varèse. After his high school graduation, Zappa studied music at several local colleges off and on. He also switched to playing the guitar. Zappa married Kathryn J. Sherman on December 28, 1960; the marriage ended in divorce in 1964. Meanwhile, he played in bands and worked on the scores of low-budget films. It was in seeking to record his score for one of these films, The Worlds Greatest Sinner, that he began working at the tiny Pal recording studio in Cucamonga, CA, run by Paul Buff, in November 1961. He and Buff began writing and recording pop music with studio groups and licensing the results to such labels as Del-Fi Records and Original Sound Records. On August 1, 1964, Zappa bought the studio from Buff and renamed it Studio Z. On March 26, 1965, he was arrested by a local undercover police officer who had entrapped him by asking him to record a pornographic audiotape. Convicted of a misdemeanor, he spent ten days in jail, an experience that embittered him. After completing his sentence, he closed the studio, moved into Los Angeles, and joined a band called the Soul Giants that featured his friend, singer Ray Collins, along with bass player Roy Estrada and drummer Jimmy Carl Black. In short order, he induced the group to play his original compositions instead of covers, and to change their name to the Mothers (reportedly on Mothers Day, May 10, 1965). In Los Angeles, the Mothers were able to obtain a manager, Herb Cohen, and audition successfully to appear in popular nightclubs such as the Whiskey Go-Go by the fall of 1965. There they were seen by record executive Tom Wilson, who signed them to the Verve Records subsidiary of MGM Records on March 1, 1966. (Verve required that the suggestive name "The Mothers" be modified to "The Mothers of Invention.") The contract called for the group to submit five albums in two years, and they immediately went into the studio to record the first of those albums, Freak Out! By this time, Elliot Ingber had joined the group on guitar, making it a quintet. An excess of material and Zappas agreement to accept a reduced publishing royalty led to the highly unusual decision to release it as a double-LP, an unprecedented indulgence for a debut act that was practically unheard, much less for an established one. (Bob Dylans Blonde on Blonde appeared during the same period, but it was his seventh album.) Freak Out! was released on June 27, 1966. It was not an immediate success commercially, but it entered the Billboard chart for the week ending February 11, 1967, and eventually spent 23 weeks in the charts. In July 1966, Zappa met Adelaide Gail Sloatman; they married in September 1967, prior to the birth, on September 28, 1967, of their first child, a daughter named Moon Unit Zappa who would record with her father. She was followed by a son, Dweezil, on September 5, 1969. He, too, would become a recording artist, as would Ahmet Zappa, born May 15, 1974. A fourth child, Diva, was born in August 1979. During the summer of 1966, Zappa hired drummer Denny Bruce and keyboardist Don Preston, making the Mothers of Invention a septet, but by November 1966, when the Mothers of Invention went back into the studio to record their second album, Absolutely Free, Bruce had been replaced by Billy Mundi; Ingber had been replaced by Jim Fielder; and Zappa had hired two horn players, Bunk Gardner on wind instruments and Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood on saxophone, bringing the band up to a nine-piece unit. The album was recorded in four days and released in June 1967. It entered the charts in July and reached the Top 50. The Mothers of Invention moved to New York City in November 1966 for a booking at a Greenwich Village club called the Balloon Farm that began on Thanksgiving Day and ran through New Years Day, 1967. After a two-week stint in Montreal, they returned to California, where Fielder left the group in February. In March, Zappa began recording his first solo album, Lumpy Gravy, having signed to Capitol Records under the impression that he was not signed as an individual to Verve, a position Verve would dispute. Later that month, the Mothers of Invention returned to New York City for another extended engagement at the Garrick Theater in Greenwich Village that ran during Easter week and was sufficiently successful that Herb Cohen booked the theater for the summer. That run began on May 24, 1967, and ran off and on through September 5. During this period, Ian Underwood joined the band, playing saxophone and piano. In August, the group began recording its third album, Were Only in It for the Money. In September 1967, the Mothers of Invention toured Europe for the first time, playing in the U.K., Sweden, and Denmark. On October 1, Verve failed to exercise its option to extend the bands contract, although they still owed the label three more LPs. They finished recording Were Only in It for the Money in October, but its release was held up because of legal concerns about its proposed cover photograph, an elaborate parody of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was finally resolved by putting the picture on the inside of the fold-out LP sleeve. Were Only in It for the Money was released on March 4, 1968, and it reached the Top 30. Another legal dispute was resolved when Verve purchased the tapes of Lumpy Gravy from Capitol. Zappa then finished recording this orchestral work, and Verve released it under his name (and that of "the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra and Chorus") on May 13, 1968; it spent five weeks in the charts. Although the Mothers of Invention still owed one more LP to Verve, Zappa already was thinking ahead. In the fall of 1967, he began recording Uncle Meat, the soundtrack for a proposed film, with work continuing through February 1968. During this period, Billy Mundi left the band and was replaced on drums by Arthur Dyer Tripp III. In March, Zappa and Herb Cohen announced that they were setting up their own record label, Bizarre Records, to be distributed by the Reprise Records subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. The label was intended to record not only the Mothers of Invention, but also acts Zappa discovered. Early in the summer, Ray Collins quit the Mothers of Invention, who continued to tour. Their performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London on October 25, 1968, was released in 1991 as the album Ahead of Their Time. That month, Bizarre was formally launched with the release of the single "The Circle," by Los Angeles street singer Wild Man Fischer. In November, guitarist Lowell George joined the Mothers of Invention. In December, Verve released the bands final album on its contract, Cruisin with Ruben & the Jets, on which Zappa for once played it straight, leading the group through a set of apparently sincere doo wop and R&B; material. The LP spent 12 weeks in the charts. (Zappa was then free of Verve, although his disputes with the company were not over. Verve put out a compilation, Mothermania: The Best of the Mothers, in March 1969, and it spent nine weeks in the charts.) The ambitious double-LP Uncle Meat, the fifth Mothers of Invention album, was released by Bizarre on April 21, 1969. It reached the Top 50. (The movie it was supposed to accompany did not appear until a home video release in 1989.) In May, Bizarre released Pretties for You, the debut album by Alice Cooper, the only act discovered by the label that would go on to substantial success (after switching to Warner Bros. Records proper, that is).The same month, Lowell George left the band; later, he and Roy Estrada would form Little Feat. Zappa began working on a second solo album, Hot Rats, in July 1969. On August 19, the Mothers of Invention gave their final performance in their original form, playing on Canadian TV at the end of a tour. One week later, Zappa announced that he was breaking up the band, although, as it turned out, this did not mean that he would not use the name "the Mothers of Invention" for groups he led in the future. Hot Rats, the second album to be credited to Frank Zappa, was released on October 10, 1969. It spent only six weeks in the charts at the time, but it would become one of Zappas best-loved collections, with the instrumental "Peaches en Regalia" a particular favorite. Although the Mothers of Invention no longer existed as a performing unit, Zappa possessed extensive tapes of them, live and in the studio, and using that material, he assembled a new album, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, released in February 1970; it made the Top 100. At the invitation of Zubin Mehta, conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Zappa assembled a new group of rock musicians dubbed the Mothers for the performance, with the orchestra, of a work called 200 Motels at UCLA on May 15, 1970. Adding singers Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, formerly of the Turtles, Zappa launched a tour with this version of the Mothers in June 1970. (Also included were a returning Ian Underwood, keyboardist George Duke, drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and guitarist Jeff Simmons.) In August, Bizarre released another archival Mothers of Invention album, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, which charted. Chungas Revenge, released in October, was billed as a Zappa solo album, even though it featured the current lineup of the Mothers; it spent 14 weeks in the charts. After touring the U.S. that fall, the group went to Europe on December 1. From January 28 to February 5, 1971, they were in Pinewood Studios in the U.K. making a movie version of 200 Motels with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and co-stars Theodore Bikel, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon of the Who. Zappa had planned a concert with the Royal Philharmonic at the Royal Albert Hall on February 8 as a money-saving tactic, since according to union rules, he could then pay them for the filming/recording session as if it were rehearsals for the concert. But this strategy backfired when the Royal Albert Hall canceled the concert, alleging that Zappas lyrics were too vulgar. He added to his expenses by suing the Royal Albert Hall, eventually losing in court. On June 5 and 6, 1971, the Mothers appeared during the closing week of the Fillmore East theater in New York City, recording their shows for a live album, Fillmore East, June 1971, quickly released on August 2. It became Zappas first album to reach the Top 40 since Were Only in It for the Money three years earlier. John Lennon and Yoko Ono had appeared as guests during the June 6 show, and they used their performance on their 1972 album Some Time in New York City. The Mothers gave a concert at the Pauley Pavilion at UCLA on August 7, 1971, and the show was recorded for the album Just Another Band from L.A., released in May 1972, which made the Top 100. They continued to tour into the fall. 200 Motels premiered in movie theaters on October 29, 1971, with a double-LP soundtrack album released by United Artists that made the Top 100. Meanwhile, the Mothers European tour was eventful, to say the least. On December 4, 1971, the group appeared at the Montreux Casino in Geneva, Switzerland, but their show stopped when a fan fired off a flare gun that set the venue on fire. The incident was the inspiration for Deep Purples song "Smoke on the Water." Six days later, as the Mothers were performing at the Rainbow Theatre in London on December 10, a deranged fan jumped on-stage and pushed Zappa into the orchestra pit. He suffered a broken ankle, among other injuries, and was forced to recuperate for months. This was the end both of the tour and of this edition of the Mothers. While convalescing at home in Los Angeles, Zappa organized a new big band to play jazz-fusion music; he dubbed it the Grand Wazoo Orchestra and recorded two albums with it. Waka/Jawaka, billed as a Zappa solo album, came out in July 1972 and spent seven weeks in the charts. The Grand Wazoo, credited to the Mothers, appeared in December and missed the charts. By September 10, Zappa felt well enough to play two weeks of dates with the group, now billed as the Mothers, starting at the Hollywood Bowl. He then cut the personnel down to ten pieces (the "Petit Wazoo" band) and toured from late October to mid-December. The start of 1973 marked a new and surprisingly popular phase in Zappas career. He assembled a new lineup of Mothers, made a batch of new recordings on which he himself sang lead vocals (his voice having dropped half an octave as a result of injuring his neck when he was thrown from the stage), and hit the road for the most extensive touring of his career. Inaugurating the new band in Fayetteville, NC, on February 23, he spent 183 days of 1973 on the road, including tours of the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Meanwhile, the Bizarre Records deal with Reprise/Warner had run out, and he launched a new label, also distributed by Warner, DiscReet Records, its first release being Over-Nite Sensation in September 1973. The album reached the Top 40, stayed in the charts nearly a year, and went gold. It was followed in April 1974 by a Zappa solo album, Apostrophe (‘). Much to Zappas surprise, radio stations began playing a track called "Dont Eat the Yellow Snow." A single edit of the song actually spent several weeks in the lower reaches of the Hot 100, and Apostrophe (‘) peaked at number ten for the week ending June 29, 1974, the highest chart position ever achieved by a Zappa album. The LP also went gold. Zappa continued to tour extensively in 1974. His next album, the double-LP live collection Roxy & Elsewhere, credited to "Zappa/Mothers," appeared in September 1974 and made the Top 30. Adding his old friend Captain Beefheart to the band, he played shows at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, TX, on May 20 and 21, 1975, that he recorded for the album Bongo Fury, credited to Frank Zappa/Captain Beefheart/The Mothers, released in October; it made the Top 100. Prior to that had come One Size Fits All, credited to Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, released in June; it made the Top 30. On September 17 and 18, 1975, two concerts of Zappas orchestral music were performed by a group dubbed the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra (in memory of Lumpy Gravy) and conducted by Michael Zearott at Royce Hall, UCLA. The shows were recorded, but the material was not released until May 1979 as Orchestral Favorites, which spent several weeks in the charts. Starting on September 27, 1975, Zappa launched another extended period of touring, staying in the U.S. through a New Years concert at the Forum in Los Angeles, then playing in Australia, Japan, and Europe, finishing on March 17, 1976. This ended another phase in his career. He split with his longtime manager Herb Cohen and disbanded his group, which, because of legal disputes with Cohen, would turn out to have been the last one called the Mothers or the Mothers of Invention. Hereafter, he would perform and record simply as Frank Zappa. There were also other legal issues. In October 1976, he reached an out-of-court settlement in a suit he had waged against MGM/Verve that resulted in his winning the rights to the masters of his early albums. Zappa surprised fans when his name turned up as the producer of a new album by Grand Funk Railroad, Good Singin, Good Playin, in August 1976. In September, he launched his first world tour under his own name, playing in the U.S., the Far East, and Europe through February 1977. Zoot Allures, the last album to be credited to the Mothers, was released on Warner Bros. Records on October 29, 1976, the DiscReet label apparently being claimed by Cohen; it reached the Top 100. Zappa was also seeking to end his deal with Warner. In March 1977, he delivered four albums to the label simultaneously (the initial titles were Studio Tan, Hot Rats III [Waka/Jawaka having counted as Hot Rats II], Zappas Orchestral Favorites, and the double album Live in New York, recorded in December 1976); he demanded the four $60,000 advances the albums called for, and sued Warner for breach of contract when it did not pay. In the summer of 1977, he announced that he had concluded his contract with Warner. He declared that the four albums really constituted a single work called Leather (later spelled Läther), which he sold to Mercury/Phonogram Records. Warner then sued to block its release. On September 8, 1977, Zappa launched another North American tour, staying on the road until New Years Eve. His shows from October 28-31 at the Palladium in New York City were filmed and recorded, the material later emerging in the movie Baby Snakes. The European leg of the tour opened in London on January 24, 1978. The resolutions of Zappas legal disputes led to an unusually large number of releases over the next year. Zappa in New York (originally called Live in New York) was released on DiscReet in March 1978 and made the Top 100. Studio Tan appeared in September 1978 and charted. Sleep Dirt (originally called Hot Rats III) was released in January 1979 and charted. Orchestral Favorites completed the releases of the material Zappa had delivered to Warner in March 1977. With these matters settled, Zappa launched Zappa Records, with distribution through Mercury/Phonogram in the U.S. and CBS Records in the rest of the world, releasing the double-LP Sheik Yerbouti on March 3, 1979. The album managed to distinguish itself from all the other Zappa albums in the record bins and peaked at number 21, Zappas best showing in five years, promoted by the single "Dancin Fool," which made the Top 50. That track was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male), and "Rat Tomago," another track on the album, got a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Zappa toured Europe and Japan in the spring of 1979, then returned to the U.S., where he completed work on his home studio, called the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, on September 1. The home studio and his continuing practice of recording his shows, along with greater control over his record releases, seemed to free Zappa to issue more records. Joes Garage Act I was released in September 1979 and made the Top 30; it was followed in November by the double-LP Joes Garage Acts II & III, which made the Top 100. Baby Snakes, the film of the 1977 Halloween shows in New York, opened on December 21, 1979. A soundtrack album did not appear until 1983. Zappa spent much of 1980 on the road, beginning a tour of North America and Europe on March 25, with dates continuing through July 3, and then touring again from October 10 through Christmas. Amazingly, Zappa did not release an album during 1980. (A single, "I Dont Wanna Get Drafter," just missed making the Hot 100 in May.) But he made up for that in 1981. In May, yet another new label, Barking Pumpkin Records, was launched with the release of a double-LP, Tinseltown Rebellion, which made the Top 100. By now, Zappa had perfected a method of melding studio and live performances on his records, such that the finished versions were a combination of the two. Also in May 1981, he simultaneously released three instrumental albums via mail order: Shut Up ‘N Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up ‘N Play Yer Guitar Some More, and Return of the Son of Shut Up ‘N Play Yer Guitar. In September came another double album, You Are What You Is, that made the Top 100. Zappas spring/summer tour of Europe in 1982 was plagued with problems including canceled dates and even a riot at one show; after finishing the stint on July 14, he did not tour again for two years. Meanwhile, on May 3, 1982, he released a new album, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch, and it featured another of his surprise hit singles, as radio picked up on "Valley Girl," a track featuring a vocal by his daughter Moon Unit Zappa, imitating the character and employing the slang of a typical Southern California valley girl. The song peaked at number 32 on September 11, 1982, making it the most successful single of Zappas career. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album made the Top 30. After coming off the road, Zappa concentrated on recording and on his orchestral music. On January 11, 1983, conductor Kent Nagano led the London Symphony Orchestra in a concert of Zappas works at the Barbican Arts Centre in London, preparatory to three days of recordings that resulted, initially, in the album London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1, released in June 1983. (A second volume followed in September 1987.) Prior to that, Zappa had released a new rock album, The Man from Utopia, on March 28, 1983, which charted for several weeks. As he had the year before, Zappa saw some of his orchestral music recorded in January 1984, this time by the Ensemble InterContemporain of conductor Pierre Boulez. With other material, these recordings would be released by Angel Records on August 23, 1984, as Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger. The other material was Zappas own recording on an advanced synthesizer instrument he had purchased called the Synclavier, capable of replicating orchestral arrangements. The Synclavier freed Zappa from the technical limitations (and, in some cases, the objections) of live musicians, especially classical musicians, and he turned to it increasingly from this point on. Having discovered manuscripts of music composed in the 18th century by an ancestor of his, Francesco Zappa, he recorded an album of it on the Synclavier in March 1984, releasing the results on an LP called Francesco Zappa on November 21, 1984. On July 18, 1984, two years after the end of his last tour, Zappa went back on the road for an extensive, worldwide trek that ran through December 23. On October 18, he released a two-LP set, Them or Us. A month later came the triple-LP box set, Thing-Fish, on the same day as the Francesco Zappa album. By this time, Zappas records were no longer reaching the charts, as he focused on his existing fan base, heavily marketing to them through mail order. Having re-acquired the masters to his Verve/MGM albums, he had found the tapes in dire condition and had re-recorded the bass and drum parts for the albums Were Only in It for the Money and Cruisin with Ruben and the Jets, which were part of a box set he offered to his mailing list, The Old Masters Box 1, in April 1985. (The Old Masters Box 2 followed in 1986, and the series was completed with The Old Masters Box 3 in 1987.) During the year 1985, a group of wives of prominent politicians in Washington, D.C., formed the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) and lobbed Congress for restrictions on what they saw as obscenity in popular music. Zappa, long an opponent of censorship, became a leader of the opposition to the PMRC, and on September 19, 1985, he testified before the Senate Commerce Technology and Transportation Committee to voice his opinions. Of course, his testimony was a matter of public record, and he quickly used the recordings in an album he assembled called Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention, released in November 1985. In January 1986, it became his 33rd and last album to reach the Billboard chart. In January 1986, a Zappa live album drawn from the 1984 tour, Does Humor Belong in Music?, was released in Europe, but quickly withdrawn. It was an accompaniment to a home video of the same name that was taken from a single date on the tour. The album was later reissued with a new mix. Meanwhile, Zappa signed a contract with the independent CD label Rykodisc to reissue his albums on CD. The reissue program was launched in the fall of the year. At the same time, Zappa released a new instrumental album largely consisting of material recorded on the Synclavier, Jazz from Hell. The album won him his first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist), and the track "Jazz from Hell" itself earned a nomination for Best Instrumental Composition. On February 2, 1988, Zappa launched what would prove to be his final tour, playing 81 dates in North America and Europe through June 9. Meanwhile, he continued to issue new recordings. In April came a double album of guitar solos in the manner of the Shut Up ‘N Play Yer Guitar series, simply called Guitar, and the first in a series of double-CD archival live recordings, You Cant Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1. In typically unusual Zappa style, the series found him editing together live performances by different configurations of the Mothers and his backup bands at different times. By 1992, the series extended to six volumes. The second volume, which actually replicated a single concert performed in Helsinki in 1974, appeared in October 1988 at the same time as an album of recordings from the 1988 tour, Broadway the Hard Way. Launching a home video line, Honker, in 1989, Zappa finally issued Uncle Meat on VHS tape, along with the documentary The True Story of 200 Motels and Video from Hell. (The following year, Honker issued The Amazing Mr. Bickford, a documentary about the animator responsible for the clay animation work seen in Baby Snakes.) In May 1989, Zappa published his autobiography, The Real Frank Zappa Book, co-authored with Peter Occhiogrosso. And in another surprising non-musical career development in 1989, Zappa began traveling to Russia as a business liaison. These efforts were extended in January 1990, when he went to Czechoslovakia, where he met the recently installed president, playwright and Zappa fan Václav Havel, and agreed to become a trade representative for the country. Understandably, this ran afoul of the Administration of American President George Bush, however, and Zappas role became unofficial. Its hard to say what might have come of Zappas trade efforts with the former Soviet Union and the former Iron Curtain countries, where he was something of a cultural hero. In May 1990, he suddenly canceled scheduled appearances in Europe and returned to the U.S. due to illness. He managed to go to Czechoslovakia and Hungary in June 1991, however. In the meantime, he continued to issue volumes of the You Cant Do That on Stage Anymore series and albums drawn from the 1988 tour, The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life in April 1991, and Make a Jazz Noise Here in June 1991. In July 1991, in yet another unusual marketing move, he assembled a collection of eight bootleg albums that had appeared over the years and offered his own version of them (mastered directly from the bootleg LPs themselves) as a box set called Beat the Boots; the albums were also released individually, and a second Beat the Boots box was released in June 1992. Zappa was scheduled to appear in New York for a performance by a group of alumni from his bands called "Zappas Universe" on November 7, 1991. When he was unable to attend due to illness, his children explained publicly for the first time that he was suffering from prostate cancer. He managed to fly to Germany on July 13, 1992, to work with the Ensemble Modern on a piece it had commissioned from him, The Yellow Shark, and he was present for concerts it performed in September. In October, Zappa released Playground Psychotics, an archival album of previously unreleased material from the 1970-1971 edition of the Mothers. The Yellow Shark was released in November 1993. Zappa died at age 52 on December 4, 1993. After Zappas death, his widow sold his existing catalog outright to Rykodisc. But, like such well-established rock artists as the Grateful Dead, he had produced a tremendous archive of studio and live recordings that Gail Zappa was able to assemble into posthumous albums for his legions of fans. The first of these was the ambitious Civilization Phaze III, which Zappa was working on in the period up to his death, released in December 1994, and other albums, either containing concerts or other material, have also appeared, along with expanded versions of previously released albums such as Freak Out! Decades after Zappas death, this stream of releases showed no evidence of stopping, as long as Zappa fans were interested in buying. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 44 Title: Lumpy Gravy Released: 1967-08-07 Tracks: 2 Duration: 31:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lumpy Gravy, Part One (15:51) 2 Lumpy Gravy, Part Two (15:50) |
| Lumpy Gravy : Allmusic album Review : Lumpy Gravy, Frank Zappas first solo album, was released months before the Mothers of Inventions third LP (even though its back cover asked the question: "Is this phase two of Were Only in It for the Money?") and both were conceptualized and recorded at the same time. Were Only in It for the Money became a song-oriented anti-flower power album with one contemporary/musique concrète/sound collage hybrid piece by way of conclusion. Lumpy Gravy collaged bits of orchestral music, sonic manipulations, spoken words, and occasional pop ditties into two lumps of 16 minutes each. This album presents Zappas first recordings with a decent orchestra, the 50-piece Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. His symphonic writing was very much influenced by Stravinsky and Varèse. It still had to lose its sharp edges and find the lushness found in 200 Motels. The segments of music are loosely tied together by bits of dialogue from inside the piano. MOI members and friends were invited to talk with their head inside a grand piano with the sustain pedal depressed (the technique was immortalized in the song "Evelyn, A Modified Dog"). The reverberating space gave the voices an eerie quality, but made it very difficult to convincingly edit the material. Thus, the plot emanating from these portions remains very vague (it was clarified 25 years later in Civilization Phaze III). The song bits include "Oh No," "Theme from Lumpy Gravy" (aka "Duodenum"), "King Kong," and "Take Your Clothes off When You Dance," all in instrumental versions, all making their first appearance on record. The starting point of Zappas "serious music," Lumpy Gravy suffers from a lack of coherence, but it remains historically important and contains many conceptual continuity clues for the fan. The opening line of part one ("The way I see it, Barry, this should be a dynamite show") became a classic reference. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 44 Title: Hot Rats Released: 1969-10-15 Tracks: 6 Duration: 43:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Peaches en Regalia (03:38) 2 Willie the Pimp (09:23) 3 Son of Mr. Green Genes (08:57) 4 Little Umbrellas (03:08) 5 The Gumbo Variations (12:54) 6 It Must Be a Camel (05:17) |
| Hot Rats : Allmusic album Review : Aside from the experimental side project Lumpy Gravy, Hot Rats was the first album Frank Zappa recorded as a solo artist sans the Mothers, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood. Other than another side project -- the doo wop tribute Cruising With Ruben and the Jets -- Hot Rats was also the first time Zappa focused his efforts in one general area, namely jazz-rock. The result is a classic of the genre. Hot Rats genius lies in the way it fuses the compositional sophistication of jazz with rocks down-and-dirty attitude -- theres a real looseness and grit to the three lengthy jams, and a surprising, wry elegance to the three shorter, tightly arranged numbers (particularly the sumptuous "Peaches en Regalia"). Perhaps the biggest revelation isnt the straightforward presentation, or the intricately shifting instrumental voices in Zappas arrangements -- its his own virtuosity on the electric guitar, recorded during extended improvisational workouts for the first time here. His wonderfully scuzzy, distorted tone is an especially good fit on "Willie the Pimp," with its greasy blues riffs and guest vocalist Captain Beefhearts Howlin Wolf theatrics. Elsewhere, his skill as a melodist was in full flower, whether dominating an entire piece or providing a memorable theme as a jumping-off point. In addition to Underwood, the backing band featured contributions from Jean-Luc Ponty, Lowell George, and Don "Sugarcane" Harris, among others; still, Zappa is unquestionably the star of the show. Hot Rats still sizzles; few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 44 Title: Chunga’s Revenge Released: 1970-10-23 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Transylvania Boogie (05:01) 2 Road Ladies (04:10) 3 Twenty Small Cigars (02:17) 4 The Nancy & Mary Music (09:27) 5 Tell Me You Love Me (02:33) 6 Would You Go All the Way? (02:29) 7 Chunga’s Revenge (06:15) 8 The Clap (01:23) 9 Rudy Wants to Buy Yez a Drink (02:44) 10 Sharleena (04:04) |
| Chunga’s Revenge : Allmusic album Review : Chungas Revenge marks the debut of Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (among several other musicians) with the Mothers, and while their schtick has not reached the graphic proportions it later would, the thematic obsessions of the 200 Motels period are foreshadowed on tracks like "Road Ladies" and "Would You Go All the Way?" Other vocal numbers include the hard-rocking "Tell Me You Love Me," the musicians union satire "Rudy Wants to Buy Yez a Drink," and the doo wop-influenced "Sharleena." Meanwhile, Frank Zappas strong instrumental music incorporates Eastern European influences ("Transylvania Boogie"), cocktail jazz ("Twenty Small Cigars"), and the percussion-only "The Clap." Zappas guitar tone is wonderfully biting and nasty throughout; George Duke provides another musical highlight by scat-singing a "drum solo." But while there are plenty of fine moments, Chungas Revenge is in the end more of a hodgepodge transitional album, with less coherence than Zappas other 1969-1970 works. Still, it will appeal to fans of that creatively fertile period in Zappas oeuvre. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 44 Title: Waka/Jawaka Released: 1972-07-05 Tracks: 4 Duration: 36:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Big Swifty (17:22) 2 Your Mouth (03:12) 3 It Just Might Be a One‐Shot Deal (04:16) 4 Waka/Jawaka (11:18) |
| Waka/Jawaka : Allmusic album Review : When Frank Zappa found himself stuck in a wheelchair for most of the year 1972 (after a "fan" pushed him off the stage in December of the previous year), he relieved his band (including singers Flo & Eddie) of its duties and turned to studio work. One of the first things he tried was to write jazz fusion music scored for wider instrumentation than an average rock band. Waka/Jawaka was conceived in parallel to The Grand Wazoo, but with fewer players. The album, released in July 1972, is comprised of two extended instrumental pieces and two shorter songs. "Big Swifty," a theme-and-solos showcase, would become a live favorite, but the highlight came in the form of the orgiastic title track, recorded with ex-Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston, trumpeter Sal Marquez, trombonists Bill Byers and Ken Shroyer, saxophonist Mike Altschul, bassist Erroneous, and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. The songs, never performed live, feel like filler material. Waka/Jawaka was Zappas second solo album and is occasionally referred to as "Hot Rats II" (the handles of the faucets on the cover artwork show the words "hot" and "rats" instead of "hot" and "cold"). His writing and recording technique had matured a lot in very little time. The dirty blues jamming of the 1969 LP was replaced by clean, crisp jazz improvisations -- no need to say this was also an abrupt change in style from the Mothers 1969-1971 incarnation. But this album was only transitional: Zappas big-band stylings would really flourish in The Grand Wazoo a few months later. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 44 Title: Apostrophe (’) Released: 1974-04-22 Tracks: 9 Duration: 31:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow (02:07) 2 Nanook Rubs It (04:37) 3 St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast (01:50) 4 Father O’blivion (02:18) 5 Cosmik Debris (04:14) 6 Excentrifugal Forz (01:31) 7 Apostrophe’ (05:50) 8 Uncle Remus (02:44) 9 Stink‐Foot (06:32) |
| Apostrophe (’) : Allmusic album Review : The musically similar follow-up to the commercial breakthrough of Over-Nite Sensation, Apostrophe () became Frank Zappas second gold and only Top Ten album with the help of the "doggy wee-wee" jokes of "Dont Eat the Yellow Snow," Zappas first chart single (a longer, edited version that used portions of other songs on the LP). The first half of the album is full of nonsensical shaggy-dog story songs that segue into one another without seeming to finish themselves first; their dirty jokes are generally more subtle and veiled than the more notorious cuts on Over-Nite Sensation. The second half contains the instrumental title cut, featuring Jack Bruce on bass; "Uncle Remus," an update of Zappas critique of racial discord on "Trouble Every Day"; and a return to the albums earlier silliness in "Stink-Foot." Apostrophe () has the narrative feel of a concept album, but aside from its willful absurdity, the concept is difficult to decipher; even so, that doesnt detract from its entertainment value. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 44 Title: One Size Fits All Released: 1975-06-25 Tracks: 9 Duration: 43:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Inca Roads (08:47) 2 Can’t Afford No Shoes (02:41) 3 Sofa No. 1 (02:41) 4 Po‐Jama People (07:45) 5 Florentine Pogen (05:29) 6 Evelyn, a Modified Dog (01:07) 7 San Ber’dino (05:59) 8 Andy (06:06) 9 Sofa No. 2 (02:47) |
| One Size Fits All : Allmusic album Review : Released soon after the live Roxy & Elsewhere, One Size Fits All contained more of the material premiered during the 1973-1974 tour, but this time largely re-recorded in the studio. The band remains the same: George Duke, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Chester Thompson, Tom Fowler, and Ruth Underwood. Johnny "Guitar" Watson overdubbed some vocals and Captain Beefheart (credited as Bloodshot Rollin Red) played some harmonica ("when present," state the liner notes). The previous album focused on complex music suites. This one is more song-oriented, alternating goofy rock songs with more challenging numbers in an attempt to find a juste milieu between Over-Nite Sensation and Roxy & Elsewhere. "Inca Roads," "Florentine Pogen," "Andy," and "Sofa" all became classic tracks and live favorites. These are as close to progressive rock (a demented, clownish kind) Zappa ever got. The obscurity of their subjects, especially the flying saucer topic of "Inca Roads," seem to spoof prog rock clichés. The high-flying compositions are offset by "Cant Afford No Shoes," "Po-Jama People," and "San Berdino," more down-to-earth songs. Together with Zoot Allures, One Size Fits All can be considered as one of the easiest points of entry into Zappas discography. The album artwork features a big maroon sofa, a conceptual continuity clue arching back to a then-undocumented live suite (from which "Sofa" was salvaged) and a sky map with dozens of bogus stars and constellations labeled with inside jokes in place of names. An essential third-period Zappa album. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 44 Title: Zoot Allures Released: 1976-10-29 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wind Up Workin’ in a Gas Station (02:30) 2 Black Napkins (04:17) 3 The Torture Never Stops (09:48) 4 Ms. Pinky (03:47) 5 Find Her Finer (04:21) 6 Friendly Little Finger (04:18) 7 Wonderful Wino (03:40) 8 Zoot Allures (04:16) 9 Disco Boy (05:31) |
| Zoot Allures : Allmusic album Review : Zoot Allures, released in October 1976, is mostly a studio album (there are some basic live tracks, as in the title track and "Black Napkins") featuring a revolving cast of musicians who, oddly, do not correspond to the ones pictured on the album cover (for instance, Patrick OHearn and Eddie Jobson did not contribute). Compared to previous releases like One Size Fits All, Roxy & Elsewhere, or even Over-Nite Sensation, and to upcoming ones such as Zappa in New York, Studio Tan, or Sheik Yerbouti, Zoot Allures sounds very stripped down to bare essentials. Zappa focused on limited instrumentation, lots of bass, and whispered vocals to create a masterpiece of dark, slow, sleazy rock. Except for the opening and closing numbers ("Wind Up Workin in a Gas Station" and "Disco Boy"), all the material is slow to medium tempo with Zappa delivering the closest hell ever get to a crooner vocal performance. "The Torture Never Stops" is the highlight, ten minutes of suggestive lyrics, crawling riffs, searing solos, and female screams of pain. That song and "Disco Boy" became classic tracks; "Black Napkins" and "Zoot Allures" rate among the mans best guitar solos. Historical note: The album was first devised as a two-LP set and would have included "Sleep Dirt," "Filthy Habits," and "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution," which all also fit the mood. Although humor has not been completely evacuated, Zoot Allures comes through as a much more serious rock record. Yet, it is more than a transitional album; it represents one of Zappas strongest accomplishments. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 44 Title: Studio Tan Released: 1978-09-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 39:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Adventures of Greggery Peccary (20:33) 2 Revised Music for Guitar and Low‐Budget Orchestra (07:37) 3 Lemme Take You to the Beach (02:44) 4 RDNZL (08:15) |
| Studio Tan : Allmusic album Review : Studio Tan is one of four albums culled from the ill-fated 1976 box set Läther and released by Warner Bros. without Frank Zappa having a word to say about the final product (including the horrible artwork). The 21-minute opener, "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary," is the culmination of Zappas art of storytelling. A complex piece painstakingly assembled in the studio over three years, it allies the comedy rock of the Flo & Eddie era with the jazzy feel of The Grand Wazoo and the twisted prog rock of the 1973-1974 band. Yet, it is greater than the sum of its parts, proposing an unmatched musical narrative that makes "Billy the Mountain" the work of a child and amounts to a stunning synthesis of the mans influences, stylistic range, and studio techniques. Side two features an intentionally stupid pop song, "Lemme Take You to the Beach," and two instrumental pieces written a few years earlier. The personnel is for the most part the same as on Roxy & Elsewhere. If you like cartoon music and silly stories, it is worth your money for "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" alone. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 44 Title: Sleep Dirt Released: 1979-01-12 Tracks: 7 Duration: 38:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Filthy Habits (07:33) 2 Flambay (04:54) 3 Spider of Destiny (02:33) 4 Regyptian Strut (04:13) 5 Time Is Money (02:49) 6 Sleep Dirt (03:21) 7 The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution (13:20) |
| Sleep Dirt : Allmusic album Review : The material on this album was originally was intended to be part of a four-record set called Läther, prepared for release in 1977. Then Frank Zappa got into a disagreement with his record company, Warner Bros., and Läther was split up into several different releases as part of a contractual agreement. The results were dumped on the market in 1978 and 1979, while Zappa moved on to his own record label. Sleep Dirt consists of miscellaneous tracks recorded between 1974 and 1976, including "Flambay," "Spider of Destiny," and "Time Is Money," songs that wre apparently part of an unissued Zappa musical/rock opera from 1972 called Hunchentoot. They are sung by soprano Thana Harris. Its impossible to say what the entire work would have been like, but this album is little more than musical fragments. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 44 Title: Sheik Yerbouti Released: 1979-03-03 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:11:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Have Been in You (03:34) 2 Flakes (06:41) 3 Broken Hearts Are for Assholes (03:42) 4 I’m So Cute (04:20) 5 Jones Crusher (02:49) 6 What Ever Happened to All the Fun in the World (00:33) 7 Rat Tomago (05:14) 8 Wait a Minute (00:33) 9 Bobby Brown Goes Down (02:49) 10 Rubber Shirt (02:45) 11 The Sheik Yerbouti Tango (03:55) 12 Baby Snakes (01:50) 13 Tryin’ to Grow a Chin (03:31) 14 City of Tiny Lites (05:30) 15 Dancin’ Fool (03:43) 16 Jewish Princess (03:16) 17 Wild Love (04:10) 18 Yo’ Mama (12:38) |
| Sheik Yerbouti : Allmusic album Review : In order to finance his artier excursions, which increasingly required more expensive technology, Frank Zappa recorded several collections of guitar- and song-oriented material in the late 70s and early 80s, which generally concentrated on the bawdy lyrical themes many fans had come to expect and enjoy in concert. Sheik Yerbouti (two LPs, one CD) was one of the first and most successful of these albums, garnering attention for such tracks as the Grammy-nominated disco satire "Dancin Fool," the controversial "Jewish Princess," and the equally controversial "Bobby Brown Goes Down," a song about gay S&M that became a substantial hit in European clubs. While Zappas attitude on the latter two tracks was even more politically incorrect than usual for him, it didnt stop the album from becoming his second-highest charting ever. Social satire, leering sexual preoccupations, and tight, melodic songs dominated the rest of the record as well, as Zappa stuck to what had been commercially successful for him in the past. The "dumb entertainment" (as Zappa liked to describe this style) on Sheik Yerbouti was some of his dumbest, for better or worse, and the music was undeniably good -- easily some of his best since Apostrophe, and certainly the most accessible. Even if it sometimes drifts a bit, fans of Zappas 70s work will find Sheik Yerbouti on nearly an equal level with Apostrophe and Over-Nite Sensation, both in terms of humor and musical quality. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 44 Title: Joe’s Garage: Act I Released: 1979-09-17 Tracks: 8 Duration: 39:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Central Scrutinizer (03:27) 2 Joe’s Garage (06:10) 3 Catholic Girls (04:26) 4 Crew Slut (05:51) 5 Wet T‐Shirt Nite (05:26) 6 Toad‐O Line (04:18) 7 Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? (02:35) 8 Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up (07:17) |
| Joe’s Garage: Act I : Allmusic album Review : Free from his Warner Bros contract, Frank Zappa was able to issue new albums as frequently as he liked, which would turn out to be very frequently. Six months after the release of the two-record set Sheik Yerbouti, he was ready with the first LP in a three-record set, a cautionary concept piece about the adventures of a musician named Joe. In Act I, Zappa continued his fascination with road stories, ethnic stereotypes ("Catholic Girls"), and bathroom activities ("Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?"). Although his concern with government censorship would see a later flowering in his battles with the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), he wasnt able to use it to fulfill a satisfying dramatic function here. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 44 Title: Joe’s Garage: Acts II & III Released: 1979-11-19 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:15:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Token of My Extreme (05:28) 2 Stick It Out (04:33) 3 Sy Borg (08:50) 4 Dong Work for Yuda (05:03) 5 Keep It Greasy (08:21) 6 Outside Now (05:52) 1 He Used to Cut the Grass (08:34) 2 Packard Goose (11:38) 3 Watermelon In Easter Hay (09:05) 4 A Little Green Rosetta (08:14) |
| Joe’s Garage: Acts II & III : Allmusic album Review : Two months after the release of Act I, Frank Zappa completed Joes Garage with the two-LP set Joes Garage: Acts II & III, meaning that, counting the two contractual albums Sleep Dirt and Orchestral Favorites, he released seven LPs worth of new material in 1979. Maybe thats why Joes Garage seems so thin and thrown together, musically and dramatically, especially on its second and third sides. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 44 Title: Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar Some More Released: 1981 Tracks: 7 Duration: 34:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Variations on the Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression (03:52) 2 Gee, I Like Your Pants (02:30) 3 Canarsie (05:55) 4 Ship Ahoy (05:11) 5 The Deathless Horsie (06:10) 6 Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar Some More (06:42) 7 Pink Napkins (04:32) |
| Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar Some More : Allmusic album Review : As the title implies, this disc continues the instrumental-centric madness that Frank Zappa began on its predecessor, 1981s Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar, and would continue on the third and final installment released the same year, Return of the Son of Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar. The original LP pressings were among the first on the artists in-house Barking Pumpkin Records label and, prior to being offered as a box set, the albums were considered as separate entities within the context of the larger series. Admittedly, it takes a fairly specialized audience to absorb over 30 wall-to-wall minutes of Zappas wholly unique fretwork. However, evidence of why these titles are uniformly indispensable listening is directly correlated to the remarkable diversity within each solo. Recorded primarily in live performances -- with studio overdubs thrown in -- during 1979 and 1980, Zappa is aided by rhythm guitarists Warren Cuccurullo, Denny Walley, Ike Willis, Ray White, and Steve Vai; keyboardists Tommy Mars, Peter Wolf, and Bob Harris; bassist Arthur Barrow; percussionist Ed Mann; and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. There are two notable exceptions, one of which is the 1976 lineup with keyboardist Andre Lewis, bassist Roy Estrada, and drummer Terry Bozzio on "Ship Ahoy." The other is the short-lived incarnation circa 1977 with White, Bozzio, keyboardist Eddie Jobson, and bassist Patrick OHearn -- as heard on the definitive rendition of "Pink Napkins." In the same deeply penetrating and emotive vein is quite possibly the finest rendering of "The Deathless Horsie." If not, it is certainly a wonderful place for interested parties to commence their discovery of the (dare say) many moods Zappa imbued in carefully constructed yet thoroughly improvised compositions such as the seven found here. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 44 Title: Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar Released: 1981 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:47:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 five-five-FIVE (02:35) 2 Hog Heaven (02:49) 3 Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar (05:38) 4 While You Were Out (05:59) 5 Treacherous Cretins (05:34) 6 Heavy Duty Judy (04:42) 7 Soup n Old Clothes (07:49) 8 Variations on the Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression (03:58) 9 Gee, I Like Your Pants (02:35) 10 Canarsie (06:01) 11 Ship Ahoy (05:25) 1 The Deathless Horsie (06:20) 2 Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar Some More (06:53) 3 Pink Napkins (04:35) 4 Beat It With Your Fist (01:58) 5 Return of the Son of Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar (08:30) 6 Pinocchios Furniture (02:05) 7 Why Johnny Cant Read (04:34) 8 Stucco Homes (09:08) 9 Canard du jour (09:57) |
| Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar : Allmusic album Review : While most of the discussions of Frank Zappa have to do with his satirical and off-color lyrics, the fact remains that he was one of the finest and most underappreciated guitarists around. This collection places the spotlight squarely on Zappas mastery of the guitar. Recorded for the most part in 1979 and 1980 (with a few tracks dating as far back as 1977), Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar is simply a collection of guitar solos. Even though most of the tracks were just edited out of their original song context, they fare well as stand-alone pieces, as Zappa was an ever-inventive player. Take, for example, the three versions of "Shut Up." These tracks were simply the guitar solos from "Inca Roads," but thanks to Zappas ability for "instant composition," each version has its own complete story to tell, without ever being redundant. Other highlights are the reggae-tinged "Treacherous Cretins" and the beautiful "Pink Napkins." In addition to the electric guitar mangling contained on Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar, there are a couple of rare tracks that feature Zappa on acoustic guitar in a trio with Warren Cuccurullo on acoustic rhythm guitar and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. In fact, special mention goes to Colaiuta for his polyrhythmic daring all over this album. All bandmembers play great throughout, but Colaiutas playing is mind blowing. The album closes with another oddity: a gorgeous duet between Zappa on electric bouzouki and Jean-Luc Ponty on baritone violin. This is an album that should be heard by anyone whos into guitar playing. Highly recommended. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 44 Title: Return of the Son of Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar Released: 1981 Tracks: 6 Duration: 35:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Beat It With Your Fist (01:55) 2 Return of the Son of Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar (08:17) 3 Pinocchio’s Furniture (02:02) 4 Why Can’t Johnny Read (04:30) 5 Stucco Homes (09:09) 6 Canard du jour (09:55) |
| Return of the Son of Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar : Allmusic album Review : Frank Zappa saved some of his best offerings for 1981s Return of the Son of Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar. Like its predecessors, the final installment in the three-LP anthology primarily consisted of guitar solos that had been extracted from live concert performances. Of course, there are no absolutes and the concluding two entries prove that. "Stucco Homes" and "Canard du Jour" are studio creations, with the latter standing out for its fascinating duet between Zappa on the bouzouki -- a three-stringed instrument of Greek derivation -- and Jean-Luc Ponty on baritone violin. As one might anticipate, the results sound like nothing else in Zappas prolific catalog. The lions share of the contents were documented circa 1979 and 1980. During this period, Zappa was augmented by rhythm guitarists Warren Cuccurullo, Denny Walley, Ike Willis, Ray White, and Steve Vai; keyboardists Tommy Mars, Peter Wolf, and Bob Harris; bassist Arthur Barrow; percussionist Ed Mann; and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. There is a palpable sense of tension and release as the ensemble presents the guitarist with hearty, complex, and -- at the very least -- interesting textures and sonic hues. Zappa pours his expansive ideas onto the soundscape with a certainty and purpose that is simply unmatched in terms of passion and inspiration. The sinuous title track perfectly exemplifies where skill intersects with Zappas singular muse. A few additional standouts are the comparatively funky "Pinocchios Furniture," the poignant urgency of "Why Johnny Cant Read," and the previously mentioned "Canard du Jour." In between the songs are interludes of spoken "conceptual continuity" by Davey Moire, Terry Bozzio, and Patrick OHearn. Parties familiar with Zappas recordings during this period will note similar non-musical segues throughout Sheik Yerbouti (1979), Tinseltown Rebellion (1981), the Baby Snakes soundtrack recording (1979), and most prominently on the posthumous masterwork Läther (1996). | ||
 | Album: 16 of 44 Title: You Are What You Is Released: 1981-09-23 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:07:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Teen‐Age Wind (03:01) 2 Harder Than Your Husband (02:28) 3 Doreen (04:44) 4 Goblin Girl (04:06) 5 Theme From the 3rd Movement of Sinister Footwear (03:34) 6 Society Pages (02:26) 7 I’m a Beautiful Guy (01:56) 8 Beauty Knows No Pain (03:01) 9 Charlie’s Enormous Mouth (03:36) 10 Any Downers? (02:08) 11 Conehead (04:18) 12 You Are What You Is (04:23) 13 Mudd Club (03:11) 14 The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing (03:10) 15 Dumb All Over (04:03) 16 Heavenly Bank Account (03:44) 17 Suicide Chump (02:49) 18 Jumbo Go Away (03:43) 19 If Only She Woulda (03:47) 20 Drafted Again (03:06) |
| You Are What You Is : Allmusic album Review : You Are What You Is was another of Frank Zappas periodic post-Over-Nite Sensation efforts that concentrated on tight songwriting supported by satirical lyrics. Originally a two-record set featuring 20 songs, You Are What You Is skewered a variety of targets, from teenagers, punk rock, disco, and country music to the media, yuppies, the beauty-and-fitness industry, upper-class vice, religious hypocrisy, suicide, and the military draft -- all the trappings of Reagan-era America. Occasionally, Zappas satirical points seem ill-thought-out, if not unnecessarily malicious; "Jumbo Go Away" is perhaps the most offensive song in Zappas huge canon of potentially offensive songs, a tale of a whining, VD-riddled groupie who is portrayed as deserving the punch in the face she gets from an irritated musician. Despite that misstep, though, You Are What You Is is quite ambitious in scope and in general one of Zappas most accessible later-period efforts; its a showcase for his songwriting skills and his often acute satirical perspective, with less of the smutty humor that some listeners find off-putting. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 44 Title: Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch Released: 1982-05-03 Tracks: 6 Duration: 34:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Not Now (05:50) 2 Valley Girl (04:50) 3 I Come From Nowhere (06:09) 4 Drowning Witch (12:03) 5 Envelopes (02:45) 6 Teen‐Age Prostitute (02:41) |
| Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch : Allmusic album Review : Released in May 1982, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch marks Frank Zappas entrance into the 1980s. From this point on, his rock records would focus on single, simple rock songs (the previous years You Are What You Is had them organized in interconnecting suites) with occasionally more complex instrumental numbers. The recipe would be extended to The Man From Utopia (1983) and Them or Us (1984). Side one features three studio songs that would never be performed on stage. By 1981, Zappa had become a master at manipulating vocal tracks, a technique featured in each of them, but most successfully in "Valley Girl," where daughter Moon Unit (aged 14 at the time) pastiches rich girls from the San Fernando Valley. Released as a single, it became a novelty hit, climbing into the Top 40 in the U.S., a rare (and not necessarily sought-after) experience for Zappa. Side two presents three live tracks, two of which are difficult rock instrumentals. "Drowning Witch" may be one of his hardest pieces to perform. This album clearly lacks ambition and tends to get lost among the mans humongous discography, but it should not be overlooked. It contains a few good songs ("No Not Now" is quite entertaining), strong guitar work from Zappa and Steve Vai, and it is not defaced by the cold 1980s sound of subsequent albums. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 44 Title: The Man From Utopia Released: 1983 Tracks: 11 Duration: 40:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cocaine Decisions (03:53) 2 SEX (03:43) 3 Tink Walks Amok (03:38) 4 The Radio Is Broken (05:51) 5 We Are Not Alone (03:18) 6 The Dangerous Kitchen (02:51) 7 The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou (03:18) 8 Stick Together (03:18) 9 The Jazz Discharge Party Hats (04:28) 10 Luigi & The Wise Guys (03:24) 11 Moggio (02:37) |
| The Man From Utopia : Allmusic album Review : This album presents a mix of studio tracks and altered live recordings from Frank Zappas hard rock period. The tone is definitely less rock-oriented than on Them or Us, only "Stick Together" and "Cocaine Decisions" qualifying as such. The most noticeable trend here is the half-spoken half-sung free-form numbers "The Radio Is Broken," "The Dangerous Kitchen," and "The Jazz Discharge Party Hats." They all feature Zappa performing a written text or improvising one on the spot, speech-singing while the band wallops around, reacting to his words. A few instrumental tunes round out the set, including the superb "Moggio" and "Tink Walks Amok," with Arthur Barrow playing multiple bass parts. The albums title comes from a 50s song, included ("The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou [Medley]"), while the cover artwork alludes to an infamous Italian tour in 1982 plagued by mosquitoes and riots. There exists two different CD versions of this album. All reissues of the original 1983 LP in digital format before 1992 present a slightly remixed version. Post-1992 CDs feature an extensive remix, the track list has been modified, a bonus track added ("Luigi & The Wise Guys"), and different drum tracks recorded in the mid-80s by Chad Wackerman have replaced the original live ones in "The Dangerous Kitchen" and "The Jazz Discharge Party Hats." Despite of these changes, The Man From Utopia retains the cold digital sound of Zappas albums around this time but is more varied and engaging than Them or Us. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 44 Title: London Symphony Orchestra, Volume 1 Released: 1983-06-09 Tracks: 6 Duration: 52:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sad Jane (09:53) 2 Pedro’s Dowry (large orchestra version) (10:25) 3 Envelopes (04:11) 4 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation: A. First Movement (04:50) 5 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation: B. Second Movement (10:04) 6 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation: C. Third Movement (12:52) |
| London Symphony Orchestra, Volume 1 : Allmusic album Review : This LP contains the first set of recording to be released from a session held in January 1983 at which some of Frank Zappas orchestral works were recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano. The pieces are "Sad Jane," "Pedros Dowry (large orchestra version)," "Envelopes," and "Mo N Herbs Vacation," in three movements. Although Zappa himself has criticized these recordings, they represent the best rendition so far of his orchestral ambitions, more accomplished than Lumpy Gravy or Orchestral Favorites. The music is moody and ponderous, slow with sudden dramatic passages, in the manner of Stravinsky, and exhibits little of Zappas usual melodic invention and humor. (In 1986, Rykodisc released a CD version of the sessions under the title London Symphony Orchestra (RCD 10022) that deleted "Sad Jane" and "Pedros Dowry" and added the 24 1/2-minute "Bogus Pomp.") | ||
 | Album: 20 of 44 Title: Thing‐Fish Released: 1984 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:30:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Prologue (02:56) 2 The Mammy Nuns (03:31) 3 Harry and Rhonda (03:36) 4 Galoot Update (05:27) 5 The ‘Torchum’ Never Stops (10:32) 6 That Evil Prince (01:17) 7 You Are What You Is (04:31) 8 Mudd Club (03:16) 9 The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing (03:14) 10 Clowns on Velvet (01:51) 11 Harry‐As‐a‐Boy (02:34) 12 He’s So Gay (02:45) 13 The Massive Improve’lence (05:07) 14 Artificial Rhonda (03:31) 1 The Crab‐Grass Baby (03:47) 2 The White Boy Troubles (03:33) 3 No Not Now (05:50) 4 Briefcase Boogie (04:09) 5 Brown Moses (03:01) 6 Wistful Wit a Fist‐Full (04:00) 7 Drop Dead (07:56) 8 Won Ton On (04:17) |
| Thing‐Fish : Allmusic album Review : Of all of Frank Zappas discography, Thing-Fish must be his most controversial, misunderstood, overlooked album. Obviously, it is not a masterpiece, but reducing it to a compilation album with a racist plot distorts the reality. First released as a three-LP set (and reissued on two CDs), this album is the "original cast recording" of a never-produced Broadway show. Working-class joes have been mutated into potato-headed, duck-mouthed creatures by a government experiment gone wrong. They put up a Broadway musical in which reality and fiction become one for two members of the audience. The main character, Thing-Fish, is played by Ike Willis. His thick caricatured Negro accent is directly taken from Amos n Andys King Fish character. Zappas intention was not to mock African Americans, but to ridicule the way they are depicted on Broadway, mainly a white male-dominated milieu. Harry and Rhonda, the two audience members drawn into the story by force, are played by Terry Bozzio and Dale Bozzio. Harry will realize he is gay, Rhonda will turn into a briefcase fetishist. Zappa exaggerates the yuppie trends of the mid-80s (Harry is gay for "career purposes"; Rhonda embodies the ultra-feminist) and slips into the plot concerns about the spread of AIDS being the result of governmental scientific experiments. Its crazy, offensive, barely holding together, but it sure is entertaining. To accommodate the plot, Zappa wrote a couple of new songs and re-recorded a handful of tracks from Zoot Allures, You Are What You Is, Tinsel-Town Rebellion, and Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch with new lyrics. It is definitely for the seasoned fan (the conceptual continuity clues make an integral part of the experience), but more than rehashed material. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 44 Title: Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger Released: 1984-08-23 Tracks: 7 Duration: 42:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Perfect Stranger (12:44) 2 Naval Aviation in Art? (05:48) 3 The Girl in the Magnesium Dress (03:27) 4 Outside Now Again (04:06) 5 Love Story (00:59) 6 Dupree’s Paradise (07:54) 7 Jonestown (07:07) |
| Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger : Allmusic album Review : Having recorded some works with a large orchestra in January 1983, in January 1984, Frank Zappa arranged for some of his chamber works to be performed by Pierre Boulezs Ensemble InterContemporain, a 16-piece group. "The Perfect Stranger," "Naval Aviation In Art?," and "Duprees Paradise" were given this treatment, and the four remaining tracks are the product of Zappas music synthesizer, the Synclavier. As usual, Zappas "serious" works are rhythmically interesting and make for challenging listening. Originally released on LP on the classical Angel/EMI label, this album was reissued on CD on Zappas Barking Pumpkin label in 1992, at which time he resequenced it. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 44 Title: Them or Us Released: 1984-10-18 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:10:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Closer You Are (02:55) 2 In France (03:30) 3 Ya Hozna (06:26) 4 Sharleena (04:33) 5 Sinister Footwear II (08:39) 6 Truck Driver Divorce (08:59) 7 Stevie’s Spanking (05:23) 8 Baby, Take Your Teeth Out (01:54) 9 Marqueson’s Chicken (07:33) 10 Planet of My Dreams (01:37) 11 Be in My Video (03:39) 12 Them or Us (05:23) 13 Frogs With Dirty Little Lips (02:42) 14 Whippin’ Post (07:32) |
| Them or Us : Allmusic album Review : Released in October 1984, Them or Us is Frank Zappas last studio rock album (unless one counts Thing-Fish). It contains a little of everything for everyone, but most of all it has that cold and dry early-80s feel that made this and other albums like The Man From Utopia and Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention sound dated pretty quickly. The record begins and ends with covers. "The Closer You Are" is one of those 50s R&B tunes the man loved so much. As for the Allman Brothers "Whippin Post," it answered a request from an audience member in Helsinki back in 1974 (go figure). In between one finds the usual offensive lyrics -- the cliché-ridden "In France," the sexually explicit "Baby, Take Your Teeth Out." Crunchy guitars are found in "Ya Hozna" and "Stevies Spanking" (named after Steve Vai, playing guitar in it, too), arguably one of Zappas best straightforward rock songs from that period. "Sinister Footwear II" and "Marquesons Chicken" represent an 80s update of complex instrumental pieces the likes of "RDNZL." "Planet of My Dreams" salvages a bit from the never-produced stage play Hunchentoot (the scenario of which was incidentally published in a book titled Them or Us released at the same time). Finally, "Be in My Video" mocks David Bowies hit "Lets Dance" and the MTV generation, still in its infancy stage at the time. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 44 Title: Francesco Zappa Released: 1984-11-21 Tracks: 17 Duration: 37:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 1: I. Andante (03:31) 2 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 1: II. Allegro con brio (01:27) 3 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 2: I. Andantino (02:14) 4 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 2: II. Minuetto grazioso (02:04) 5 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 3: I. Andantino (01:52) 6 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 3: II. Presto (01:51) 7 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 4: I. Andante (02:19) 8 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 4: II. Allegro (03:04) 9 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 5: II. Minuetto grazioso (02:29) 10 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 6: I. Largo (02:08) 11 String Trio, Op. 1 No. 6: II. Minuet (02:03) 12 String Trio, Op. 4 No. 1: I. Andantino (02:47) 13 String Trio, Op. 4 No. 1: II. Allegro assai (02:01) 14 String Trio, Op. 4 No. 2: II. Allegro assai (01:20) 15 String Trio, Op. 4 No. 3: I. Andante (02:24) 16 String Trio, Op. 4 No. 3: II. Tempo di minuetto (02:00) 17 String Trio, Op. 4 No. 4: I. Minuetto (02:09) |
| Francesco Zappa : Allmusic album Review : This is chamber music written by an 18th century Italian composer who may or may not have been an ancestor of Frank Zappa. The younger Zappa discovered the music at the music library at the University of California at Berkeley and programmed it into his Synclavier. The result is pleasant-enough European classical music with an electronic twinge -- in the same category as Switched-On Bach. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 44 Title: We’re Only in It for the Money / Lumpy Gravy Released: 1985 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:10:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Are You Hung Up? (01:30) 2 Who Needs the Peace Corps? (02:35) 3 Concentration Moon (02:17) 4 Mom & Dad (02:19) 5 Telephone Conversation (00:45) 6 Bow Tie Daddy (00:33) 7 Harry, You’re a Beast (01:21) 8 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (01:03) 9 Absolutely Free (03:28) 10 Flower Punk (03:04) 11 Hot Poop (00:29) 12 Nasal Retentive Calliope Music (02:03) 13 Let’s Make the Water Turn Black (01:45) 14 The Idiot Bastard Son (02:43) 15 Lonely Little Girl (01:44) 16 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (01:35) 17 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body (reprise) (00:57) 18 Mother People (02:31) 19 The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny (06:25) 20 Lumpy Gravy I (15:48) 21 Lumpy Gravy II (15:49) |
| We’re Only in It for the Money / Lumpy Gravy : Allmusic album Review : This twofer CD reissue contains two 1968 albums by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Were Only In It For The Money, originally released in January 1968, is The Mothers third album, containing some of the groups sharpest satires, including "Who Needs The Peace Corps?" and the anti-hippie "Flower Punk." When he was putting together The Old Masters, Box One in 1985, Zappa re-recorded the albums rhythm tracks and re-edited it in places in an attempt to improve its sound. Instead, the album now sounds like an odd mixture of old and new. Lumpy Gravy, originally released in March 1968, is a Zappa solo album recorded with an orchestra, but although it isnt song-oriented, its approach is not much different from that of Were Only In It For The Money, so the two make a good pairing. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 44 Title: Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention Released: 1985-11-21 Tracks: 10 Duration: 47:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Don’t Even Care (04:39) 2 One Man, One Vote (02:35) 3 Little Beige Sambo (03:02) 4 Aerobics in Bondage (03:16) 5 We’re Turning Again (04:55) 6 Alien Orifice (04:10) 7 Yo Cats (03:33) 8 What’s New in Baltimore? (05:20) 9 Porn Wars (12:05) 10 H.R. 2911 (03:35) |
| Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention : Allmusic album Review : Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention is a transitional album that sees Zappa turning away from rock and putting more time into his Synclavier compositions. This is a year away from the computer-only (minus one live track) Jazz From Hell. So the album presents a handful of computer pieces ("Aerobics in Bondage," "Little Beige Sambo"), one rock song and one rock instrumental ("Were Turning Again" and the complex "Alien Orifice"), and a couple of attempts at pairing real performers with the computer ("Yo Cats," "Whats New in Baltimore?"). Most importantly, the U.S. version of Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention contained "Porn Wars," a sound collage of excerpts from the PMRC hearings -- the lobby group wanted a law instructing record companies to put warning stickers on offensive albums. The LPs title was inspired by that particular piece (the other tracks dont relate to the subject) and yet the version released in Europe, Japan, and Canada -- which sported inverted black and white on the cover -- did not include "Porn Wars," but three extra tracks (two on Synclavier and one rock song). The 1995 Ryko reissue put all pieces from the two versions on one CD. Apart from the political issues of "Porn Wars," which quickly became dated, the album lacks memorable moments. It is not uninteresting and those allergic to the Synclavier will still prefer it over Jazz From Hell. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 44 Title: Apostrophe (’) / Over‐Nite Sensation Released: 1986-09 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:06:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow (02:07) 2 Nanook Rubs It (04:37) 3 St. Alphonzo’s Pancake Breakfast (01:50) 4 Father O’blivion (02:18) 5 Cosmik Debris (04:14) 6 Excentrifugal Forz (01:31) 7 Apostrophe’ (05:50) 8 Uncle Remus (02:44) 9 Stink‐Foot (06:37) 10 Camarillo Brillo (03:59) 11 I’m the Slime (03:34) 12 Dirty Love (02:58) 13 50/50 (06:10) 14 Zomby Woof (05:10) 15 Dinah‐Moe‐Hum (06:03) 16 Montana (06:37) |
| Apostrophe (’) / Over‐Nite Sensation : Allmusic album Review : Two of Zappas most popular 1970s albums combined on one disc; when Rykodisc reissued the Zappa catalog for the second time, the albums were released separately. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 44 Title: The London Symphony Orchestra Released: 1986-09 Tracks: 5 Duration: 1:02:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sad Jane (09:53) 2 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation: I (04:50) 3 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation: II (10:04) 4 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation: III (12:53) 5 Bogus Pomp (24:32) |
| The London Symphony Orchestra : Allmusic album Review : This is a CD reissue of Zappa Volume I with the addition of the 24 1/2-minute "Bogus Pomp" and the deletion of "Pedros Dowry" and "Envelopes." Common to both LP and CD are "Sad Jane" and "Mo N Herbs Vacation." These are orchestral works by Frank Zappa, played by The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano. Although Zappa himself has criticized these recordings, they represent the best rendition so far of his orchestral ambitions, more accomplished than Lumpy Gravy or Orchestral Favorites. The music is moody and ponderous, slow with sudden dramatic passages, in the manner of Stravinsky, and exhibits little of Zappas usual melodic invention and humor. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 44 Title: Jazz From Hell Released: 1986-11-15 Tracks: 8 Duration: 34:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Night School (04:53) 2 The Beltway Bandits (03:27) 3 While You Were Art II (07:19) 4 Jazz From Hell (03:00) 5 G‐Spot Tornado (03:17) 6 Damp Ankles (03:45) 7 St. Etienne (06:26) 8 Massaggio Galore (02:32) |
| Jazz From Hell : Allmusic album Review : While Frank Zappa had ostensibly been "on his own" since the dissolution of the Mothers of Invention in 1969, never before had he used the term "solo artist" as literally as he does on the Grammy Award winning (in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance by an orchestra, group or soloist" category) Jazz from Hell (1986). After two decades of depending on the skills, virtuosity, and temperament of other musicians, Zappa all but abandoned the human element in favor of the flexibility of what he could produce with his Synclavier Digital Music System. With the exception of the stunning closer "St. Etienne" -- which is a guitar solo taken from a live performance of "Drowning Witch" at the Palais des Sports in St. Etienne, France on May 28, 1982 -- the remaining seven selections were composed, created, and executed by Zappa with help from his concurrent computer assistant Bob Rice and recording engineer Bob Stone. Far from being simply a synthesizer, the Synclavier combined the ability to sample and manipulate sounds before assigning them to the various notes on a piano-type keyboard. At the time of its release, many enthusiasts considered it a slick, emotionless effort. In retrospect, their conclusions seem to have been a gut reaction to the methodology, rather than the music itself. In fact, evidence to the contrary is apparent as it brims throughout the optimistic bounding melody and tricky time-signatures of "Night School." All the more affective is the frenetic sonic trajectory coursing through "G-Spot Tornado." Incidentally, Zappa would revisit the latter -- during one of his final projects -- when the Ensemble Modern worked up Ali N. Askins arrangement for the Yellow Shark (1993). Another cut with a bit of history to it is "While You Were Art II," which is Zappas Synclavier-rendered version of the Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar (1982) entry "While You Were Out." Speaking of guitar solos, as mentioned briefly above, "St. Etienne" is the only song on Jazz from Hell to feature a band and is a treat specifically for listeners craving a sampling of Zappas inimitable fretwork. The six-plus minute instrumental also boats support from Steve Vai (rhythm guitar), Ray White (rhythm guitar), Tommy Mars (keyboards), Bobby Martin (keyboards), Ed Mann (percussion), as well as the prominent rhythm section of Scott Thunes (bass) and Chad Wackerman (drums). Zappa-philes should similarly note that excellent (albeit) amateur-shot footage of the number was included by Zappa on the companion Video from Hell (1987) home video. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 44 Title: The Man From Utopia / Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch Released: 1988 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:10:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Cocaine Decisions (02:57) 2 The Dangerous Kitchen (02:51) 3 Tink Walks Amok (03:38) 4 The Radio Is Broken (05:51) 5 Moggio (02:35) 6 The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou (medley) (03:18) 7 Stick Together (03:40) 8 Sex (03:00) 9 The Jazz Discharge Party Hats (04:28) 10 We Are Not Alone (03:18) 11 No Not Now (05:50) 12 Valley Girl (04:50) 13 I Come From Nowhere (06:17) 14 Drowning Witch (12:03) 15 Envelopes (02:45) 16 Teen‐Age Prostitute (02:41) |
 | Album: 30 of 44 Title: Civilization Phaze III Released: 1994-12-02 Tracks: 41 Duration: 1:53:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 This Is Phaze III (00:47) 2 Put a Motor in Yourself (05:13) 3 Oh‐Umm (00:50) 4 They Made Me Eat It (01:48) 5 Reagan at Bitburg (05:39) 6 A Very Nice Body (01:00) 7 Navanax (01:40) 8 How the Pigs’ Music Works (01:49) 9 Xmas Values (05:31) 10 Dark Water! (00:23) 11 Amnerika (03:03) 12 Have You Ever Heard Their Band? (00:38) 13 Religious Superstition (00:43) 14 Saliva Can Only Take So Much (00:27) 15 Buffalo Voice (05:12) 16 Someplace Else Right Now (00:32) 17 Get a Life (02:20) 18 A Kayak (on Snow) (00:28) 19 N‐Lite (18:00) 1 I Wish Motorhead Would Come Back (00:14) 2 Secular Humanism (02:41) 3 Attack! Attack! Attack! (01:24) 4 I Was in a Drum (03:38) 5 A Different Octave (00:57) 6 This Ain’t CNN (03:20) 7 The Pigs’ Music (01:17) 8 A Pig With Wings (02:52) 9 This Is All Wrong (01:42) 10 Hot & Putrid (00:29) 11 Flowing Inside‐Out (00:46) 12 I Had a Dream About That (00:27) 13 Gross Man (02:54) 14 A Tunnel Into Muck (00:21) 15 Why Not? (02:18) 16 Put a Little Motor in ’Em (00:50) 17 You’re Just Insultin’ Me, Aren’t You! (02:13) 18 Cold Light Generation (00:44) 19 Dio Fa (08:18) 20 That Would Be the End of That (00:35) 21 Beat the Reaper (15:23) 22 Waffenspiel (04:04) |
| Civilization Phaze III : Allmusic album Review : Civilization Phaze III is the last album of new music Frank Zappa completed before his death in December 1993. It belongs to his corpus of "serious music." The composer has revisited the recordings he made in 1967 of various people talking with their heads inside a grand piano (with the sustain pedal depressed, it made quite a resonating room). These conversations were used in part in the 1968 LP Lumpy Gravy, but here Zappa (with the help of less limiting technology) restructured the comments of the "people living inside the piano" into a quasi-coherent plot. Basically, they are either outcasts or in self-exile from the outer world. They hide from a menacing reality. These spoken bits serve to tie together computer and orchestra music. Compared to his cruder attempts from the mid-80s (like Jazz from Hell), these pieces sound lush, rich, natural. They still make for a challenging listen but are much more rewarding in the end. "Amnerika," the 18-minute "N-Lite," and the closer "Waffenspiel" stand among the mans best scored music. Disc one is 100 percent Synclavier (a keyboard computer) and 1967 dialogues. Disc two introduces a few orchestral pieces performed by Ensemble Modern and new piano voices recorded in 1991. The whole project was conceptualized as an "opera-pantomime." Zappas indications put more flesh around the music and provide conceptual continuity clues for the die-hard fans (the booklet also contains transcriptions of all the dialogues). The original artwork and packaging are stunning and luxurious, a match for the music, some of the most compelling Zappa wrote outside of the rock realm. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 44 Title: Were Only in It for the Money Released: 1995 Tracks: 19 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Are You Hung Up? (?) 2 Who Needs the Peace Corps? (?) 3 Concentration Moon (?) 4 Mom & Dad (?) 5 Telephone Conversation (?) 6 Bow Tie Daddy (?) 7 Harry, You’re a Beast (?) 8 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (?) 9 Absolutely Free (?) 10 Flower Punk (?) 11 Hot Poop (?) 12 Nasal Retentive Calliope Music (?) 13 Let’s Make the Water Turn Black (?) 14 The Idiot Bastard Son (?) 15 Lonely Little Girl (?) 16 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (?) 17 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (reprise) (?) 18 Mother People (?) 19 The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny (?) |
| We're Only in It for the Money : Allmusic album Review : From the beginning, Frank Zappa cultivated a role as voice of the freaks -- imaginative outsiders who didnt fit comfortably into any group. Were Only in It for the Money is the ultimate expression of that sensibility, a satirical masterpiece that simultaneously skewered the hippies and the straights as prisoners of the same narrow-minded, superficial phoniness. Zappas barbs were vicious and perceptive, and not just humorously so: his seemingly paranoid vision of authoritarian violence against the counterculture was borne out two years later by the Kent State killings. Like Freak Out, Were Only in It for the Money essentially devotes its first half to satire, and its second half to presenting alternatives. Despite some specific references, the first-half suite is still wickedly funny, since its targets remain immediately recognizable. The second half shows where his sympathies lie, with character sketches of Zappas real-life freak acquaintances, a carefree utopia in "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance," and the strident, unironic protest "Mother People." Regardless of how dark the subject matter, theres a pervasively surreal, whimsical flavor to the music, sort of like Sgt. Pepper as a creepy nightmare. Some of the instruments and most of the vocals have been manipulated to produce odd textures and cartoonish voices; most songs are abbreviated, segue into others through edited snippets of music and dialogue, or are broken into fragments by more snippets, consistently interrupting the albums continuity. Compositionally, though, the music reveals itself as exceptionally strong, and Zappas politics and satirical instinct have rarely been so focused and relevant, making Were Only in It for the Money quite probably his greatest achievement. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 44 Title: London Symphony Orchestra, Volume I & II Released: 1995-04-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:35:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bob in Dacron, First Movement (05:36) 2 Bob in Dacron, Second Movement (06:34) 3 Sad Jane, First Movement (04:46) 4 Sad Jane, Second Movement (05:04) 5 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation, First Movement (04:47) 6 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation, Second Movement (10:04) 7 Mo ’n Herb’s Vacation, Third Movement (12:50) 1 Envelopes (04:06) 2 Pedro’s Dowry (10:25) 3 Bogus Pomp (24:34) 4 Strictly Genteel (06:56) |
| London Symphony Orchestra, Volume I & II : Allmusic album Review : When Frank Zappa teamed up with renowned conductor Kent Nagano and the London Symphony Orchestra for three days in January 1983, he was expecting to walk away with a set of stellar performances of some of his most challenging contemporary classical pieces, as done by one of the worlds top symphonic ensembles. What he got instead were bad attitudes, terrible work habits, unforgiving union stipulations and a hard lesson in preconceived notions -- showing him that working with unschooled but enthusiastic rock musicians also had its advantages, and giving rise to his well-documented love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with symphony orchestras thereafter. According to Zappa, the LSO crew were hardly expecting a hard days toil from the works of a ‘rocker, resulting in so many screw-ups that much of the material had to be heavily edited after the fact in the studio. This 1995 edition combines the two London Symphony Orchestra volumes released on vinyl in the mid-80s into a single 2-CD set, even re-sequencing the material to reflect Frank Zappas original, idealized performance order -- all of it made possible by the wonders of compact disc technology. Therefore, for fans of Zappas so called ‘serious music (i.e. not rock-based), London Symphony Orchestra Vol. I & II offers both premier ("Sad Jane," "Bob in Dacron") and re-arranged compositions taken from his massive past oeuvre ("Pedros Dowry," "Bogus Pomp"). Though not as fulfilling as 1993s fantastic The Yellow Shark, this set will still has plenty going for it in the eyes of committed fans. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 44 Title: Läther Released: 1996-09-24 Tracks: 26 Duration: 2:37:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Re‐gyptian Strut (04:36) 2 Naval Aviation in Art? (01:32) 3 A Little Green Rosetta (02:48) 4 Duck Duck Goose (03:00) 5 Down in de Dew (02:57) 6 For the Young Sophisticate (03:14) 7 Tryin’ to Grow a Chin (03:26) 8 Broken Hearts Are for Assholes (04:40) 9 The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit (12:43) 10 Lemme Take You to the Beach (02:46) 11 Revised Music for Guitar & Low Budget Orchestra (07:36) 12 RDNZL (08:14) 1 Honey, Don’t You Want a Man Like Me? (04:56) 2 The Black Page #1 (01:57) 3 Big Leg Emma (02:11) 4 Punky’s Whips (11:06) 5 Flambe (02:05) 6 The Purple Lagoon (16:22) 7 Pedro’s Dowry (07:45) 8 Läther (03:50) 9 Spider of Destiny (02:40) 10 Duke of Orchestral Prunes (04:21) 1 Filthy Habits (07:12) 2 Titties ’n Beer (05:23) 3 The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution (08:32) 4 The Adventures of Greggery Peccary (21:00) |
| Läther : Allmusic album Review : The full saga of Läther (pronounced leather) is tangled enough to give a migraine to all but committed Zappaphiles. Basically, what you need to know is that this project was originally conceived of as a four-record box set. When record company politics prevented its release in that format, much of the material was spread over the albums Live in New York, Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan, and Orchestral Favorites. This three-CD set presents the album as it was originally conceived, with the addition of four bonus tracks at the end. It mixes previously available material, alternate mixes, and edits, and previously unissued stuff, though only the most serious Zappa fans will have a good grip on exactly what has appeared where (the liner notes are surprisingly unexact in this regard). And the music? Its almost like a résumé of Zappas bag of tricks: Uncle Meat-like experimentation, intricate jazz-rock, straight hard rock, orchestral composition, and comedy. Some of those comedy tracks became some of his most notorious routines, like "Punkys Whips" and "Titties n Beer," which amounted to avant- rock for drunk frat boys and pot smoking, underachieving junior high school students. The juvenile humor, hamfisted parody of hard rock clichés, and the shaggy-dog opera of the 20-minute "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" are outshone by the lengthy, more experimental instrumental passages. Its interesting, but exhausting to wade through all at once, and the avant-garde/composerly cuts are not as exceptional as his earlier work in this vein in the late 60s and early 70s. That means that this will appeal far more to the Zappa cultist than the general listener, though the Zappa cult -- which has been craving Läther in its original format for years -- is a pretty wide fan base in and of itself. [In 2005, Rykodisc made available the Japanese Mini LP replica version...which is a bit strange since Läther was never officially released on LP.] | ||
 | Album: 34 of 44 Title: Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute Released: 1996-10-31 Tracks: 7 Duration: 54:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Black Napkins (07:10) 2 Black Napkins (album version) (04:15) 3 Zoot Allures (15:45) 4 Merely a Blues in A (07:26) 5 Zoot Allures (album version) (04:05) 6 Watermelon in Easter Hay (06:41) 7 Watermelon in Easter Hay (album version) (08:41) |
| Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute : Allmusic album Review : This 1996 CD compilation was the first one put out privately by the Zappa family following Frank Zappas death in 1993 from prostate cancer. The music includes three new versions of familiar Zappa works, followed bytheir better-known counterparts that have previously appeared on both LPs and CDs. As Dweezil Zappa explains in his liner notes, this previously unreleased excerpt from "Black Napkins" is not yet fully formed; oddly enough, like the version that follows from Zoot Allures, the Napoleon Murphy Brock sax solo has been edited out. The new version of the next instrumental, "Zoot Allures," fares better in comparison to the well-known take from the Zoot Allures CD, in spite of some distortion inadvertently added by the Tokyo PA system during its recording. "Merely a Blues in A" marks the initial release of a gritty blues likely improvised during a 1974 Paris concert. Finally, two versions of Zappas sensational blues "Watermelon in Easter Hay" close the CD. The early 1978 concert version features a slightly faster tempo with minimal accompaniment by his band, although Zappas solo ideas are already well conceived. Zappas solo on the studio version, originally heard on the release Joes Garage Acts 2 & 3, was taken from a concert recording and mixed with a sparse yet effective studio backing; it remains one of Zappas most fascinating guitar solos. Unlike the posthumous new Zappa CDs that have appeared on Rykodisc after 1993, this one carries a rather high price tag, although it consists of only four new recordings among its seven tracks. The fancy package includes a removable stick-on moustache and goatee like the late composers own facial hair. Zappa fans will likely enjoy this limited-edition CD, which is available exclusively through www.zappa.com, although they would have likely preferred all previously unreleased songs and alternate takes instead. | ||
 | Album: 35 of 44 Title: Mystery Disc Released: 1998-09 Tracks: 35 Duration: 1:17:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Theme From Run Home Slow (01:23) 2 Original Duke of Prunes (01:18) 3 Opening Night Party at "Studio Z" (Collage) (01:32) 4 The Village Inn (01:17) 5 Steal Away (J. Hugues) (03:43) 6 I Was a Teen‐Age Malt Shop (01:10) 7 The Birth of Captain Beefheart (00:16) 8 Metal Man Has Won His Wings (03:06) 9 Power Trio Segment From The Saints ’n Sinners (00:34) 10 Bossa Nova Pervertamento (02:15) 11 Excerpt From The Uncle Frankie Show (00:39) 12 Charva (01:59) 13 Speed‐Freak Boogie (04:14) 14 Original Mothers at the Broadside (Pomona) (00:55) 15 Party Scene From “Mondo Hollywood” (01:54) 16 Original Mothers Rehearsal (00:22) 17 How Could I Be Such a Fool? (01:48) 18 Band Introductions at the Fillmore West (01:10) 19 Plastic People (Richard Berry / FZ) (01:58) 20 Original Mothers at the Fillmore East (00:46) 21 Harry, You’re a Beast (00:30) 22 Don Interrupts (04:39) 23 Piece One (02:26) 24 Jim/Roy (04:04) 25 Piece Two (06:59) 26 Agency Man (03:20) 27 Agency Man (Studio Version) (03:27) 28 Lecture From Festival Hall Show (00:21) 29 Wedding Dress Song/The Handsome Cabin Boy (Trad, arr. by FZ) (02:36) 30 Skweezit Skweezit Skweezit (02:57) 31 The Story of Willie the Pimp (01:33) 32 Black Beauty (05:22) 33 Chucha (02:46) 34 Mothers at KPFK (03:26) 35 Harmonica Fun (00:42) |
| Mystery Disc : Allmusic album Review : Between 1985 and 1987, Frank Zappa released a pair of mail-order vinyl box sets called Old Masters that contained remastered and restored versions of all of his albums between Freak Out! and Zoot Allures. Each box contained an album of previously unreleased material called a "mystery disc." Although he eventually reworked and remixed a handful of these cuts for subsequent releases, the majority of these recordings were never again released in any form. As part of their exhaustive reissue of the entire Zappa catalog, Rykodisc tackled the mystery discs, releasing 35 of the 37 tracks (the remaining two, "Why Dontcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma," are included as bonus cuts on the Absolutely Free CD) as the single-disc collection Mystery Disc in the fall of 1998. Only two of these cuts were released in identical forms on another album -- eight other songs were available in different edits or mixes, while the other 25 tracks were never released on disc. For diehard fans -- and there really arent any other kind -- the Mystery Disc material is essential listening, since it chronicles the original Mothers of Invention in a variety of live performances, outtakes, alternate takes, rehearsals and radio shows, all recorded between 1962 and 1969, with the exception of one cut from 1972. Its material that will only be of interest to serious listeners, but there are enough revelations to make the Mystery Disc worth careful listening. | ||
 | Album: 36 of 44 Title: Everything Is Healing Nicely Released: 1999-12-21 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:08:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Library Card (07:42) 2 This Is a Test (01:35) 3 Jolly Good Fellow (04:34) 4 Rolands Big Event/Strat Vindaloo (05:56) 5 Master Ringo (03:35) 6 TMershi Duween (02:30) 7 Nap Time (08:02) 8 9/8 Objects (03:06) 9 Naked City (08:42) 10 Whitey (Prototype) (01:12) 11 Amnerika Goes Home (03:00) 12 None of the Above (Revised & Previsited) (08:38) 13 Wonderful Tattoo! (10:01) |
| Everything Is Healing Nicely : Allmusic album Review : Late in his life, Frank Zappa hooked up with the small German avant-garde orchestra the Ensemble Modern for what are said to have been the most enjoyable encounters with an orchestra he had in his career. The combination resulted in the last album Zappa released during his life, The Yellow Shark. This album, issued seven years later by the Zappa Family Trust, chronicles some more of the sessions. "These are recordings from Frank Zappas rehearsals with the Ensemble Modern in preparation for The Yellow Shark, writes Todd Yvega, who also served as a recordist on the project. In some cases, such as "Whitey (Prototype)," an early version of "Get Whitey," the tracks are actual run-throughs of material that would turn up on The Yellow Shark. Others find Zappa conducting the orchestra through improvisations. With his usual sense of humor, and with sympathetic classical musicians for once, he combines experimental music with other found sounds, including recitations by pianist Hermann Kretzschmar, who begins by reading the information from his library card and later in the album reads letters to the editor from Piercing Fans International Quarterly ("Keep up the great work. I dont know what to pierce next.") The juxtapositions of spoken word and orchestral sounds is reminiscent of Lumpy Gravy, while Kretzschmars German accent recalls Theodore Bikel in 200 Motels. But the unusual percussion effects bespeak the continuing influence on Zappa of his early mentor Edgard Varèse, bringing these late recordings full circle to some of his first compositions. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 44 Title: Ensemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa: Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions Released: 2003-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:01:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Moggio (02:43) 2 What Will Rumi Do? (01:35) 3 Night School (04:49) 4 Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra (07:37) 5 The Beltway Bandits (03:36) 6 A Pig With Wings (04:24) 7 Put a Motor in Yourself (05:20) 8 Peaches en Regalia (03:07) 9 Naval Aviation in Art? (02:28) 10 The Adventures of Greggery Peccary (25:18) |
| Ensemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa: Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions : Allmusic album Review : The fabulous Ensemble Modern present another all-Zappa program following up the Yellow Shark project from about a decade earlier. The main difference between the albums is that Zappa died in 1993, so there are no new pieces written specifically for the Ensemble and Frank isnt conducting. Also, with the exception of an exercise entitled "What Will Rumi Do?" (which conceptually ties back to Ruth Underwood in "Dont You Ever Wash That Thing?"), all the pieces should be known to Zappa fans, who are a pretty hardcore lot. For many listeners, that may make for a more enjoyable program, but its not like this is the Mantovani Orchestra performing the "Hits of Frank Zappa." The track selection is excellent, although it is a bit off the beaten Zappa track. There are several compositions that have only appeared as Synclavier pieces, from the albums Jazz From Hell and Civilization Phase III, and "Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra" and "Greggery Peccary" are probably not very high on the average FZ fans hit parade. That being said, these are great, if sometimes challenging compositions, and the Ensemble Modern clearly rise to the task. The Jazz From Hell tracks ("Night School" and "Beltway Bandits") are perhaps the most transformed, mostly due to the fact that the early Synclavier sounds were more synthesized and mechanical than the sounds later used on Civilization Phase III. The CPIII tracks actually become more interesting as compositions, divorced from their original context among a great deal of sometimes silly spoken material. Here, they are just wickedly polyrhythmic modern compositions that stand quite well as individual pieces. In particular, the arrangement for "A Pig With Wings" is stunning, scored for two guitars and two keyboard/samplers that sound like they have a hammered dulcimer patch at times. "Revised Music for Low Budget Orchestra" gets a fantastic reading, and its simply thrilling to hear the passage with the guitar solo (replaced here by viola) doubled by brass and percussion. That anyone would actually undertake a live performance of "Greggery Peccary" is a bit of a surprise, and again, the Ensemble Modern demonstrate their incredible talent. Incorporating all the known orchestral devices, they also use samplers and vocalists Omar Ebrahim and David Moss, who really "put the eyebrows" on their performances (whoda thunk an opera guy could perform like Ebrahim?). Anyone familiar with David Moss bizarre, cartoonish vocalizing over the years will realize what an inspired choice he was. As an added bonus, theres a wonderful arrangement of the old favorite "Peaches en Regalia," and a hidden track that originates from 200 Motels (no need to completely spoil the surprise). Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions is another fantastic recording from the Ensemble Modern, and since there arent a whole lot of new performances coming out of the Zappa vault, this is a nice treat for those who still want to hear more from the great Frank Zappa. Excellent. | ||
 | Album: 38 of 44 Title: Joes Domage Released: 2004-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 55:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 When Its Perfect... (03:18) 2 The New Brown Clouds (02:44) 3 Frog Song (17:22) 4 It Just Might Be a One Shot Deal (01:56) 5 The Ending Line... (03:12) 6 Blessed Relief / The New Brown Clouds (05:03) 7 It Aint Real So Whats the Deal (13:14) 8 Think It Over(some) / Think It Over(some More) (05:20) 9 Another Whole Melodic Section (01:53) 10 When It Feels Natural... (01:27) |
| Joe's Domage : Allmusic album Review : After being thrown 15 feet off of the Rainbow Theater stage in London on December 10, 1971 by unstable concert attendee Trevor Howell, Frank Zappa spent the better part of the following winter and spring in rehearsals for what would become the Waka/Jawaka (1972) and Grand Wazoo (1972) platters and related live shows. Joes Domage (2004) -- the second in a series of never-before-available material from the luminous Frank Zappa tape vaults -- gathers 50 minutes from these closed-door sessions, during which Zappa was confined to a wheelchair as he recuperated. The incident left the guitarist with some permanent damage, with a lower voice from a partially crushed larynx, and a fractured right leg which ended up shorter than the left, as referenced in the lyrics of "Zomby Woof" and "Dancin Fool." Being off the road resulted in some of the Zappas most involved fusions of jazz and rock. These rehearsals were most likely not meant for public consumption, having been sonically remastered from a decidedly lo-fi cassette. For all intents and purposes, this is an examination of the modular process that Zappa used when creating his extended works and intricately detailed compositions, including contributions from an impressive lineup of Zappa (guitar/spoken instructions), Tony Duran (guitar), Ian Underwood (organ), Sal Marquez (trumpet), Malcolm McNabb (trumpet), Kenny Shroyer (trombone), Tony Ortega (baritone sax), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) and Alex Dmochowski (bass) -- the latter often credited under the pseudonym Erroneous. Granted, the fidelity is distorted and typical of what a cassette from 1972 might sound like. However, tucked into the otherwise grungy audio and the incessant start/stop methodology of these preliminary run-throughs, Zappas hands-on involvement becomes exceedingly evident to the lay person. He methodically teaches his highly advanced rhythms and time signatures with a definite and well-thought-out sense of the bigger picture. Fragments and in-progress snippets of "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary," "Big Swifty," "It Just Might Be a One-Shot Deal," "Blessed Relief," "Grand Wazoo" [aka "Think It Over"] and an "Interlude" that Zappaphiles refer to as "Twinkle Tits" are among the songs that would eventually surface from the music heard here in their primordial forms. | ||
 | Album: 39 of 44 Title: Joe’s XMasage Released: 2005-12-26 Tracks: 11 Duration: 55:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mormon Xmas Dance Report (01:51) 2 Prelude to “The Purse” (02:24) 3 Mr Clean (alternate mix) (02:04) 4 Why Don’tcha Do Me Right (05:01) 5 The Muthers/Power Trio (03:15) 6 The Purse (11:38) 7 The Moon Will Never Be the Same (01:10) 8 GTR Trio (11:21) 9 Suckit Rockit (04:11) 10 Mousie’s First Xmas (00:56) 11 The Uncle Frankie Show (11:42) |
| Joe’s XMasage : Allmusic album Review : This compilation drawn from the late Frank Zappas huge personal library of unreleased tapes focuses on his work of the 1960s. The music will be of interest to Zappa collectors, though the sound quality varies from acceptable to average for the era -- keeping in mind that these recordings are mostly from studio rehearsals and, at the time he made them, were likely not intended for release. "GTR Trio" is an extended rehearsal that showcases Zappa on acoustic guitar, improvising over a bass vamp, containing at least one excerpt later utilized in his composition "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution." "The Moon Will Never Be the Same" and "Mousies First Xmas" are brief rehearsals of Zappas early orchestral writing, with some overdubbed electronics added. "Why Dontcha Do Me Right?" is essentially a vamp on one chord, though it has many more verses than the version eventually issued on a Verve single. Various spoken segments ("Mormon Xmas Dance Report," "Prelude to the Purse," "The Purse," and "Suckit Rockit") are of passing interest and dont merit more than one hearing. One exception is "The Uncle Frankie Show," which incorporates Zappa narrating a preview about "I Was a Teenage Maltshop" with a few musical excerpts intertwined, including some tasty solo blues guitar. Joes Xmasage falls short of being essential for the casual Zappa listener, though serious fans will enjoy this treasure trove of vintage, previously unreleased material. | ||
 | Album: 40 of 44 Title: The MOFO Project/Object Released: 2006-12-05 Tracks: 72 Duration: 4:04:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hungry Freaks, Daddy (03:33) 2 I Ain’t Got No Heart (02:35) 3 Who Are the Brain Police? (03:26) 4 Go Cry on Somebody Else’s Shoulder (03:43) 5 Motherly Love (02:50) 6 How Could I Be Such a Fool? (02:17) 7 Wowie Zowie (02:56) 8 You Didn’t Try to Call Me (03:22) 9 Anyway the Wind Blows (02:56) 10 I’m Not Satisfied (02:42) 11 You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here (03:42) 12 Trouble Every Day (05:53) 13 Help, I’m a Rock (04:43) 14 It Can’t Happen Here (03:59) 15 Return of the Son of Monster Magnet (12:23) 1 Hungry Freaks, Daddy (vocal overdub take 1) (03:47) 2 Anyway the Wind Blows (vocal overdub) (02:54) 3 Go Cry on Somebody Elses Shoulder (vocal overdub take 2) (03:46) 4 I Aint Got No Heart (vocal overdub master take) (02:37) 5 Motherly Love (vocal Overdub Master Takes) (03:09) 6 Im Not Satisfied (2nd vocal overdub master, take 2) (02:38) 7 Youre Probably Wondering Why Im Here (vocal overdubs takes 1 and 2) (01:58) 8 Youre Probably Wondering Why Im Here (basic tracks) (03:40) 9 Who Are the Brain Police? (basic tracks) (03:42) 10 How Could I Be Such a Fool? (basic tracks) (02:24) 11 Anyway the Wind Blows (basic tracks) (02:48) 12 Go Cry on Somebody Elses Shoulder (basic tracks) (03:43) 13 I Ain’t Got No Heart (Basic Tracks) (02:36) 14 You Didnt Try to Call Me (Basic Tracks) (03:00) 15 Trouble Every Day (Basic Tracks) (07:10) 16 Help, Im a Rock (FZ edit) (05:48) 17 Who Are the Brain Police? (section b, alternate take) (01:15) 18 Groupie Bang Bang (03:51) 19 Hold on to Your Small Tiny Horsies... (02:08) 1 Objects (04:32) 2 Freak Trim (05:14) 3 Percussion Insert Session Snoop (03:18) 4 Freak Out! Drum Track (04:04) 5 Percussion Object 1 & 2 (06:01) 6 Lion Roar & Drums from Freak Out! (05:36) 7 Vito Rocks the Floor (06:09) 8 "Low Budget Rock & Roll Band" (02:14) 9 Suzy Creamcheese (05:49) 10 Motherly Love (live, 1966-06-25: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA) (03:12) 11 You Didnt Try to Call Me (live, 1966-06-25: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA) (04:06) 12 Im Not Satisfied (live, 1966-06-25: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA) (02:53) 13 Hungry Freaks, Daddy (live, 1966-06-25: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA) (03:37) 14 Go Cry on Somebody Elses Shoulder (live, 1966-06-25: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA) (02:31) 1 Wowie Zowie (03:02) 2 Who Are the Brain Police? (04:32) 3 Hungry Freaks, Daddy (03:37) 4 Cream Cheese (08:18) 5 Trouble Every Day (02:39) 6 It Cant Happen Here (03:19) 7 "Psychedelic Music" (02:34) 8 "MGM" (01:54) 9 "Dope Fiend Music" (02:06) 10 "How We Made It Sound That Way" (05:08) 11 "Poop Rock" (00:46) 12 "Machinery" (01:00) 13 "Psychedelic Upholstery" (01:44) 14 "Psychedelic Money" (01:34) 15 Who Are the Brain Police? (03:39) 16 Any Way the Wind Blows (02:58) 17 Hungry Freaks, Daddy (03:33) 18 "The Original Group" (01:29) 19 "Necessity" (01:18) 20 "Union Scale" (01:47) 21 "25 Hundred Signing Fee" (01:12) 22 Tom Wilson (00:33) 23 My Pet Theory (02:17) 24 "There Is No Need" (00:43) |
 | Album: 41 of 44 Title: The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAA Birthday Bundle Released: 2006-12-15 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Tryin to Grow a Chin (1976-01-20: Sydney, Australia) (04:50) 2 Dead Girls of London (1979-02: Odeon Hammersmith, London, UK) (02:22) 3 You Are What You Is (1980-12-11: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA, USA) (04:14) 4 Bamboozled By Love (1988-05-08: Wien, Austria) (05:41) 5 Fine Girl (remix) (03:33) 6 Girlie Woman (02:31) 7 When the Ball Drops (03:53) 8 Bring It Back (05:21) 9 Feel How I Need You (02:54) 10 Rhythmatist (04:13) 11 Everyone Is Going Mad (04:07) |
 | Album: 42 of 44 Title: One Shot Deal Released: 2008-06-13 Tracks: 9 Duration: 51:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Bathtub Man (05:43) 2 Space Boogers (01:24) 3 Hermitage (02:00) 4 Trudgin’ Across the Tundra (04:01) 5 Occam’s Razor (09:11) 6 Heidelberg (04:46) 7 The Illinois Enema Bandit (09:27) 8 Australian Yellow Snow (12:26) 9 Rollo (02:57) |
| One Shot Deal : Allmusic album Review : At the time of Frank Zappas passing in late 1993, he left a number of projects in varying stages of completeness. Some of these had gotten no further than the so-called "build-reel" stage. It was at this preliminary phase that the artist had done little more than set aside various and sundry audio on the back-burner in his Utility Muffin Research Kitchen home studio. One Shot Deal (2008) is a single-CD compilation taken from a number of disparate sources -- including a pair of tunes from Zappas "build reels." As the sets co-producer Gail Zappa explains in her inimitable style in the brief liner notes essay "...the guitar was the main element for me...." With that as an unofficial mandate, the 5-plus minutes -- which cover the meaty nine-year span of 1972 to 1981 -- is undeniably fret-centric. The opening "Bathtub Man" -- featuring the early to mid-70s George Duke (keyboards/vocals) and Napoleon Murphy Brock (vocals) lineup -- seems to be an instrumental improvisational extension that was nicked from "Cosmik Debris." Not only does it reveal a bit of insight into what is presumably a transvestite tale from the road, but musically it displays both Duke and Zappas criminally underrated chops as incendiary interpreters of the blues. The brief yet frenetic "Space Boogers" is another sonic matchup between Duke and Zappa that presents their unique interaction in a very different -- yet no less inspired -- context. Presumably with baton in hand, the percussive "Hermitage" is an extract from a rare performance of "Sink Trap" (aka "Gypsy Airs") by the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra from a show at Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in mid-September 1975. While several portions of the nearly ten-minute suite have surfaced -- most notably during the Tinseltown Rebellion (1981) version of "Easy Meat" and as "Lumpy Gravy" on the DVD-A QuAUDIOPHILIAc (2004) -- the entire work has yet to be issued. The spacy and jazz fusion-filled "Trudgin Across the Tundra" is a sampling of the "Petite (as opposed to Grand) Wazoo" combo with Gary Barone (trumpet) wailing à la Miles Davis during the "Bitches Brew" era. Another of One Shot Deals heartier endeavors is the nine-plus minute "Occams Razor" -- which consists of Zappas guitar solo from the song "Inca Roads" during a concert at the Rhein-Neckarhalle in Eppelheim, Germany on March 21, 1979. Keen-eared Zappa-philes might recognize portions from the Joes Garage (1979) tune "Toad-O Line" and even a few riffs of the Toto pop hit "Hold the Line," which is quoted fairly blatantly. "Heidelberg" continues with a twist as the heart of "Yo Mama" is torn out at the same venue Rhein-Neckarhalle in Eppelheim, Germany -- from 11 months earlier on February 24, 1978. From the 80s is "The Illinois Enema Bandit" circa Halloween 1981 -- the visuals of which can be found on the Torture Never Stops (2008) DVD. The lengthy "Australian Yellow Snow" is a real delicacy for enthusiasts of Zappas incorrigible sense of humor and singular storytelling. The seminal installments of "Dont Eat the Yellow Snow," " Nanook Rubs It," and "St. Alfonzos Pancake Breakfast" are excellent as is the extended "Mar-Juh-Rene" rap. Bringing One Shot Deal to a fitting conclusion is the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestras rendering of "Rollo" from the Royce Hall gig that yielded "Hermitage." By the way, curious parties are encouraged to check out the highly recommended and significantly lengthier take of the song as heard on the aforementioned DVD-A QuAUDIOPHILIAc(2004). | ||
 | Album: 43 of 44 Title: The Lumpy Money Project/Object Released: 2009-01-21 Tracks: 78 Duration: 3:26:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Sink Trap (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (02:44) 2 II Gum Joy (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (03:44) 3 III Up & Down (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (01:51) 4 IV Local Butcher (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (02:35) 5 V Gypsy Airs (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (01:41) 6 VI Hunchy Punchy (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (02:06) 7 VII Foamy Soaky (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (02:33) 8 VIII Let’s Eat Out (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (01:48) 9 IX Teen-Age Grand Finale (FZ’s original orchestral edit for Capitol Records) (03:30) 10 Are You Hung Up? (01:25) 11 Who Needs the Peace Corps? (02:32) 12 Concentration Moon (02:21) 13 Mom & Dad (02:15) 14 Telephone Conversation (00:48) 15 Bow Tie Daddy (00:33) 16 Harry, Youre a Beast (01:20) 17 Whats the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (01:02) 18 Absolutely Free (03:25) 19 Flower Punk (03:04) 20 Hot Poop (00:26) 21 Nasal Rententive Calliope Music (02:02) 22 Lets Make the Water Turn Black (01:57) 23 The Idiot Bastard Son (03:22) 24 Lonely Little Girl (01:10) 25 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (01:33) 26 Whats the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (reprise) (00:57) 27 Mother People (02:30) 28 The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny (06:23) 1 Lumpy Gravy, Part One (1984 UMRK remix) (15:56) 2 Lumpy Gravy, Part Two (1984 UMRK remix) (17:15) 3 Are You Hung Up? (1984 UMRK remix) (01:29) 4 Who Needs the Peace Corps? (1984 UMRK remix) (02:35) 5 Concentration Moon (1984 UMRK remix) (02:17) 6 Mom & Dad (1984 UMRK remix) (02:15) 7 Telephone Conversation (1984 UMRK remix) (00:48) 8 Bow Tie Daddy (1984 UMRK remix) (00:33) 9 Harry, You’re a Beast (1984 UMRK remix) (01:21) 10 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (1984 UMRK remix) (01:03) 11 Absolutely Free (1984 UMRK remix) (03:27) 12 Flower Punk (1984 UMRK remix) (03:04) 13 Hot Poop (1984 UMRK remix) (00:28) 14 Nasal Retentive Calliope Music (1984 UMRK remix) (02:02) 15 Let’s Make the Water Turn Black (1984 UMRK remix) (01:45) 16 The Idiot Bastard Son (1984 UMRK remix) (03:16) 17 Lonely Little Girl (1984 UMRK remix) (01:11) 18 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (1984 UMRK remix) (01:34) 19 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (reprise, 1984 UMRK remix) (00:57) 20 Mother People (1984 UMRK remix) (02:30) 21 The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny (1984 UMRK remix) (06:25) 1 How Did That Get in Here? (25:01) 2 Lumpy Gravy “Shuffle” (00:30) 3 Dense Slight (01:42) 4 Unit 3A, Take 3 (02:23) 5 Unit 2, Take 9 (01:09) 6 Section 8, Take 22 (02:39) 7 “My Favorite Album” (00:58) 8 Unit 9 (00:42) 9 N. Double A, AA (00:55) 10 Theme From Lumpy Gravy (01:53) 11 “What the Fuck’s Wrong With Her?” (01:07) 12 Intelligent Design (01:11) 13 Lonely Little Girl (original composition - take 24) (03:35) 14 “That Problem With Absolutely Free” (00:29) 15 Absolutely Free (instrumental) (03:59) 16 Harry, You’re a Beast (instrumental) (01:16) 17 What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (reprise/instrumental) (02:00) 18 Creationism (01:10) 19 Idiot Bastard Snoop (00:47) 20 Idiot Bastard Son (instrumental) (02:48) 21 “What’s Happening of the Universe” (01:37) 22 “The World Will Be a Far Happier Place" (00:20) 23 Lonely Little Girl (instrumental) (01:25) 24 Mom & Dad (instrumental) (02:16) 25 Who Needs the Peace Corps? (instrumental) (02:51) 26 “Really Little Voice” (02:27) 27 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (instrumental) (01:24) 28 Lonely Little Girl (single version) (02:44) 29 “In Conclusion” (00:24) |
 | Album: 44 of 44 Title: Beat the Boots! III Disc Two Released: 2009-01-25 Tracks: 18 Duration: 59:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Heavy Duty Judy (04:40) 2 Pick Me, I’m Clean (03:31) 3 Teen‐Age Wind (03:06) 4 Harder Than Yer Husband (02:32) 5 Bamboozled by Love (03:07) 6 Falling in Love Is a Stupid Habit (01:45) 7 This Is My Story (01:21) 8 Whipping Post (06:26) 9 Clownz on Velvet (05:55) 10 In France (03:53) 11 Broken Hearts Are for Assholes (explicit) (05:47) 12 I Am the Walrus (03:40) 13 America the Beautiful (03:15) 14 America Drinks & Goes Home (00:51) 15 Studebacher Hoch (from Billy the Mountain) (06:07) 16 Don’t Fuck Around (from Billy the Mountain, explicit) (01:32) 17 Too on the Town (00:22) 18 Truck Driver Divorce (01:26) |