7/4 Posted December 18, 2003 Report Share Posted December 18, 2003 I'm afraid I didn't even realize that 'Would You Like A Snack' was from "200 Motels". For some reason I never got that album. 200 Motels was an album that I have never been able to enjoy. The sound is not up to usual FZ standards and the music isn't anything to write home about either. One of the 2 Zappas that I've ever sold back and not felt bad about or wanted to replace. See if you can guess which concept album was the other one! Hint: It was NOT Joe's Garage. Ruben and the Jets? Jazz From Hell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 Lumpy Gravy? Mothers of Prevention? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 (edited) I'm guessing Thingfish - this one really sucks. Bertrand. Edited December 19, 2003 by bertrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzdog Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I'm guessing Thingfish - this one really sucks. ding ding ding... de one an' only! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 you wo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ooooorm!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md655321 Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Listening to Waka/Jawaka right now and firgured this thread deserved a bump. His big band and instrumental music is just phenomenal. Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo are two of my favorite albums, and an excellent start for any jazz fan looking into getting into Zappa. If you use emusic, they are only a few tracks too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Listening to Waka/Jawaka right now and firgured this thread deserved a bump. His big band and instrumental music is just phenomenal. Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo are two of my favorite albums, and an excellent start for any jazz fan looking into getting into Zappa. If you use emusic, they are only a few tracks too! I haven't heard them in years, I've been meaning to pick them up on CD. I started to keep a want list to keep my buying focused, I'll add 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Listening to Waka/Jawaka right now and firgured this thread deserved a bump. His big band and instrumental music is just phenomenal. Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo are two of my favorite albums, and an excellent start for any jazz fan looking into getting into Zappa. If you use emusic, they are only a few tracks too! I think that Zappa is more "jazz" than many of the more conventially-accepted jazz musicians, if you consider imporovisation the main companent of jazz - just check out his guitar solos sets Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar and Guitar (which have gradually become my favorite Zappa discs - and I have them all, incuding dozens of boots)- his talent for imporvisation, his technique and his sound creativity are up there with the best of the "jazzers". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md655321 Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 One interesting thing that a fellow musician/Zappa freak I know pointed out was that with all Zappa's love of jazz and clear understanding of music theory, he never played changes. It was always just freak out, usually mixolydian or some other basic alteration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 One interesting thing that a fellow musician/Zappa freak I know pointed out was that with all Zappa's love of jazz and clear understanding of music theory, he never played changes. It was always just freak out, usually mixolydian or some other basic alteration. My guess is that he couldn't. Playing over any kind of changes is an understandable concept, but a bit of a problem for some of us to execute in real time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatDere Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 He also often had other musicians take a solo in some oddball time sig (like George Duke on 70s versions of Big Swifty) and switched back to a comfortable 4/4 sig when he did his own guitar soloing. He's still one of my favorite guitar players in rock (or whatever.. Zappa music). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest akanalog Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 there is nothing better than some good 73 zappa. i was reading some zappa book where he sort of dissed the earlier 73 band and said they were boring to be around and the music was boring, but i think it is great, personally. i like the later 73 stuff and the 74 stuff too thought in 74 some songs i don't like started creeping more into the reptoire (the "classic" older stuff, cheepnis, idiot bastard son)... 75 is ok but i don't like beefheart so much or the influence bozzio had on the band. i like when andre lewis arrived in '76 and wish that FZ/OZ album was more easily available. after that, no thanks. i love the petite wazoo stuff also though in the same zappa book it accuses zappa of not really knowing what it takes to put together a jazz group, especially a decent sized one. i wish all the live recordings i have heard of the '72 stuff didn't majorly suck sound quality wise. but getting back to the main point from the last post-on "joe's garage" i think zappa solos over some complex rhythmic backings. i think zappa could play in crazy time signatures quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 there is nothing better than some good 73 zappa. i was reading some zappa book where he sort of dissed the earlier 73 band and said they were boring to be around and the music was boring, but i think it is great, personally. i like the later 73 stuff and the 74 stuff too thought in 74 some songs i don't like started creeping more into the reptoire (the "classic" older stuff, cheepnis, idiot bastard son)... With the release of the Dub Room Special, I'm digging the post-Mothers '70s band more. In fact, I'm listening to Zappa a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 He also often had other musicians take a solo in some oddball time sig (like George Duke on 70s versions of Big Swifty) and switched back to a comfortable 4/4 sig when he did his own guitar soloing. He's still one of my favorite guitar players in rock (or whatever.. Zappa music). five-five-FIVE ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 One interesting thing that a fellow musician/Zappa freak I know pointed out was that with all Zappa's love of jazz and clear understanding of music theory, he never played changes. It was always just freak out, usually mixolydian or some other basic alteration. My guess is that he couldn't. Playing over any kind of changes is an understandable concept, but a bit of a problem for some of us to execute in real time. You obviously don't know what you're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 I picked up a CD of Waka/Jawaka today and played it twice. It's a lot better than I remember, how could I live without it all these years! I would have bought the Grand Wazoo, but the store didn't have a copy. :eye: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest akanalog Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 i like waka jawaka better than the grand wazoo. not sure why most people disagree. the grand wazoo is more polished and commercial sounding. i also don't think don preston is on wazoo and i like what he adds to waka jawaka. haven't listened to either for a long while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 I love Zappa, but if you listen to the guitar solos they're very formulaic, predictably scalular - I doubt if he understood how to play changes - he was still a genius musician, however - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted December 29, 2005 Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 i like waka jawaka better than the grand wazoo. not sure why most people disagree. the grand wazoo is more polished and commercial sounding. i also don't think don preston is on wazoo and i like what he adds to waka jawaka. haven't listened to either for a long while. Totally agree on "Waka/Jawaka" vs. "Grand Wazoo" - and I was also alwways perplexed by seemingly universal opinion that "Waka" is merely a warm-up for "Wazoo". "Big Swifty" was the first Zappa composititon I heard, and it is still my absolute favorite - there is a little melodic motive somewhere in the middle, that sends shivers down my spine every time I listen to it - and I listen to it often (more often than any other Zappa disc except for the guitar solos sets). There is much more stretching out here, versus very short, polished in-the-pocket Wazoo solos; Marquez is simply stuning on trumpet and fluegelhorn (what a shame he didn't stick in the band for longer!) and Preston's moog solo on Waka/Jawaka is fascinating (and I remeber reading that he himslef considers this his best moog solo ever - and the one Robert Moog pronounced impossible to play on Moog synthesizer). Wazoo has it's moments (my favorite one being insane drumming on "Eat that question"), but IMO is far less creative, experimental and invigorating work than "Waka". I love Zappa, but if you listen to the guitar solos they're very formulaic, predictably scalular - I doubt if he understood how to play changes - he was still a genius musician, however - Being not a musician, I am not able to comment on changes, but I actually find Zappa's solos quite unpredictable (and having heard a lot of concert tapes, I can attest to the fact that solos in the same composition could (and did) change dramatically from performance to performance), with great talent for spontenous melodic invention. I also think his rhythm-guitar playing (which he unfortunately abandoned by mid-70s, when he got rhythm guitarists in his band, and which is not well documented on official releases) was reach and tasteful - is it playing changes or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted December 29, 2005 Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 I love Zappa, but if you listen to the guitar solos they're very formulaic, predictably scalular - I doubt if he understood how to play changes - he was still a genius musician, however - You are not as bright as I'd hoped. Only "half bright" it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 I've been listening to more Zappa in the past few months, revisiting material I haven't heard in years with fresh ears. This afternoon I made this comp from Läther, the instrumental tunes. I grew up on those unoffical cartoon cover albums, but like the instrumentals the best. Just the thing for the car. I call it Läther (revised) Re-gyptian Strut Naval Aviation In Art? Down In The Dew Lemme Take You To The Beach Revised Music For Guitar & Low Budget Orchestra RDNZL The Black Page Flambé Pedro’s Dowry Läther Spider Of Destiny Duke Of Orchestral Prunes Filthy Habits The Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution Time Is Money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 Just listened to the "200 Motels" soundtrack for the first time in probably 3 years. (The first time I ever heard it is when it came out on CD in about 1998 or so.) I had forgotten what a huge trip it was. I've still never seen the movie, but the soundtrack is such a mix of amazing, and amazingly weird music - it's hard for even a one and former Zappa nut (and I'm still somewhat of a Zappa nut) like me, to even know where to begin. For instance, I had forgotten about all the wacky lyrics set to such incredibly modern (and often complex) melodies. I'd forgotten that there was a version of Strickly Genteel that even had lyrics at all!! I'd forgotten about the various choral numbers on the soundtrack (here and there), with orchestra. For those who have seen the movie, how is it?? (I know - that's a question that's probably impossible to answer.) The film "200 Motels" was playing at the Majestic Theater in Madison, Wisconsin in 1978, an art house theater about a mile from our house at the time. Less than ten minutes before it was going to start, a group of us who were partying together, all Zappa fanatics, decided to see it. We ran as fast as we could, as far as we could, and arrived at the theater very winded, just a few minutes before it started. We slumped down in our seats, covered with sweat and wheezing for breath, and then were stunned at how unwatchable the film was. One of our party shouted out after about an hour, "this is the worst movie ever made!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Ptah Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 (edited) One interesting thing that a fellow musician/Zappa freak I know pointed out was that with all Zappa's love of jazz and clear understanding of music theory, he never played changes. It was always just freak out, usually mixolydian or some other basic alteration. My guess is that he couldn't. Playing over any kind of changes is an understandable concept, but a bit of a problem for some of us to execute in real time. You obviously don't know what you're talking about. Apart from any recorded evidence, I heard him play some solos live in the fall of 1975 which were structured, very beautiful, and played over the changes. He did not just "always freak out." Edited February 8, 2006 by Hot Ptah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 One interesting thing that a fellow musician/Zappa freak I know pointed out was that with all Zappa's love of jazz and clear understanding of music theory, he never played changes. It was always just freak out, usually mixolydian or some other basic alteration. My guess is that he couldn't. Playing over any kind of changes is an understandable concept, but a bit of a problem for some of us to execute in real time. You obviously don't know what you're talking about. Apart from any recorded evidence, I heard him play some solos live in the fall of 1975 which were structured, very beautiful, and played over the changes. He did not just "always freak out." Like what exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 i like waka jawaka better than the grand wazoo. not sure why most people disagree. the grand wazoo is more polished and commercial sounding. i also don't think don preston is on wazoo and i like what he adds to waka jawaka. haven't listened to either for a long while. Eventually I found a copy of Grand Wazoo. I like both about the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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