Frank Zappa

[StarThrower]

2 hours ago, BFrank said:

Are these releases full of bottom feeding outtakes and live shows, or is there some legitimately good stuff here?

What else is there other than outtakes and live material? Crux is a combination of both, and most of it is really good with the exception of the backing tracks sans vocals. I'm in no rush, so I'll wait until some of this stuff gets uploaded to YouTube to see what it sounds like. I enjoy the Road Tapes series, even though the audio quality is sub-par.

[Scott Dolan]

6 hours ago, 7/4 said:

Crux of the Biscuit is out takes from Apostrophe, interesting enough...probably worth another few listens. There's more of the Jack Bruce jam.

Frank Zappa for President is synclavier music and remixes tied together with a political theme. I love that synclavier noodling.

 

Cool. Crux does indeed sound interesting. 

While I like Jazz From Hell and Meets The Mothers Of Prevention well enough, I have to admit I've had my fill of synclavier. 

Edited September 5, 2016 by Scott Dolan

[BFrank]

On 9/5/2016 at 5:56 PM, StarThrower said:

What else is there other than outtakes and live material? Crux is a combination of both, and most of it is really good with the exception of the backing tracks sans vocals. I'm in no rush, so I'll wait until some of this stuff gets uploaded to YouTube to see what it sounds like. I enjoy the Road Tapes series, even though the audio quality is sub-par.

OK - good to know. My comment about outtakes was the "bottom feeding" concern - like sub-par demos and rehearsal sessions.

[clifford_thornton]

Mats Gustafsson is convening an ensemble to perform Hidros ZAP, a reimagining of the music of Frank Zappa, at this year's festival in Sardinia.

http://www.santannarresijazz.it/wordpress/hidroszap-direct-by-mats-gustafsson/

http://www.santannarresijazz.it/wordpress/

[uli]

2 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Mats Gustafsson is convening an ensemble to perform Hidros ZAP, a reimagining of the music of Frank Zappa, at this year's festival in Sardinia.

http://www.santannarresijazz.it/wordpress/hidroszap-direct-by-mats-gustafsson/

http://www.santannarresijazz.it/wordpress/

there are a whole lot of zappa tributes at the festival

http://www.santannarresijazz.it/wordpress/programma-2016/

Edited September 6, 2016 by uli

[mjzee]

7 CDs.  Release date February 2:

[mikeweil]

Geez. If the recent DVD release is any indication of things, this should be killer stuff. 

Edited December 19, 2017 by mikeweil

[BFrank]

Roxy & Elsewhere is one of my fav FZ albums, so I guess this will be a must-have!

[Scott Dolan]

I don’t know why, but I always found that one overrated. Well, except for Cheepnis. 

I’m assuming it’s because of the stark difference in that band towards the end that tour as documented on The Helsinki Concert. 

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

 

 

 

[felser]

On 9/4/2016 at 4:46 PM, 7/4 said:

Crux of the Biscuit is out takes from Apostrophe, interesting enough...probably worth another few listens. There's more of the Jack Bruce jam.

Frank Zappa for President is synclavier music and remixes tied together with a political theme. I love that synclavier noodling.

 

I like "Crux of the  Biscuit" a lot.  "Apostrophe" was the best of that era of albums for him to my ears.  I find the Flo and Eddie stuff and "Overnight Sensation" largely unlistenable, but am a fan of "Apostrophe".  And "Crux" expands some of the musical ideas.

[Scott Dolan]

2 hours ago, felser said:

I like "Crux of the  Biscuit" a lot.  "Apostrophe" was the best of that era of albums for him to my ears.  I find the Flo and Eddie stuff and "Overnight Sensation" largely unlistenable, but am a fan of "Apostrophe".  And "Crux" expands some of the musical ideas.

I’ll have to check out Crux. Zomby Woof and Montana are pretty good, though subsequent live versions improved on them greatly, IMO. And I completely agree with you on Flo and Eddie. I cannot stomach any of their material. 

I thought Rykodisc made a wise decision to put out a combo Apostrophe’/Overnight Sensation CD. Combined they actually work a little better, IMO. 

[felser]

4 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

I’ll have to check out Crux. Zomby Woof and Montana are pretty good, though subsequent live versions improved on them greatly, IMO. And I completely agree with you on Flo and Eddie. I cannot stomach any of their material. 

I thought Rykodisc made a wise decision to put out a combo Apostrophe’/Overnight Sensation CD. Combined they actually work a little better, IMO. 

Agreed on all points.  I do like "Montana", but it is the only cut on "Overnight Sensation" I ever listen to anymore.

 

[JSngry]

I don't see how anybody cannot get a kick out of "Billy The Mountain"?

[Scott Dolan]

Meh...

[JSngry]

Don't fuck with Billy, and don't fuck with Ethel.

[Scott Dolan]

I’ll have to give it another listen. 

My preference for the long form absurdist piece has always been The Adventures of Greggary Peccary. 

[JSngry]

yeah, rightly or wrongly, i had lost interest by then. at some point, Zappa started sounding sour to me, not musically, but emotionally. That's how it struck me, anyway, that he went from shrewdly cynical to just plain mean. I hear later things like his public statements about the American education system, censorship, all that, and I applaud. But the music at some point...he sounds like a guy who got wounded once too often and never healed. I hate that it happened, because up until that point, he was a delight, just went through a revisit of the "original Mothers" stuff, added some new items, and loved them, my god, what fearlessness. But around the time of Apostrophe, I don't know, it started getting uncomfortable to me, and I stopped. Roxy & Elsewhere was the last one I paid any immediate attention to, and that was good, but still, I dunno.

[Scott Dolan]

Yeah, by the time of Joe’s Garage it seemed like his world weary cynicism had given way to being, as you said, downright mean. You Are What You Is is somewhat humorous sociopolitical commentary on par with We’re Only In It For The Money, but not quite as...”clever”? 

He started wearing his sexism on his sleeve, and even the tongue-in-cheek racism of Uncle Remus morphed into something bordering on uncomfortable in the late 70’s/early 80’s material. 

Be that as it may, my primary draw was his wizardry on the guitar. The albums from his final and ill-fated tour in ‘88 contain some of his best playing ever. And that band...oh my! That Walt Fowler-led horn section was worth the price of admission alone. And I think 3 or 4 of my top 5 Zappa solos came from that tour. 

[BFrank]

9 hours ago, JSngry said:

I don't see how anybody cannot get a kick out of "Billy The Mountain"?

I was actually at the show (UCLA, Pauley Pavilion) where they recorded "Another Band from LA." Can't say that I remember it very well, and we didn't have very good seats, either. But at least I can say, "I was there!" 

[Joe]

He lost me when he sacked the original Mothers. Ray Collins and crew helped leaven the more unsavory aspects of Z's satire. Of course, getting pushed off that stage in 1972 was a pretty scarring incident. Still respect him, and there are a few 70s LPs I still find fairly enjoyable (OVER-NITE SENSATION and ZOOT ALLURES).

[jazzbo]

I was with him for a while when I was younger. . . but ultimately the music and the mania wore on me.. .neither really drew me in. "Arriving too Late to Save a Drowning Witch" was probably where I got off the bus and never bought another ticket.

I wonder what would have happened had Zappa been a solo absurdist performance artist like this and continued in that vein. I would have found that more interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MewcnFl_6Y

Edited December 21, 2017 by jazzbo

[Scott Dolan]

Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch had some outstanding tunes in it. Most notably the title track and No Not Now. Probably his best album cover as well. 

[Rooster_Ties]

On ‎12‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 0:39 AM, chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez said:

 

 

Ike Willis is -- or damn well sure ought to be -- considered a national treasure.  "Outside Now" is such a fantastic tune.  The version on Broadway The Hard Way was one of the very first post-70's Zappa albums I ever heard -- and that whole '88 live band was totally the shit.  Must have listened to Broadway, Best Band, and Jazz Noise on repeat for a whole year when I first got them in the early 90's.

Ike's voice is seriously one of the most beautiful and interesting voices in all of pop/rock/jazz/you-name-it.

[Scott Dolan]

I agree with every word of that! 

That '88 band truly WAS The Best Band You've Never Heard In Your Life.