Frank Zappa is an amazing rabbit hole to go down. Recorded 68 albums in his lifetime. I'm dyslexic and I have trouble reading but there is a great movie just called Zappa. I love what you do, keep it up.
HOT RATS is a top 10 album from Zappa and a perfect introduction to the rest of his catalog of over 40 released albums. Lots of Instrumentals on Hot Rats, and some insight to his BIG BAND music writing style.
And this was live. No 2nd takes. Saw Frank 5 times in 7 days. He performed Inca Roads every show. But each time he improvised a new solo. All were great and highly structured. That's a reason he hired Vai. Steve would transcribe Franks various leads. Inca Roads and the Adventures of Greggery Peccary. I was weened on Fillmore. 53 years ago.
It IS live but patched together from several different concerts. Frank is on record as saying this is one song (among very few) that the bands who played it (81, 82, 84), NEVER played correctly all the way through.
At the cover of his first album "Freak out" (1966) Zappa lists some 50 persons who inspired him. Now, after 50 years of listen to much of his music (still I find songs I never heard), I explore many of these persons music (but all are not musicians) as well as music by members of Mothers. It is widen my interest for all kind of music!
"The Real Frank Zappa Book" is Frank's autobiography. "Freak Out - My Life with Frank Zappa", by Pauline Butcher is also very good. If you want to try another Zappa song, try Peaches En Regalia from the Hot Rats album. This is a brilliant early instrumental from Frank and Hot Rats is often considered the first rock/jazz fusion album.
There is a quote from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in this, about when Frank sings ritual sacrifice. And, of course, the Rite of Spring is about a sacrifice.
I would like to emphasise to anyone listening to this that Scott thunes and chad wackerman, the bass player and the drummer, was around 20 years old when this was recorded. That is absolutely insane.
Zappa put out such a massive amount of music over the course of his career, with so many different "eras" of different styles and fellow musicians. I'm sure everyone has their favorite, and people will likely tell you theirs in the comments. My recommendation is to listen to a few songs each from different parts of his life and find out which era you like the most and dive into that. That's one of the great things about listening to his music. He's played with some of the greatest musicians to have lived, and he was endlessly creative. It's fun to just listen to how it evolved over time, and discover all the unique parts.
The best book is his autobiography, “The Real Frank Zappa Book”. There are tons of biographical and documentary videos on RU-vid. “Zappa” is the best documentary. Lots and lots of interviews and live concert videos too. For me, the best era of his work starts in 1971 with Hot Rats. A couple years later he went on a run with albums like Overnite Sensation, Apostrophe and One Size Fits All. Your impressions of “…Drowning Witch” tell me that you have a predisposition to appreciate his music. Once you get started down the rabbit hole you can move through his catalog in either direction to be blown away by the volume of his output most of which is populated by the best and most dedicated musicians you will ever hear. My naming four albums here is barely scratching the surface. Look for live performance videos fronted by his son, Dweezil, who also has top notch musicians with him to give fans excellent renditions of Frank’s music. You’re welcome.
Comment 1: Marimbas on this track - Ed Mann, who recently left this vale of tears. Steve Vai is playing the difficult written parts - Frank just plays both solos. Comment 2: My recommended Zappa books - either Greg Russo's Cosmik Debris, or any volume of Scott Parker's series of FZ chronicles, just because these books focus on the music and thereby induce an intense desire to listen. The widely-distributed biography by Barry "right-wing but doesn't know it" Miles ought not to be touched with a bargepole.
Yeah, so many eras, all different from each other. My preference is the early to mid 70's material. Grand Wazoo is my absolute favorite album from him. It's one of his jazz albums.
Zappa is a great rabbit hole to get into but it appears to be endless so buckle up. I'm currently reading the Real Zappa book and it is pretty good. A song suggestion I'd say is Cocaine decisions from the Halloween 81 performance. It is a currently favorite that doesn't get talked about much
Frank didn't even create it. It's from a 1954 Droodle, as well as the title, both created by Roger Price. Frank contacted Mr. Price to get permission to use the artwork as well as the title and went to work writing the song around it.
El tiburon amarillo es un gran disco de una sonoridad majestuosa !!! Zappa era un genio demasiado grande para la época y en especial para Gringolandia ...
Zappa himself was playing the 2 guitar solo's Stevie Via was playing the composed guitar lines. This whole track was edited together from live recordings taken from the 82 tour. it's a shame you did not segue into envelopes, even though you state you could not find it, it's the next track on the album (maybe you should have tried from Spotify)
Esta es la etapa de Vai, Bobby Martin con una voz increible,los teclados de Tomy Mars, Wakerman en batreria aunque tambien hay algo de Colaiuta...tremendos musicos como siempre y unas composiciones complejas que luego de escucharlas varias veces y en distintos momentos cobran nuevo sentido, un gran artista no solo musico rodeado tambien de grandes artistas.Un gran compositor de verdad que trasciende los generos.
Rabelaisian fusion prog, polymath and polyhistor, Franklin Delanore Zapper had that third nut so essential to redbudding geniusi. Et Capricornicus! Achieving his heights without the aid of the usual cosmic triggers is what baffles. Perhaps he was just super cautious, and private. During my chance encounter with him, at a luxury hotel in Boston, which I was showing a friend from Charlotte who had come for a visit, I was loaded for bear, in that I had remembered great swaths if Joe's Garage, including the German bits, which I asked him about. He chuckled as it was fairly x-rated, and we spoke a minute or five, introducing my friend, with whom I was carrying on a short-lived affair, and who became a fine actor, acting happy inside her handsome home, I am assuming. A sister of a former, I was that much of a scoundrel. Sorry. I blather. Anyway...here is Frank on the aboriginal Tonight Show with Steve Allen, it's creator...and himself a polymath and Capricorn. I assume you are as well? You seem so. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QF0PYQ8IOL4.html
I'd warn you off any live Zappa taken from the TV special "A Token of His Extreme" as, while the performance is Zappa and the band at their very best, that show has way too many intrusive bits of animation. THAT SAID... The definitive live performance if a must-see "Inca Roads" is only found there, link below. Your best viewing experience will be to completely disregard the amination. Don't let it be a distraction from the performance of this geat song, just wait for more live footage. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8jPysRnY-hE.htmlsi=lCmBdcH0cTw3mMTB
I tried pot a couple times but didn't like it. He was a chain smoker and he drank LOTS of very strong, very black coffee. He didn't allow illicit drugs of any kind at rehearsals or on the road, one reason being thwt he didn't have to bail out anyone from his entourage from jail. Another reaso being that it's impossible to do his music justice while intoxicated. For most mortals it's impossible to play this music while not intoxicated. Zappa's is a very deep rabbit hole that's well worth exploring. Drowning Witch is based on several live performances edited together to get the basic track (complete live versions were typically be what you have here, with different solos obviously but he pidked the best performances of every moment of the song). Afterwards he added LOTS of overdubs in the studio. Frank Zappa - vocals, guitar solos, conducting Scott Thunes - Bass Chad Wackerman - Drums Steve Vai - impossible guitar parts (or written guitar lines or strat abuse) Bobby Martin - Keyboards, vocals Ike Willis - Guitar, vocalss Ray White -Guitar, vocals Tommy Mars - Keyboards, vocal Ed Mann - Percussion
Ruth Underwood is the percussionist and a long-time associate. There is a great video on RU-vid with most of his percussionists/drummers discussing working with him. She is a music major who studied at Ithaca College under Warren Benson and at Juilliard. All his musicians were top drawer. You needed to pass an audition to get into Zappa's band.
@@rk41gator Are you not very well versed in the ever-changing lineup of Zappa musicians? Ruth was the goddess of percussion, but not with him since as I posted. Ed Mann was her successor and with Frank until the final tour of '88. Ed Mann just passed away a couple of weeks ago. R.I.P. Ed Mann.
If you stare at the album cover (which is a Droodle by Rodger Price) long enough and intently enough you too will see the witches hat just in front of the bow of the ship.
BUT you really can't dance to this. OH, it is progressive rock. Yes, a time machine would be nice. He is on my list.....plus, Peter Gabriel with Genesis, CSN&Y, and Fleetwood Mac. (and so many others)
The quality of the Audio you have o this track is awful. I hope what you are hearing is better. I prefer Zappa's erlier stuff but everyone has their own favourite period. My Suggestions would be "Trouble Coming Everyday" (the Original studio version), "Inca Roads" (The Live version from "A Token Of His Extreme"), "Apostrophe" (from the LP of the same name), or maybe "Willie The Pimp" from (Hot Rats ft Captain Beefheart on Vocals).
In my opinion the first solo of the track is his best solo on an official release (along with the solo on Truck Driver Divorce). 80's Zappa is underrated, and some of the 70s albums are a bit overrated. All the songs you listed are boring to me. To each their own. I hate Hot Rats, I don't like his jazz fusion stuff and Apostrophe, the track, is never going anywhere for me. That's why I think a lot of his 70s stuff is overrated, compared to the early albums like Absolutely Free or Uncle Meat. Probably the most inventive and creative mind in popular music ever. In the 80s, his art became more concise and refined. My recommendation : "You are what you is" album. Very eclectic, vocal oriented album of short songs with amazing musicianship and great lyrics, most of the time.
