My college roommate had this album in 1973, bought it on record and CD, and I am still listening to it 47 years later and finding new things I didn't hear before.
Hey OoogaBoog(what a Name?) You are right, It's like two Orchestras fighting eachother,who's the best,loudest,who have more and better Instruments, Zappa is cracy l Love him from the first time,it must be around 69-71 I think Ihad thefirst contact with"we are only in itfore the Money"great time,big Influence for me,cose Istardet to making music on my own,so it was very importet to me,but this will take to mutch time!?! Have agood time,big Stereo Headset (whatever)and a wholelotta Zappa s,and other good stuff!! Herbie 😎😉👾🎸
@@davidbawden8305 I'm not sure good headphones can top a full room explosion. I have 3 pair of really good headphones with a $1200 headphone amp.....they don't compare to my stereo....and it's only 2 speakers...albeit very good speakers. Close your eyes and you have no idea where the sound is coming from. It's mind blowing.
There has never been anyone who made music this iconoclastic and enjoyable. Add in to the mix that he was such a musical savant, social commentator, political activist ... I don't know what to say. This period of his career was my favorite - but all of the different phases reflect different aspects of his singular/ yet multifaceted genius. Alreety Alrighty!
YES SO TRUE FRANK WAS POLITICAL ACTIVIST AND YES BRILLANT IN EVERYTHING HE DID I MISS HIM WE GO BACK TO RUBEN AND THE JETS ITS A STYLE HE WEARS AND HE WEARS IT WELL THIS IS ST ALFONZO
This music came about after a serious accident Frank Zappa had when a fan threw him into an orchestra pit in London. For a time he was wheel chair bound but kept writing music. I never really cared much for the TV show style themed head, but I love the trombone solo and that fabulous part 6:10 - 6:20 when the whole band seems to warp into a slow stop then starts up again, one of the most inventive interludes in all the music he made.
@@kajem575 I saw him playing once in concert and someone threw an egg at him on stage. He immediately stopped the band and started scolding the audience like little kids, the place went stone silent. His audience that night was in some way as polarizing as his music, there were the serious listeners and also the absurdist clowns who regarded something like throwing an egg to be somehow allowed. I was no more than 16 years old and it freaked me out. I remember there were gasps in the crowd among scattered nervous laughter, I still remember it. It was much later that I read about this incident in London, he elicited bizarre violent reactions from some who went to his shows.
@@kajem575 Hey I was hallucinating on mushrooms for one of Zappa's concerts, it never entered my mind to throw anything at him! On the contrary those shows lifted me out of myself, they were mesmerizing. His bands were really well rehearsed, the music at times was so articulated with horns, percussion, Ruth Underwood on vibraphones, playing these complicated arpeggios with amazing accuracy! That 's what made him so special, he can be totally irreverent with his lyrics and guitar solos but the band was musicianship on another level. I'm so sorry you didn't get a chance to see Frank Zappa, he was great. I was a serial concert goer as a kid, my older brother took me to Weather Report, Tony Williams Lifetime, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, James Brown, McCoy Tyner, Bill Cobham, it was the golden era of live music, ...and every one of those bands fucking killed it! Getting stoned and driving to a concert was a ritual my whole young life.
Zappas music was all over the map that they couldn't find a single genre to label it...I saw Zappa in 1981 in Vancouver ,best concert I ever did attend to over the years, he would play an incredible guitar solo for 20 minutes that showed what a truly great musician he was....
With the coronavirus raging, Pyongyang firing missiles into the sea, and American politics in a complete shambles, Zappa's musical medicine is more relevant than ever.
Had a full Zappa collection up to 1978, sold them as a job lot to fund a trip to India. The jury is still out whether the following year justifies selling those fine tunes and album covers. That's life, I guess.
I had the whole collection at the tender age of 18 in 1990. My Boyfriend pawned our entire record collection to pay our rent. The upshot is that I eventually ditched him, and over the last year have had tremendous luck finding near mint copies of the originals at affordable prices. I've almost got them all replaced. Tonight I bought a minty original copy of Grand Wazoo for $25. I'm ecstatic.
A remarkable composition and big band arrangement from the mind of Frank Zappa. One of my favorites. Throw in a fantastic Billy Byers trombone solo, Tony Duran's bottleneck, and Sal Marquez trumpet solo and it's sublime from beginning to end and never lets up. One of the greatest big band cuts of all time.
That album cover is a caricature of Jannasary musicians in the Turkish army. The Turks were the first to use musicians in their army. The sound frightened the animals of the opposing armies and lead to some victories eventually the practice was copied and used in European countries and up till today when militaries all have their music corp bands etc but Ernie Watts tenor shooting out those notes is powerful
Em 1982 Zappa já era, desde tudo que estudou e apresentou, fantástico. Eu pouco o entendia por falta de acesso a informação no Brasil ou minha mesmo. Foi moda entre as turmas mais avançadas em curtir a cultura norte americana e sempre fui avesso às obviedades. Mas hoje, bem mais velho, reconheço confirmadamente a genialidade de Frank Zappa. Suas convicções de inteligência incomum, que até não o ajudaram e para seu próprio deleite o tornaram perseguido. E como gênio também foi seguido pela intelectualidade especialmente a underground. E hoje e cada vez mais é constatado um tesouro, um talento imensurável na arte erudita-pop. Gênio, Gênio, Gênio ... Deus o guarde em seus melhores níveis. Ah,... onde devem estar Stravinsky e Varèse.
I've had Waka Jawaka for years... Never knew Grand Wazoo existed.. Until now... They are sooo similar.. Some of the best music he ever made... and Mr Dunbar is incredible on drums... Love it!!
A guy like Frank, in these days of a population terrified into submission, would only shake his head....and laugh. When you feel you're DROWNING in human stupidity....listen to Frank.
What he said.... Was well said. He had a full and broad understanding of composition construct with time signatures mashed under his foot and each sound intentional with no "normal" for your listening pleasure... If ears needed protection from say : for example...Brittany Spears type o music then Zappa provided it. Disclaimer... I love all types of music. In no way was I hating on Brittany. The music industry machine churns out non thinking music for the masses to consume making a brain dead society stay that way. Searching for an alternative....and here is the remedy. You .. me... we all owe him more than you know. They almost got away with it... The fight was for our sake. You can never censor art and tried all thru history..The best. Frank Zappa. Thx
I had been listening to this for about 40 years and loving it, and then I recently found out that wazoo is American slang for backside. So the Grand Wazoo actually translates into British English as the Big Bum. I think that actually makes it sound better!
c'est de la musique symphonique... il disait "je suis un musicien classique qui joue de la guitare électrique dans un groupe de rock"... c'est un des plus grands Musiciens du 20e siècle
Freak Out and We’re Only In It For The Money were my first two Zappa acquisitions most of the next fifty releases graced my turntable. Apparently there are another 50 gems released posthumously, I’m looking forward to hearing them. This album was a blast.
A shame about the circumstances leading to Dunbar's leaving the band and not taking this and Waka Jawaka on tour around the world. Would've LOVED hearing live versions of these pieces with him!
When they came out I was not sophisticated enough to really enjoy Zappa until Overnight Sensation and Apostrophe came. I came to see the light later on albums like this one.
In college, my roommate Jack and I would reserve a special few songs for The Pyramid. We leaned both speakers against each other, slid our heads inside and let the music take us into the land of the pharoahs. This song was deserving of The Pyramid. Xanadu by Rush held the top #1 position. Try it at your next work party.
This is currently my favourite piece, I love the magnificence of the brass in it. In my opinion, Frank's jazz-rock period was the highest point of his carreer. Did he compose all the music by himself?
When Jean-Luc Ponty decided in 1969 that he wanted to leave Zappa's band and strike out on his own, Frank gave him a going-away present: his first album issued under his own name. Frank wrote the music, did the arrangements, got the musicians together - including Buell Neidlinger, who had been Cecil Taylor's bassist and was currently playing with the Boston Philharmonic - and conducted the band. The album was Jean-Luc Ponty (King Kong), and it still stands as one of the all-time great jazz albums. And Zappa just gave it to him. Ponty never did anything else that even came close to it.
CK OUT ♦️ THE FREAK OUT LIST ,A documentary on AMAZON PRIME, This album was perhapes his last crossover , jazz, Rock, attempt in which he did not fail, superb , body of work...... 👤🍷🍷
As of this time, there are 666 likes. I like that number. Anyway, while Zappa was convalescing from the horrible Rainbow Theatre push from the stage, he composed and recorded this album, as well as Waka/Jawaka. Most any other "pop star" would spend that laid-up time eating fistfulls of pain killers and vegging out. Zappa could not and would not stop. THAT is a musician. Not to mention how great this music is.
I think the rules should insist on leaving a comment before disliking something. I'd be fascinated to hear why people don't like this. Actually no, thinking about it I don't actually give a fuck why they don't like it.
Listen to Franks guitar solo from 2:44 to 3:18, note this was released 1972, then listen to the guitar solo from Pink Floyd's "Money" (which I love) released in 1973....just sayin.......
Always wondered myself , he made a sort of trademark of it. It may probably be just an acoustic guitar with wah-wah pedal...even though at this time he was on a wheelchair so I dont really see how he could have used it (automatized perhaps?) ...I would be very happy to know cause 'tis a sound that fascinates me a lot as well.
This ceases performance, the moment you do not exist! What then... Does one experience, the vast infinitesimal smallness of the self. Does a measure of merit weigh the magnitude of its exhaust..? How much pound per sound?
