@AirplayBeats reacts to Frank Zappa - Yo’ Mama Like comment and subscribe patreon.com/user?u=81569817 Airplay Beats 3609 Bradshaw Rd Ste H #337 Sacramento, CA 95827 Www.Airplaybeats.com
Zappa’s not for everyone but his genius is obvious. Unique, unorthodox, funky and yes much of his lyrics are sarcastic, cynical, humorous and thought provoking. His musicianship also so underrated! He could shred with the best of them! Gotta respect Zappa! 👏😊
His band is 💯 super badass too. I don't know how they keep up with Zappa, but they do it flawlessly. I'm a musician, and Zappa and his band make me sick cause they're so damn good 😆
@@hog7203 From the things I've read, he made sure his band knew he expected perfection. They'd practice regular 8 hour days, every day. He also only hired the best. There's a video of Steve Vai talking about his interview for Frank's band. Very enlightening of what he expected. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Xx1RguHA4XE.html
@@Pix2GoStudios thanks, I'll check that out. I'd heard that he was a strict bandleader. And Frank does have an ear/eye for finding talented musicians. What's always impressed me most about his band is how they handle the improvisation that happens during his live performances. Doing it in the studio is one thing. Live, without a net is another. That takes a special kind of musician. I'm not a drummer, but his percussionists are some of the best in the world Imo.
Trouble Everyday , Uncle Remus , You are What You Is , and many other songs are about the black American experience. Must listens for any black Zappa fan.
You could fill a library with his instrumental tracks alone. BTW have I mentioned there's a video on RU-vid, the live Sweden show, a song called "Cosmik Debris"? They're wearing heavy clothes because they were freezing but they jammed anyway.
Mix of live and studio in one track, that's how he did a lot of things. Song is about some hapless crew member kid who didn't last long on tour, little tidbits of lore turned into songs - most of these tracks are
I've enjoyed Zappa for more than 50 years, still finding recordings I've not heard before. His talent, skill as a musician and composer, quantity of achievements are unrivalled! Thank you.
Agree with that about still finding new/forgotten music. The vault that holds his recordings has numerous tunes that never got released. If I'm correct Ahmet Zappa (Third child) his younger son has control of that vault & will release stuff as they go thru it. Dweezil Zappa (2nd oldest) is a guitarists and plays very much like him, he sometimes assembles previous Zappa group members and tours playing the music his father wrote. Moon Unit Zappa (oldest) one of his daughters is involved with the estate. Diva Zappa (youngest) is probably also involved in some way. He actually bought his entire catalog back in the 60s/70s leveraging his house and studio. Gail (Adelaide Gail Sloatman) his wife must've believed in him because putting up your house is chancey, he knew though it would be a goldmine and no one would be able to control his output. He formed Barking Pumpkin records so he could control the distribution.
Yep. Seems like he had fifty or more albums. I can't listen to him everyday. My brain would probably fry. But ain't nobody like him. An American treasure Imo.
BTW Zappa recorded everything he played live and a lot of the stuff you hear will be live recordings, even on studio albums. He would often mix live guitar solos with studio tracks, other times it might be a live performance touched up with studio overdubs. He was a mad genius and was always using state of the art equipment and methods in the studio as well as on stage
This was the best version/recording of this masterpiece of Frank. It is outright bombastic, the synths are furious. When listening to it first times in the late 70's, I burned the tweeters of my speakers twice.
Genio assoluto, imprevidibile creativo incommensurabilmente grande@!! Non ci sono parole per definire la sua Arte!!!! Compositore preciso nei dettagli...più lo ascolti e più entries nel suo universo infinito!!! Ciao Frank ci manchi! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
From keyboardist Tommy Mars: "Frank wrote that song at the very beginning of the '77 european tour, and it has a personal relevance to me. We were doing this rehearsal in london and frank was getting very tense. He expected certain things to be there when we got to rehearsal, and certain things were not there. We were gonna do the song "Zoot Allures," and he started playing this 11th chord and got very angry at everybody because nothing was happening right. I got fined because I hadn't memorized this little piece called "Little House I Used To Live In." I hadn't realized he wanted it totally memorized. So this rehearsal ended in a total fiasco. The next day, he came in with these lyrics: "maybe you should stay with yo' mama. . . " it was really autobiographic; that's how things evolve with Frank."
This is one of my favourite Zappa pieces but it took me a while. It's really challenging at first but once you 'get it' then it's just sublime. 8:10 The descending scales at the end of chaotic, discordant part one to transition to 80s synth power chord part two are the most beautiful scales I've ever heard.
I would call Frank eccentric and avant-garde. Yes there is much humor and silliness in his lyrics as he likes to poke fun at institutions and stereotypes. He is also a greatly under appreciated guitarist.
If you want to check out some interesting live check out the film Baby Snakes. There are clips all over RU-vid from this film. Visually it's fascinating to see this stuff played live. Zappa with some great solos and an incredible drum solo by Terry Bozzio, but the band as a unit is simply amazing. Zappa worked his guys real hard, not an easy guy to work for, but the musicians who worked for him all respected him.
Yep, that was the final humiliation for Tipper Gore and her Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). I had. CD store during that time until 1998. We used to sell Tipper Gore comic books.
Check out “Black Napkins” a great solo that really showcases Frank’s talent. Also, PLEASE check out “Directly From My Heart to You” by the Mothers of Invention” one of Franks bands. Some sick fiddlin going down on that one!
It is indeed live. There is no studio version, this is it. Zappa would record every gig and sometimes use the live tracks on studio albums with some additional overdubs. Zappas band were always top class players who could basically do anything. For some idea of the depth of his catalogue you should give Watermelon In Easter Hay a listen. It's very different to this but also very moving
The keys at 2:02. I've pointed speakers at my head when headphones weren't good enough! The depth there is amazing. Then ... the guitar solo. Yeah. First time here. Won't be the last. Love the production rig and near fields behind you. This whole album is this deep! "Sounds live, huh?" Yes! Ish. If you look at the liner notes, Frank has comments about the source of ALL the tracks here. Is is usually a mix of live and overdue. FZ recorded many or all of his shows for future use. He was so special! No horns here. "Make a Jazz Noise Here" was a horn-band disc; also Roxy the Hard Way. Yeah, get ready for sarcasm and "questionable" lyrics!
Hi La and Che, I have a special request to make. My younger brother and music buddy died suddenly Monday, and I have since learned much more about how he touched the lives of thousands of people. Joe had emotional and social anxiety issues that would debilitate most people, but he worked for 30 years as the custodian at our Catholic grade school, and the entire community is devastated by his passing. His is a remarkable story. Life was difficult for Joe, from being bullied as a kid to being the protector of the bullied and comforter of the kid having a difficult moment. His untreated social anxiety was exponentially worse than mine, for which I have been treated most of my life. He was especially excited to see Adrian Belew and Peter Gabriel later this year, and I cannot imagine going without his being there. (The wonderful Adrian Belew was always very friendly to Joe when he played in Detroit.) One of our favorite bands is Genesis, and I would like to remember my brother by suggesting the song "After the Ordeal" by Genesis. It's an instrumental that follows a dense but whimsical story about a gang fight near London. This song reflects my thoughts of his next journey, and Steve Hackett can send a soul to eternal bliss. I love your channel. Don't ever lose your best music buddy. I am so happy to see you discover great music together. Thank you for listening. :)
Nice one guys, This album changed my life. I first heard it in the early 1980s I was in and out of Gaol like a fiddlers elbow and behaving like a complete asshole. someone one day gave me a copy of this album on cassette tape and I was blown away. I wanted to hear more of this music and the type of people who were listening to it at the time showed me a better way of being. Their example rubbed off on me and I left the bullshit behind me and tried every day to be a better person than the day before. This album was the start of that process. This album is a mix of tracks from several concerts, taken back to his studio and a bit of studio tweaking was involved but it still stands up as a largely live album, I love it.
Frank Zappa was one of the first Musicians to go to Congress during the “Tipper Gore” placing restrictions on Artists work. He fought for the First Amendment Rights! Peace & love to both yas🙏🕊💙 Forgot to add… saw an article today how a 3rd Hot Rats may be released.
Can they top it? Frank was a musical genius! Composer, musician, satirist, producer, lyricist and one of the most underrated guitarists of all time! He also made sure that he brought the best musicians in the world into each version of his band. His music is a deep dive you don’t want to miss. Masterpiece after masterpiece, surprise after surprise. As far as song recommendations go… print out a list of his work and throw a dart. Anything you hit will not disappoint!
Zappa can't be defined, but one thing can be said for sure, pure genius. He wrote in dozens of genres, from jazz, rock, funk to orchestrated, music concrete, electronic and beyond. Deepest rabbit hole you could find. Try Live at the Roxy or Inca Roads live. Guaranteed mind blown.
Love this. Great reaction -- regarding live vs. studio -- this is "the studio version", at least the way Frank did it. He took a recording truck with him on tours and would record every concert, full multitrack recording just like in the studio. Then he would take those tracks into the studio after the tour and add a TON of overdubs, typically replacing most of the vocals (and adding severral more layers of vocals) and various other overdubs, in this case mostly synths. The live portions of the track are likely a compilation from several different concerts, including the guitar solo. He was a master of editing -- and this was in the days of tape where it was all done by hand with a razor blade and scotch tape. Zappa is a genre all to itself. The present day composer refuses to die! - Edgard Varese.
I don't have access to the Sheik Yerbouti sleevenotes at the mo but it's a mixture of live bits mixed over and into studio bits with a couple of tracks using different Drum and Bass tracks over guitar pieces. It's a work of art.
:D I keep waiting for someone who grew up in the 1990's to react to what Mr. Zappa thought about analog television back before digital media changed everything up in the late 1980's. It's called "I am the Slime" It's worth a listen or two.
Zappa also created a new musical genre known in classical circles as "Future music"! You can see an example of his genius in the orchestration and composition of "Yellow shark" concert, which you can see on RU-vid. A true American musical genius that most people today have never heard of.
I was lucky to see him and a brilliant assemble in 1988 in Bremen in Germany. WOW!!! So sad he passed so early. Been waiting till Jordan Peterson came along to inspire me the way Zappa did and still does.
I saw Zappa live in '79 and in all places, Berkeley, California. Now imagine 2 & 1/2 hours straight of what you just heard. Looking around, a lot of people were trippin' that night and that wasn't lost on Frank.
This started out as a live guitar solo. You can hear the original solo, in its original context, on the album "Guitar". He took the solo, recorded an entirely new backing track in a different time signature, in the studio, then pasted the original solo onto the new backing track. He called the dissonance of the time signature Xenochrony.
Zappa was notorious for recording everything (live & studio) and if he couldn't get that part right, but they killed it live, he was not opposed to splicing stuff in as needed...
It actually came out in the disco days so there was some shake your booty going on. Frank was a master of satire. Take a look at his "We're Only in it for the Money" album cover and then the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" album for another prime example.
Zappa's band was legendary. One of the reasons was that they were incredibly well rehearsed. Rehearsing for a Zappa tour often took longer than the tour itself, and was not like the usual "play the set until it's close enough" rehearsals of the average band. If you wanted to play with FZ, you needed to commit to learning up to 100 of his songs (+ a few covers), and spend literal MONTHS rehearsing 8-10hours a day. You had to learn all the physical signals FZ used to indicate to the bandmembers where he wanted to go next, who should play, etc. The FZ band was TIGHT! If you look at a list of players who toured with Frank, you'll see a list made up of legends in their field. Working with Frank was hard, as he had extremely high expectations of his musicians, but if you were one of the chosen few, your reputation as a serious musician was MADE. Working with Frank was all the proof needed to say that you were the Best of the Best.
@gchampi2 Yep, no doubt. FZ was famous for having multiple shows at the same venue without repeating the setlist. He didn't make music for the masses, but he definitely gave back to his fans as much as possible.
There's an interview with George Duke where he tells the story of rehearsing for 6 weeks before a tour, 6 days a week, 6 hours a day. Even Duke couldn't understand how they played the music they did. The tightest band that ever graced a stage.
Frank Zappa’s repertoire is vast and covers a lot of area classical music doo-wop and everything in between I would suggest continuing diving down his repertoire he will not be disappointed his both profound and profane
If y'all like this kind of wild improvisation, I think y'all would love The Mahavishnu Orchestra. You may be familiar with the drummer, Billy Cobham (he's played with and co-led groups with George Duke, who I remember y'all recognized in the first Zappa song y'all did.) They even toured together with Zappa. I'd recommend the studio version of "Dream" from The Lost Trident Sessions. It gives a good overview of what they can do.
Wow… I saw Frank Zappa(with Flo & Eddie) during the Birds of Fire tour John wasn’t pleased… he was on first and the Zappa fans were relentless. He finally said he and then Ravi wouldn’t play until he heard a pin drop in the huge Coliseum (Jersey). Incredible concert… strangest assortment of people… including Krishna’s hawking their LSD laced flowers.
The guy was a guitar technician a freakin wizard 😅 that line you ain't really made for being out in the streets sounds like something Red fox would say 😅
This song was written about the keyboard player Tommy Mars who couldn't learn a hard part in one of the songs. Frank was like that he would take situations and make songs about them.
"D2: Basic track for vocal sections and middle of guitar solo were recorded live at the Odeon Hammersmith, London; guitar solo is from a four track recording made in some little town outside of Nurnberg that I can't remember the name of. Over-dubs: Lots." This is the "studio version."
Most of the music heard on this song (and alot of the Sheik Yerbouti album) uses live recordings. This particular one combines the guitar solo from a soundcheck in Germany and the solo vamp from a London concert, Zappa called the splicing technique "xenochrony". Most vocals were overdubbed at The Village Recorders.
Zappa commonly mixed live sequences with studio recordings, it's sometimes difficult to tell what's live and what isn't - I am sure here he mixed in a live guitar solo with studio material.
There’s a song called Steve’s Spanking on RU-vid. It’s a live video shot in Italy I believe with Steve Vai and Frank playing different sections of the song. Incredible chops by both gentlemen. Really dig the channel.
This track is a prime example of what FZ called "xenochrony". The track is largely based on a couple of live performances, with many studio-recorded vocal and instrumental overdubs during the verses at the start and end of the track. The guitar solo and acoompanying band in the main middle section are live, but each is actually taken from *different* concerts -- the well-rehearsed band just happened to playing in the same key and at the same tempo in both performances. You can hear (if you listen carefully; at about 14:45 in your video) when the band from the original guitar performance is mixed back into the track with the tail end of the guitar solo toward the end of the piece. The editing (done at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, FZ's home studio) is another example of Frank's skill and attention to detail.
