Frank Zappa is the greatest musician of the 20th century The official song title of this Watermelon In Easter Hay is Say "Playing A Guitar Solo With This Band Is Like Trying To Grow A Watermelon In Easter Hay" I told my son to send me this song at my funeral With this most beautiful guitar solo in the world
Hes never been equalled. Hes so deep into every aspect of music. Composing ...morphing sounds of completely different styles...Rock Blues Jazz Fusion Reggae....he did things that no one had the imagination. to try. Always incorporated comedy into his Albums
Zappa had a very complex sound system... this guitar had a switch that would send the pickups out of phaze which creates a certain sound that is undeniably Zappa... he would usually have one pick up set to a DI output which would go directly to the house board and pump out an ULTRA CLEAN sound that would then be mixed with his on stage set-up to create a crystal clear guitar in the mix of whatever sound he was using, and finally, he had a Marshall Amp that was using the wrong size head for the cabinets he used, which caused the guitar to do sustain feedback on any note he wanted. This technique is used the most on the song FILTHY HABITS from the album SLEEP DIRT and can be seen on live versions from '88 of the song ZOOT ALLURES.
Steve Vai was his stunt guitarist. Zappa was known for composing music that was impossible to play and getting the best musicians he could to make it happen. He kept his band members on their toes. Classifying Zappa as blues is a mistake. You can't classify Zappa because he'd go from playing his own takes on everything from progressive rock to doo wop to soul to punk rock to cartoon music to jazz and sometimes even in the same song. He didn't play as fast as Vai, but he could compose stuff that pushed him to his limits and ultimately made him what he became. He also didn't give a damn and would say stuff in his lyrics that will shock you even today.
Zappa had a lot of bands over the years, each with its own style and sound and sense of humor. This looks like it's from the 1988 tour, which means the line-up is: Ike Willis (rhythm guitar/vocals) Mike Keneally (stunt guitar/keyboards/vocals) Robert Martin (keyboards/Synclavier/ vocals) Ed Mann (percussion/Synclavier/vocals) Scott Thunes (bass/mini-moog) Chad Wackerman (drums/electronic percussion) Walt Fowler (trumpet/flugelhorn/Synclavier) Bruce Fowler (trombone) Paul Carman (alto/soprano sax) Albert Wing (tenor sax) Kurt McGettrick (baritone sax)
This version of his band was described as the best band you never heard as the big band imploded on tour. They would play three hour sets and do different sets each night. Zappa expected phenomenal chops from his players and when I heard him with Vai I can honestly say it was the best gig I've ever seen. And I've seen most of the greats....
Hey, I've enjoyed quite a lot of your videos lately, and I think you are on to something with this series. I listened to Zappa for the first time two years ago myself, and he is now one of my favorite guitarists. I like the fact that you talk during solos, its a reaction video so that's what these pompous people in the comments should expect :)
Frank always defied categorization, he was unique in so many ways... Did you know he's completely self taught? Never had any lessons. P.s. there's a really good version of this on You Can't Do That On stage Vol. 1.
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 There is a name for this timing, but I haven't read music for decades. Moby Grape also had song like this except it was 3/4 instead of 4/5.
franks early influences were Johnny guitar watson, howling wolf and Clarence gatemouth brown,. he liked players that attacked the strings. even when he is playing soft melodic solos like this one, he is still picking the strings harder than you would expect, thsi allowed him to get those sustaining notes and that aggressive attack, Frank was instrumental in helping Steve Vai find his tone. when Frank hired him at 18 to transcribe his solos, Steve’s tome, in Vais own words, wasnt very good...he could shred but no matter what he played or thru, his tone wasnt that great. Frank told him his tone is in his head, it took Steve awhile to get it but he finally did by playing slow, and concentrating on hearing each note and adjusting his left and right hand techniques until ge finally had an image in his head of what he wanted to sound like and then figured out how to get that sound . Steve soent two years working on it while going to school and transcribing Franks solos from recordings of shows, at the age of 20, he was finally ready to take the stage with Zappa...the audition for Zappa’s band is reputedly the most difficult to pass, you had to be able to sight read, sing and change rhythm at the drop of a hat or in literal term at the twirl of a finger because Frank was constantly composing, even mid song mid concert, if he suddenly wanted the song to have a reggae feel, he had a hand signal to let the band know it...you should listen to the three shut and play your guitar albums, none of those songs are actually songs, the solos were taken from other songs, as were the rhythm tracks and drum tracks, he would splice them together, effectively creating new songs as part of his project object philosophy on music
Quiet young man, quiet. You are listening to the Greatest American composer in history. His guitar work is the most unique in the Galaxy. Quiet, shhhhhh!
@@peterbartolomeo956 thanks, I lost my head. As my father "Pappy" would have said "Son, slow down. Your acting like a Bear Cub that just discovered his pecker." After Pappy died, I was visiting a really poorly funded Zoo in Wisconsin. I look into an enclosure, and in the back, almost hidden in a shadow is a perfectly round Ball of fur. It's squealing and snarfing Completely consumed with...... He lifts his head, it's a Cub and he was discovering himself. And suddenly my father's description of my nature was so accurate. I was "Bear Cubbing." Peter, thanks again. I hope my story was acceptable. My father was wise, and Dweezil's Dad was a rare Gem. Dweezil has really developed into an excellent guitar player. I really enjoy what he is doing. Some people don't approve, greetings from Colorado Springs Colorado, Christopher "Pher"
Please quit talking and enjoy his music. You will never see another musician like Frank. Take some time and educate yourself to Frank's music catalog. You won't be disappointed
Here is another video you should check out, the Black Page 1&2, which is considered one of the most complicated pieces of rock music ever written. The name comes from what Frank Zappa's musicians used to call the sheet music he gave them, it was so dense with notes that it looked like a 'black page'...the band playing it is Frank's son Dweezil's, with Terry Bozzio on drums (the musician Frank originally wrote the tune for) and one of your favorites, Steve Vai... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aDQE82ElyJg.html
The studio version is much, much better and much cleaner. You should check out his studio versions first to see what he does/has fun with that original track. Frank was a serious composer and often filled out his band with an array of instruments. Frank wrote everything from Do-Wop>Pop>Rock>Jazz>Full Orchestral >Pure Guitar Solo work. His lyrics range from social/sexual commentary, comedy, cheezy sci-fi, politics and vegitables. Suggestions: Brown Shoes Don't Make It Trouble Every Day Sofa #1 (Instrumental) Sofa #2 (lyrics) Montana Inca Roads Uncle Meat (and the variations) Joe's Garage
The band is big but not that big. Discounting the one-off electric orchestras (of Lumpy Gravy and the Royce Hall event), the biggest band Frank ever toured with was the Grand Wazoo in 1972 (no film footage but enough recordings exist). Some of Frank's more intense and exploratory solos happened in a just-loosely-structured number called TREACHEROUS CRETINS. But the version on the Shut Up... album isn't very representative: a better example is this one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gLjGoceSeNw.html (Vinnie C on drums) Or, to get an idea of how Frank can abruptly change the tone of a band jam when his solo turn arrives, try the CHUNGAS REVENGE which begins 1:13:47 minutes into this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ri_zwrGbfNA.html (Terry Bozzio on drums, Hofner-Melodica solo from Andre Lewis)
@@talknrock9005 Your skits are fun, but by "reacting" to Zappa and Vai, you are tapping into some of the most enthusiastic rabid longterm fanbases on the planet. The more you do, the more you will show up in "our" suggestion columns, and people will want to comment and make suggestions, cuz thats just what we do. On your first FZ video on dec 26, 428Chase made a most astute comment recommendation to another video from the 1973 Swedish tour called dupree's paradise, and gave a link to a high quality video. not asking for a reaction video, just asking you to intently watch an example of a serious Zappa composition. I know at least half the people in that group, and can assure you that they were very happy and proud to be doing that music.
@@zappafanseeker1099 thanks for you comment I see what you mean and I definitely plan on keeping many reaction videos coming and I do really enjoy discovering all of this amazing music 🙂
You play 🎸 but never heard of Frank Zappa????? You never talk over a guitar solo....Frank Zappa is the GREATEST GUITARIST ....in my 62 yrs. Better than Hendrix better than Clapton....only Page and Beck...could be remotely compared to him Stevie Via was a Zappa Hang Around a sometimes student. Check out Stevie Via talks about Frank Zappa. Lifelong friends...Stevie Via knows NO ONE COMPARED TO FRANK. HE IS ALSO A TRUE GENIUS. HE WAS A COMPOSER OF CLASSICAL MUSIC. IF YOU PLAYED IN HIS BAND YOU HAD TO BE THE BEST. YOU. GREW UP IN A POST ROCK GENERATION YOU NEED TO DIG DEEP INTO ZAPPA. AND LED ZEPPELIN ...SOME LIVE JEFF BECK. GET BUSY....JR
Dude, respectfully, you are too visually driven, music is about the sound, not the sights. Steve Vai owes his career to FZ, when he was 20 he joined the band, check out this link of him talking about his audition and first tour with Frank. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Xx1RguHA4XE.html The original version of WIEH from Joe's Garage is a better representation of it, IMO anyway, no video, just the music. If you want live performances there is a ton of it released by FZ, not video, but plenty of audio. There is a whole catalogue of songs released by the Zappa family on RU-vid, just look it up. I would strongly suggest Willie the Pimp from Hot Rats 1969 as a very good example of FZ's prowess on the guitar...it really has a wicked jam. You could also check out the title track from the album Apostrophe, Frank and Jack Bruce (Bassist from Cream) share a great bass/guitar jam, crazy licks in that one.
The Yellow Shark is my most prized CD. I'm not sure this young man is ready for it though. Maybe he should listen to some Chunga's Revenge first. I'd recommend Road Ladies. LOL
