I became a fan of Frank Zappa after he helped Dead Kennedys pay for legal expenses when they were taken to court over the copyright of there Frankenchrist album. Total respect and what a fantastic guitarist he was. He wasn't just a artist, he was a composer too. Apparently the Zappa family have so much unreleased material, they could release an album every year for a 100 years! Just goes to show his musical output was astonishing.
Zappa family’s a bit ... I saw Dweezil play his Dad’s songs and the last wife was taking him to court to stop his tribute tours... that’s a despicable thing to do to a son that just wants to play his dad’s music... it was a great show too
My first rock concert was Zappa in Helsinki. I was 13 years old and went with a school mate. After the concert I was totally blown away. I thought the music and the performances were GREAT. Although my English language skills were not quite good enough to get it all. Little did I know that it would remain the best concert of my life, and I have been to quite a few. But nobody can beat Zappa and his band (Napoleon, George Duke and the rest). I remember very strongly the chemistry that Zappa had with Napoleon M. B. The cherry on the cake that one.
@ akahina Frank was amazing live!! I only saw him 2 times, but he was freakin insanely good,and his band was always the very cream of the crop musically. I wanted Frank for President! I miss him every day. It`s great to have Dweezil carrying the legacy on!
I saw his son Dweezil. Of course it’s not the same thing but as far as a tribute band goes it doesn’t get better because Frank taught him. Sadly Zappa’s last wife legally stopped him from playing Zappa’s songs... that doesn’t sound right at all.
Best concert I ever saw was a tribute band fronted by Napoleon Murphy Brock at a tiny venue just a few months ago. Absolutely incredible, and only $20! They somehow managed to fit 14 musicians and all their multiple instruments on the stage.
Ok, true story. Early 77, me and two friends of mine, who were also heavily into all kinds of music, wanted to expand our horizon. We had been delving into prog and we'd heard from Zappa, but not listened to him (no air play), that he'd be a proggier version of prog and so on - so we decided to go into a record shop and each buy a Zappa record (decision based on gut instinct), then compare our impressons and lease the records around. Friend #1 bought Over-Nite Sensation (and was in love with it); Friend #2 bought One Size Fits All (and was even more in love with that). I bought Zoot Allures. And now it gets strange. I come home, can't expect to put the record on, do it - what the hell, this sounds easy listening to me ... THAT is supposed to be Zappa? After listening to this a minute I decided, it can't be. and take a good look. The label on the record says, first song, Wind Up Working in a Gas Station 2:29, 4 tracks on side one, 5 on side 2. Record itself, though, shows 3 songs each on both sides (identifiable via the empty grooves in the vinyl). Immediately back to the record shop - wrong label on the record, wrongly packed. So I got me the real Zoot Allures (and was in love with it right away). At the time I didn't even know what the record was that got labeled wrongly as Zappa. I'm pretty sure it was George Benson, either Breezin or In Flight, can't actually remember it ... Anyway - Sleep Sirt ranks higher for me. Much higher. Filthy Habits, the title track, Christ, that is a great record. Roxy WOULD rank high on my list - if the later releases of You Can't do that on Stage Anymore, The Best Band you Never Heard", Does Humor belong in Music and so on hadn't made that album (sorry) somewhat redundant (or maybe it would be correct to say one of so many). At the time, yes, but later and in hindsight? Anyway. Zappa is one of the truly great artists of the 20th century.
I wonder if that mis-labeled record would be worth anything. I have Joe's Garage Parts II & III double LP and the pressing has two side 4s and no side 2 (I think).
@@donbirren9401 I'm not sure. Technically, it's a George Benson record that has been mis-labeled and put in the wrong sleeve. Put it into the right sleeve and it may have some worth. You have a misprint that actually misses one side worth of music. Who'd pay for that? :)
I mentioned it in another post the other day - back in the mid 70s when girls my age had a David Cassidy poster on their wall I had a guy with a weird mustache sitting on a toilet... 1. Hot Rats (This was even done before Bitches Brew came out, Miles pushed the wall from one side and Zappa drilled it from the other...) 2. Overnite Sensation 3. Apostrophe 4. One Size Fits All 5. We're Only In it for the Money 6. Chunga's Revenge 7. Roxy & Elsewhere 8. Burnt Weenie Sandwich 9. The Grand Wazoo 10. Zappa in New York 11. Uncle Meat 12. Zoot Allures 13.Freak Out 14. Absolutely Free 15. Waka Jawaka 16. Weasels Ripped My Flesh 17. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore Vol 2 The Helsinki Concert (The reason this is "relatively" low on my list is that it has no new material on it, unlike many of the other live album, but of course a stellar band at its peak) 18. Make a Jazz Noise Here 19. Fillmore East June 1971 20. 200 Motels Add on - Bongo Fury (I made the list prior listening to the video so I did not consider this collaboration) Worth mentioning musicians from his band: some of the first line-up of Little Feat, Jean-Luc Ponty...
I'm from the US but I spent 6 months in Hong Kong in 1972 and attended an international school.One day a school mate from Germany invited me to his house.His older brother had that poster on his bedroom wall.Zappa crappa!!. Frank was truly universal.
The most underrated guitar player ever. In the late '80s my then-girlfriend insisted on seeing FZ when he came to the Tower Theater outside Philly. I went just to make her happy. Yowza! I was blown away. Amazing show and an amazing guitar player. His cover of "Stairway to Heaven" was unbelievable, especially since you'd figure Zappa would make a parody of it. Nope. Straight-up awesome with a horn section to boot. Been a fan ever since. Thanks, Pete.
Ronnie Brown yeah buddy, beer garden, those waitresses were un real how many pitchers they could carry, Armadillo kitchen mmmm good. wasn't that place the shits !!!
Bognar Regis haha! I just commented the same. The YCDTOSA version of Inca Roads is my favorite piece of music. Following it with RDNZL makes that 30 minutes or so the audio version of heaven.
You took on a daunting task, this was much appreciated. All I can add is that every Zappa album I've listened to has something special on it. I think I have around 76 of his albums in mp3 form (yeah, back in the day I was a person Lars Ulrich would hate, I was a pirate). I can't rank them, but using your list reminds me of many of my favorites.
My dorm roommate played "Over-Nite Sensation" at least once a day every day. When I'm drooling in the old folks home, I'll still be able to remember the lyrics.
@@TonySpruillSax _Apostrophé_ and _Sensation_ aren't among my favorites because of their relatively high exposure, to the point of bordering on commercial success. That's a phrase I have trouble reconciling with Frank. (See Frank's book "No Commercial Potential" for further insight.) Somehow I just never want Zappa music to get overly "familiar."
@@Panglos Don`t do that to yourself man. Frank never did anything that he did not want to. Apostrophe and Overnight are killer albums, and could never get radio play because the lyrical content is so awesomely raunchy. Listen to the musicianship on the albums......fucking insane!!! Zoot Allures is probably my fav. Frank album. I like the stripped down band he played with on the album, Terry Bozio and co. Hot Rats is another great one for me.
The first I heard of him was the Hot Rats album, and I still feel it's some of his very best music. I think it's his best album due to the strength of the compositions for numerous pieces, while also being the finest examples of his truly distinct sound. Frank was a percussionist first with an unmistakable humorous flair that gave his music a certain levity no matter how intricate the arrangments were. That's Hot Rats for me.
10. Roxy + Elsewhere 9. Freak Out 8. We're Only in it for the Money 7. One Size Fits All 6. Apostrophe 5. Bongo Fury 4. You Are What You Is 3. Hot Rats 2. The Grand Wazoo 1. Joe's Garage
Mark, forgive me. Are you who you are claiming to be or are you a person with a very clever handle? You don't have to answer that. I'm watching you......so to speak.
Joes Garage. The best! Im a little biased though. Bought it in 8th grade (via paper route) in '79 and i went to catholic school so when i heard catholic girls i was hooked. And no she didnt give me vd.
Pete is a musical carnivore when it comes to rock, astonishing width and breadth, although I'm still hoping he develops a love for more folk orientated music, I won't hold my breath though. My top albums by Frank: 1. Uncle Meat. 2. Rubin and the Jets. 3. We're only in it for the money. 4. Freak out. 5. Weazles ripped my flesh.
I think I'd have to put Uncle Meat at my number one also. If for no other reason, the side 4 suite of King Kong versions. Aside from the obvious deep fusion aspects, the way he seamed that together in the studio was nothing short of a brilliant feat.
I agree with Cruising With Ruben and the Jets. An excellent collection of crazy do-wop beat with a touch of Frankie Valli, Beach Boys, and other similar sounds giving it a funky nostalgic flavor of the late bopping fifties to early sixties. SNAT!
My personal top 10 in random order: -Joe's Garage -You Are What You Is -Freak Out! -Cruising with Ruben & the Jets -Sheik Yerbouti -Over-Nite Sensation -Lumpy Gravy -Hot Rats -Absolutely Free -Zoot Allures
You definitely have credibility in the Zappa/Mother’s department!!! Great choices.. Absolutely Free was my first & favorite Mother’s album, and We’re Only in it for the Money was my second and 2nd favorite.. Saw them several times live, but the best one by far was at Carr’s Beach in Annapolis Maryland on 5/19/73... That was the same day Secretariat won the Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore, where I was before the concert... One of the best days of my life, and I am 68 years old..
Please forgive the really long comment, seriously, but I feel like when someone does something with great effort and passion, they should know how valuable it is in a world of mediocrity and immediacy. This channel is amazing! I have been writting down names of bands and albums that I've never heard of, and without fail, I have encountered great music. Very nice recommendations! Particularly, I admire that you took the Zappa catalog head-on and categorized it according to your taste, of course, a much difficult task, only for dedicated, active listeners. Furthermore, your video on Zappa's Top 10 songs was a great discussion on the whole catalog as well, so thank you so much for providing the Internet with such nice discussions. Much refreshing! I believe Frank Zappa's music speaks to the most curious part of our brains. It tickles non-stop, and its exploration has no limits (heck, they're still releasing stuff unheard of!). For me, it was not enough to listen to the music over and over, and I could only find a feeling of peace once I started playing it myself! And man, what a challenge it is! I would like to share some of it with you and this great community of people with a passion for life-changing music: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fvwSxWyIa_o.html That said, my top 10 would be somewhat like this (and sometimes these change places... Is just so hard to choose): 1. Waka/Jawaka - for emotional reasons. This was the album that awakened an infinite curiosity for the composer and his aesthetic. Sneaky Pete Kleinow's solo in "It might just be a one-shot deal" is one good reason to keep going on with life! 2. One Size fits All - "Inca Roads" takes me to my happy place, every damn time! The guitar solo is one of Zappa's best, and his band is on FIRE! Zappa + Lydian = BLISS. Everything from this band (Road Tapes, The Helsinki Concert, etc.) is mind-blowing. 3. Burnt Weeny Sandwich - More evident percussion ala Varèse, Stravinsky's direct influence, and "Holiday in Berlin." Stuff that Giovanni Trovesi explored further on in his own style. A great album with much variety. Can't listen to individual songs, the whole album is one great composition. 4. Sheik Yerbouti - I mean... WTF is all this?! Great humor, accurate stylizations of the rising Disco and Punk lifestyles and soundscapes, the momentum of that band, amazing vocals, and of course, in the middle of "Wild Love", Zappa's own classical music at its best (electro-funkified!). Very ecclectic, but balanced somehow. Genius at work in the studio. 5. Make a Jazz Noise Here - I am too young to have been able to see Zappa live, but along with The Best Band you Never Heard in Your Life, and Broadway the Hard Way, I can get a pretty good glimpse on how a live concert went on during the end of the 80s decade. It just makes me feel I'm there. The 1988 band is just out of this world. Athletic, muscular, PERFECT, and as always, incredibly artistic! Everything was spot-on. They never repeated themselved. Also, taking the Synclavier on-stage was NUTS, and I love it! 6. Them or Us - Gimme some Return to Forever, some Allan Holdsworth, but gimme FZ's sweet, sweet guitar tone in this record, along with Steve Vai's. I mean, DAMN! A great example on how to Jazz Fusion, baby. "Ya Hozna" might as well be a tribute to both Stockhausen and Schönberg at the same time. How the hell does someone come up with such a thing?! 7. Lumpy Gravy, We're Only in It for the Money & Civilization Phaze III - The best from Zappa's incredible editing/producing skills, poly-stylistic orchestral arrangements, and hollistic, hyper-textual narrative. In his hands, even the dada and the surreal have continuity and shape. The last of the albums being his consecration as a composer of PURE music. Excellent synclavier work that defies the realm of what's possible to do with sound. I believe these three works must be listened all the way through, top to bottom, otherwise, listening to the songs individually does not make much sense. From the Flower Power parodies, to the spicy comments of 80s US society and the rising mediocrity in the music industry, these three albums outline Zappa's aesthetic and artistic vision in a very complete way. Every other album he made, in my opinion, complemented what he did in these three. They rank at #7 because they are very inaccessible for someone that has not listened to classical music of the second part of the XX Century. They could be the worse recommendations for someone that wants to start exploring Frank Zappa's output. Be careful with these three. Treat them with respect. 8. Cruising with Ruben & The Jets - Because I share his love for Doo-Wop. A very serious album, and a great tribute to the vocal music of black people during the 50s. Always making it his own. Never understood why many fans attacked this album, or did not take it seriously. Zappa was a great musicologist, a very studious one, indeed. 9. Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention - There is so much going on here. After getting informed on the whole PMRC circus, I really enjoy what goes on in this album. "What's new in Baltimore" is one of my favorite compositions of his. Johnny Guitar Watson had a great time in these sessions, you can tell. Very diverse album. A great listening experience. 10. Zappa in New York - Last but not least. Now, some days these albums rank at the bottom, then I listen again and they become my favorites, so numbers don't mean a thing in this list. This band is jammin'! Having the Brecker Brothers really pumps up the shredding on this one. "Purple Lagoon" is just a bad motherfucker!!! Mallet work and guitar solos in this one are remarkable. Oh, can I have an AMEN for Ray White?! Great, great performances and arrangements. 11. Every single album dedicated to guitar solos - Self-explanatory, the man was a master of electric guitar expression. Mr. Sea of Tranquility, may this project of yours keep inspiring people to manifest their love for music, and may your life be filled with more vitalizing sounds and more great companies to listen with. Thanks once more for dedicating your Internet connection to the diffusion of sounds that feed the human soul. Greetings from ColOmbia!
Here's a personal Top Ten in no order: - Freak Out - We're Only in it For the Money - Apostrophe - Zoot Allures - Live at the Filmore East - Hot Rats - One Size Fits All - Sheik Yerbouti - Bongo Fury - Absolutely Free
Good selection. I first heard of Zappa and the Mothers when I saw the ad for _We're Only In It_ in the back pages of comic books, next to the ads for x-ray specs. (I had seen the "bicycle playing" with Steve Allen, but didn't make the connection.) It took the lyrics to that album-and friends who fit its sarcasm to a T-and the music of _Hot Rats_ and _Weasels_ to make me fully realize how much a genius we were dealing with. Without a doubt Frank was the best composer of the 20th century, with nobody remotely near his class thus far in the 21st. The live albums from the Roxy and NYC probably deserve special mention as well. I've seen Zappa concerts (including on Mother's Day) where strange and wonderful things went on, and I'd have felt privileged to have been at those.
Yeah, Filmore Album is great. A friend gave it to me because I loved Zappa and he didn't really get it. Little House I Used to Live In. Mud Shark. But Frank made so much incredible music there'll never be a definitive album list that doesn't omit something priceless.
It occurs to me that one of the great things about FZ is not even anything he created, and that's the community of fans, those that Love music that breaks the mould, so thanks for posting this Mr Tranquility. Although it puts me in the position of the non committed or perhaps soft core Zappa fan, Apostrophe was the first album of his that I got to know, so, naturally, I suppose, it will always be my favourite.
I don't know how any listing or ranking of Zappa's work can be complete without We're Only In It For The Money. It's one of those albums that changes you once you've listened all the way through.
Frank was definitely an artist in every sense of the word. Let us not forget how he stood up for us in the fight against censorship. We need more like him.
No easy task so I'm doing a top 10. 1. Over Nite Sensation 2. One Size Fits All 3. Roxy 4. Live in Philly 1976 (Bootleg) it's great funky stuff. Almost like the band Mother's Finest at moments. Funny I should say that, or maybe not. 5. Apostrophe 6. Zoot Allures 7. Joe Garage (Saw him in concert on this one) 8. Sheik Yerbouti 9. Shut Up and Play 10. Hot Rats Definitely one of a kind and I miss him.
Thanks for the effort! You’re mostly on in my mind, and One Size is often my first recommendation to would be converts. To me what’s missing is Ship Arriving too Late, which you mention, but the title side of the album is as potent (especially the arrangement and guitar work) as anything. Finally, Freak Out and We’re Only in It for the Money need to be in there for several significant reasons, given the context of publications!
My first concert ever was Zappa and the Mothers, at the Forum, in Los Angeles, 12-31-1975! There is no way I can pick pick an ordered list for his stuff, but here is today's grouping: 20. Burnt Weeny Sandwich 19. Weasels Ripped My Flesh 18. Studio Tan 17. Chunga's Revenge 16. Waka/Jawaka 15. Guitar 14. You Are What You Is 13. We're Only in it For the Money 12. Joe's Garage 11. Hot Rats 10. Sheik Yerbouti 09. Fillmore East 08. Live in New York 07. Just Another Band From L.A. 06. Bongo Fury 05. Freak Out 04. Apostrophe 03. One Size Fits All 02. Overnite Sensation 01. Roxy and Elsewhere
Cheers Pete! Very very close to yours Pete! 20-Freak Out, 19-We're Only In It For The Money, 18-Studio Tan, 17-Sleep Dirt, 16-Bongo Fury, 15-Weasels Ripped My Flesh, 14-Burnt Weeny Sandwich, 13-Make a Jazz Noise Here, 12-Zoot Allures, 11-Uncle Meat, 10-Sheik Yerbouti, 9-Joe's Garage, 8-Waka/Jawaka, 7-You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore-Volume 2, 6-Roxy & Elsewhere, 5-Overnite Sensation, 4-Apostrophe, 3-Hot Rats, 2-One Size Fits All, 1-The Grand Wazoo
You have a great list there, Pete. But for me these three deserve a mention too.... You Are What You Is......with Teen-age Wind, Dumb All Over, Heavenly Bank Account, Suicide Chump and the title track. Tinseltown Rebellion........with Fine Girl, Easy Meat, Pick Me, I'm Clean, the famous Panty Rap (they made a quilt....no, really...), The Blue Light, and the title track. The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life........ A reggae Ring Of Fire even though Johnny Cash couldn't come to sing it, Purple Haze, Sunshine Of Your Love, More Trouble Every Day, and a reggae version of Stairway To Heaven before the band Dread Zeppelin was created. (Dread Zeppelin was a reggae band doing the music of Led Zeppelin.... with the Las Vegas era Elvis as the singer. Thank you very much.)
Yes, all essential Frank albums that would make my top twenty. Best Band You Never Heard...would rank very highly for me. It's very hard to rank Zappa's stuff; once you get into his music there's not much to choose between them.
Been waiting for this one too!! Too hard to ranks them all but these are all mine 17. Cruising With Ruben And The Jets 16. Lather 15. 200 Hotels 14. One Size Fits All 13. Over Nite Sensation 12. Apostrophe 11. Roxy And Elsewhere 10. Waka/Jawaka 9. The Grand Wazoo 8. Weasels Ripped My Flesh 7. Burnt Weeny Sandwich 6. Hot Rats 5. Freak Out! 4. Uncle Meat 3. Absolutely Free 2. Lumpy Gravy 1. We’re Only In It For The Money
"Lumpy Gravy" remains my favorite Zappa album. IMO, it is the definitive Zappa album philosophically and also musically, as he continued make stuff with the variation of ideas along the same line and got back to it in Civilization Phase III.
"Just Another Band from L.A." may be my favorite for "Billy the Mountain" alone. Love the title track of "Sleep Dirt," too. I once asked a lady who used to work at a hotel in Salt Lake City where all the "stars" stayed if there was anyone who came off as genuinely nicer than the others. She replied "Frank Zappa" without hesitation. "He was such a gentleman during his entire stay." The worst? Olivia Newton-John, who apparently was never mellow HER entire stay. Go figure.
Well done Pete. So glad you did a Frank Zappa album ranking and that you love his music. You had some great choices in your top 20 but I was a little surprised Freak Out didn't make the list. Freak Out would probably be my second favorite very close to Hot Rats which has been number 1 for me for a long time. But yeah Mr. Zappa put out many masterpieces such as Shake Yer Bouti, Sleep Dirt, Orchestral Favorites, Apostrophe and Wakka/Jawakka. I'm proud to be a subscriber of yours and looking forward to seeing more of your rock band shirts. Like you I have a huge collection of rock band shirts and wear a rock band shirt everyday. Unfortunately I don't have nor have I ever owned or even wore a Frank Zappa shirt but I think it's time for me to rectify that problem.
Wonderful to hear you talk about Frank’s music. I’m 65 years old and I’m very fortunate to have watched him live 7 times in my lifetime He was truly amazing. To quote him he said you have a piece of time and you get to decorate it
Pete, I'm loving your "favourite albums of the year" series. Together with your "ranking the albums" series you're opening my ears to many bands! My main two bands are Deep Purple and anything by Miles. Any chance of more Miles e.g. ranking his 1970s electric stuff? As for Zappa, I like his music, but I'm not a big fan of his singing.....so I need to check out the Guitar album....any more?
I absolutely love Frank Zappa!! I been listening to Zappa since 1973 when I first heard "Billy the Mountain". I was 16 years old. Today I have 38 Zappa albums on CD, 14 on vinyl, and 10 Zappa DVDs. And I have a couple of Zappa posters and t-shirts.
I listened to "Freak Out" in college dorm as my very first Zappa introduction. I was given the LP because nobody else wanted it and it is now framed on my wall.
Honorable mention: Jean LucPonty Plays The Music of King Kong, Composed and arranged by Frank Zappa. Great list of my favorite 20th century composer ! Thanks
Discovered zappa senior year in HS and changed my life forever. 4 years down the zappa rabbit hole nowhere near done but i'd have to say favorite album is "We're Only in it for the Money"
Not having watched this yet, my picks for Top Tier Zappa records: S-Tier: - Freak Out! - We're Only in it for the Money - Hot Rats - Roxy & Elsewhere - One Size Fits All - Zoot Allures - Läther - You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, vol. 2: The Helsinki Concert A-Tier: - Uncle Meat - Weasels Ripped My Flesh - Waka/Jawaka - The Grand Wazoo - Over-Nite Sensation - Apostrophe(') - The Yellow Shark B-Tier: - Absolutely Free - Burnt Weeny Sandwich - Shut Up n' Play Yer Guitar Trilogy - Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch - Jazz from Hell - Guitar
I agree, my favourite Zappa album. I keep coming back to it. "the most derisive raspberry ever flung at the rock scene by an actual participant therein" - Rolling Stone.
YCDTOSA Vol.2 is probably my favorite Zappa album. It was actually the first album I ever picked up from Zappa, a long with Them or Us some 20 years ago, and became an enormous fan and collector since then. That album, to me, represents the "progiest" era of Zappa and features just my favorite lineup of musicians. Great job on the video! It would rack my brain trying to narrow down his body of work into 20 albums, But I find your choices to be pretty cool and well thought out.
I didn't discover Zappa until I was almost out of high school. All thanks to a neighbor who had Joe's Garage. First the subject matter and lyrics hooked me. Then I started to realize how great the music was. Then I started tracking down more of his material. I owe it all to that neighbor that used to let me come over and drink and have a few hits off his bong.
Very good Pete love your shows, Zappa was a genius , 1 One size fits all, 2, Over night sensation 3, Roxy and Elsewhere 4, Were only in it for the money, 5, Apostrophe 6, Broadway the hard way, 7, The grand wazoo, 8, Joe s Garage. 9, Waka / Jawaka, 10, Ycdtosa vol 2, which was one of six double live cds released,
Zappa was also one of the most quotable musicians of the rock era. My favorite: "Hippies, as a general rule, don't have very much on the ball. That's why they're hippies."
It's hard to separate studio from live with FZ. Some favourites: One Size Fits All The Grand Wazoo Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar Roxy & Elsewhere Läther Over-nite Sensation Hot Rats Sleep Dirt Zappa In New York Uncle Meat Sheik Yerbouti Studio Tan Joe's Garage Act I Apostrophe We're Only In It For The Money Waka/Jawaka You Are What You Is Burnt Weeny Sandwich Make A Jazz Noise Here Jazz From Hell Zoot Allures The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life Bongo Fury The Yellow Shark Civilisation Phaze III
yeah.... totally agree.... i remember my 1st Zappa album.... which was Them or Us..... it blew my mind..... so many styles in one album.... I remember every emotion.... mostly confusion and trying to figure out if I liked it but I was hooked upon my 3rd listen..... and Sinister Footwear, the 1st half, I thought it was one of the best intros ever...... Zappa became and still is my music teacher.... best teacher ever
The guitar work in Zoot Allures amazes me everytime I listen to it. Black Napkins the solo in Zoot Allures is totally mind blowing. I remember asking my guitar teacher if he could show me how it is played and he looked at me smirking and said never, I have no idea what he's doing.
Yep, completely agree with the Black Napkins on ZootA. There is another version on YT which is even one level up. Perhaps you've come across it in the meantime. Most likely I've downloaded it somewhere 😃
Brave- taling on such an immense, diverse catalogue. Faves are: Only in it for the Money, Live @the Filmore 1971, Broadway the hard way, Grand Wazoo plus about 25 more
1. One Size Fits All 2. Grand Wazoo 3. Hot Rats 4. Waka Jawaka 5. Overnight Sensation 6. Apostrophie 7. Roxy and Elsewhere 8. Absolutely Free 9. Were Only In it For the Money 10. Zoot Allures And a ton more
My favorite are three of his live albums The Mothers - Live at the Fillmore East Zappa - Imaginary Diseases Zappa In New York w/ Terry Bozzio on drums taking a jab at Punky Meadows for the pootched out succulence of his insolent pouting rictus.
The best part was saying out loud all those song titles with a straight face. Everytime I remember something like "ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch" I start to laugh.
Got to see him live, can't remember the year but it was during the Flo & Eddie era, sat front row right in front of him and just watched him play. He was just incredible, absolutely tore that SG up, so effortlessly playing and never once looked at the neck of his guitar, he knew where all the notes were. Truly an amazing night !
That's the Frank I love his way of putting his rendition on social society he was a very intelligent human unfortunately that worked not totally in his favor only when it came to writing music wich was his way of telling his and our story
Yep thats one i'd put up the top. Mostly recorded during the sound check! Listen to the end of "I'm so cute" you can hear Terry Bozzio say to Frank "did you just record that?"
I Love Joe's Garage most or all the guitar work was recorded from previous tours with a mic placed in front of guitar amp. when you listening to it you can hear it
I'm 3 seconds in, and let me just say, good on ya for even attempting this. Frank is absolutely my favorite musician, and I couldn't even contemplate this.
Bear in mind I'm much older than you so the early stuff with the Mothers of Invention are my favourites. My top 5 are; 1. Hot Rats 2. Freak Out 3. We're only in it for the money 4. Absolutely Free 5. Weasels ripped my flesh
First Zappa album I bought back in the day. Great album once you get into it and very infectious. Some sublime highlights. It's unfairly overlooked in discussions of Zappa.
Hi Pete, just subscribed to your channel. I have been watching for several months but hadn't joined until...well we have more free time these days! My husband is a huge Zappa fan and your top two albums are also his! I am your age, really diggin' the nostalgia, even when you talk about hanging out with your friends back in the day...it's all so familiar..and we are native New Yorker's as well. Lovin' this channel.
Was lucky enough to see him in concert in 1982. Most of the set was from You Are What You Is. Brilliant !!! Favourite albums: 1) Roxy and Elsewhere. 2) Sheikh Yerbouti. 3) Hot Rats. 4) Joe's Garage. 5) You Are What You Is.
Zappa's music is so diverse, trying to rank it is like trying to rank apples, carrots, bees, bricks, and basketballs ... I understand 20 favorite, but trying to rank any artist's albums, never mind one with 113 studio albums, is an objective nightmare. The only time I ever rank any recordings is solely based on subjective merit, and I make sure people are aware of that when I do so. That being said, some of my favorites by the master: Lumpy Gravy, Uncle Meat, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Roxy & Elsewhere, One Size Fits All, Bongo Fury, You Can't Do That on Stage Any More (most of the music on all 6 CDs), The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life, Make a Jazz Noise Here, Lather, Road Tapes Venue 1,2, & 3.
