What's everyones opinion on Frank Zappa?

2

Comments

  • snipes824
    snipes824 Posts: 870
    JWBusher wrote:
    Your friend is right. Pearl Jam couldn't read or pull off Frank's music. That's what you wanted to know, and there's your answer. I'd be interested to know how much Frank Zappa you've actually heard, since you seem oblivious to the fact that he's a highly talented composer & musician.
    Frank is that you?

    Geez, I already said I didnt know much of his stuff beyond a couple songs I heard that he was playing. The music didn't sound like anything I haven't heard before. I guess I was wrong so get off your high horse.
  • Evacuation Rules
    Evacuation Rules Posts: 2,162
    snipes824 wrote:
    Frank is that you?

    Geez, I already said I didnt know much of his stuff beyond a couple songs I heard that he was playing. The music didn't sound like anything I haven't heard before. I guess I was wrong so get off your high horse.

    Sorry. In all fairness, I'm sure there are quite a few Zappa songs that Pearl Jam could play. Your friend was just being a prick. Frank Zappa released about 100 albums that range from simple rock to doo-wop to jazz to classical music to music played on a computer to improvisation to fucked up bizarre music that has no definition and is very difficult to play. There aren't many bands that could re-create much of it. Frank's music is so varied, there are charts on the internet to help guide people who are interested in certain aspects of his music.
  • Jeremy1012
    Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    I have about 17 zappa albums (all burned for me by an obsessive friend) and my thoughts are as follows: I have a lot of respect for zappa as a musician and composer. he was a fantastic guitarist and even better at creating and directing music. I personally dont find his style of humour to be to my taste but I love the mothers of invention's social satire. I'm more of a fan of Captain Beefheart to be honest.
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • surferdude
    surferdude Posts: 2,057
    He was a musical genius.

    But way too caught up in trying to show how smart he was when he composed things and seemed to completely forget about accessible. Too cute for his own good, and too much ego to surround himself with a musical foil who had a more common touch.
    “One good thing about music,
    when it hits you, you feel to pain.
    So brutalize me with music.”
    ~ Bob Marley
  • JamHead86
    JamHead86 Posts: 37
    Jeanwah wrote:
    Zappa is in his own league. I mean, you can't really compare anyone to him!

    Although Trey Anastasio and his band played a mean Peaches In Regalia at his show a couple months ago here, and it sounded really good. Other than that, I don't know of anyone else even attempting to cover him.

    Yonder mountain string band has covered I Am The Slime at least once and did a pretty good job of covering that song with just bluegrass instruments.
    "I feel it!"- Eddie, during Alive solo, Chicago 2003
  • intodeep
    intodeep Posts: 7,249
    So a little off subject but what is the best album to start with?

    I have no frank zappa and i'd like to give some of his stuff a shot. I'm pretty open to different music and i know so many have such respect for him.
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  • Dog Loyal
    Dog Loyal Posts: 336
    intodeep wrote:
    So a little off subject but what is the best album to start with?

    I have no frank zappa and i'd like to give some of his stuff a shot. I'm pretty open to different music and i know so many have such respect for him.
    I'd start with Apostrophe or The Mothers at the Fillmore East June 1971.
    The kids of today should defend themselves against the Seventies Nineties.
  • Speedqueen
    Speedqueen Posts: 4
    WHoo haaa.. You are talking about one of my favourite people in the whole world. RIP Frank!

    Frank is/was in a league of his own. Music is just not the same as any other.

    I love PJ but you just can't compare Frank and the Mothers.

    Try to get a copy of the FZ flick Baby Snakes. Ya wanna see twisted sense of humour.

    Dinah-Moe-Hum!!!
    "I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone's teeth get cleaner?" Senate Hearing on Porn Rock (1985) in response to Tipper Gore's allegations that music incites people towards deviant behavior, or influences their behavior in general
    F Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993)
  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    tried for a short period of time (probably an hour or less, maybe even just a few songs) to get into zappa music & i've failed. i've listened to interviews with him & those interviews are great, dude's damn smart & funny. gonna try his music again. a buddy of mine is a musician, he's quite a bit older than myself & this guy swears by zappa, he finds it odd i haven't been able to get into zappa's music. i guess youtube is where i'll go. the next time im out looking thru vinyl & if i see a zappa album, i'm buying it if the price is not out of control.

    maybe zappa will be like how the grateful dead finally caught my attention. the dead... now that is some music. couldn't stand it until one day it all came together & made sense. it's just perfect. i think this is where zappa is at. is this true? no im not comparing zappa & the dead. just saying it is hard to dial in on typea thing
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  • Thirty Bills Unpaid
    Thirty Bills Unpaid Posts: 16,881
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  • Ledbetterman10
    Ledbetterman10 Posts: 16,994
    chadwick said:

    tried for a short period of time (probably an hour or less, maybe even just a few songs) to get into zappa music & i've failed. i've listened to interviews with him & those interviews are great, dude's damn smart & funny. gonna try his music again. a buddy of mine is a musician, he's quite a bit older than myself & this guy swears by zappa, he finds it odd i haven't been able to get into zappa's music. i guess youtube is where i'll go. the next time im out looking thru vinyl & if i see a zappa album, i'm buying it if the price is not out of control.

    maybe zappa will be like how the grateful dead finally caught my attention. the dead... now that is some music. couldn't stand it until one day it all came together & made sense. it's just perfect. i think this is where zappa is at. is this true? no im not comparing zappa & the dead. just saying it is hard to dial in on typea thing

    I'll recommend my four favorite Zappa album as good ones to start off with: the first Mothers album (Freak Out), the third Mothers album (We're Only In It For The Money), and the first two live albums that feature Eddie & Flo on vocals (Filmore East - June 1971 and Just Another Band From L.A.)
    2000: Camden 1, 2003: Philly, State College, Camden 1, MSG 2, Hershey, 2004: Reading, 2005: Philly, 2006: Camden 1, 2, East Rutherford 1, 2007: Lollapalooza, 2008: Camden 1, Washington D.C., MSG 1, 2, 2009: Philly 1, 2, 3, 4, 2010: Bristol, MSG 2, 2011: PJ20 1, 2, 2012: Made In America, 2013: Brooklyn 2, Philly 2, 2014: Denver, 2015: Global Citizen Festival, 2016: Philly 2, Fenway 1, 2018: Fenway 1, 2, 2021: Sea. Hear. Now. 2022: Camden, 2024: Philly 2, 2025: Pittsburgh 1

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  • Perry Neum
    Perry Neum Vienna, Austria Posts: 856
    He was truly an extraordinary artist. My girlfriend in the 90s was a huge Prince and Zappa fan. I was into GNR, Faith No More at this time and she introduced me to Sheik Yerbouti and Joe's Garage - which I found good but never admitted it to her :)
    Very sarcastic and jaundiced, I prefer The Fall when it comes to this. A band that can not be covered covers -Hungry Freaks-.

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  • AceCool
    AceCool Texas Posts: 455
    Frank Zappa was a true musical genius. Some of his music can be "difficult" to listen to as some of his arrangements were extremely complex and avant garde. When it was good, though, it was freaking great!

    I would whole heartedly recommend seeing Dweezil Zappa do his thing. My wife could never really appreciate the Zappa experience until I dragged her to a ZPZ show. She got IT that night.
  • BIGDaddyWil
    BIGDaddyWil Michigan Posts: 3,080
    Jazz From Hell and Zoot Allures another couple of great Frank Zappa albums.
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  • weekapaug19
    weekapaug19 Posts: 2,293
    Zappa play Zappa or whatever they are going by now is incredible
  • Wobbie
    Wobbie Posts: 31,279
    just read that Frank recorded 62 albums and another 57 were released posthumously :tired_face:
    If I had known then what I know now...

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  • qontheboard
    qontheboard Posts: 787
    "Music is Best" 
    FZ

  • Loujoe
    Loujoe Posts: 11,730
    Z ero
    A pricots
    P eeled
    P otatoes
    A lways sit well in my eardrums

    Love me some Frank now and then...

    If you give him a try give it some time.
    It took me a while and still not sure why I dig it!!!
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841

    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • josevolution
    josevolution Posts: 31,625
    I dig a lot of his music! Never got to see him live, his Halloween shows here in NY are legendary..
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....

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