Frank Zappa Appreciation Thread

[Psy-Fi]

Frank Zappa's final American show to be released for the first time

I saw Zappa play live for the last time on that tour. March 16, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, R.I. A very impressive and memorable show. One of the songs from that show (a cover of "Whipping Post" by The Allman Brothers Band) is included as one of the additional bonus tracks in this set. Not sure if I'll purchase a copy yet as I already have all of the previously released albums from that tour but it would be nice to have a copy to add to my collection.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by Frownland

Bit different from that track, but Burnt Weenie Sandwich and Waka/Jawaka anticipate that sound and are generally underrated in his discography imo

[...]

I haven't listened much to Burnt Weenie Sandwich so that's on my to-do list Waka/Jawaka I've listened to quite a bit, but it's never quite floated up towards the top of my list.

Twenty Small Cigars from Chunga's Revenge is another laid-back jazzy song, though I haven't quite been as infatuated with it as I was with Blessed Relief.

[Lisnaholic]

Originally Posted by tore

I wish Zappa had done more mellow fusiony jazz tracks like the gorgeous Blessed Relief from The Grand Wazoo.

Hey! Nice to see that you are dropping in to see us again, tore! I hope you and your family are all keeping well.

Yes, I also like some of the more mellow tracks; I think they work well in context, as I'm often ready for a "breather" from his more intense material. Predicatably, I like this one with some Beefheart harmonica:-

Originally Posted by Frownland

Bit different from that track, but Burnt Weenie Sandwich and Waka/Jawaka anticipate that sound and are generally underrated in his discography imo

Burnt Weenie was the last physical Zappa cd I bought. It's pretty good, but perhaps it suffers from not being Hot Rats Vol II as I had hoped.

Originally Posted by Psy-Fi

Frank Zappa's final American show to be released for the first time

I saw Zappa play live for the last time on that tour. March 16, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, R.I. A very impressive and memorable show. One of the songs from that show (a cover of "Whipping Post" by The Allman Brothers Band) is included as one of the additional bonus tracks in this set. Not sure if I'll purchase a copy yet as I already have all of the previously released albums from that tour but it would be nice to have a copy to add to my collection.

That sounds intriguing! Isn't there a compilation album waiting to be made: All FZ´s Unexpected Cover Songs ?

[Mucha na Dziko]

Have anyone around here seen the "Zappa" movie from 2020?
And if so, do you recommend it?

[Psy-Fi]

Frank Zappa A&E Biography (1993)

A 1993 profile of bandleader, guitarist and satirist Frank Zappa (1940-93) includes his final TV interview, plus concert clips and comments from former band members, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, and Zappa's sons Ahmet and Dweezil, who describes his father's music as "air sculpture." Hosted by Peter Graves and published by A&E.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by Mucha na Dziko

Have anyone around here seen the "Zappa" movie from 2020?
And if so, do you recommend it?

Still waiting for the Alex Winter doc to become available on google play. People say it's good.

I hope it shows a different side of Frank. His misanthropy and the ways it expressed itself throughout his life is a facet of him that I would've liked to see explored more.

[Mucha na Dziko]

Originally Posted by tore

I hope it shows a different side of Frank. His misanthropy and the ways it expressed itself throughout his life is a facet of him that I would've liked to see explored more.

I just don't know much about Zappa himself, so I was looking for something that would give me a quick tour, and what to research next

Any Zappa related movies or articles you'd recommend?

[Psy-Fi]

Frank Zappa - A day with Frank Zappa (1971)

[Frownland]

Originally Posted by Mucha na Dziko

I just don't know much about Zappa himself, so I was looking for something that would give me a quick tour, and what to research next

Any Zappa related movies or articles you'd recommend?

I recommend hearing about the man on his own terms by watching his interviews and his speech at the PMRC.

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by Mucha na Dziko

Any Zappa related movies or articles you'd recommend?

If you're really interested, I think his autobiography is quite interesting, both for what he writes and what he doesn't write. Something you don't get much of a feel for is a sense of true comraderie with his band members, seeming to prefer keeping them at arms length or sometimes treating them as employees. He doesn't seem sentimental about people. He states that he stays up at nights, smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee, and that this protects him from the tedium of having to deal with other people during daytime hours.

Obviously his lyrics throw punches left and right and you can sort of feel that there's an undercurrent of disdain for the stupids of the world underlying much of his writing. Still, there's something mostly unsaid about how he was at relationships with other human beings. I guess people don't want to tarnish his legacy or speak ill of the dead. Still, I definitely think it's an important facet of his personality as well as his work and methods.

Also, I like some of the interviews (in which he's typically candid, or "frank" if you will). Youtube has lots, like this one.