Frank Zappa (Official Thread)

[Jasonconfused]

Re: Frank Zappa ~ Appreciated (Official Thread)

So I've consulted several other sources as well but it looks like the next 5 Frank Zappa albums I should get are:

Joe's Garage
Sheik Yerbouti
Zappa in New York (Live)
Absolutely Free
One Size Fits All

 

[Sweaty]

Re: Frank Zappa ~ Appreciated (Official Thread)

I only have a few of his albums but Sheik Yerbouti is one of them and it is good

 

[Cowboy]

Re: Frank Zappa ~ Appreciated (Official Thread)

I only wish I heard about Zappa earlier than I did. Maybe '68 so I could take a journey through his albums. I'm going to make a personal goal to try get all the albums I can by him, just the thought of a nice collection in the shelf.

Uncle Meat is one of the brilliant albums I've heard in Experimental Rock and Avant-Garde Jazz music I've heard in my life. I also quite Lumpy Gravy. No one seems to talk about that one often. Nice collection of short classical pieces.

 

[CurtRHCP]

I don't know many Zappa's songs.
But there's one album I love! "One Size Fits All", what a beautiful album ^^

 

[METALPRIEST]

A little Peaches En Regalia ***:

 

[CREAM'd]

I have been listening to a few of Frank Zappa's albums this past month or so.
Some I like a lot(We're Only In It For The Money & Freak Out!) and some I don't like a lot(Uncle Meat & Absolutely Free)
This is what I have so far.
Hot Rats
The Grand Wazoo
Waka Jawaka
Zoot Allures
Absolutely Free
Uncle Meat
Freak Out!
We're Only In It For The Money

 

[runningshoes]

I have been listening to a few of Frank Zappa's albums this past month or so.
Some I like a lot(We're Only In It For The Money & Freak Out!) and some I don't like a lot(Uncle Meat & Absolutely Free)
This is what I have so far.
Hot Rats
The Grand Wazoo
Waka Jawaka
Zoot Allures
Absolutely Free
Uncle Meat
Freak Out!
We're Only In It For The Money

Pick up Apostrophe and Overnite Sensation. My favourite is Joe's Garage.

 

[CREAM'd]

Pick up Apostrophe and Overnite Sensation. My favourite is Joe's Garage.

Thanks for the recommendations, I will check those albums out

 

[METALPRIEST]

45 Years Ago: Frank Zappa Releases ‘Lumpy Gravy’



SOURCE LINK



Frank Zappa is often regarded as one of the most brilliant, idiosyncratic musicians in rock music. But, looking back at his eclectic, monstrous body of work as a composer, guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader, Zappa really wasn’t a “rock” musician. That fact is cemented on ‘Lumpy Gravy,’ Zappa’s first official solo album, which was released 45 years ago today (May 13, 1968).

It’s a sadly overlooked item in the Zappa oeuvre, probably because — even for Zappa’s standards — it’s so damn weird, branching from musique concrete to gorgeous jazz-fusion to proto-electronic hysteria to pitch-shifted rock grooves. Composed in a jaw-dropping eleven days (and featuring the warped talents of the “Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra”), the album was envisioned as one chunk of a four-album project called ‘No Commercial Potential’ (also including 1968′s ‘We’re Only in it for the Money,’ 1968′s ‘Cruising with Ruben & the Jets,’ and 1969′s ‘Uncle Meat’).

Taken on its own, ‘Lumpy Gravy’ makes very little sense — either musically or lyrically — but that lack of logic and coherence is its most brilliant virtue. Building on the chaotic template he established on his first two albums with The Mothers of Invention (particularly their debut, 1967′s ‘Freak Out’), ‘Lumpy Gravy’ is an avant-garde masterpiece.

The individual “songs” are hardly songs at all. Each mini-movement flickers in for a minute or two and disintegrates — the overall experience is like flipping through radio stations beamed in from another planet. The album is divided into two nearly-sixteen-minute halves, both crammed with highlights, from a lush early instrumental version of future live staple ‘King Kong’ to the nimble spy-theme parody ‘Duodenum.’ The second half is a bit tougher to digest with a clear head — particular the opening four minutes, which feature parodic hippie-mystic ramblings on ponies, paranoia, and the boogie-man.

Recording the album was Zappa’s first real experience dealing with a proper orchestra — and some of the experiences weren’t pleasant. Zappa often faced strong skepticism from the players, who scoffed at his bizarre compositional methods.

“Most studio players get paid by the whole note, by the pound for chordal backgrounds for singers.” said Zappa in a 1983 interview with ‘Mix.’ They don’t want to sweat. I mean, the hardest thing in ‘Lumpy Gravy’ was this one section where everybody had to play in 5/8. In 1966 when that session took place, you never saw anybody hand you a piece of music in 5/8. It just wasn’t done. But with the proper amount of rehearsal, there are guys who can play the stuff.”

‘Lumpy Gravy’ certainly had a sizable influence, both on rock and avant-garde: Captain Beefheart‘s ‘Trout Mask Replica,’ released one year later, takes a similarly chaotic approach. But equally telling is that Zappa himself regarded it as one of his ‘master-works.’

“For him, every album was just part of the same composition and everything was all one big piece of music,” said wife Gail Zappa in a 2008 interview with ‘Vanity Fair.’ But the three particular pieces that he considered his absolute masterwork were ‘Lumpy Gravy,’ ‘We’re Only in it for the Money,’ and ‘Civilization Phase 3.’”
​

 

[CP/M User]

I'm curious to hear a bit of this Avant-Garde Jazz. Is there a classic Zappa song which defines that Genre? Or does the Uncle Meat album define it well anyway?