Frank Zappa Thread

[Self-Indulgence]

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00436/c6bc64e4-f874-11e2-_436112c.jpg

 

I'm glad I got to meet you once, Gail.

 

You will be missed. R I P

[Rod in Toronto]

"I'm sad to say, rest in peace Gail Zappa" -Adrian Belew

 

https://www.facebook.com/AdrianBelew/posts/10150563616774995

 

:(

 

Wow...did this happen today?

[New_World_Man]

Yep, just saw this elsewhere that Gail has passed away. RIP Gail.

[Self-Indulgence]

There's a very nice remembrance over at Zappa.com

[foghorn-leghorn]

Zoot Allures (featuring The Torture Never Stops) was the first Frank album I ever heard and was hooked immediately.

 

A true musical genius who put a remarkable amount of work into his compositions.

 

His bands always featured stellar musicians like Adrian Belew, Terry Bozzio, George Duke and of course, a young Steve Via.

 

Was fortunate enough to see him once in concertt back in the early 80's.

 

All his concert videos are worth getting a hold of.

 

Breaking news....

 

Gail (his wife) has just passed away at the age of 70 ......

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/frank-zappas-widow-gail-zappa-dead-at-70-20151007

[foghorn-leghorn]

Oh sorry, did not notice news of Gail's death had already been posted.

[Bigbobby10]

wow didnt even see this, that is a shame :(

[Jaminbenb]

First of all a disclaimer: My deepest condolences to the Zappa family. RIP Gail.

 

But Gail Z and I never got along! I have lobbied over the years for a lot more stuff to be released from the vault, and we've never seen eye to eye. One complaint I always had with her was the junk that came out with the stuff she released! A balloon? A toilet seat cover? Ok...drop back on the packaging, and in turn drop the price a little, and MAYBE more people would buy the product!

 

Second, a little more information on the packaging? In come cases you didn't even know what incarnation of the band was playing, and where they were playing. I know of a lot of people that have complained about how some of the releases were vague!

 

She also complained that it took a lot of money and resources to get this stuff out of the vault, and prepped to be heard. Ok, I know a person who is a recording engineer/producer that works at one of the colleges in California not far from the Zappa's who has suggested sending stuff to him, so he could have some of his advanced students work on some of it, (at no charge to her) and then all it would have needed was some tweaking before ti was mastered! She refused...claimed that this stuff was way over their heads.

 

I also told her that people were willing to trade and download substandard bootleg shows because they were starving for material, and I referred her to bands like the Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule, Bob Weir, The Who and others that had stuff coming out at an alarming rate from shows, and vault material of their own that people were scarfing up like crazy! And anything that has at least a decent "soundboard" like quality with some basic mastering and minimal packaging would be a BIG improvement over the stuff that's being traded! I also told her that downloading was a great option and sent her links to some of the sites. She just didn't get it for some reason. I wish I kept some of the emails we had over the years...they were doozies!!

[Self-Indulgence]

If you're in the Los Angeles area:

 

World Premiere!

ROXY: THE MOVIE

2015, Eagle Rock Entertainment, 95 min, USA, Dir: Frank Zappa

A Zappa movie experience unlike any other. Prepare to have your minds and ears blown. Filmed over three nights in December 1973 at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, ROXY: THE MOVIE is a powerful display of this experience, and reveals what made Zappa such a pioneering musical revolutionary. The never-before-released film features the unparalleled composer and guitarist leading one of the most enduring lineups of band The Mothers (including keyboardist George Duke, trombonist Bruce Fowler, flutist Napoleon Murphy Brock, bassist Tom Fowler, drummers Ralph Humphrey and Chester Thompson and percussionist Ruth Underwood) through some of Zappa's most challenging and rewarding music.

 

Oct. 14th - 7:30pm

Egyptian Theatre

6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90028

 

Discussion following the film with guests to be announced.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Self-Indulgence

[Bigbobby10]

absolute favorite by him, way ahead of its time

 

[Text For Echo]

Favorite track: The Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution

[toymaker]

I love that tune "Trouble Every Day" - it's got that kick-ass drum fill in it.

[Text For Echo]

absolute favorite by him, way ahead of its time

 

 

Hot Rats is incredible.

[Text For Echo]

First of all a disclaimer: My deepest condolences to the Zappa family. RIP Gail.

 

But Gail Z and I never got along! I have lobbied over the years for a lot more stuff to be released from the vault, and we've never seen eye to eye. One complaint I always had with her was the junk that came out with the stuff she released! A balloon? A toilet seat cover? Ok...drop back on the packaging, and in turn drop the price a little, and MAYBE more people would buy the product!

 

Second, a little more information on the packaging? In come cases you didn't even know what incarnation of the band was playing, and where they were playing. I know of a lot of people that have complained about how some of the releases were vague!

 

She also complained that it took a lot of money and resources to get this stuff out of the vault, and prepped to be heard. Ok, I know a person who is a recording engineer/producer that works at one of the colleges in California not far from the Zappa's who has suggested sending stuff to him, so he could have some of his advanced students work on some of it, (at no charge to her) and then all it would have needed was some tweaking before ti was mastered! She refused...claimed that this stuff was way over their heads.

 

I also told her that people were willing to trade and download substandard bootleg shows because they were starving for material, and I referred her to bands like the Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule, Bob Weir, The Who and others that had stuff coming out at an alarming rate from shows, and vault material of their own that people were scarfing up like crazy! And anything that has at least a decent "soundboard" like quality with some basic mastering and minimal packaging would be a BIG improvement over the stuff that's being traded! I also told her that downloading was a great option and sent her links to some of the sites. She just didn't get it for some reason. I wish I kept some of the emails we had over the years...they were doozies!!

 

She released nothing but these garbage rehearsal sessions! I always knew that as soon as she died (RIP Gail by the way), the ZFT would release the HEAT!! I've been waiting forever for the Roxy stuff and I can't wait!

[Jaminbenb]

The thing that always bugged the crap out of me was that Frank recorded EVERYTHING and almost NOTHING is being released! I can only imagine what those vaults are holding. I read something with Joe Travers (his vault guy) a while back, and his biggest issue was that some of the older tape had to be baked in order to get it to play because sitting in that vault all of those years if got stuck together...so they had to bake the tapes, yadda yadda yadda in order to get them to play (once) so they could transfer them to another set of tape or into digital. But stuff is cataloged, and set up for mixing and releasing,

 

Frank also purportedly had build reels of stuff that he pulled from various concerts, sessions, etc. that started getting released as the Joe's Corsage, Camouflage, etc. sets...only because they figured that "Frank wanted these out like this", although the general consensus was that it was stuff that Frank was thinking about and just made himself "mix tapes"...differing opinions on those...but the fact that almost every concert from like the early mid-70's on is sitting on a tape of some sort in the vault (rotting) is just amazing, and if they'd just get on that bandwagon, and start processing and releasing, they'd be KILLING those of us that collect stuff! (and pissing off my wife since I'm spending all of my money on it)

 

One thing I saw that was supposed to be released (in a conversation on one of the Zappa forums, with someone who worked for them for a while) was another version of the You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore series, since that was a huge success! (there were apparently notes sitting somewhere in Frank's office with his "picks" for the next version of this)

 

But the fact that it's so easy to get stuff out these days, and costs NOTHING except keeping servers running with this stuff on it! It just annoys the crap out of a lot of us since it just "needs mixed, mastered, and put on the server so we can purchase and download"...

 

 

 

But those 70's years with that "Roxy" band has some great stuff! I have some bootlegs that are just great, but when you listen to what IS out there officially and how nice it sounds in comparison, you just want more and more of it!

 

Then they need to get that later 70's early 80's stuff out with the "Sheik Yerbouti band" and "Ship Arriving Too Late" years!

Edited October 15, 2015 by Jaminbenb

[Jaminbenb]

Oh, and.... a LOT of people have this attitude that Frank's Synclavier stuff is superior to everything else he put out over the years because that was his "ultimate vision" of what he wanted his music to be..I have to disagree, I think the Synclavier was a cool tool for what he wanted to do, but it doesn't interest me and anyone that likes live music because it was too involved, and never seemed to just evolve into anything but more notes in a smaller space...and the fact that he had complete control of it was just something that kept him busy.

 

I always thought that the Ensemble Modern stuff was his ultimate thing because he always had that penchant for classical music, and with the intense musicians that he was using WITH that group, he finally FOUND what he wanted! (In fact an article I once read quoted Frank as saying that he only did the rock stuff to make money so he could do his classical stuff)

 

I listened to the "celebrated" 100th release "Dance Me This" and thought it was a piece of crap! I usually give a release two initial listens, then give it a rest and try it again... I couldn't even get through it the second time when I first got it, I thought it was just that bad...it sounded more like a work in progress that he never finished.

[Self-Indulgence]

I love that tune "Trouble Every Day" - it's got that kick-ass drum fill in it.

When Chester Thompson joined Genesis, at the first rehearsal, the first thing they wanted to hear from Chester was that very drum fill. You can hear it at the end of Afterglow(live).

[toymaker]

I love that tune "Trouble Every Day" - it's got that kick-ass drum fill in it.

When Chester Thompson joined Genesis, at the first rehearsal, the first thing they wanted to hear from Chester was that very drum fill. You can hear it at the end of Afterglow(live).

 

Yeah, and I think it's at the end of Duke's Travels, too, isn't it?

[foghorn-leghorn]

I have just bought "A Grandmothers Night at the Gewandhaus".

 

Recorded live here in Germany, it features ex Mothers of invention members and the Chamber Orchestra Of Invention., playing Frank's music.

 

Great stuff !!

[Digital Dad]

I love that tune "Trouble Every Day" - it's got that kick-ass drum fill in it.

When Chester Thompson joined Genesis, at the first rehearsal, the first thing they wanted to hear from Chester was that very drum fill. You can hear it at the end of Afterglow(live).

 

The interesting thing I have found recently is that aparently that is Ralph Humphreys drum lick. He brought it to Frank from somewhere else and FZ used it for that version of More Trouble.

[Self-Indulgence]

Zappa Plays Zappa played a special show in London UK last night. It's the first time the band has played Dweezil's solo material. Some great FZ numbers in their as well.

 

Bush Hall, London, 17 October 2015

 

My Mother Is A Space Cadet

Boodledang

Kidz Cereal

Flibberty Jibbet

Vanity

F.W.A.K.

Dragon Master

The Mammy Anthem

My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama

A Pound For A Brown On The Bus

Baby Snakes

I'm So Cute

Imaginary Diseases

Status Back Baby

Big Leg Emma

Big Swifty

The Torture Never Stops

 

Encores:

That Evil Prince

I'm The Slime

[CapnKeck]

Now Ronnie's in the army now and Kenny's taking pills

Oh how they yearn to see a bomber burn.

A thunder-crashing, color-flashing, dynamite machine;

Wait till the fire turns green.

[CapnKeck]

Oh, and.... a LOT of people have this attitude that Frank's Synclavier stuff is superior to everything else he put out over the years because that was his "ultimate vision" of what he wanted his music to be..I have to disagree, I think the Synclavier was a cool tool for what he wanted to do, but it doesn't interest me and anyone that likes live music because it was too involved, and never seemed to just evolve into anything but more notes in a smaller space...and the fact that he had complete control of it was just something that kept him busy.

 

In all honesty, I haven't checked out the synclavier stuff that deeply. That said, I always loved Zappa's ability to put a band together. Something about the specific feel that each ensemble was able to achieve means I like early mothers stuff and i like the musique concrete varese stuff and i even like the brecker horns in the later 80s bands. But I like them all for different reasons. I usually have to quit listening because of the "valve stuck open full bore" quality of franks tunes. The synclavier really hits this sore spot for me. More Bunk Gardner please, more Ruth Underwood please, more Billy Martin please.

 

And especially more Zappa, please. :D

[Digital Dad]

Oh, and.... a LOT of people have this attitude that Frank's Synclavier stuff is superior to everything else he put out over the years because that was his "ultimate vision" of what he wanted his music to be..I have to disagree, I think the Synclavier was a cool tool for what he wanted to do, but it doesn't interest me and anyone that likes live music because it was too involved, and never seemed to just evolve into anything but more notes in a smaller space...and the fact that he had complete control of it was just something that kept him busy.

 

In all honesty, I haven't checked out the synclavier stuff that deeply. That said, I always loved Zappa's ability to put a band together. Something about the specific feel that each ensemble was able to achieve means I like early mothers stuff and i like the musique concrete varese stuff and i even like the brecker horns in the later 80s bands. But I like them all for different reasons. I usually have to quit listening because of the "valve stuck open full bore" quality of franks tunes. The synclavier really hits this sore spot for me. More Bunk Gardner please, more Ruth Underwood please, more Billy Martin please.

 

And especially more Zappa, please. :D

 

yes, the Sync stuff does have it challenges. I actually like Perfect Stranger, Jazz From Hell and Dance Me This, but aside from that it hasn't resonated with me. I prefer his classical stuff marginally to that stuff, but the rest I agree with you, just look at the some of the people that have passed thru his bands.

 

btw, the Brecker Bros only played with him in '76 on the Zappa in NY album, the '88 band had a different horn section.

[CapnKeck]

Oh, and.... a LOT of people have this attitude that Frank's Synclavier stuff is superior to everything else he put out over the years because that was his "ultimate vision" of what he wanted his music to be..I have to disagree, I think the Synclavier was a cool tool for what he wanted to do, but it doesn't interest me and anyone that likes live music because it was too involved, and never seemed to just evolve into anything but more notes in a smaller space...and the fact that he had complete control of it was just something that kept him busy.

 

In all honesty, I haven't checked out the synclavier stuff that deeply. That said, I always loved Zappa's ability to put a band together. Something about the specific feel that each ensemble was able to achieve means I like early mothers stuff and i like the musique concrete varese stuff and i even like the brecker horns in the later 80s bands. But I like them all for different reasons. I usually have to quit listening because of the "valve stuck open full bore" quality of franks tunes. The synclavier really hits this sore spot for me. More Bunk Gardner please, more Ruth Underwood please, more Billy Martin please.

 

And especially more Zappa, please. :D

btw, the Brecker Bros only played with him in '76 on the Zappa in NY album, the '88 band had a different horn section.

 

Right, I guess not everybody qualifies brecker horns the same way... the later horn sections just sounded like that to me. I love the fowler bros, not too big on albert wing or curt mcgettrick though i loved the arrangements for the section.