Frank Zappa: Classic or Dud?

an engrossing listen, as i figured it would be. the jams on the july 30 session are such fire. i guess i know why "sharleena" is absent from this - it was part of a later set of sessions for a never-completed "hot rats ii" album - this is the lineup with aynsley dunbar on drums that did some pickup live gigs around feb-march 1970. what went wrong there? the widely-circulated gig from the olympic is goddamn great, but then there was the mothers "reunion" and then flo and eddie showed up and don harris was in with harvey mandel and the pure food and drug act, which, you know, is some great shit that carries on the spirit of the jams, but it's a shame the hot rats thing fell apart like that because one gets the sense there were some real interesting paths zappa's career could've taken and as talented as volman and kaylan are, instead it was just endless songs about fucking groupies...

so what's the archie shepp recording of "shadow of your smile" zappa mentions as inspiring the title? live at donaueschingen?

Did he say he bought the Shepp song as a single? Must relisten.

I wrote about the box. Didn't love it as much as some of y'all, but got to dive into my feelings about Zappa more broadly.

Nice write-up... The paragraph about the Fun House box is funny.

for the record after listening to the whole thing i wound up keeping 25 tracks totalling more than 2 1/2 hours, which is a pretty good hit to miss ratio for a box like this as far as i'm concerned!

one of my favorite Zappa tunes ("Oh No") came up on shuffle the other day and I was pretty struck by the gulf between how brilliant the music was and how bad the lyrics are. and I don't mean bad in the usual way Zappa's lyrics are, he's actually trying to be pointed and biting here but it just comes off like "oh, you believe in LOVE? well guess what...you're stupid!". actually could be a direct quote. then I started to think about how many Zappa songs have legitimately good lyrics and I couldn't really come up with many, particularly post-Mothers

idk, i'm not sure it's that much worse than "give him a flower" by the crazy world of arthur brown

"well guess what...you're stupid!" pretty much sums up the gist of every Zappa song, including the instrumentals.

This is my go-to for 'Oh No' these days, most of the rest of the cues are fab too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ief_Jcl0Pac

He was very into writing what he might call anti love songs.

he was certainly inordinately proud of being an emotional cripple. a true independent thinker!

otm. his "hippies are a bunch of naïve dopes" schtick was never funny. the fact that he couldn't shut up about it is definitely weird / telling.

and i wouldn't call the music genius, it's just pretty good. "oh no" in particular reminds me of the demos tandyn almer was writing around the same time, which i like better anyway

my dad occasionally would recite a portion of “Montana” as he poured himself coffee

brewin it up
gulpin it down

"Any Way the Wind Blows" is the best tune he ever wrote.

That or "Jelly Roll Gum Drop".

"well guess what...you're stupid!" pretty much sums up the gist of every Zappa song, including the instrumentals.

I loled at this, even though there's more than a grain of truth to it. Some of those melodies are so ingrained in my brain since my early teens, though, I do love them. And the lyrics pretty much NEVER help. The other night I pulled out The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays The Music of Frank Zappa for the first time in years and found it really enjoyable. I'm more likely to put that on again soon than any of the two dozen Zappa LPs on my shelf.

In high school I had an English teacher who was huge into Zappa. he claimed a lot of his guitar god skills came from the fact that he had freakishly big hands. he was really big on Joe's Garage and loaned me his vinyl copy, which must've come out when he was 19 or 20. particularly the song "Catholic Girls", which he said should be our graduation song (I went to a Catholic school). I remember listening to it and just being like "what...the hell". This teacher wasn't a creep or anything as far as I knew, I think it had just been a long ass time since he listened to it. Anyway I finished the album and said to myself "I think I hate this guy". But I bought like 15 of his CDs after that.

It would be fine if that not-so-subliminal message were followed by 'and I am too!' but that never happens as far as I can tell.

xp

No, that absolutely never happens.

That would be infra dig.

Idk, as someone who loves the Beatles more than Zappa, I don't really think "Oh No" is lyrically dumber than the songs he was responding to.

i don't feel like that's the right way to frame it

How do you think it should be framed?

that basically just makes him Seth Macfarlane

zappa writes this sneering take-down of some hippie-era tunes as if john lennon had meticulously penned a political platform rather than write a song that expresses hope for a future of peace and mutual understanding. if anything zappa is "dumber" because in his creepy need to show his intellectual superiority he entirely misses the point. "actually, you DO need more than love! where are you going to sleep, huh? on love??"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNGR53wvRRI

Fwiw, at least one book cites Lennon as saying of "All You Need Is Love" as well as some of his solo songs: "I'm a revolutionary artist. My art is dedicated to change." And Harrison's "Within You Without You" contains the line "With our love, we could change the world if they only knew". These were p grandiose statements (and I like the songs!) and fair game to be poked at imo.

The Zappa song is not just literal pedantry imo. The song isn't saying "where are you going to sleep if all you need is love?", it's saying

You say love is all we need
You say with your love you can change
All of the fools, all of the hate

i.e. the problems are bigger than that

and

And in your dreams
You can see yourself as a prophet saving the world
The words from your lips
I just can't believe you are such a fool

which I think is a defensible riposte to the attitudes expressed. Not exactly Mark Twain but, as lyrics to a cool psych/prog track, I think they work.

God, analysing Frank Zappa's lyrics, has it come to this?

End times

I just asked myself the same question tbh. Clearly, I really hate doing taxes.xp

And admittedly Lennon could be p wry so the author there may have misread his tone idk.

I remember being impressed by the sheer volume of Zappa CDs in the racks in the '90s. It seemed to dwarf anything else that made it into your typical chain store in terms of an eccentric voice that bridged pop and art music. I had the impression that whole worlds were contained in all of those double- and triple-CDs, and the impression is fed by the cut-and-paste assembly of some of the Mothers albums. There was so much stuff in Uncle Meat! The fact that most of the music was instrumental did make me take seriously the claim (Zappa's, yes?) that the lyrics were a secondary concern.

I think there may be an argument for Zappa's use of vibrato on "Oh No" as a distancing effect—proclaiming "I can't be-lieeeeve in this quasi-operatic voice. Yes, Zappa was arrogant, but the music's utopianism lies in its tolerance for that arrogance, which is one of its elements rather than the whole of what it is. The tune sounds so wide-eyed, curious and aspirational! As well as vaguely orientalist (thus "naïve"). Maybe Zappa the guy with words can't just let it be that (although he does on Lumpy Gravy).

As much as anything else it was partly Zappa the guy with words that kept me from exploring those worlds on the post-1970 albums, and I'm not necessarily interested in the instrumental ones either—I do like some tunes—but I think these jarring contrasts, the sense that you were just getting these glimpses of worlds, was what made Zappa compelling. Maybe the twenty-first century doesn't have any need for those glimpses, jaundiced by Zappa's smut; maybe it needs real worlds, or failing that other ways of seeing and hearing.

Fwiw, at least one book cites Lennon as saying of "All You Need Is Love" as well as some of his solo songs: "I'm a revolutionary artist. My art is dedicated to change." And Harrison's "Within You Without You" contains the line "With our love, we could change the world if they only knew". These were p grandiose statements (and I like the songs!) and fair game to be poked at imo.

I heard it was you
Talkin' 'bout a world
Where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
The man in the street
Draggin' his feet
Don't want to hear the bad news
Imagine your face
There is his place
Standing inside his brown shoes
You do his nine to five
Drag yourself home half alive
And there on the screen
A man with a dream

i think there's a difference between lennon's sentiments on "all you need is love" and harrison's on "within you and without you" and i think they do both fall short in different ways.

lennon's faith in the power of love is unfalsifiable to the point of ridiculousness. "there's nothing you can do that can't be done" - this is sheer glurge. and while paul's "hey jude" may have a more interminable coda, "all you need is love" was there first.

"within you without you", otoh, is a frankly paranoid song, openly asking "are you one of them?"

i think both these forms of "love" are quite open to critical interrogation. zappa never provided an alternative to these flawed conceptions of "love", rejected the concept of love altogether, which imo rather diminishes the lasting value of his work, but it seems a fair enough criticism to me.

The age-old conundrum of how can one be positive without being a naive sucker or a hypocrite, often simply solved by resorting to cynical snark.

I think the misanthropic angle is a tad overplayed, and that FZ was just interested in exploring topics other than personal relationships, for which he deserves credit, not scorn. I certainly don't defend everything the man wrote but I'd much rather hear a song about spaceships landing in the Andes or turkey farmers in Lancaster or huskies pissing in snow than another goddamn song about someone's sweet darling baby doll and how much they're gonna wuv them fowever

inca roads is arguably not even the best prog-rock song about spaceships landing in the andes ("tenemos roads" is a strong competitor)

I think the misanthropic angle is a tad overplayed

careful paul, if you keep sniffing your own farts all day you're going to wake up with a bad goatee and a hard drive full of erotic ayn rand fanfic

I'd much rather hear a song about spaceships landing in the Andes or turkey farmers in Lancaster or huskies pissing in snow than another goddamn song about someone's sweet darling baby doll and how much they're gonna wuv them fowever

You want to hear a song about huskies pissing in the snow? Seriously?

I don't need this in my life, but maybe you need it in yours:

Zappa Records/UMe issue The Mothers 1970, a four-CD Frank Zappa box set which features 70 unreleased tracks from the 1970 line-up of the Mothers of Invention.

…Like previous Zappa archive projects such as last year’s 50th anniversary edition of Hot Rats, this one has been produced by Ahmet Zappa and “Vaultmeister” Joe Travers to provide a look at a heralded period of creativity. The short-lived Mothers of Invention iteration heard on these discs featured Aynsley Dunbar (drums), George Duke (piano/keys/trombone), Ian Underwood (organ/ keys/guitar), Jeff Simmons (bass/vocals) and Flo and Eddie a.k.a. Howard Kaylan (vocals) and Mark Volman (vocals/percussion) of The Turtles.

In their brief time together, the group not only recorded the successful Chunga’s Revenge, but also toured across North America and Europe. (The next version of the group, with FZ, Flo and Eddie, Underwood, and Dunbar joined by The Turtles’ Jim Pons, can be heard on two acclaimed live albums, Fillmore East 1971 and Just Another Band from L.A. Bob Harris handled keyboards on the former and Don Preston, a guest on Fillmore, on the latter.) This lineup of The Mothers injected a heavily comedic, often off-color element to Zappa’s oeuvre while still retaining the impeccable musicality for which the maverick composer was known.

With over four hours of unreleased material, including sessions from London’s Trident Studios, recently unearthed songs, alternate takes of fan favorites, plus live recordings from The Netherlands, California, Spokane and beyond, this box will be a definitive look at the acclaimed Mothers of 1970 in the studio and onstage.

For the studio material, Travers and Zappa have included early versions and alternate mixes from the Trident sessions, including Roy Thomas Baker’s rough mix of “Sharleena,” “Wonderful Wino,” and newly unearthed versions of “Red Tubular Lighter,” “Giraffe,” and “Envelopes.” The producers have also dug into the vault to find original tapes of the widely circulated VRPO radio session, plus concert recordings from Santa Monica and Spokane which have been presented together to form one hybrid concert. The set also includes a disc of live recordings and candid moments from the 1970 U.S. Tour as captured by Frank Zappa on his trusted UHER recorder.

All tracks were sourced from the Zappa Vault and transferred and compiled by Travers this year. Longtime Zappa Trust member Craig Parker Adams mixed some tracks, while John Polito handled mastering.

Disc 1 – Trident Studios, London, England June 21-22, 1970
1. Red Tubular Lighter
2. Lola Steponsky
3. Trident Chatter
4. Sharleena (Roy Thomas Baker Mix)
5. Item 1
6. Wonderful Wino (FZ Vocal)
7. “Enormous Cadenza”
8. Envelopes
9. Red Tubular Lighter (Unedited Master)
10. Wonderful Wino (Basic Tracks, Alt. Take)
11. Giraffe – Take 4
12. Wonderful Wino (FZ Vocal, Alt. Solo)

Disc 2 – Live Highlights Part 1 – “Piknik” VPRO June 18, 1970 / Pepperland September 26, 1970
1. Introducing…The Mothers (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
2. Wonderful Wino (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
3. Concentration Moon (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
4. Mom & Dad (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
5. The Air (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
6. Dog Breath (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
7. Mother People (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
8. You Didn’t Try To Call Me (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
9. Agon (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
10. Call Any Vegetable (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
11. King Kong Pt. I (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
12. Igor’s Boogie (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
13. King Kong Pt. II (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
14. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are? (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
15. Bwana Dik (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
16. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
17. Do You Like My New Car? (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
18. Happy Together (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)

Disc 3 – Live Highlights Part 2 – Hybrid Concert: Santa Monica August 21, 1970 / Spokane September 17, 1970
1. “Welcome To El Monte Legion Stadium!” (Live)
2. Agon (Live)
3. Call Any Vegetable (Live)
4. Pound For A Brown (Live)
5. Sleeping In A Jar (Live)
6. Sharleena (Live)
7. The Air (Live)
8. Dog Breath (Live)
9. Mother People (Live)
10. You Didn’t Try To Call Me (Live)
11. King Kong Pt. I (Live)
12. Igor’s Boogie (Live)
13. King Kong Pt. II (Live)
14. “Eat It Yourself…” (Live)
15. Trouble Every Day (Live)
16. “A Series Of Musical Episodes” (Live)
17. Road Ladies (Live)
18. “The Holiday Inn Motel Chain” (Live)
19. What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening? (Live)
20. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are? (Live)

Disc 4 – Live Highlights Part 3 – FZ Tour Tape Recordings
1. “What’s The Deal, Dick?”
2. Another M.O.I. Anti-Smut Loyalty Oath (Live)
3. Paladin Routine #1 (Live)
4. Portuguese Fenders (Live)
5. The Sanzini Brothers (Live)
6. Guitar Build ’70 (Live)
7. Would You Go All The Way? (Live)
8. Easy Meat (Live)
9. “Who Did It?”
10. Turn It Down! (Live)
11. A Chance Encounter In Cincinnati
12. Pound For A Brown (Live)
13. Sleeping In A Jar (Live)
14. Beloit Sword Trick (Live)
15. Kong Solos Pt. I (Live)
16. Igor’s Boogie (Live)
17. Kong Solos Pt. II (Live)
18. Gris Gris (Live)
19. Paladin Routine #2 (Live)
20. King Kong – Outro (Live)

rejected the concept of love altogether

I don't agree that he was doing this in "Oh No" btw, which seems more like rejecting simplistic interpretations of love, nor that his life demonstrated this.

like King Crimson there seems to be an infinite number of recordings of this guy

My least favorite period of his work, so I'll give it a cursory streaming listen but nothing more than that.

Yeah, not particularly keen to explore this but, still, surprised to see Uncle Meat material show up in the live sets.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbYLmBHXYAAnZmM?format=jpg

I know I'm in the minority but this might be my fave Zappa era, this is the last time it feels like a "band" and not Zappa with various players and I think Flo & Eddie are funny, which obv ymmv

However, do I really need another record when there are already 4 lps from the era, plus the 3 disc Carnegie Hall live box and I'm sure more I'm not thinking of? I mean...no, but I'll listen to it for sure

I like a lot of the Flo and Eddie stuff, but this seems like scraps from all already well mined era. I doubt that there's a tin of stuff left in the vault that's really new or essential. It's been picked over very thoroughly for the last 30+ years.

"Red Tubular Lighter" is so great