A Sir Frank Zappa/Mothers Thread.

Where were you when you first heard a Zappa or Mothers album?

> In my room, it was Mothermania ... if you exclude hearing Who Are The Brain Police? on Juke Box Jury .. which I mistakenly thought was by Dean Martin. 

How old were you?

> I was knee high to a grasshopper ... it was back in the 1960s

Did you see the Mothers play live?

> Yes ... at the Empire Pool Wembley ... I think it was 74

Did you see Frank play live?What was the line up?

> Only with his Mothers, it was the line-up that did Just Like A Penguin In Bondage Boy ... Frank was keen we heard his greatest hits, as its hit singles that music is all about ... he then proceeded to play an hour long improvised piece that interpolated much of what became Roxy And Elsewhere. 

Did you ever get to play with Frank at his home or tour with him?

> You gotta be joking me dude, I mean would that kind of life look interesting to you, touring night after night in comedy group ... nearest I've ever been to meeting a superstar was bumping in to the Captain. [Well a Captain ... Sensible, not Beefheart .... I met Steve Marriot once]. I don't think I could have stood the pace with Frank, I'd be stuck on the bus thinking about Suzy Creamcheese 

What are your Fav most played albums?

> My favourite Zappa albums is Only In It For The Money and Uncle .... my two favourite Zappa albums are Only In It For The Money and Uncle Meat and Weasels Rip ... my three favourite Zappa ... oh you'll have to finish it while I go to sit in the comfy chair. 

Anything Sir Frank Zappa?

There were times when he used to shut up and play his guitar, but he liked Edgard Varese. He was also a mate of the Captain and any mate of the Captain ...

Frank hated classical musicians or at least the ones he met in British orchestras like the LSO as they just weren't good enough to play his music and made no attempt to improve ... he bought a Synclavier which made the use of musicians redundant. 

He wasn't keen on hippies 

... oh no I don't believe it, here he is in 1968 playing one of big his hit singles with a bullet  

To be honest I've only got the odd few Zappa albums ... 

Saw Frank live in Chicago at the Uptown Theater in November of 1977, two shows on back-to-back nights.  

I remember his guitar was white (or off-white) with a bright gold front plate. When he would step forward into the spot light for long solos, the reflection from his guitar was like a searchlight, and he would deliberately move in such a way as to create visual effects with it (circles, ovals, figure eights...).

I also remember his percussionist -- not the drummer, there was another guy who had all of the things played, dozens and dozens of them, set up in a large C shape...stage left.  He was an incredible athlete -- he would be playing something on one side of the C, then have to leap and roll to get to something on the other side of the C, all without missing a beat. 

The sets were long.  Not Grateful Dead long, but I remember thinking we really got our money's worth. And back in those days, we were spending our food money on tickets.  I also remember talking about those concerts with my friends for months and years thereafter.  Amazing musician, and an amazing composer...he left this world way too soon.

So what should I spin tonight?  I have it down to three choices:  Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More, and Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar! 

Hook

I saw Frank Zappa live twice in the 70/80s in St. Louis. Once was at Washington University in the student quadrangle. The second time was with a larger ensemble at Powell Symphony Hall.

Both times were excellent.

Someone played me "Weasles" when it came out 30+ years later I heard it again, same result I thought it awful. Tried Hot Rats too same results. This is good, as it means there are masses of albums I don't need to worry about.

You didn't like the Orange County Lumber Truck ... oh no I don't believe

Willie The Pimp from Hot Rats is a great track with the Captain in full flow.

However Zappa changed a bit after his first Mothers went their separate ways, his new Mothers were the Turtles ... I know you're thinking Eddy, Are You Kidding? Unfortunately, in my opinion it didn't work, as after a promising start with Chunga's Revenge ... an album that was one of the first to embrace the concept of a Gypsy Mutant Vacuum Cleaner stalking a night time camp fire, they recruited Bernard Manning's lyricist: he must have been following him around 200 Motels - life on the road. in the end it was Strictly Genteel. However, after a mishap at the Rainbow when somebody clobbered uncle Frank, he returned with Waka/Jawaka and the Grand Wazoo - amazing big band stuff (I hate big band normally, but this is different) and it did make you wonder who were those dudes in the back seat of Calvin's car. 

Frank then became a bit obsessed and perverted, obsessed and deranged, though he been around for years very little had changed, he was the tool of the government and industry too. He seemed destined to rule and regulate us, but then he met Camarillo Brillo. Could somebody please tell me was that a real poncho or a seers poncho? Hmmm no fooling.

He stayed in that vein and to be honest, the crux of the biscuit was the Apostrophe. He went to the Roxy in search of the Village in the Sun, where the Turkey Farmers run, but then got hung up on cheapness - you know the type you get in monster movies like It Conquered The World. 

This only gets us to the mid 70s, of course and there was more to come, but gotta dash or I'll be too late to save a drowning witch, not to mention a valley girl. 

And you thought it couldn't happen here. 

Life's too short to try and like Zappa and Jazz. I do like Valley Girls BTW.

Valley Girls?  That's his weakest stuff!  Decent satire, but musically he's got so much more.

I first heard him in the 69/70 time frame when my friend played me "Absolutely Free".  I didn't get it.  Of course, now in retrospect, the original Mothers stuff is not the best by a long shot.  As Guy mentions, Waka & Grand Wazoo is where he began to take it to another level.  My brother turned me on to him again in late 70's early 80's, when he showed me what a great guitarist he was...and I was then hooked.

I saw him one time in Dallas in around 1982 - he was playing the natural wood Strat with black trim - of course, as with all his axes, it was heavily modified electronically.  The final tune they played that night was "Whipping Post".

I've also seen ZPZ 3 times, and would go again.

My 2 favorite albums are "One Size Fits All" and "Live at the Roxy & Elsewhere" - I wish they would release the video of the Roxy stuff.  It exists but never has been put out.

He was a genius, pure and simple.

I love this Steve Vai interview clip - hilarious:

'Zoot Allures' and 'The Torture Never Stops' for me. Cracks me up every time. And never mind the geetar playing, I love the title of 'Sexual Harassment in the Workplace'.

RIP Frank. Thanks for the whackiness and the choons.

John.

Life is music and Zappa is Life. So pls try.....

“Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST.”
― Frank Zappa

Thanks Gale 401 for your thread.This is a pic of Frank from a concert In Milan I took part in 1984 October 8 when I was 23.9 to 12 musicians in the line up.So sorry Bozzio wasn't there and Steve Vai too,but I loved that concert anyway:it's always in my mind.This beautiful pic(IMO)was taken by a friend of mine,please don't use it for other purposes,as this is my friend's wish when he let me use it.Thanks again.

Howard,

Or any that wish to try some Zappa?

I bought this CD   a few months ago to add to my already quite large collection of Zappa & Mothers.

Its a fun CD with some brilliant tracks and talking on it .

It can be had from amazon sellers for around £1.50 at the mo.

I also bought this  at the same time for the same money.

One can never have enough of Sir Frank's music imo..

Don't tell the FBI or CIA though.

Stu.

Fabio,

Who was in the line up?

What were you playing?I guess you were in the orchestra?

Nice picture.

Thanks.

Stu.

Gale!!Sorry for my English!Please wait...Sometime I would like to speak Italian,so my "concert I took part"just means that I was there JUST LISTENING.Sorry for that!

Line-up 7b
July-December, 1984

Source: http://members.shaw.ca/fz-pomd/lineups/index.html

Thanks DrMark.

OK man no problem.

The line up DrMark posted was a good one.

He never had a bad line up imo when playing live.

The throat singers from Nepal round his house were a bit different, playing along with Irish folk players but very Frank.

I was very lucky a few years ago,

I got to play Terry Bozzio's massive DW kit  at a Birmingham drum clinic.

Stu.

When i said a few years,It was in the 90's how time flys.

Stu.

Stu:

To get the real TB effect, you should have been wearing nothing but a Speedo, like on Baby Snakes!

DrM,

I have always played in shorts and when going to gigs if there was a chance of me playing?

Always had a pair or Bike clips in my pocket or girlfriends/wifes hand bags.

Even when you roll up jeans or trousers they unroll and hook up on the foot peddles.

Stu.

That was also the first and the last time i have ever played with a click.

Stu.

Qu'est-ce que c'est ?

Stu,here is the ticket of the concert.Please note its price:L.15000 that are almost 7,50 Euro...

I was about 13-14 when I bought "Just another band from LA", but my favourite album is the original mix of "Money".

I saw Frank at Wembley Arena in 1988 (ticket at the door was £10!), one of his very last gigs in the UK.

The line up  for the Broadway the Hardway tour was:

FVZ  (+ cameo appearance from Dweezil)

Chad Wackermann

Scott Thunes

Ike Willis

Ray White

Ed Mann

Bobby Martin

Tom and Walt Fowler

Kurt McGettrick + another player in the brass section (would have to check my  programme for the full line-up)

They did some of the "Broadway" stuff, but also did Stairway to Heaven, and to my delight quite a bit from "Money"

A  few years ago I saw the "Grandmothers of Invention"  including Napoleon Murphy Brock, and they were superb; in fact it is probably the best gig I have ever attended.

Interestingly, Frank's music is now on Spotify, so I guess Pamela and the family have decided that Spotify is a credible medium.

The first FZ album I bought was 'We're Only In It For The Money'. It was an original stereo pressing. I still have it. Not long after that, I went to London to bu 'Freak Out'. I bought the USA import version. This was a double album rather than a single. It was considered highly desirable in those days. The collectors now consider the single album more deserving of their attention.

First time I saw FZ was at The Royal Festival Hall in 1968. The concert later featured on 'Ahead Of Their Time'. I went to see FZ every time he was over from that point on.

Hard to pick a favourite show ... I loved the 'Sheik Yerbouti' tour. While I really liked the album, I didn't think 'Sheik Yerbouti' was a good representation of what that band sound like in concert. 'Hammersmith Odeon' is much more representative but why have the longer version of 'Wild Love' and 'Yo Moma' been left out. FZ closed the show with 'Yo Moma', before coming back for encores.

BTW ... Which of the new remasters are worth owning?