A Sir Frank Zappa/Mothers Thread.

Posted by: Gale 401 on 02 September 2012

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

How old were you?

Did you see the Mothers play live?

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

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

What are your Fav most played albums?

Anything Sir Frank Zappa?

Just post pictures albums and anything you can think off.

Almost 20 years.F.B.I.

Stu.

Posted on: 18 September 2012 by Bart
Originally Posted by Guido Fawkes:
Could somebody please tell me was that a real poncho or a SEARS poncho? Hmmm no fooling.

 

Sears -- large department store chain in the States. 

 

I first heard Zappa music while in high school in the mid 1970's -- the Apostrophe album.  I never got to see him live, but I did see the first tour of "Zappa Plays Zappa" with Dweezil and Napoleon Murphy Brock.

Posted on: 18 September 2012 by DrMark

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

 

Roxy and One Size Fits All are the 2 I have...both excellent.

 

And Bart, the full definition is "a large department store chain in the States teetering on the edge of insolvency" - I just started work for a division of Sears Holding Co right now, and no one has apparently seen a raise for over 4 years!  (Well, I'm sure the CEO and his cronies do...)

 

And having seen ZPZ on 3 different tours, all were great, but the one you saw was the best, mainly because of NMB & the selections they played when I went in Dallas were outstanding.  Ray White on the second was not as impressive, and by the third, it was just his ensemble, but all were terrific in their own right.  Sheila Gonzalez is a real talent...

Posted on: 20 September 2012 by JBGWild

I can close my eyes and still see and hear some of the 2 gigs at Hammersmith I saw in the late 70s, huge PAs (rather than line arrays) but stunning SQ. Most of his live releases are amongst the best for SQ too, Roxy and Elsewhere in particular. So much material to enjoy, currently getting into the double CD set, Make a Jazz Noise Here ('all 100% live and no overdubs' it sez 'ere).  He was a big fan of JBL monitors, I really want to hear a pair one day, if Frank said they were the dog's bolls they must be worth a listen. Another reason to bring back the 20th century!

 

Cheers John

Posted on: 21 September 2012 by graham halliwell

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

 

 

Burnt Weeny Sandwich is excellent; very pleased with it.

 

Weasel Ripped My Flesh is next on my list - from what I'm lead to believe a return to analogue LP/edit - my Ryko has extra sections added and 1980's digital reverb - which I find hideous.

 

tread carefully - some of these reissues are the same as Ryko editions, and some genuinely from analogue masters.  a minefield.  but I'm sure you'll be aware of this from other discussions online.

 

Posted on: 23 September 2012 by bigball
Where was I ? In a friends house aged around 9 when I walked past his elder brothers room . I remember saying 'what is that ?' only to be told to come back when I was older . I was older - probably a year - when I heard the same music coming from a school room - probably the 6th firm room . The voice haunted me for ages and when I finally had enough money . Thanks to Christmas and birthdays - I went out and bought the lp from WHSmiths . The track was Hot Rats - the rest is history !! A couple if years on and a school friend was hooked by FZ - loved some but hated more - nothing ever seemed to hit the spot like Hot Rats. Recently bought a Loricraft record cleaner. One of the first records to be given the treatment was Hot Rats. My system has come on a long way since 1970 - but that magic persists. One of the best albums of all time. Never saw him live but loved him for getting me in music Barry
Posted on: 23 September 2012 by Russ

It was in 72 or 3, I think.  I was going over to do the daily feeding of a cat that belonged to a friend of mine from law school who was in India learning the the sound of one hand clapping from a guru who charged him plenty for it.  There was a Zappa and Mothers Warner Reprise album lying out and I played it.  It was not music of which I was fond, so I started to switch it off--when the Song "River of Sh*t came on.  I will not say how the experience compared with hearing say, Beethoven's Ninth.

 

Russ

Posted on: 06 October 2012 by DrMark

Hey Zappa heads - this is f****ing huge:

 

From the Gibson Guitars web site:

 

'Zappa Roxy DVD Finally in its Way

Peter Hodgson
 

It's been a long wait, but it looks like Frank Zappa fans are finally about to get their hands on something they've waited four decades for.

 

December 8, 9 and 10, 2013, mark the 40th anniversary of Zappa's three performances at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Those are the gigs which formed the basis of the legendary Roxy & Elsewhere album.

 

Over the weekend, the Zappa Family Trust announced that they've quite thoroughly identified all parts and participles of the audio and video recordings of this famous run of shows, and will finally deliver a concert film in theatres, DVD and on Blu-Ray some time before December 2013.

 

In the meantime, in anticipation of the actual movie, the ZFT will release a prequel to the soundtrack. Or as Gail Zappa describes it, "75 minutes and 49 seconds of Roxy without the Elsewhere."

 

The ZFT is also about to release a new series called Road Tapes on their Vaulternative imprint, with the first salvo to be fired around Halloween - always a sacred time for Zappa fans.'

Posted on: 07 October 2012 by Gale 401

Doc,

Thanks for that info.

Something to look forward too.

Stu.

Posted on: 07 October 2012 by Guido Fawkes

 

Contains an early clip of a work with Frank playing the bicycle. 


Give a Guy a big nose and weird hair and he is capable of anything.