Frank Zappa Discussion/Survivor: Last albums by original Mothers (now voting!) [abandoned]

Should this survivor continue

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Yes, but lets start over and/or use all the songs

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Lets do a discography discussion instead

    Votes: 6 100.0%
  • Total voters
    6
Shadow said:
Like much of Zappa's pop-oriented material, I think the songs on the first two sides of Freak Out! work better as a kind of parodic suite than they do as individual numbers. Only "Hungry Freaks" and "Brain Police" are great on their own.
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Very possible. There are similar situations coming ahead where I have treated a series of songs like this as a suite, but those are cases where Zappa usually performed the suite together like "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow". In this case, I think I perceive them as separate songs because I've heard the later live versions as standalones.
 
I like Anyway The Wind Blows. The other two songs are decent. I agree with Shadow, it's enjoyable stuff when listening to the whole album but not really remarkable out of context. Would not skip any of these songs on shuffle though.
 
You Didn't Try used to be my favourite from the first half (along with Go Cry on Somebody Elses Shoulder and Anyway the Wind Blows). However, I don't like the reworkings on Cruising with Ruben - in fact, I don't like that album at all, so there. But those other two from the last post are not my favourites as well, okay, but definitely inessential.
 
Time to resume the Zappa songs! I took a break over Thanksgiving, tried to cook a turkey, but... it was a Dangerous Kitchen. :innocent:

Trouble Every Day
Inspired by the 1965 Watts Riots, this song contains Zappa's most cutting social commentary on the whole debut album.
In the 70's, Zappa slowed down the song and turned that mid-60s guitar groove into a soul jam. He called this version "More Trouble Every Day" - same lyrics, new music.

Help, I'm A Rock
Side Four of Freak Out! is full of Zappa's avant-garde insanity. Here's one sample of that madness for our Survivor.


Absolutely Free (1967)
FrankZappa-AbsolutelyFree.jpg

​

Zappa & the Mothers' second album is a good successor to Freak Out!, expanding Zappa's palette to include more musical experimentation. Rather than the literalism of "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" and "Trouble Every Day", Zappa turns his social commentary on this album to the direction of sarcasm.

Plastic People
Zappa had a lifelong obsession with the song "Louie, Louie". Here he twists that old song into something new. The phrase "plastic people" was Zappa's favorite term in the 60's for mainstream America.
Go on home and check yourself
You think we're singing 'bout someone else...

Keep on loading and unloading in the white zone! Discover and discuss.
 
There are live versions of Plastic People sung entirely over the music for Louie Louie. Check the first song here:

There are lots of Louie Louie references throughout the Zappa catalog. Andy from One Size Fits All is a more later example.

There's also a lot of Stravinsky on Absolutely Free. Lots of neat musical references on that album in particular.
 
Good catch with the Vol 1 version there, I had forgotten that one. "Andy" gets its own entry later on of course.

Absolutely Free is a transitional album; Zappa began viewing his albums as sound sculptures, and was less concerned about presenting individual "songs". This culminates in the Lumpy Gravy project. So Zappa bringing in stuff like Stravinsky is part of that whole idea: mix it all together. Or as Frank liked to say: "put the whiskers on it."
 
Well, isn't the Louie Louie melody used pretty much as a basis for Son of Suzy Creamcheese off that very album? (Absolutely Free, that is)
 
Yes! Forgot about that one. Suzy has a Stravinsky nod too if I'm remembering right. Those songs all blend together so I'm not sure if it happens there or Uncle Bernie's Farm.. Will have to check later.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Well, isn't the Louie Louie melody used pretty much as a basis for Son of Suzy Creamcheese off that very album? (Absolutely Free, that is)
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The melody of the title phrase comes from "Louie, Louie" - but the musical backing for that phrase, and the rest of the song, is original.


This song will not be in the Survivor. For my selections from Absolutely Free, I've chosen tracks that became live staples for Zappa as the 70s and 80s went on. It's a fun little song but not really finalist material.
 
The Duke of Prunes
One of Zappa's themes that makes many appearances over his career. For this Survivor, this entry includes the three-track suite "The Duke of Prunes" / "Amnesia Vivace" / "The Duke Regains His Chops". Here's the whole 5-minute suite in one video:
Another good version, from the late 70's: "Duke of Orchestral Prunes". It's actually Zappa's band, not an orchestra, although it sounds like he has some additional winds and horns. Includes a good Zappa guitar solo.
Remember that all versions of a Zappa song are included in that song's entry - so you should consider both of these when voting starts. :cool:

Call Any Vegetable
This song's best and most famous version comes from Just Another Band From L.A., recorded live on August 7, 1971.
The original version from Absolutely Free is, like "Duke of Prunes", presented as a 3-part suite. The core song is split in two parts, each about 2.5 minutes long. In between is the instrumental "Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin". The title sounds like a Stravinsky reference, but there isn't actually any section in The Rite of Spring called "Invocation and Ritual Dance".

Keep on smoking your joint while the neighbors decide! Discover and discuss.
 
This thread reminds me and a being a Zappa freak I do tend to forget this. What an amazing singular artist this world has never and probably will lot see again.

Oh and put up
The poll already. I can't wait!!
 
Status Back Baby
One of FZ's best teenage parodies. My school spirit's at an all-time low!

Brown Shoes Don't Make It
Zappa's early magnum opus about political corruption and TV dinners by the pool. It was best performed by the Vai-era band on Tinsel Town Rebellion:
However, the vintage sound on the original is still charming. The song is the same as above; this one is so complex, Zappa never changed the arrangement live.

This concludes the songs for our first group. Sorry if some of your favorites aren't in the poll, but I had to make cuts somewhere or we'll never finish. I tried to focus on songs with more musical innovation - thus "Status Back Baby" rather than "Big Leg Emma", even though I personally prefer the latter. I know that Absolutely Free got shorted a bit, but I think Freak Out! is a historically significant debut and deserves more slots.

Four finalists will advance from this round. There is no set date for end of voting; we'll give a few days and see how many voters we get. I will always vote last, just before closing the round (to ensure ties are broken if necessary).

Discuss and vote!
 
Good article about Dweezil's new album: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/23379-dweezil-zappa-roots-and-branches

includes “Dragon Master,” the only tune he cowrote with his father, in the late ’80s. From the Arabic melody in the main riff to the decidedly Dio-style vocals and ridiculous lyrics, the song effectively combines the quirkiness of the Zappa universe with the imagery and attitude of classic Iron Maiden.
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Preview from youtube:

Voting is still open for the first group, any more?
 
Hmm. I haven't heard any of Dweezil's solo work before (except a "Zappa Plays Zappa" TV broadcast, if that counts), but I liked the riff at least.

In any case, I listened to Absolutely Free in its entirety yesterday. It was something of a rediscovery; with a catalogue like Zappa's, it's inevitable that you neglect certain records for a long time. I think it's sometimes forgotten because it's squeezed in between two of Zappa's most classic albums (though on the other hand, I wouldn't say it's a great album).
 
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