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Thread: Zappa's Joe's Garage

  1. #26
    "He Used to Cut the Grass, and Watermelon" were what initially pulled me in on that disc. Still one of my favs of his. And even though I'm 51 and have heard it plenty, "Stick it Out" still makes me laugh. I mean c'mon, "weenie" is just funny!

  2. #27
    It's a solid half and half album for me. I got this after I had my initial Frank Zappa discovery phase, and while it has some of my favorite songs he ever did, it also contains some of my least favorite. A lot of the song sections are fantastic (Keep it Greasy, Fembot, Packard, and so on) but some of the songs don't seem to add much and don't really go anywhere. I often find myself skipping over the what seems to me to be over-long guitar solos as well (sacrilegious, I know). He definitely released more consistently great records.
    A vie, a mort, et apres...

  3. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Polska View Post
    "Stick it Out" still makes me laugh. I mean c'mon, "weenie" is just funny!
    Without this song how would any of us know how to say "Don't get no jizz upon that sofa" in German?

  4. #29
    I adore it
    I hated it when it came out and threw away the vol1
    then in the early 80's I revisited and was hooked forever
    This is in my opinion one of the very best sounding rock albums ever recorded

  5. #30
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    Question: Why was this originally released in installments? I think Act I is a solid album. So I'm wondering if Zappa held up the release of Acts II / III for marketing, artistic reasons, or was recording still in progress?
    Last edited by señormoment; 03-31-2015 at 03:13 AM. Reason: Wording

  6. #31
    Member Oreb's Avatar
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    The first Zappa album I've heard that descends to sentimentality (Watermelon & Used to Cut the Grass in particular).

    And that's a bad thing.

  7. #32
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guitarplyrjvb View Post
    Despite being somewhat of a Zappa completist, I never owned this one. After getting it from the library, I had to buy it. Despite the scatological humor, adolescent gags, and general silliness, there are some outright musical gems on this one. Watermelon in Easter Hay, On the Bus, Keep it Greasy, and Outside Now to name a few. The other silly songs often have several bars of genius embedded in them like Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt or contain some great playing like the slide guitar in Crew Slut. It's just frustrating that you've got to get through some real juvenile comedy bits to get to the jaw dropping stuff sometimes. I know it's useless to wonder, but what if Zappa had dispensed with the silliness and just concentrated on serious music? I guess he had to sell his art somehow, but geez, some of his music is like poofting a green rosetta on a diamond.
    yu^, JG was almost myfirst Zappa album (Yerbouti was), and it was mostly acquired as an aping from my HS buddies. Like most of us, we loved the smut and swearing, but it grew incredibly boring with me

    Quote Originally Posted by gpeccary View Post
    I feel the same way about the humor. It grows old very quickly unfortunately. But I would argue that this, along with most of his other work, is pretty serious. He said lyrics were for those that need them, but I think he needed them too. I don't think he either gave much credit to the intelligence of his audience or gave himself much credit for the work he did, always dumbing it down to its lowest common denominator. I think if he stayed away from the juvenile lyrics he would have been taken far more seriously than he gave himself a chance to be. He was a pretty jaded cynical bastard in the end.
    I think good ol'Zap thought it was the best way to hook vast amounts of teens into his music - and it kind of worked, with a lot of male teenagers. I mean smutt and guitar histrionics were what the kids needed (or asked for), and he sure as hell gave it to them... I'd even say that he rammed it in in our own back end

    Quote Originally Posted by polmico View Post
    And sung about what? Serious social issues?

    He didn't care if you thought it was silly, folks.
    Actually, I'm sure he was happy we thought it was silly...certainly, he thrived on being silly from the Suzy Creemcheese days onwards

    And yeah, Zap' could have sung about social issues more (it was sometimes underlying anyway), but that was not exactly well seen in the US - especially during the cold war, where having social-minded issues (I'm not sure that zap would've been a leftie anyway) was generally the best way to be labelled as commie, which would've been disastrous move in terms of comercial success

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve F. View Post
    My recollection from 30-whatever years ago, when I heard it for the first and only time, that it was the first FZ album that didn't appear to have a single great piece of music in it somewhere to redeem its awfulness....

    It was the 1st FZ I hated completely front-to-back and I remember feeling sort of sad about that.

    Maybe I would feel differently now. Dunno.
    wow, that's rather extreme... JG is certainly not in my top 15, but it's nowhere near the bottom either.

    Sure its smuttiness galore plays against it, but it's still a pretty good guitar album, IMHO


    Quote Originally Posted by Udi Koomran View Post
    This is in my opinion one of the very best sounding rock albums ever recorded
    yup, I remember being able to play this one louder than most other albums, because of its amazing sound
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  8. #33
    Masterpiece! Best sounding album Frank ever did too. Packard Goose and Sy Borg are my favourites these days.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Udi Koomran View Post
    This is in my opinion one of the very best sounding rock albums ever recorded
    I recall reading that he recorded this album on new gear (possibly)?

  10. #35
    chalkpie
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oreb View Post
    The first Zappa album I've heard that descends to sentimentality (Watermelon & Used to Cut the Grass in particular).

    And that's a bad thing.
    Why is that bad? He was Human too.

  11. #36
    chalkpie
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    Quote Originally Posted by Troopers For Sound View Post
    Masterpiece! Best sounding album Frank ever did too. Packard Goose and Sy Borg are my favourites these days.


    Moog solo in "Sy Borg"!!

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    Why is that bad? He was Human too.
    Of course he was - but for much of his career (before and after this) he had zero tolerance for Plasticity. And sentimentality is Plastic.

    Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    I sooooo wish there was a version out there that didn't have the Central Scrutinizer VO over the intro. It kind of makes it awkward to play on a radio show, outside the context of the entire album.
    I could care less about the trials and tribulations of DJs, but I agree re this. It's tedious.

    Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

  14. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post


    Moog solo in "Sy Borg"!!
    And Adam Holzman totally has a Peter Wolf vibe going on in his moog solo on Hand Cannot Erase...wouldn't surprise me if it was a direct reference.

  15. #40
    I guess I'm in the minority.. I love this album.. Zappa humor has never bothered me.. I kinda grew up listening to Zappa in high school so maybe I was the perfect age for his target audience.. and as I recall there had been a string of releases one right after the other when this one showed up in the record shop and the cover instantly drew me to it.. Title track could have come off of Freak Out.. the music / message is timeless.. I still spin it on occasion..

  16. #41
    Frankie this was the lat album he did in a commercial studio all the others that followed were done at UMRK

  17. #42
    Member Phlakaton's Avatar
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    I think its also a masterpiece of studio production... similar in a lot of ways to Sheik (although Sheik has a lot more live elements). The sound is so damn good.

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oreb View Post
    I could care less about the trials and tribulations of DJs, but I agree re this. It's tedious.
    You could? :P

  19. #44
    Recently Resurrected zombywoof's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Udi Koomran View Post
    This is in my opinion one of the very best sounding rock albums ever recorded
    Yeah, I did listen to a bit of it last night and paid considerable attention to the production. It's recorded and mixed extremely well.

  20. #45
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    wow, that's rather extreme... JG is certainly not in my top 15, but it's nowhere near the bottom either.
    So, what's in the bottom five for you?

    Keep in mind my not liking Joe's Garage was when it was FIRST RELEASED (so that's what - 37 years ago?) and I heard the double album (I think it was the double that I felt that way about - it might of been the single album, but I think it was the double).

    Lots of water under the bridge since then.
    Steve F.

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    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

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    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  21. #46
    Recently Resurrected zombywoof's Avatar
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    Bottom Five Frank for me is -

    1. Thing-Fish
    2. Man from Utopia
    3. Just Another Band from LA / Filmore East (inseparable for me!)
    4. Mothers of Prevention
    5. You are What You Is

    That's not in order, but Thing-Fish is the worst album I've ever heard. I've often said, Frank is responsible for some of the best and worst music I've ever heard.

  22. #47
    Joe's Garage is an immaculately produced album. One of the things I love about it is Warren Cuccurullo's brilliant guitar accompaniment. Stuff like the jazzy octave playing on Catholic Girls (well... all the way...that's the way they go...). And of course FZ is just full of melodies. Fembot has a great vocal melody. On The Bus has just about the coolest guitar solo Frank ever played, imo. And nobody could deliver a lyric like FZ. He has no equals.

  23. #48
    Recently Resurrected zombywoof's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reid View Post
    Joe's Garage is an immaculately produced album. One of the things I love about it is Warren Cuccurullo's brilliant guitar accompaniment. Stuff like the jazzy octave playing on Catholic Girls (well... all the way...that's the way they go...). And of course FZ is just full of melodies. Fembot has a great vocal melody. On The Bus has just about the coolest guitar solo Frank ever played, imo. And nobody could deliver a lyric like FZ. He has no equals.
    I'm surprised no one has mentioned the incredible drum work from Vinnie!!

  24. #49
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zombywoof View Post
    Bottom Five Frank for me is -

    1. Thing-Fish
    2. Man from Utopia
    3. Just Another Band from LA / Filmore East (inseparable for me!)
    4. Mothers of Prevention
    5. You are What You Is

    That's not in order, but Thing-Fish is the worst album I've ever heard. I've often said, Frank is responsible for some of the best and worst music I've ever heard.
    The only ones of these I know from that list are the two Flo & Eddie ones. I don't like those albums much, but at least I think they are clever. I didn't think Joe's Garage was clever at the one time I heard it.

    P.S. Looks like my list of really poor Zappa albums has not kept up with the times! I will try not to remedy that anytime soon...
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  25. #50
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    ^Steve, I'd at least give 'Watermelon In Easter Hay' another listen, if nothing else. I would agree that the voiceover intro one could live without, but the music is exquisite- perhaps the most beautiful piece of music he ever did, in fact.

    I'm not that into much of his 80s stuff (of what I've heard anyway...in fact I've not heard several in zombywoof's list!) generally, of the 60s and 70s ones it's only 'Just Another Band From LA' I find to have little merit.

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