FZ - St. Etienne

[chalkpie]

This solo is so amazing it deserves a thread of its own. I have been OBSESSED with this solo for the past week or so, playing it like 5 times a day or so (but have really loved it for many, many years). I mean, this might be my favorite guitar solo by anybody EVER, at least I've felt that way a few times this past week. If that is hyperbloe talking, then it is at least top 5. Its so utterly captivating and beautiful - every single note, phrase, tone.....combined with the just the perfect amount of feedback is just intoxicating. OK, so this may be a bit odd I guess, but when I close my eyes I envision a shimmering ring or circle from above (looking down) and in the circle is Frank's face doing that classic 'one-eye-sorta-closed-I'm-smarter-than-you-look' - but every note he plays makes one part of the circle stretch out like a rubber band instantaneously and then it goes back again, etc, etc. The circle is glowing too.....No, I haven't done acid since 1994 or so. Also, what a gem of a video this is - its a shame that the entire thing doesn't exist but the French mime guy is actually a great touch! This is such genius playing, and to think that its basically a composition-within-a-composition (Drowning Witch, 2nd solo), to me that is mind-blowing. There are truly no words to convey how much I love FZ's playing on this, just thought I'd share this with you lads (and lasses).

[StarThrower]

By coincidence I played Video From Hell for my wife the other day so we were listening to this great solo. But I've been listening to it for 31 years since I bought a copy of Jazz From Hell. St Etienne, and When No One Was No One are the two whammy bar era FZ solos that really stand out for me.

About 30 years ago I was taking guitar lessons from a really good player that had been featured in GP Magazine. One day I came in with a tape of St Etienne and played it for him. In the two weeks until my next lesson, he had gone out and purchased a vinyl copy of Guitar which he proudly showed off to me when I showed up for my next lesson.

[GuitarGeek]

I remember Night Flight showing a bunch of Zappa clips. I recall they showed the Nite School, G Spot Tornado, Peaches En Regalia, and Mr. Green Genes videos. They showed an excerpt from the version of Stevie's Spanking that's on You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore Vol. 4 (I suppose one of you guys will tell me it's actually on Vol. 3, right?), showing Frank's first solo, then Vai's, then a chunk of Frank's second solo, but then cutting away to some commentary from Thomas Nordegg who I guess was Frank's videographer, or what-have-ya.

And they also shorted a shortened of St Etienne. I think that might have been the first time I saw someone using the plectrum to do hammer ons (various tapping with one or more of the right hand fingers). I'm not sure if I was already playing around with the idea, or if I saw this video first, then started doing that, but I always like that rapid sort of toggling quality you got.

I've seen other videos where Frank appears to be tremolo picking the string, with the plectrum fretting the string each time it made contact.

And I'll reiterate that this is my favorite period for Frank's guitar work, when he was playing that souped up Strat copy with the Floyd Rose and custom EQ system. I liked the tones he got, and I like the way he sort of reinvented his playing during that era. I think it was Vai who said that the Floyd Rose caused a paradigm shift in Frank's playing style.

[pb2015]

I remember Night Flight showing a bunch of Zappa clips. I recall they showed the Nite School, G Spot Tornado, Peaches En Regalia, and Mr. Green Genes videos. They showed an excerpt from the version of Stevie's Spanking that's on You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore Vol. 4 (I suppose one of you guys will tell me it's actually on Vol. 3, right?), showing Frank's first solo, then Vai's, then a chunk of Frank's second solo, but then cutting away to some commentary from Thomas Nordegg who I guess was Frank's videographer, or what-have-ya.

And they also shorted a shortened of St Etienne.

I think all of this is from the Barfko Swill video Video From Hell mentioned above.

[GuitarGeek]

I think all of this is from the Barfko Swill video Video From Hell mentioned above.

Yeah, as I recall, I did eventually see the Video From Hell, and I recognize some of the footage. The versions that were shown on Night Flight were truncated, though.

[Zappathustra]

Good call! A beautiful piece of music, that bears the stamp of a great guitar player.

[Zeuhlmate]

One of my favorite guitarists - top 10.
One of the few guitarist where I want to hear the tunes just because of the guitar solo.

[Udi Koomran]

Frankie
I need you to do a commentary or a essay on Shut Up & Play Your Guitar
That never seizes to boggle my mind
And St Etienne seems to be cut from the same cloth

[chalkpie]

Frankie
I need you to do a commentary or a essay on Shut Up & Play Your Guitar
That never seizes to boggle my mind
And St Etienne seems to be cut from the same cloth

Would be difficult for sure - its hard to convey in words just what FZ is accomplishing on that record. I truly think they are more than just 'guitar solos' - I hear a lot of his playing as an art form in itself, not too far off from an Indian Raga development played on sitar or sarod.


A few things I have noticed in St. Etienne:


Check out the little descending motif (let's call it Motif A) at 1:26...

Then motif B at 1:33, where does these bends, but the very end of this motif is basically related to Motif A...it's that same little descending riff

Motif A played again at 1:43.....followed directly with motif B again (1:45)!

Motif A played again at 2:05....Motif B again at 2:07!

Even at 2:11 he seems to recall the descending riff from Motif A

At 2:31 he sounds like he is also recalling the opening chordal motif at the very beginning of this solo....and even possibly at 2:43

3:20 starts one of mhy favorite parts of this solo - this sequence of "open" sounding chords - just gorgeous

at 4:03 he just alters one note (sounds like he plays a #11 or maybe lydian mode)....its quick but sounds cool

at 4:29 there is this classic wild FZ lick that is like the rubber band glowing ring (like I said before), really amazing little lick.....

...then 4:34 has this (not sure what to call it) frantic lick altered by a half-step down, then he seems to recall this lick (related) again at 4:45

and at 5:01 he cools things down with another one of my fav parts of this solo, just playing this floating melody, again very beautiful imo. It gets more intense and he continues to about 5:22....

Then the beginning of the Bulgarian bagpipe tapping part (I think he called that?)....which is so intoxicating and shimmering

Now this is incredible - after ALL of that - he teases motif A again at 6:06, and then at 6:10 properly plays Motif A again (which he played about 4 minutes earlier!!). Genius!

There is stuff I'm missing and glossing over, but after hearing this solo so many times this week, I started to pick up on this stuff and was even more blown away.

[chalkpie]

One of my favorite guitarists - top 10.
One of the few guitarist where I want to hear the tunes just because of the guitar solo.

Right with ya brother!

[señormoment]

Maybe you’ve read this interview from Downbeat ‘83. I hadn’t, and found it pretty informative...

http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/F..._Guitar_Player

Excerpt:

What is your opinion of your own playing lately?
I think it's a case of too little too late. I mean, I really have just about lost interest in playing guitar. I tried. I did everything that I could, but I don't feel like doing it anymore. I'm interested in other things now. I mean, I did it. Now I'm thinking of selling my guitars.

[chalkpie]

^Cheers for that interview - I have never seen that before but I love the detail about the different bands, and how Ray White comps behind him, etc....great stuff

[GuitarGeek]

Maybe you’ve read this interview from Downbeat ‘83. I hadn’t, and found it pretty informative...

http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/F..._Guitar_Player

Excerpt: (Frank basically saying he's not interested in playing guitar anymore

Yeah, I'm not surprised. I know I read one fan site where it was suggested 82 was the last year where he really played anything interesting. According to the guy(s) writing the essays on this particular site (and I'm sorry, I don't remember which one it was, this was like 10 or 12 years ago I read this), the guitar playing on the 84 and 88 tours was a bit directionless.

But given the fact that Frank went so hard into doing stuff that had nothing to do with "rock group" arrangements, e.g. the Synclavier recordings, focusing more intently on his orchestral music, etc, I think indicated that he had less interest in the trappings associated with the music that he was most associated with. I believe it's been said Frank had said after both the 84 and 88 tours that he wasn't going to tour again (though I believe I read that at one point, just before he started getting really sick, he was thinking about going out one the road one more time).

I also remember reading where he said the only time he played guitar was when he was either on the road, or getting ready to go on the road. He said he'd practice for a couple weeks before the start of a tour, just to get the fingers in shape, but once a toured ended, he'd toss the guitar in a corner and not bother with it.

And in fact, I also remember Dweezil saying at one point, he found one of Frank's guitars, I think it was the Hendrix Strat, under the stairs in their house. He said it had no strings on it and looked like it had been raped and left to die. He said he thought it might be a cool idea to take it to a guitar tech and have it set up again, maybe that would inspire Frank to play. When Dweezil told him he was gonna have the guitar set up for him, Frank said "You can have it".

And I think Frank also said at least once that, by the mid 80's, the attention span of the audience had changed and he felt no one was really interested in hearing long guitar solos anymore. So he felt there was little point in continuing to do what he used to do with the guitar.

All of that's a shame, but ya know, most musicians who operate outside the mainstream (or at least with lesser regard for the mainstream than, say, The Rolling Stones or whatever) is they tend to evolve, and do stuff that sometimes at some part of their fanbase is gonna say "What the frell is that?! Go back to doing stuff like your old stuff!". And in Frank's case, I guess part of said evolution was he lost interest in playing guitar. Unfortunate, but that's what it is. (shrug)

[Steve F.]

It’s nice. I like it.
But for me it’s *just* a guitar solo by a good guitarist who has good ideas.
It’s not all the other things some of you hear.

Sorry. YMMV.

[Mister Triscuits]

Yeah, I'm not surprised. I know I read one fan site where it was suggested 82 was the last year where he really played anything interesting. According to the guy(s) writing the essays on this particular site (and I'm sorry, I don't remember which one it was, this was like 10 or 12 years ago I read this), the guitar playing on the 84 and 88 tours was a bit directionless.

The Downbeat quote was just Frank being maudlin. He still had plenty left to say on the guitar on those last tours, and my personal Exhibit A is the lengthy, spooky solo that makes up the bulk of "The Torture Never Stops Part 2" on The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life. Shivers. Magic.

[chalkpie]

The Downbeat quote was just Frank being maudlin. He still had plenty left to say on the guitar on those last tours, and my personal Exhibit A is the lengthy, spooky solo that makes up the bulk of "The Torture Never Stops Part 2" on The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life. Shivers. Magic.

Oh that's a great one - so is "Zomby Woof" and "Cruisin' for Burgers" on Jazz Noise

[GuitarGeek]

The Downbeat quote was just Frank being maudlin. He still had plenty left to say on the guitar on those last tours, and my personal Exhibit A is the lengthy, spooky solo that makes up the bulk of "The Torture Never Stops Part 2" on The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life. Shivers. Magic.

Well, the "Frank's solos on the 84 and 88 tours were directionless" commentary came from a website, might have been Kill Ugly Radio, but I'm not sure. So that was some cognoscenti type talking.

Personally, I like most of the guitar work I've heard from those later tours. There's some fine solos in Does Humor Belong In Music? (I still have the original import CD release), Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, and Make A Jazz Noise Here. I'd have to get out the Barcelona 88 video and watch it again, but I seem to remember there were some good solos on that too.

Oh that's a great one - so is "Zomby Woof" and "Cruisin' for Burgers" on Jazz Noise

Also, Fire And Chains and Star Wars Won't Work.

[Wah3]

I remember reading an interview, in Guitar Player magazine if I recall correctly, from around the time of Jazz From Hell where Frank basically said he had given up guitar playing for a couple years. He was talking about playing the Synclavier, and the interviewer was kinda shocked, saying well this is Guitar Player magazine. Thankfully Frank took up the guitar again in time to get his chops back for the 88 tour, the only one I saw. At the Springfield Civic Center March 13, 1988. I picked up Jazz From Hell before the show and the only song I really liked on it was St Etienne.

[Udi Koomran]

It’s nice. I like it.
But for me it’s *just* a guitar solo by a good guitarist who has good ideas.
It’s not all the other things some of you hear.

Sorry. YMMV.

Party Pooper

[Buddhabreath]

Nice pick Chalkpie. Ultra tasty feel, subtleties and technique. Very straightforward melodically, he’s definitely staying in his comfort zone IMO and I would guess he would have said it was just an improv with no compositional heft. I picked up my guitar to confirm what he was doing: purely staying in Amaj key but anchoring on the E which make it a Dorian modal jam - which I often find myself using as it is so pleasing to the ear. Timeless.

If anyone thinks I analyzed that incorrectly please chime in! There are doubtless other ways to map it.

[chalkpie]

I'd just call it B Dorian and be done with it! But yes, it's based on the A major scale. Lots of ways to approach this mode.

[pb2015]

The band usually plays B dorian during that second solo but in "St. Etienne" it does drift towards E mixolydian halfway through. "But Who Was Fulcanelli?" (Guitar) is another solo a week earlier from that song - in that track FZ edited out the first few minutes and by the time the track starts they have settled in E. I think later in the tour they went back to staying in B through the solo.

[Buddhabreath]

^^^
oops, that’s right, B Dorian. Brain fart. Starts anchored on the B w/ 3#’s. E Dorian would have only 2#’s and then, I agree it’s then anchored on the E while staying with the 3#’s thus giving it a Mixolydian mode. Excellent. Thanks!

There was a little more to it than I thought.

[GuitarGeek]

The band usually plays B dorian during that second solo but in "St. Etienne" it does drift towards E mixolydian halfway through.

Which is why Frank liked keeping the harmonic structure behind his solos simple. Everyone points that out, "Oh Frank was a fantastic composer, but when he'd play a guitar solo, the band would suddenly drop into a one or two chord vamp", as if to suggest that Frank's abilities as a guitar were inferior because he didn't "solo over changes" the way some Berklee educated jazz guy would. Yeah, whatever.

Frank kept the harmony simple during his solos so that he could go anywhere he wanted melodically. The more complex the harmony is, the more locked in the soloist is to this or that scale. And Frank presumably founded that confining.

[Steve F.]

Party Pooper

My middle name. But a polite party pooper.