Frank Zappa is perhaps the biggest hole in my record collection. The sheer size of his discography always scared me so I never explored.
I have decided to take the plunge and buy 5 Zappa albums.
Which 5 albums should I get (and why?) to get a good overview of what Frank Zappa is about ?
Joost
Early:
Absolutely Free for song, farce and history.
Uncle Meat for -seriously- visionary rock/progressive/avant-garde/whatever and heavy duty history.
Mid:
Roxy and Elsewhere for sheer musicality and abundance of ideas.
One Size Fits All for refinement and groove and production values galore.
Later:
Studio Tan for advancement, entertainment and fun.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Very good suggestions. Although I would quibble that Studio Tan really comes from the same period as Roxy... and One Size..., not his late period. If you want late FZ, try Make a Jazz Noise Here - it's not quite as aggravating as much of his late-period work (partly because it contains quite a few late performances of earlier work), and has some excellent live playing.Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor
I meant "later 70s", John. Not much of a fan of 80s Zappa here.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Neither am I.
He got successful enough at the time that he was always playing huge echoey halls. So he simplified his music; the more intricate material just turned into mush in those venues. Also, he got rid of the horns (until the '88 tour band), which were always a central part of the FZ sound, and which I missed. Furthermore, Frank went through his own version of selling out at that point - he played to his core audience of smart, horny, and unattractive 13-year-old boys, stressed the dumb, dirty, and mean-spirited jokes, and wrote an awful lot of songs that were funny once if at all and didn't have enough musical interest to overcome that. Playing the best guitar of his life wasn't enough to overcome those factors
Or at least that's my opinion.
This is a great call overall....maybe Absolutely Free could be be swapped for something like Grand Wazoo but yeah.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Good list here. I'm glad to see some love for Studio Tan, one of my favorite FZ records.
This is probably my favorite list of recommendations. I’d probably swap out The Helsinki Concert (YCDTOSA Vol. 2) for Roxy & Elsewhere, I way prefer those versions of these songs. Probably his most celebrated band, and probably my favorite line-up, but the only studio album I really like from this period is One Size Fits All, which I adore. The others indulge in too much of the sophomoric scatological/vulgar “humor” which paid the bills, but was an aspect of Zappa that I never really cared for. But I loved when he was all-out absurdist as on OSFA and in the early days (Absolutely Free and Uncle Meat in particular). Though celebrated as a satirist, I thought he excelled at it on We’re Only in It for the Money and barely anywhere else. In general, his satire is soured for me by a caustic misanthropic streak. I find the much-celebrated Sheik Yerbouti to be unbearable.
I kind of want Hot Rats to be in there somewhere, too, because it’s such a classic, but you did ask for five. If you like his instrumental style, you’re going to want it eventually (probably also Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo).
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Uncle Meat
Hot Rats
Grand Wazoo
Roxy & Elsewhere
One Size Fits All
Just my suggestions. If you end up enjoying any of these you can keep exploring earlier or later stuff.
Freak Out! --- I started in the basement - first one - still my favorite for many reasons
Hot Rats --- Just get it -
Roxy and Elsewhere --- Loads of great moments - vocal and musical -
Joe's Garage --- harder for some to get into at first including me - vocals and singing can be challenging with Frank but rewarding in the end
Yellow Shark --- Maybe some of his finest moments period.
Start with Hot Rats.
And then:
- We're only in it for the money
- Uncle Meat
- Burnt Weeny Sandwich
- Waka Jawaka
This is not my top 5. This is my take on how one gets a cpmplete first impression (and possibly directed at what I believe is close to your taste)
Just don't start with Ruben & the Jets. In fact, skip it altogether.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Probably not the best place to start, but I disagree to skip it. It's a great one.Just don't start with Ruben & the Jets. In fact, skip it altogether.
1. Freak Out
2. We're Only In It For the Money
3. Uncle Meat
4. One Size Fits All
5. Absolutely Free
I'll probably get raked over the coals for suggesting this but Amazon Music Unlimited has over 100 Zappa albums.
I do not have a subscription to any of those music streaming services and the I do not plan to get one.
It should be mentioned that Hot Rats sounds very different depending on whether you listen to the original mix (2012 edition) or the 80s remix. The remix is denser with a much hotter guitar sound. The original sounds more akin to a jazz record with a bit more spaciousness and guitars farther down in the mix.
I would add Apostrophe. Excellent musicianship and lots of humour.
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
Freak Out if only for "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet".
Just Another Band from LA for the best of the Flo & Eddie period
Apostrophe' for George Duke's playing
[I]Roxy & Elsewhere[I] for an awesome band
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life for another awesome band
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
I would replace Roxy with Studio Tan and add Wazoo but otherwise agree.
Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit
Absolutely Free - early Mothers
Hot Rats - early studio instrumental
Apostrophe - shorter songs, humor
One Size Fits All - best studio balance of humor, songs, instrumental
Make a Jazz Noise Here - later live, some humorous vocals but lots of smoking instrumental.
It cannot be denied. The Zappa shelves are now overflowing with product. Must be hard for a newcomer to navigate.
For me, starting with 60s Mothers, in social satire mode:
We're Only In It For The Money
Mostly instrumental Zappa:
Hot Rats (his most popular album, maybe? It was a Top 10 album in the UK at the time!)
70s Mothers...his best ever bands, for me:
Overnite Sensation
Apostrophe
Roxy And Elsewhere
If you like those, you can't go wrong with Freak Out!, Absolutely Free, Uncle Meat for the 60s Mothers and in the 70s, The Grand Wazoo and One Size Fits All. Could have put any of those in the Top 5 as well.
I like the crazed collage approach of Lumpy Gravy as well but that's one for further down the line, I suspect.
I'm surprised nobody ever put together a collection of his instrumentals like 'Peaches En Regalia', 'Black Napkins', 'Zoot Allures', 'Watermelon In Easter Hay', 'Apostrophe' etc. Would be a good entry level release for rock fans, I suspect.
There was Strictly Genteel for the serious music, but no counterpart that I can think of for the rock/jazz side that didn't have vocals.
FZPTMOFZ is the closest, though it focuses on guitar playing and contains some different versions of the same pieces.
Today's list:
The Grand Wazoo
One Size Fits All
Roxy & Elsewhere
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Volume 1 (gotta start somewhere)
Make A Jazz Noise Here
<sig out of order>
Okay, these seem to get the most votes so far and go on the buy list.
Hot rats
The grand Wazoo
Roxy and Elsewhere
Runners up:
Apostrophe
Make a JAzz noise here
One size fits all
Uncle meat
Thanks for the recommendations so far.
You cannot go wrong with that list. If those albums scratch an itch, filling in the gaps was one of the greatest music collection experiences I've ever had. The runner up list above is as essential imo.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
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