Frank Zappa Fan Thinks You Just Haven't Heard The Right Album

[Rabrrrrrr]

NEDERLAND, CO—In spite of your insistence that you are not into Frank Zappa, avid fan Roger Von Lee believes that you would change your mind if you heard the right album. "You're prejudiced, because the only Zappa you know is 'Valley Girl' and 'Don't Eat The Yellow Snow,'" Von Lee told you Tuesday. "Seriously, you need to check out Hot Rats or Absolutely Free."

More here, at the front page of The Onion: http://www.theonion.com

[Interrobang]

1. That's funny, I feel the same way about the Dead Kennedys...

Perhaps we should swap? ;-) ;-)

After all, if our tastes in music are not *identical* there must be something *wrong*!! This *is* the age of "I'm Right, You're Evil," you know... ;-)

[chrisesq]

2. That's about the truth.

When I was in the army a roommate of mine had several of his albums and couldn't comprehend why I just would not get into Zappa. He evenually had me listen to some song about being a dental floss farmer in Montana and then I finally said it just ain't gonna happen.

I respect him as a musician, just not my taste.

[doni_georgia]

13. Ride the pygmy ponies

::::moving to Montanna soon, gonna be a dental floss tycoon:::::

What's not to love!

[vajraroshana]

20. moving to montana soon, gonna be a dental floss tycoon...

One of my all-time favorites. But some people just don't like Zappa.

Here's something that's really cool about that song. It may not change your mind but it's a cool story. The backup vocals are Tina Turner and the Ikettes. No BS.

When Frank heard he could get them to sing the backups he was thrilled. Ike wouldn't let them get paid any more than $25 per song each, including Tina, no matter how many hours it took. And even if you don't like Zappa you probably can understand how _really_ hard his music is.

Frank: "It was so difficult, that on part in the middle of the song 'Montana', that the three girls rehearsed it for a couple of days. Just that one section. You know the part that goes 'I'm pluckin' the ol' Dennil Floss...'?Right in the middle there. And -- I can't remember her name, but one of the harmony singers -- she got it first. She came out and sang her part and the other girls had to follow her track. Tina was so pleased that she was able to sing this thing that whe went into the next sutdio where Ike was working and dragged him into the studio to hear the result of her labour. He listened to the tape and goes, "What is this shit?' and walked out."
("Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play"; Ben Watson, p.240)

[jmowreader]

3. Zappa albums everyone will like

Everyone needs two Zappa albums: Shut Up and Play Your Guitar (an instrumental album, nothing but rock solos; Zappa was one of the top five guitarists of all time and on this album you can see why) and Jazz from Hell (an instrumental jazz album, Frank on his Synclavier).

Historical footnote to Jazz from Hell: The Fred Meyer chain in the Northwest put out a "do not sell" list of albums right after the PMRC thing. On it were albums with questionable lyrics or questionable covers. Also on it was Jazz from Hell, which has no lyrics whatsoever and a cover featuring a portrait of Frank in a suit against a gray background.

You also need to listen to Joe's Garage; it's about Joe, a musician whose band only knew one song (it was all we knew and easy too so we wouldn't get it wrong), against a government that had outlawed music.

[The Mighty Boot]

4. "Weasels Ripped My Flesh"!

Plus any of the Steve Vai and Adrian Belew stuff
are my preferences.

[tigereye]

11. I have that one!

mostly for the cover, but the music was good too.

[kodi]

5. joe's garage is the one for me.

.

[blindpig]

6. Frank never cared if he was popular, why should we?

let the pajama people enjoy their fuzzy little footies. I'll stick with Uncle Meat.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. kick for the day crowd

[Zomby Woof]

8. Onion or not

That guy is right. :D

Even Zappa said no one likes all of his albums. There is something for almost everyone from the very casual fan to the rabid hardcores like me. But for the uninitiated or skeptical, you do not want to start with "Thing-Fish".

Favorites include, in no particular order (and could replace the mudshark in your mythology):

One Size Fits All
You Are What You Is
Läther
Uncle Meat
The Lost Episodes
The Yellow Shark

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. I think Briefcase Boogie is the best song ever! When I run for president,

that's gonna be my campaign song and I'll have it played at my inaugaration. ;-)

I think I'll even have all the schools play it in the morning, before I give the daily propaganda, I mean inspirational, talk to the children from their Father President.

10. Bongo Fury!!!!

I wish I had a pair of Bongos!!!

[Taverner]

12. Whaddya talkin about? Sheik Yerbouti was EXCELLENT!

eom

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. yo mama ROCKS!

Great album, indeed.

[Zomby Woof]

15. or...

Broken Hearts Are For Assholes.

"Whatcha gonna do... 'CAUSE YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!" :D

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. gonna ram it, ram it, ram it, ram it up your

oh, I better not say the rest of the tune.

Did you see my briefcase boogie post?

[Kat45]

17. Sheik Yerbouti helped me get through the disco period

It came out when I was surrounded by dancing fools in my workplace (with a stereotypical Jewish princess for a boss). Man, I loved that album. Other favorites are "Overnight Sensation," "Joe's Garage," and "Live at the Fillmore East." And I love the cover of "Ship Arrived Too Late to Save Drowning Witch." :-)

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. she was humming along, trying to keep a date,

with a merchant marine who told her she was really great,
but it doesn't matter no more,
she's on the ocean floor,
where the water's all green down there,
and it's not very clean down there."

Zappa said, in the liner notes for the YCDTOSA album on which a live version of that song appears, that it's quite possibly the hardest tune to play he wrote, and that the band, in all the times they played it, only played it correctly twice.

And it is, indeed, a nasty bit of music to play.

Though for my money, I think the Black Page is much more difficult.

[bonemachine]

19. Good ol Frank

Broadway the Hard Way is pretty appropriate these days...

[vajraroshana]

21. Uncle Meat!

Wow, it's so cool to read so many others like that album. My brother introduced me to that album 27 years ago. Tuesday night he came for a visit and as things usually go, we put on Uncle Meat. It's usually that or Joe's Garage when we get in a Zappa mood. Unfortunately our spouses don't dig Frank, but they usually put up with it for a little while!