Frank Zappa

[TOOL9]

Wow... I only just started listening to him, but the things I've heard from him are incredible! Can anybody who's familiar with him tell me some of his best songs?

[PamStoner]

I was always partial to "Stink Foot"

Yea good topic! Haven't listened to Zappa in forever...Enjoy!

[CultureCherryPopper]

Personal Faves: Camarillo Brillo, Dancin' Fool, and Catholic Girls.

[Nathan604]

the dangerous kitchen

[jimmy8778]

the song which got me interested in Frank Zappa is Willie the Pimp. Its a 10 minute song, but the 7.5 minute guitar solo takes up pretty much the whole song, and i like the whole song, but the abbreviated 5 minute version is really good too, its on Hot Rats. I have Strictly Commercial, and that has a ton of really good songs, but on that cd i would recommend: Peaches en Regalia a good instrumental, Trouble everyday is possibly my top song from this cd, if not from FZ in general it confronts the everyday issue of conflict between people, but in a very Frank Zappa way, cosmik debris, montana, and muffin man are all on this cd and is very good, pretty much every song on this cd is a hit, mostly, and i like all of them, just some more than others, and ive downloaded some of his other songs, but im too lazy to go to my other computer. Listen to Frank Zappa, he was against the censoring of cds and other media in the late 80's and early 90's and fought it out against Kerry's wife.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Listen to Frank Zappa, he was against the censoring of cds and other media in the late 80's and early 90's and fought it out against Kerry's wife.

It wasn't "Kerry's wife", it was Al Gore's wife, Tipper, who wanted to put warning stickers ("Tipper's Stickers") on records, among other ideas that her committee was proposing. This was in the mid-1980's. Although CD's were out for a couple of years, records were still mostly sold on vinyl at the time. Frank Zappa died in 1993.

[ovechkin]

That guy said Dangerous kitchen, that guy must be twisted lol.

I'm a Music Major in college who listens almost only to classical music now, but I still make time for Zappa. I have 30 or so of his albums and even a few bootlegs records :) I'm sure you can tell he's got a lot of different styles, so if you list a few of the songs you like I can better recommend shit. Anyways, here goes:

Albums:
Shiek Yerbouti(My personal favorite album, and the one I heard first that made me love Zappa)
One size fits all
Apostrophe
Over-Nite
Hot Rats
Waka/Jawaka
Live in New York
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life
Shut up 'n' Play yer guiter (3CD)
Joes Garage

Shiek, Apostrophe, One Size, and Over-Nite are all pretty much "rock-pop" albums. Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka, and The Grand Wazoo are all Jazz themed. Live in NY and The Best Band are both Live albums. Shut up 'n' play is a collection of guitar solos set to new music, sort of. That should give you a pretty good idea of an album or two to check out.

Some favorite songs are:

Andy
Pojama people
Flakes
Broken hearts are for Assholes
Rat Tomago
Zoot Allures
Punkys whips

Damn I could go on all day I'll just stop talking now.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Although I think that Zappa's best period was in the early to mid 1970's, his groundbreaking earlier works with the Mothers of Invention should not be forgotten:

*Freak Out
*Absolutely Free
*Lumpy Gravy
*We're Only In It For The Money
*Cruising with Ruben & The Jets (Great album in 1968, but the 1980's remastering on the CD reissue sucks)
*Uncle Meat
*Burnt Weeny Sandwich
*Weasels Ripped My Flesh
*Fillmore East June 71
*Just Another Band from L.A.

[FLORIDA MON]

True about the Mothers Of Invention years, though I actually got into his music several years later.

Zappa was a true musical genius and a champion for freedom of speech & artistic expression.

[slantedcorners]

I've only heard the Mothers of Invention stuff but I bloody love it...particularly Freak Out! I've got the rest of his solo stuff I just haven't sat down and listened to it yet.

[cygnustaxt]

this thread needed to be revived because i just got a bunch of albums by him, I've been a huge fan since I was a kid. Having been born in 1986 i never really got to appreciate his greatness until after he passed away, but my parents definitely exposed me to great music when i was a kid. So here are all the albums I currently have, any suggestions on what to add would be awesome:

Absolutely Free
Ahead of Their Time
Apostrophe (')
Baby Snakes
Broadway the Hard Way
Live at the Filmore East - 1971
Freak Out!
Hot Rats
Lumpy Gravy
Overnight Sensation
Sleep Dirt
We're only in it for the money
You Are What You Is
Zoot Allures

I think thats it, but i'm definitely open for suggestions on what to add to my collection

[McDanger]

I know this is an older thread, but anyways...I just saw Zappa does Zappa last month, with Franks son Dweezil at the helm. Great show, brought back lots of memories since I haven't listened to Zappa in a while. If you get the chance, go see it.

[Its a Plant]

Yeah Zappa Plays Zappa really is something to see. Saw them back in July at Rothbury and it was everything I thought it would be and more.

Dweezil got skillz too.

AND I don't see anyone repping Willie the Pimp, so I'll do it. My favorite. :jointsmile: