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Old 06-23-2009, 09:08 AM   #9 (permalink)
Piss Me Off
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Nominated by Zarko

Frank Zappa



Frank Zappa Appreciation Thread (Admittedly average for a while)

There are few better rock artists who are as proficient in composing music across a variety of genres as Zappa was. And his ‘flair’ and his seeming ‘need’ to branch out and not remain stagnant is a quality that should not be ignored and should be applauded.

His career and output, along with ‘The Mothers of Invention’ spans nearly 40 years, his first official release being in 1966 (Freak Out!) and was certainly a sign of his determined nature to always look for a new avenue, constantly experimenting…

From the Appreciation thread, possible one of the best ways to describe his nature was ‘The mad scientist of rock and roll’ and it certainly is reflective of his music. Throughout his career, he had various albums which constantly pushed new boundaries, which included albums (which I would call masterpieces) such as the emphatic ‘Hot Rats’, ‘Weasels Ripped My Flesh’, ‘You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore (Vol. 1-6)’ and ‘Frank Zappa and the London Symphony Orchestra (Vol. 1-2)’, which was an exploration into classical composing, and an awesome one at that.

Oftentimes creating brand new albums from his live shows and performances, Zappa was as technically proficient outside of the studio as he was inside. Previously metion ‘Weasels Ripped My Flesh’, one of his highly regarded albums, was primarily built up out of various live performances by Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. It may not make much sense, but overall the album is amazing for its lack of aim and control rather than poor for it.

Unfortunately, Zappa passed on in 1993, 17 days short of his 53rd birthday. It was seemingly the end of his illustrious musical output. However, since then there has been much more Zappa music discovered, leading to many posthumous CD’s being released in his name. With these additions, Zappa released more than 60 albums, which contained both solo work of MoI work. There are other ‘unofficial’ releases available, primarily through download.

In 1995 he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1997 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ever the ‘zany’ character, Zappa named his four children Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. This of course nowadays seems horrible and cruel to many outside the family
He often criticised many views of mainstream society through his music, including the lack of freedom of speech, censorship and religion. He was also very vocal concerning the Parents Music Resource Center’s attempts to censor music, and made a statement to the PMRC board. The statement (Originally 5 pages long, though condensed) was as follows:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Zappa
The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design. It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC's demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation ... The establishment of a rating system, voluntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of moral quality control programs based on things certain Christians do not like. What if the next bunch of Washington wives demands a large yellow "J" on all material written or performed by Jews, in order to save helpless children from exposure to concealed Zionist doctrine?
The full statement and questioning can be found here Frank Zappa Statement, PMRC Senate Hearing

It is virtually impossible to peg down Zappa as an artist to any specific sound or genre… Rather he was simply a musician who did what he wanted to do (Especially when he was under his own label), no matter what others thought, or whether they couldn’t understand his sense of humour.

Some youtube videos…


Why does it hurt when I pee?


Strictly Genteel


Peaches En Regalia


He’s So ***


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