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BBP
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ZAPPADAN Phase 2
It's December 4th once more, meaning it's time for Zappadan! Yahoo!
So this year I'll again try to listen to all FZ albums from Dec 4 to Dec 21st!
Note to self: spread the YCDTOSA series some more.
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punknaynowned
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maybe backwards or from the middle out
Civ III, Yellow Shark,PP, Ahead of their Time, ycdtosa6...
or
Suapygsm, rosuapyg, suapyg, yawyi, tinseltown, satltsadw, jg2/3, mfu, jg1, bbsnx, orchestral favorites and so on...
[Edited on 4-12-10 by punknaynowned]
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BBP
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I got off to a slow start, with St Nicholas and that cursed snow. But on the 5th I played:
Freak Out - MOFO version
MOFO sounds a lot cleaner than Ryko, which is why I'm all the happier with this purchase from three years ago. I should play it more often.
While packing St Nick gifts I noticed what a gorgeous composition You Didn't Try To Call Me is, from the catchy chorus to the daring tempo changes.
Today I decided to make up for lost ground:
(Notes will follow tomorrow when I feel more like typing)
Absolutely Free - Ryko
Has a slightly grubby sound to it, looking forward to a proper reissue. Uncle Bernie's Farm has amazing lyrics!
Lumpy Gravy - Ryko
A gorgeous collection of orchestral music and the occasional surf tune. One of my favourites.
WOIIFTM - Ryko
I really need to get Lumpy Money.
Uncle Meat - Ryko
The scenes from Uncle Meat may be found tedious by some, and to be honest I felt it was obscuring the music too much, but it does really set the movie
for the poor fresh fan who doesn't have the film. I'm also enamoured by Tengo Na Minchia Tanta. And yes, I know what it means. It's fun when chatting
online to Italians.
Cruisin' With Ruben And The Jets - Greasy Love Songs
Listening to this gave me a bit of a brainwave.
What if all the concerts had made FZ a little sensitive to noises? We use the term "noise deafness". It is frequent with people who were confronted
with 80 dB or more for a long time. Maybe cymbals sounded like fingernails on blackboard to Frank.
The reason why I wonder is that the cymbals on Ruben sound rather ear-piercing to me.
To Be Edited...
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BBP
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6 Dec: Hot Rats vinyl
Wow, it does sound like a different album! I found the keyboards a little pressed to the background, which was particularly noticeable in Little
Umbrellas.
Frank makes an excellent use of his violinists. It is a shame he hardly used the instrument in a rock combo after OS.
7 Dec: Burnt Weeny Sandwich Ryko
An early acquisition, and one of my favourites. Occasionally I'd climb out of bed just to listen to Little House, making it the first, and one of few,
songs that could get me out of bed. Sugar Cane Harris' violin solo on Little House is intense.
Another one that struck me today was the Theme To BWS, which often gets overlooked with so much colour around it.
Weasels Ripped My Flesh Ryko
It may not be one of my favourites, but today's listening was a surprising lot of fun. The gems lie towards the end of the album, with My GUitar Wants
To Kill Your Mama, Oh No and Orange County Lumber Truck. Before that I occasionally find the vocals irritating.
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BBP
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Chunga's Revenge Zappa Records
Got a recent listening due to me having Road Ladies in my head.
One question I'd like to ask FZ: Don't you ever get tired of the 12 Bar Blues?
The answer would probably be: "Never!"
200 Motels Ryko CD
The vocals on the album are very distant. They are recorded live, as FZ wanted to have the orchestra playing the music on film since he hated bad sync
(don't we all?). CD 2 is a strong favourite of mine.
Fillmore East, June '71 vinyl
Got to pay more attention to it somehow: discovered that Bwana Dik is a great song, along with Latex Solar Beef. Yay!
Just Another Band From LA
And that concludes the Flo & Eddie period. Flo & Eddie really show they're having a lot of merry fun all over the stage.
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punknaynowned
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| Quote: |
Another one that struck me today was the Theme To BWS, which often gets overlooked with so much colour around it.
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This was THE song that made me realize there were other things going on with fz's music that wasn't what was available elsewhere. The layers!
I got BWS early on too. Used this record and this song as test patterns when shopping for speakers 17 years ago. It was a barking pumpkin cd. Now I
listen to an iTune copy of that version. I have a reprise record (with the steamboat on the label) with a bizarre label logo on the cover. What a
mess. The piano warmth on Aybe Sea is a plus. So is the studio Valarie. I digress.
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punknaynowned
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People relate to 12 bar blues music because they've heard it all their lives.
Since it became widely available 60 years ago.
On the other hand, I remember sitting on the floor against the wall at a gathering of people in upstate Traverse City, Michigan. It had to be
February. We walking around from place to place essentially looking for a party. Before and after a single bar that had live music. One of them
played an acoustic Jimi Hendrix song. I knew I was among friends, basically a tourist, but I think someone must have put something in my drink which was water and tea all night.
Anyway, in one of the homes we went into, I found myself amidst all the coats of our three group posse, against a wall, looking at the window frames
and the light fixtures and the shadows they cast when I heard a faint but common refrain 'Eddie Are You Kidding?' coming from somewhere. I went up to
find where it was coming from and indeed it was the JABFLA album that someone had put on randomly to have something on. I've only seen only one of
any of those people again. And that was several years again later, because the next day I flew back to Kansas and the next day after that boarded a
train in Hutchinson, KS which took me to Pasadena, CA over the mountains and through the deserts.
[Edited on 8-12-10 by punknaynowned]
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BBP
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Nice! Unexpected Zappa is the best!
Waka/Jawaka, Ryko
Holds one of the tunes on my first Zappa album Son Of Cheep Thrills. The vocal songs are lovely tunes with a country twist. The lengthy instrumentals
surrounding it are charming jazz pieces. Although none of the tracks stick as well as, say, Eat That Question off Grand Wazoo, this is a highly
enjoyable, accessible, non-offensive album I'd easily recommend to anyone.
The Grand Wazoo, Zappa Records
Bob Stone's remix sounds great! It is an awesome album, crowned by Eat That Question. I've praised the theme many times but the keyboard solo and
particularly the guitar solo are also worth kneeling for!
[Edited on 8-12-10 by BBP]
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BBP
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YCDTOSA Vol 1
Spreading the YCDTOSA series a little better this time: listening to one of them in full is still much, but it beats listening to two in a day!
YCDTOSA 1 has some sections of Early Mothers and an interesting Big Swifty to tie in to the listening section of earlier today. But a true goldmine is
the twenty minutes of Yellow Snow live, with the poetry recital. Frank's way of dealing with drunk fans onstage just can't be beat!
[Edited on 9-12-11 by BBP]
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punknaynowned
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also listened to Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka. I guess it had been such a long time for Grand Wazoo/Cleetus and for Calvin I hadn't paid such close
attention to the percussion - it sounded all new to me. Surprises aplenty from Aynsley Dunbar!
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BBP
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Over-Nite Sensation
Entering the mid-70s, the Warner years, the top notch albums... Over-Nite Sensation is a great listen! I'm enjoying the vocals by Lancelotti (yes, I'm
rare) and the whole catchiness of the album. Every song has a hook to it!
Apostrophe (')
Oh yeah, oh yeah... everything... everything... everything's gonna be alright this morning! Top class album, from start to finish!
It's surprising how topical Father O'Blivion has gotten isn't it?
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BBP
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9 Dec promises to be another great day!
One Size Fits All (Ryko) just gets better every time I hear it!
Roxy & Elsewhere (Ryko): the cowbell as symbol of unbridled passion!
Has many BB favourites but the lengthier tracks do tend to get skipped by yours truly: shame because Bebop Tango is a delight!
(also: on the cover, that's Brenda clutching Frank there.)
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BBP
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ZINY is hilarious, FZ showcases himself as both prolific composer (I Promise Not To Cum In Your Mouth, "a sensitive instrumental for late-nite easy
listening") and a show man (No, I'M the slime!)
I finally got the chance to read the liner notes, and now that I know that the ending + conclusion of Illinois Enema Bandit is a parody of traditional
blues mythology, I'm much less offended at it.
Note to self: check if re-aleased is in the Printing Mishtakes topic.
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BBP
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Bongo Fury is still in my low-play list, even though I discovered its wonders last year. Hearing it is always a lot of fun.
Zoot Allures never ceases to amaze me in its low, low, low sonority. It is beautifully deep throughout. Wino Man doesn't get enough love!
Now playing: Studio Tan, the Adventures Of Greggery Peccary! Voodn!
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BBP
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I've been blessed enough to find Sleep Dirt on vinyl before I found the CD. The record cost me 7 euros, at a stand on Europe's largest book market in
Deventer. It was the ONLY Zappa item I found that day, and I saw much. Too much. But that's another story.
Either way, while listening to Joe's Garage, I can't help but think how different Läther sounds from SD in some cases. There was a nice acoustic
guitar track called Time Is Money, but I couldn't find it back on Läther.
Sleep Dirt provides much more of a background, probably because three of its songs were written with lyrics, as part of Hutchentoot. All the same,
Filthy Habits and Ocean/Solution are very strong tracks. Flambay (spelled Flambé on Läther) is a delightful jazzy track, and Re-Gyptian Strut reminds
me of Cleetus Awreetus Awrightus.
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BBP
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Quote: Originally posted by BBP  | You Are What You Is Vol 1
Spreading the YAWYI series a little better this time: listening to one of them in full is still much, but it beats listening to two in a day! YAWYI 1
has some sections of Early Mothers and an interesting Big Swifty to tie in to the listening section of earlier today. But a true goldmine is the
twenty minutes of Yellow Snow live, with the poetry recital. Frank's way of dealing with drunk fans onstage just can't be beat!
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WHY didn't anybody tell me???
Of course I was talking about YCDTOSA.
Right now I'm listening to disk 2 of Joe's Garage. Yesterday I did Disk 1. "He used to cut my grass, he was a very nice boy!"
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BBP
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Playing TTR on my laptop: excellent way to not be troubled by the CD damage! Huzzah!
Thanks to that I'm finally able to listen to Pick Me I'm Clean and Bamboozled By Love a little better. PMIC has a great brass section!
Also does anyone know the name of that "Italy" tune FZ uses to reference Italy?
[Edited on 11-12-10 by BBP]
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BBP
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So it was the big day I was going to initiate my St Nick present: the YAWYI vinyl. Finally I was going to be able to hear the original You Are What
You Is!
So, fasten your seatbelts...
Doreen has a great lead guitar at the end, but it wasn't a great idea to have the vocals continuing through it. The singer is the first thing you
listen to, plus with the two voices it sounds very messy.
Several of the songs make interesting links to others. Goblin Girl (especially the slower HIOS version) ties to Jewish Princess, Society Pages reminds
me of Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink, Conehead links to Dirty Love and Jumbo Go Away links to Drowning Witch.
Sinister Footwear 3 sounds pretty good!
---
And now: the other side.
One documentary I once saw dealt with a boy from Central America, 19 years old. When he was 12 he was shot in the jaw. He was rescued at the hospital
with a WW2 emergency surgery: the doctors built an extra vein on the outside of the body from the chest to the mouth, and used chest skin to build the
flesh around it.
So. the poor boy's head was stuck to his chest through a silly tube. After he had recovered, the doctors wouldn't operate him to make it back normal,
since it was unneeded. The boy suffered malnutrition because he couldn't use his mouth well, and the construction had deformed his jaw. And he
couldn't move his head.
The boy was taken to the States, where he had sponsored surgery, his jaw was reconstructed from plastic, and the tube that attached his head to his
chest had been removed. The first thing he did when he woke up was tilt his head in every direction as much as he could: something he hadn't been able
to do in seven years. Like a cow in the meadow for the first time in spring.
I imagine it's how Frank felt when the UMRK was finally at his disposal: using whatever he could to make his music ring out.
Particularly the vocals have been spiced: many of them sound double. There is very, very much singing.
By the time I had reached Sinister Footwear I was really tired of the Ray White/Ike Willis/FZ vocal combo. Tough luck: they go on and on and on. By
comparison I heard very little guitar: although there are two rhythm guitarists, I couldn't distinguish them at all.
Also it was very confusing to hear four bars of Dumb All Over after flipping the record at the start of Jumbo.
On the CD I often got a headache by the time Teenage Wind was finally over. With the vinyl I noticed it at Charlie's Enormous Mouth: pounding and
nauseating, pressing so badly I had to pause for several minutes after the first half.
YAWYI continues to be my least favourite FZ, and I have three copies of it to prove it. 
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BBP
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YCDTOSA vol 2: The Helsinki Concert
WIth unknown engineer and in an unknown venue, the Roxy band performs a stunning and hilarious concert! The Whipping Post section gets me every time.
I'm also enamoured by the instrumental section of Village Of The Sun, Room Service, Dupree's Paradise with finger cymbals, and Satuuma. But the entire
album is a great listen!
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BBP
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Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
I acquired this disk on Dec 5 2001, as St Nick present, when I was a fresh Zappa fan. It was my first non-compilation abum. A month and a half later I
purchased the second. That was Apostrophe.
In the mean time, I had every opportunity to enjoy this album, I'd often listen to it whilst solving jigsaws (which is coincidentally what I was doing
when I listened to SOCT for the first three times, and how I got into HIOS. I am a monster at jigsaws.) and got to enjoy it thoroughly.
In re-browsing through the Worst Album line, I am a bit gutted to see Ship pop up in it occasionally: it is a tiny little gem to me. Starting
humorously and cheerily with No Not Now, there's something about Frank's voice here that makes me smile.
Valley Girl was the song that made me want to have the album in the first place. As it's primarily a comedy song, it takes care not to over-listen to
it.In the main theme I can just hear the teenage girl head popping side to side in Val fashion.
I Come From Nowhere is a song that I didn't like much initially, but I'm enjoying it more and more.
The title track is gorgeous. There's no other word for it, the composition is so intricate, the guitar mimicking the witch laugh...
Envelopes got played a lot by yours truly. It wasn't until Burnt Weeny Sandwich that I got over my fear of long songs after all. Envelopes too is a
great, lovable melody.
And then, Lisa Popeil's tour de force, soprano over a metal song. It's a strange effect: mostly when female falsetto is used in hardrock it's used in
goth/emo style like Within Temptaion or After Forever. Or it is a brief gimmick, like in Cradle of Filth. Kudos to Lisa, who can sing about anything!
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