And Zappa said...Let there be Hot Rats
To get right to the point, Frank Zappa is odd. Definitely odd. Actually, Zappa is a pretty interesting figure in the music world. You won't find one of his early albums poorly rated, despite the fact that they will range from a kind of free-form noise exploration to structured bouts of scathing satire to goofy doo-wop pieces, often over a matter of several minutes. He tends to be regarded as one of those people you have to like in order to actually appreciate music. The problem is that it's all very dense and hard to get into. His catalog is so large you wouldn't even have an idea of where to begin, and if you picked at random you might very well wind up listening to 23 minutes of dialogue from a film and walk away for good.
I started trying to get into Zappa in high school...no, I think it must have been my Freshman year of college, and made the error of going right for Strictly Commercial, which is a greatest hits collection of sorts. As Zappa didn't have that many hits, and those he did have tend toward the "Valley Girl" type of accessible comedy numbers, you can learn Strictly Commercial by heart and still have no conception of his work. This is probably complicated again by the fact that Zappa is a formidable pop craftsman, and when he wants to will put out what should really be top 10 singles. Strictly Commercial is full of these pop gems. Needless to say, when you encounter a full on Frank Zappa album, as I did when I bought Freak Out!, you are virtually unprepared.
So when it comes down to it, I'm still a little unresolved on the whole Zappa issue. I have trouble dealing with the sprawling, epic, exploratory works, but I recognize his accomplishments as a composer and as a guitar player. What I really prefer, though, is when he focuses a bit more, and puts together an album like Hot Rats. It's a jazz-rock album, without getting lost in it. A lot of jazz-rock comes out sounding like Miles Davis, or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but on Hot Rats Zappa's unusual melodic voice, though restrained, remains distinct. Somewhere around the middle of track 2 it always hits me. I'm listening to something amazing.
The album starts with "Peaches En Regalia" one of Zappa's most instantly recognizable instrumental pieces, and a very tightly composed song. I'd probably like it more if it weren't so well known, but that's really a small problem. Besides, by the time "Willie the Pimp" starts who could really care.
"Willy the Pimp" is sung by none other than Captain Beefheart, and combines a dirty blues sound, with a howling violin lead and an amazing guitar solo. It's probably one of my favorite Zappa tracks ever. Why this never appears on his hits albums I will never know.
"Son of Mr. Green Genes" is another lengthy guitar venture, but with Zappa that doesn't really mean the guitar always holds the foreground. There's a lot of instruments playing here, weaving together, but the guitar is usually responsible for bringing the fire. Interestingly, this song also spawned the urban legend that Frank Zappa was related to Hugh Brannum, who played Mr. Greenjeans on Captain Kangaroo.
"Little Umbrellas" is a little like "Peaches En Regalia", but more sprawling. It's another tight jazzy number. Not exactly filler, but not one of the albums high moments.
"The Gumbo Variations" is the longest and most abstract song on the album, but still maintains a good deal of structure. It's a sprawling mass of horns and guitars, that's sometimes dissonant, but most of the time remains compelling.
"It Must Be a Camel", the last track on the album, merges a light jazz piano sound with some distinctively Zappa-esque elements. The result is slightly more unusual than many of the earlier songs, but is still among the most accessible of Zappa oeuvre.
The snow outside is really beginning to swirl around. It's makes me glad I'm inside with a warm cup of coffee. Somehow this album seems fitting for the occasion.
Currently listening to: Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Currently reading: Mark Twain - The Innocents Abroad
Last Netflix Movie: This used to change - Dawn of the Dead
I started trying to get into Zappa in high school...no, I think it must have been my Freshman year of college, and made the error of going right for Strictly Commercial, which is a greatest hits collection of sorts. As Zappa didn't have that many hits, and those he did have tend toward the "Valley Girl" type of accessible comedy numbers, you can learn Strictly Commercial by heart and still have no conception of his work. This is probably complicated again by the fact that Zappa is a formidable pop craftsman, and when he wants to will put out what should really be top 10 singles. Strictly Commercial is full of these pop gems. Needless to say, when you encounter a full on Frank Zappa album, as I did when I bought Freak Out!, you are virtually unprepared.
So when it comes down to it, I'm still a little unresolved on the whole Zappa issue. I have trouble dealing with the sprawling, epic, exploratory works, but I recognize his accomplishments as a composer and as a guitar player. What I really prefer, though, is when he focuses a bit more, and puts together an album like Hot Rats. It's a jazz-rock album, without getting lost in it. A lot of jazz-rock comes out sounding like Miles Davis, or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but on Hot Rats Zappa's unusual melodic voice, though restrained, remains distinct. Somewhere around the middle of track 2 it always hits me. I'm listening to something amazing.
The album starts with "Peaches En Regalia" one of Zappa's most instantly recognizable instrumental pieces, and a very tightly composed song. I'd probably like it more if it weren't so well known, but that's really a small problem. Besides, by the time "Willie the Pimp" starts who could really care.
"Willy the Pimp" is sung by none other than Captain Beefheart, and combines a dirty blues sound, with a howling violin lead and an amazing guitar solo. It's probably one of my favorite Zappa tracks ever. Why this never appears on his hits albums I will never know.
"Son of Mr. Green Genes" is another lengthy guitar venture, but with Zappa that doesn't really mean the guitar always holds the foreground. There's a lot of instruments playing here, weaving together, but the guitar is usually responsible for bringing the fire. Interestingly, this song also spawned the urban legend that Frank Zappa was related to Hugh Brannum, who played Mr. Greenjeans on Captain Kangaroo.
"Little Umbrellas" is a little like "Peaches En Regalia", but more sprawling. It's another tight jazzy number. Not exactly filler, but not one of the albums high moments.
"The Gumbo Variations" is the longest and most abstract song on the album, but still maintains a good deal of structure. It's a sprawling mass of horns and guitars, that's sometimes dissonant, but most of the time remains compelling.
"It Must Be a Camel", the last track on the album, merges a light jazz piano sound with some distinctively Zappa-esque elements. The result is slightly more unusual than many of the earlier songs, but is still among the most accessible of Zappa oeuvre.
The snow outside is really beginning to swirl around. It's makes me glad I'm inside with a warm cup of coffee. Somehow this album seems fitting for the occasion.
Currently listening to: Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Currently reading: Mark Twain - The Innocents Abroad
Last Netflix Movie: This used to change - Dawn of the Dead
posted by brian at 3:33 AM
1 Comments:
hi brian, i came upon your site when i was checking out the author of the quote: 'all who wander are not lost.' i told someone i thought it was either gandhi or jack kerouac...guess i was wrong. so thank you for putting it all in context and informing me about tolkein's genius. your profile and blog are strangely resonant with my situation...sagittarius too and similar music and beer preferences. i take it you're into micro too. so...just trying to say, hey, nice to meet a fellow sag and kindred soul...you too 'flower'...we are out there, but i don't run into too many in my area. so, wander away, mix it up and return to your rightful place...so utterly cool and destiny driven. i'm also a fan of the quote, 'you have to howl to find your pack.' i so botched this quote. i'll research this one next. so...howoooooooooool. one sniff and the pack becomes apparent. the next book i want to read is, 'how god changes your brain'. thanks for blogging.
jen
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