Automatic translation: With the recent double "Sheik Yerbouti", Zappa, having changed record company, had resumed the lines of the not forgotten "Live: New York", to offer us one of his most significant and vital works for many years now. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa. Everything has been said about him because everything invests him, because he can be the focus of any discourse, because he confronts everything with everything. Frank with a hundred faces, a thousand expressions. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: "BRILLIANT MINDS OF ROCK", HOW MANY HAVE A PRECISE OPINION ON THE REALLY FORMIDABLE INNOVATORS OF THE LAST TWENTY YEARS OF MODERN MUSIC? WE TRY TO CHOOSE EIGHT. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Centerfold poster and 3-page article "Genial and unruly".

"Zip Zap" - Zappa's press conference before the "Varèse Tribute" concert on 17 April 1981.
"Fuoci 'dartificio" - Tinsel Town Rebellion review

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Since Frank Zappa changed record company, his already enormous creative vitality in itself seems to have miraculously increased tenfold: so much so that he cannot express himself if the record is not at least double ("Sheik Yerbouti") or even triple (the three acts of "Joe's Garage"). And here is in fact a new double album, this time recorded live. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa's relentless production of double and single albums continues seamlessly. And by now, it's really starting to be a bit difficult to talk about his productions. The truth is that, after the exploits of the three parts of "Joe's garage" (which must be considered the last really creative and "moving" production by Zappa), all the following albums have been the constant, obsessive repetition of a standard : with moments of genius and it could not be otherwise but essentially, a standard. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: It is no coincidence that Frank Zappa, born as Francis Vincent Zappa on December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, twenty years on the music scene, began his new album, published at the end of 1981, with a song entitled: « Teenage wind », the teenager's wind. And the problem of the "old" giants is always the same: accustomed for a decade (or often two) to take refuge in the world of rock'n'roll, of ruthlessness, of the elixir of life, they see the number of their years grow without them actually noticing. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: The mad genius continues to strike. On repeat. Without fear of denials, he churns out double, triple, miserable (only in appearance) albums, collections of songs on a single circle of vinyl, bursts of music, tons of escaped notes, for some arcane mystery of speed, from the strings of his guitar and now in around the world, eagerly awaited by fans who certainly can't afford the luxury of being impatient. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Some readers' letters on Zappa.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Cartoon by Massimo Cavezzali. PS. From Milan to Varese is about 56 km.

Text: Penso di venire presto in Italia. Mi piacerebbe conoscere Milano. Un musicista che mi dicono molto vicino a Varese!

Automatic translation: I plan to come to Italy soon. I would like to know Milan. A musician that they tell me is very close to Varese!

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Short news on Zappa.

Automatic translation: Zappa abandons rock? Frank Zappa would have decided to leave rock, at least as far as concerts are concerned. He will perform perhaps a couple of more times in America, but never again in Europe, judging by an interview recently released, if not in his new role, that of a classical music performer, in particular as a composer for ballets. The Californian musician has worked in recent weeks with the London Symphony Orchestra for a disc recorded with the digital technique.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Short news on Zappa.

Automatic translation: Zappa in Italy. Frank Zappa's Italian tour was confirmed for the first week of July. Milan, Bologna and Rome are the first concert venues set, but Naples and Palermo could also be part of the tour: the Californian guitarist, of Sicilian origins, would like to include southern Italy in the course of his new visit. The release of yet another Zappa LP is also scheduled for the end of June, entitled "Ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch".

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: The prolificity that has always distinguished Frank Zappa from all other rock'n'rollers continues to give wonderful fruits: such as the very recent triple album entitled Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar which has as the sole interpreter the solid and genius guitar of frankie ... (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa's short stay in Italy, a flash visit to meet the press, collect an award from the organizer of his Italian tour and record the speech you saw on TV. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: ZAPPA ACCUSES THREE DEAD IN PALERMO!
Announcing to the American press his intention never again to come and play in Europe, where he recently stayed for three months, Frank Zappa apparently said about the Palermo concert, " I think three people were killed during the show. We were playing in a soccer stadium when for some unknown reason the policemen started throwing tear gas into the crowd. From what I could see from the stage, some boys were knocked down by the police shots. I did not learn anything about their deaths until after the concert." As is known, during Zappa's concert in " his " Sicily there were only minor incidents and there were obviously no casualties. In addition to these gratuitous remarks, the guitarist said that traveling and playing in Europe costs too much: and this is the main reason why he will not return, along with a widespread anti-American sentiment that he seems to have picked up among the audience. Zappa is now about to release a film and a new LP, on which his 12-year-old son Dweezil collaborated; while on " Valley girl " his 14-year-old daughter Moon had collaborated.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

The Man From Utopia album review.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa is preparing an album that will contain his orchestral compositions written between 1968 and '79 and recently performed together with the London Symphony Orchestra. The most interesting aspect of the job, which will simply be called «Zappa. volume one ", and which will be in stores soon enough for Barking Pumpkin, is the recording: not only entirely digital, but made by Frank himself who has recently purchased for his home studio in California also a very expensive digital console to complete all in his own work.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: We spent several hours observing his birth chart before managing to synthesize that mountain of facets that make this cursed genius, elusive and fascinating at the same time. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: The Palace - Los Angeles' new rock entertainment center - hosted Frank Zappa last night who immediately declared at the beginning that his show contained more fun (reasons of interest and entertainment) than all the Olympics combined. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Centerfold poster, 4-page article "I'm proud of Zappa" and 2-page photo-story.

Interview with Zappa vising Italy, titled "The musketeer is back".

Source: Václav Pěnkava

Automatic translation: Coupling the proverbial genius with an incredible prolificacy (on average one album a year, and often double, if not even triple), Frank Zappa, for at least a few years now, gives the impression of continuing to always redo and delve deeper into the same, very long album. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Legendary adventures of Robert Hyams and Zappa's reaction.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: At 45 years old, Zappa attacks again. The target of his caustic broadsides this time are American mothers, not all of them, of course, only those who have gathered in a very strange association called Moral Majority that aims to moralize the contents of rock music, through the institution of a censorship body that should monitor what young Americans listen to. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa dominates TV. A TV series hosted by the artist himself will soon begin, with an eight-hour duration per episode! Two of Zappa's children are already commentators on MTV and his son Dweezil has joined the "Miami Vice" family. The shows will feature political commentary, satire, gags and lots of music. On the recording front, Zappa has decided to release ten of his best works ("Lumpy Gravy", "We're Only In It For The Money", and "Gran Wazoo", etc.) on compact disc; within the next three years he intends to convert almost all of his immense repertoire into compact disc.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

page 28. Automatic translation: Another welcome album from the Baltimore maestro. It's called "Jazz From Hell". The usual corrosive streak and the incessant desire to change. We interviewed him. (read more)
page 30. Automatic translation: From the archive of his memory, Armando Gallo dusts off the impressions of the first meeting with Frank, a character quite different from the fame that surrounds him. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

One part of the article is about Zappa's attempt to host The Late Show. You can read more about all this in Los Angeles Times -  "Frank Zappa Zapped By 'Late Show'".

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: We will deal with quite different messages when we talk about "Does Humor Belong In Music?" by Frank Zappa. A sort of eccentric travel bulletin that reports on the 1984 world tour. The setlist is naturally full of the Baltimore musician's hallucinatory guitar research and is presented with class by a group of notable expertise in which Ray White's rhythm guitar and Scott Thunes' bass stand out: conceiving and grasping Zappa's abstruse scores is already a feat. 

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Prophet of a provocative rock and never banal, Zappa has arrived with expected eccentricity to the compact universe. His CDs are in fact worth keeping since every setlist has been more or less revised.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: After three years of relative quiet, Frank Zappa is back on the road for a series of concerts. Each show lasts two and a half hours, and features eleven members, the largest lineup Zappa has ever used on tour. During the show (which is obviously full of political references and jabs at pop idols), Frank re-proposes some of his classics and those of other artists, such as "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin and "I Am The Walrus" by The Beatles. After the States, the tour will land in Europe. There are even rumors of a possible date in Albania. In the meantime, the musician has completed the recordings of the new album, "Broadway The Hardway" which will be released in the coming weeks.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa has always shown that he is not just a rock star but that he aspires to the title of " committed composer of contemporary music ". His orchestrations and his particular love for symphonic music elevate him to a great artistic genius. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa. While the "maestro" is preparing to return to Europe for an eagerly awaited series of concerts, it is worth mentioning the "Old Masters" that he personally curated by gathering them in three powerful and precious box sets. Box One, Box Two and Box Three contain 22 discs from Zappa's discography re-equalized and remastered, the first box set presents six albums but a singular "mystery disc" as happens with Box Two. This is of course unreleased material. Packaged with graphics faithful to the origins (the albums maintain the now proverbial covers) and repeated technical sophistications, the box sets are very close, in terms of sound fidelity, to the capabilities of compact discs. To have them, call Discoclub (06/5140577).

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Zappa's return will be a further opportunity to make peace between the musician and the Italian public (you will also remember a famous and very controversial cover of an old album). Many dates scheduled until June 10 for one of the most important figures in the history of rock (and in any case of the developments of youth music in recent years).
UDINE - May 30
PADOVA - June 1.
(The tour continues in Milan, Turin, Modena, Genoa, Rome and Florence).

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Eccentric, despotic, charismatic. A genius for some, a bluff for others. In any case, one of the greats of rock. Paolo Battigelli reconstructs his exploits and gives voice to his generous explanations. A special that also includes the complete compactography and videography of the "moustache that kills". (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Try saying you've listened to everything Zappa has to offer! People will think you have enormous ears! Good old Frank, with his aura of irreverent irony and biting sarcasm, seems like an old magician who pulls all sorts of devilry out of his magic hat. This modest (so to speak) double sampler (i.e. a small taste...) is nothing more than the preview on black of a mega-opera in Compact discs lasting about 13 hours. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Bowling Green State University, Ohio, is the first US university to establish a course of study entirely dedicated to rock. The initiative immediately registered a huge influx of enrollments, among the over fifteen thousand students of the university, attracted above all by the presence, in the exceptional role of professors, of world-famous rock stars, such as Frank Zappa (pictured) and Jackson Browne. During the lessons, held in particular by a true expert, Prof. Cagle, records are listened to and their compositions are studied, with reference to a perspective of a mass youth phenomenon.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: Frank Zappa is back these days not with an album but with a book. It is his autobiography written in collaboration with Peter Occhiogrosso, another native. A work that is sometimes irreverent, sometimes pompous, often funny: in short, it is like his music. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Automatic translation: The most cultured fringe of rock – Zappa, Eno, Byrne but not only them – has often intersected with the most open and avant-garde sectors of the so-called contemporary – Stockausen, Cage, Riley, Glass – to the point of reaching common conclusions that provocatively deny the very concept of music. Here is the history of these relationships, with a small glossary to help you understand more. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

On page 10 is a picture of Frank Zappa in the USSR.

Source: Fulvio Fiore

Article titled "Twenty-five years of rock and transgressions".

Source: slime.oofytv.set

This first issue after a long break doesn't have a separate article about Zappa, but you can still find some photos.

This material was first published on 23 July 1972, in issue #29.

This material was first published on 1 September 1974, in issue #34/35.