Zappa's Whole Life – Part I
By Peter Mengaziol
Profilic isn't the word for Frank Zappa. With a discography numbering close to 50, hearing only one Zappa record is like being a blind man asked to describe an elephant's appearance while holding its trunk. From one side, he is a social satirist having spoofed the sixties (We're Only In It For The Money lp), disco ("Dancing Fool"), California airheads ("Valley Girl") and censorship ("Porn Wars"). On the other hand, he is a serious composer of contemporary orchestral music and can be described as one of the least-understood guitar heros of the past 20 years.
Getting hold of the entire collection is an enormous undertaking, since many are out of print. Luckily, there are three major reliable sources for Zappa albums: RykoDisc (Pickering Wharf, Bldg. C-3G, Salem, MA 01970 617-744-7678) has released 12 of the albums on 10 CDs and CD boxed sets. With a little duplication with RykoDisc, Zappa's own Barking Pumpkin label (c/o Barfko-Swill, Box 5418, North Hollywood, CA 91616 818-PUMPKIN) has released the two Old Masters volumes which include 12 of the first 13 Zappa/Mothers Of Invention albums plus two "mystery discs" of previously unreleased material. Some imports and hard to find EMI CDs are available through My Generation, (654 Dover Center Road, Bay Village, OH 44140 216-871-5586), a reliable source for Zappa recordings. Both the RykoDisc CD's and Old Masters re-issues feature digitally resuscitated and remixed versions that really sound better than the originals. Between them, you'll have 23 albums' worth, about half the official discography.
From a chronological point of view, Zappa became a formidable guitarist with the release of Absolutely Free (4/67), the second Mothers Of Invention album. From a technical/compositional framework, the next two albums, We're Only In It For The Money (9/67) and Lumpy Gravy (12/67 – the first FZ solo album), were breakthroughs. Both Money and Lumpy Gravy are combined on a single RykoDisc CD and the new mix and reconstituted bass and drum parts are wonderful! Money, one of the most important albums of the late sixties, featured Zappa playing daring guitar solos and as an integrated ensemble member in a way that resembled jazz rather than rock. Lumpy Gravy, recorded about the same, time as Money, put his guitar in orchestral settings. Lumpy Gravy is the archetypal FZ instrumental record, serving as a starting point for future efforts.
While not considered a guitar album, Cruising With Reuben And The Jets (11/68), a spoof/tribute to early sixties doo-wop music, features a guitar gem: the last track, "Stuff Up The Cracks," authentic until a wah-wah fuzztone solo breaks the mood and turns the song into a psychedelic rave-up! Next come the Box Two re-issues.
The two-lp Uncle Meat (3/69), captured the Mothers as they came into their own as a jazz/rock fusion instrumental group. Guitar highlights are "Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution" – a solo acoustic guitar with a percussion ensemble intro and "King Kong," an extension of a theme first heard on Lumpy Gravy, one of the first jazz-rock fusion tracks, ending in a live jam with FZ on wah-wah playing against Ian Underwoods reeds.
Uncle Meat was soon followed by another FZ solo effort, Hot Rats (10/69), the essential FZ instrumental album, a classic and one of the most influential musician's albums ever. Tracks like "Willie The Pimp" and "Son Of Mr. Green Genes" featured great extended wah-wah solos pushing the frontiers of rock guitar forward.
Soon after Rats came a Mothers album, Burnt Weenie Sandwich (2/70). Here, Frank openly acknowledges his debt to Igor Stravinsky. The "Theme From Burnt Weenie Sandwich" and "Holiday In Berlin Full Blown" have more FZ wah-wah a la Hot Rats while the extended "Little House I Used To Live In" starts with clean wah melody and segues through a duet with drums before the scorching Sugar Cane Harris violin solo.
Another Mothers album came out soon after Weenie, Weasels Ripped My Flesh (8/70). Several guitar highlights abound: the clean wah-wah melody of "Toads Of The Short Forest," the wah-wah solo in "Get A Little," the ensemble guitar work of "Dwarf Nebula" and "Orange County Lumber Truck" and the nasty wah intro lead-in to the acoustic solo of "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama."
Another FZ solo project, Chunga's Revenge (10/70), was almost Hot Rats Part Two. On "Transylvania Boogie," Frank's use of different altered minor-scale tonalities during his solo predates Yngwie Malmsteen by decades. "Road Ladies" displays Zappa's blues playing, and he is quite convincing. "Twenty Small Cigars" has lighter use of clean wah in an almost jazzy way. The title track starts with an almost metal intro and shifts into a laid-back jam.
One of the more famous Mothers albums was Fillmore East – June, 1971 (8/71). Here, Frank solos on "Little House" and the almost heavy metal remakes of "Willie The Pimp" and "Peaches En Regallia." Three of the original Turtles performed on that album! That ends Old Masters – Part Two.
The next three albums are available on RykoDisc CD only at present. While the Grand Wazoo (11/72) is basically an orchestral jazz big band album with a few FZ solos, it is one of the rare albums with a guest guitar solo: the title track features a Tony Duran slide guitar solo.
The next two albums, Apostrophe (3/74) and Overnight Sensation (9/73 ), are combined on a single RykoDisc CD. Here, Frank is showcased as a master of the wah-wah pedal and pre-Van Halen whammy-bar technique. Notable among the many extended guitar solos is a really fast and furious one in duet with Jean-Luc Ponty on "50/50." There are some funny proto-rap (!) songs here in a day that had no rap artists but which was a very popular time for Frank Zappa.
Next issue we'll do the later lp's ....
A Zappa Discology –
Part I
The Old Masters Box One
(includes Absolutely Free, We're Only
In It For The Money, Lumpy Gravy and
Cruising With Reuben And The Jets)
Barking Pumpkin BPR7777
We're Only It For Money/Lumpy Gravy
RykoDisc RCD 40024
The Old Masters Box Two
(includes Uncle Meat, Burnt Weenie
Sandwich, Weasels Ripped My Flesh,
Chunga's Revenge and Fillmore East
– June 1971) Barking Pumpkin
BPR8888
The Grand Wazoo
RykoDisc RCD 10026
Apostophe/Overnight Sensation
RykoDisc RCD 40025