Zappa's Whole Life – Part II
By Peter Mengaziol
Hope you had a good time with those vintage albums last issue. Let's continue on our guide to Frank Zappa's guitar discography.
Roxy And Elsewhere (9/74) is a two-record lp, partially "live" album with FZ's guitar in an ensemble setting ("Echidna's Arf" and "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing"). Then, as lead instrument, note the phased/wah solo on "Penguin In Bondage," the bluesy remake of "Trouble Every Day," the blues/funk obbligato of "Dummy Up" and the interesting guitar timbre on "Son Of Orange County Lumber Truck," which begins with tremolo/fuzz and builds to a nasty feedback solo and mellows out again.
The One Size Fits All (6/75) album is another instrumentally-diverse collection. "Inca Roads" has a restrained solo à la Hot Rats. "Andy" features a multitracked guitar ensemble. "Sofa No. 1" showcases FZ's guitar in a quasi-c&w instrumental while "San Ber'dino" is an outside blues with a fretless guitar solo. "Po-Jama People" has a mino r blues intro and an extended solo over semi-boogaloo funk.
Bongo Fury (10/75 ) features soloing on "Carolina Hard Core Ecstasy," playing the blues on "200 Years" and sharing the spotlight with the slide guitar of Dennis Walley on "Advance Romance."
Zoot Allures (10/76) is a mostly overdubbed production with FZ on guitar, bass, drums and synth. The emphasis is on ensemble work, like the title track, "The Torture Never Stops," "Ms. Pinky" and "Friendly Little Fingers" – the last of which begins with a fretless guitar raga and turns into a bona fide rave-up and back. "'Black Napkins" is a solo vehicle featuring a furious guitar using a sample-and-hold box for a unique sequencer-like sound.
Sleep Dirt (1/79), one of the three litigation albums, is also reminiscent of Hot Rats. The title track is a Pentangle-ish acoustic duet, while "Spider Of Destiny" and "Time Is Money" are fuzz-guitar ensemble pieces. "Filthy Habits" has the guitar in Lumpy Gravy orchestral setting. Note the feedback raga and backward tracked solo! "The Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution" features clean guitar/acoustic bass passages and an extended fuzz rave-up over an acoustic rhythm guitar.
Sheik Yerbouti (3/79) features Adrian Belew on feedback. A Jaco-like Patrick O'Hearn steps out on the xenochronic jam of "Rubber Shirt." Check out the bluesy smaltz intro of the "Sheik Yerbouti Tango," which transforms itself into a nastv altered minor solo à la "Igor's Boogie."
Another lawsuit album Orchestral Favorites (5/79) was a real guitar gem: the orchestral remake of "Duke Of Prunes" where Frank's restrained whammy/controlled feedback solo guitar is surrounded by an almost Ellingtonian orchestral wash also heard on "Sleep Dirt."
The Man From Utopia (3/83) is notable for "Moggio," where fast FZ guitar enscmble work is pitted against fly-shit guitar parts. "Dangerous Decision" and "Jazz Discharge Party Hats" feature Steve Vai doubling Frank's off-the-wall lounge singer vocal on acoustic guitar.
The monumental three-lp Shut Up And Play Your Guitar series (5/81 ) is perhaps the largest currently-available dose of Zappa. Since the entire album is made up of guitar solos in many contexts, it should just be noted than this is a series no Zappa guitar buff should be without. The three lp's have been condensed on two packed Rykodisc CD's so the CD set is a comparative bargain.
Them Or Us (10/84), most easily available as a Rykodisc CD two-fer, features guest solos by Dweezil on "Sharleena" and "Stevie's Spanking." Steve Vai is soloist on "Yah Hozna" and "Stevie's Spanking," besides supplying some intensely difficult guitar parts. "Sinister Footwear" has Frank soloing with feedback and whammy bar effects on a tortured-sounding jam. "Truck Driver Divorce" features the bag pipe trick, feedback and whammy bar during another extended FZ solo.
Frank takes another "out" solo on thce ominious "Marqueson's Chicken." A metal-type whammy solo appears on the title track. The two-lp set concludes with a live big band version of the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post," done reverently enough with Frank and Steve doing a Duane and Dicky. Frank's solo features his controlled feedback and a bluesier bent over an almost-reggae back beat.
Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention (11/85 – availablc as a Rykodisc CD with tracks not on the lp version) sports a couple of notable guitar solos: "Alien Orifice" has a neat Zappa solo and some impossible Steve Vai guitar parts. "What's New In Baltimore" pits c&w/gospel chords underneath with Frank' subtly feeding-back guitar playing some righteous stuff that might make the Reverend Jimmy stagger.
Jazz From Hell (11/86 – now available on Rykodisc CD) sports an extended solo with the bagpipe effect otherwise all-Synclavier album. The guitar track, "St. Etienne," is a live performance with Frank pulling lots of things out of his trick bag. Compared to that solo, Steve Vai's current stuff doesn't sound that outrageous. This album also contains some of Frank's most intricate compositions and the all digital sound – direct from Synclavier to you – especially on the CD, is great.
A good buy in FZ guitar tracks is the Guitar World According To Frank Zappa (4/87), which features 35 minutes of pure Zappa guitar on audiophile cassette. The aforementioned "Sleep Dirt" and "Dirty I.ittle Fingers" tracks (both otherwise out of print ), as well as an excerpt from another litigation album, Studio Tan, are included. Now available through Barfko-Swill, think of it as a preview to another Shut Up And Play compilation.
There's more in the recorded collection and you are encouraged to look further. Here are some reliable sources: Rykodisc for CD's (Pickering Wharf. Bldg. C-#G, Salem, MA 01970 617-744-7678), Zappa's own Barking Pumpkin label (c/o Barfko-Swill, Box 5418, North Hollywood, CA 91616; 818-PUMPKIN for a complete discography) and My Generation, (654 Dover Center Road, Bay Village, 011 216-871-5586).
Roxy And Elsewhere/Discrcet MS 2202
(currently out of print)
One Size Fits All/Discrcet MS 2216 (currently
out of print)
Bongo Fury/Discreet MS 2234 (currently out of
print)
Zoot Allures/Warner Bros. BS 2970 (currently
out of print)
Sleep Dirt/Discreet MS 2292 (currently out of
print)
Sheik Yerbouti/Re-issued on import EMI 2608101
Orchestral Favorites/Discreet MS 2294
(currently out of print)
Shut Up And Play Your Guitar/Rykodisc RCD
(two-CD set), Barking Pumpkin BPR 111, 112, 113 (three discs)
The Man From Utopia/Re-issued on import EMI
2608151
Them Or Us/Rykodisc RCD 40027, Barking Pumpkin
SUB 074200
Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention/Rykodisc
RCD 10023, Barking Pumpkin ST74203
Jazz From Hell/Rykodisc RCD 10030, Barking
Pumpkin ST74205
The Guitar World According To Frank Zappa/Cassctte-only
GW-002 available from Barfko Swill