Zappa.

[Dr Syntax Head]

I'm deeply ashamed to admit that at 43 I'm only now exploring Frank Zappa. Right this very moment listening to Joe's Garage. I'm mainly interested in his guitar playing (as a player myself I was curious what the fuss was about) and he's fucking ace. But I'm really digging his satire and just plain craziness. I can see myself being engaged with his back catalogue for a while.

Discuss Zappa. Discuss Dweezil Zappa too if you like (I was a fan back in my early days of guitar when I liked all that Van Halen stuff)

[Avril Lavigne]

I really like Zappa, but not enough to call myself a proper fan, despite owning a lot of his albums (I'm way more into Beefheart).  As brilliant as his ideas and technical achievements were I tend to feel a slight emotional detachment from his work.  My best friend is a huge Zappa fan and put together a personal best-of for me that I could send you by PM if you're interested?  Otherwise I guess my favourite track is Crew Slut.

[Dr Syntax Head]

That's a lovely offer but I'm just working alphabetically through his whole back catalogue starting with Apostrophe now (was listening to Joe's Garage which does indeed have the excellent Crew Slut on it) thank you but it's ok : )

This is mad stuff. Loving it.

[itsfredtitmus]

Hard to block out those awful lyrics

[Avril Lavigne]

That's a lovely offer but I'm just working alphabetically through his whole back catalogue starting with Apostrophe now (was listening to Joe's Garage which does indeed have the excellent Crew Slut on it) thank you but it's ok : )

This is mad stuff. Loving it.

Cool, it's also worth mentioning he did the theme song for Duckman :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSLOseqoK24

[Rocket Surgery]

Tricky bastard, yer Zapp. 200 albums and a lot of them are shite...

[Bhazor]

Never actually sat down and listened to him. He's in the same category as Beefheart as someone who I know I'll love and want to really set aside time to  get properly absorbed in it. Rather than just loading it to my walkman and blasting through three albums on the bus.

But I will say Zappa has one of the best looks in music.Not overstated or knowingly arch like Bowie. Just awesome looking. If I wasn't fat and cripplingly shy I'd model my look on him.

[the science eel]

Hard to block out those awful lyrics

And the awful solos.

And the awful voice.

The first three Mothers' albums are good in places, tho'.

[Dr Syntax Head]

I'm fucking loving him. I knew a few of his songs but only a small handful. It's a rich catalogue of work (I'm ashamed at my own cliche there but fuck it not like I'm writing for a music magazine or owt)

[manticore]

And the awful chord changes. I cannot stand his music apart from early Mothers but from what I've read he was very good to Beefheart, funding him and employing him when nobody else would or could. And his interviews are very interesting.

[BlodwynPig]

dee diddle dee dee duh, duh duh duuuh duh dee duh duh

[BlodwynPig]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD1RSRxfgIU

[itsfredtitmus]

His shite albums are the best ones I find
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGDubon1mFQ

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

I've tried to give him a go over the years (there are a lot of persuasive Zappa fans out there) but could only conclude that the vast majority of his output is utter shite.

[itsfredtitmus]

It's absolutely terrible I love it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbJ3Lx9TBf4

[BlodwynPig]

I've tried to give him a go over the years (there are a lot of persuasive Zappa fans out there) but could only conclude that the vast majority of his output is utter shite.

Could you give an example of something you hold as "not shite"? (not baiting, just its better to get an idea of why you may think this).

[Dr Syntax Head]

I'm greatly enjoying this. If I were to listen to this as a 18 your old grunge fan I would have ignored it (like I did actually ignore Zappa at that age) but now in my more golden years I'm able to absorb it's eccentricities.

[itsfredtitmus]

chas n dave

[Dr Syntax Head]

chas n dave

(I never lose an opportunity to bore people with...) Chas and Dave were session musicians who played on the Labi Siffre song I got the blues that was sampled by Eminem on My name is.

(Dr Syntax gets kicked out the pub for banging on about that again)

[BlodwynPig]

Likewise Puff Daddy can be heard playing washboard on the Chas n Dave B-side "Soccer City", a single released for the US World Cup in 1994.

[Avril Lavigne]

I've seen Chas n Dave live, it was fantastic.

[itsfredtitmus]

Then he nailed right through a cable / and out when all the lights

[Bhazor]

It's absolutely terrible I love it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbJ3Lx9TBf4

Was that supposed to be bad? Because I quite liked that.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Hard to block out those awful lyrics

Then listen to one without lyrics on it like Hot Rats which is ace.

Bloody love Zappa. Yeah he churned out a lot of cringeworthy shit but so did most 'legendary' musicians and that. One Size Fits All is probs my favourite albume overall

[Dr Syntax Head]

Was that supposed to be bad? Because I quite liked that.

I heard about Jazz from Hell in a radio documentary about Zappa years ago and I think it's supposed to be challenging. The few snippets I heard put me off Zappa at the time, but then I was listening to a lot of Pearl Jam so my taste was hardly in the experimental music realm

[Bennett Brauer]

It's depressing that Bobby Brown Goes Down is his most popular song on Spotify. And that the Synclavier was invented.

[kidsick5000]

I used to marvel that every record shop I'd go into in the 90s had a Zappa section that took up a huge chunk of shelf space, but didn't seem to shift any units.

Is there a good introduction to Zappa playlist/compilation?

[Hemulen]

Zappa's one of those artists that I quite like but completely get why other people might find him intolerable. I think it's because even at his grooviest/loosest/silliest, his music feels like an intellectual pursuit rather than a spiritual one. He never bypasses my brain and grabs me by the soul the way a lot of my favourite musicians do. Also he produced plenty of utter wank over the years.

Having said that, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka, One Size Fits All... I will excuse an absolute torrent of shit from someone capable of making albums like that.

[Hemulen]

Is there a good introduction to Zappa playlist/compilation?

His output's really diverse so it depends what other stuff you're into. Assuming you have a reasonably high jazz tolerance (and if you don't, maybe don't bother with Zappa at all), you can't really go wrong with Hot Rats.

[SpiderChrist]

I think it's because even at his grooviest/loosest/silliest, his music feels like an intellectual pursuit rather than a spiritual one. He never bypasses my brain and grabs me by the soul the way a lot of my favourite musicians do.

Spot on. I went and saw him back in the 80s and the overwhelming impression was "well, this is all very clever, but..."

Prefer Beefheart. More visceral and seemingly more intuitive than FZ's approach.