Frank Zappa

[Revan]

Never actually listened to Frank Zappa myself. I can download some of his music though, any recommendations for a first time listener?

[Queeaqueg]

Frank Zappa fan here

[Cail]

Never actually listened to Frank Zappa myself. I can download some of his music though, any recommendations for a first time listener?

My vote goes for Sheik Yerbuti...The whole album. It's not totally bizarre, and there are some fantastic songs on there....The aforementioned "Broken Hearts..", "Bobby Brown Goes Down", "Dancin' Fool", and "Jewish Princess".

[dANdeLION]

I would think "Strictly Commercial" would be a good starting point, too. It covers a lot of musical ground, and it's full of Zappa's hits, if that word even applies, heh.

[onewyteduck]

Pretty much any of the stuff previously mentioned would be a good place to start!

[dANdeLION]

True...no matter which one you buy, it'll be unmistakably Zappa.

[Cord Hurn]

This is an early one of Frank's that I consider to be a gem...

TROUBLE EVERY DAY
(Written by Frank Zappa)

Well I'm about to get up sick
From watchin' my t.v.
Been checking out the news
Until my eyeballs fail to see
I mean to say that every day
Is just another rotten mess
And when it's gonna change, my friend
Is anybody's guess
So I'm watching and I'm waiting
Hoping for the best
Even think I go to praying
Every time I hear them saying
That there's no way to delay
That trouble coming everyday
No way to delay
That trouble coming every day

Wednesday I watched the riot
I've seen the cops out on the street
Watch them throwing rocks and stuff and choking in the heat
Listen to reports
About the whiskey passing 'round
Seen the smoke and fire
And the market burning down
Watched while everybody on his street would take a turn
They stomp and smash and bash and crash and slash and bust and burn
And I'm watching and I'm waiting
Hoping for the best
Even think I go to praying
Every time I hear them saying
That there's no way to delay
That trouble coming every day
No way to delay
That trouble coming everyday

You can cool it, you can heat it
'Cause baby I don't need it
Take your t.v. tube and eat it
And all that phony stuff on sports
And all those unconfirmed reports
You know I watch that rotten box
Until my head began to hurt
From checking out the way
The newsmen say they get the dirt
Before the guys on channel so-and-so
And further they assert
That any show they'll interrupt
They bring you news if it comes up
They say that if the place blows up
They will be the first to tell
'Cause the boys they got downtown
Are working hard and doing swell
And if anybody gets the news
Before it hits the streets
They say that no one blabs it faster
Their coverage can't be beat
And if another woman driver
Gets machine gunned from her seat
They'll send some joker with a brownie
And you'll see it all complete

So I'm watching and I'm waiting
Hoping for the best
Even think I go to praying
Every time I hear them saying
That there's no way to delay
That trouble coming everyday
No way to delay
That trouble coming every day

Well I've seen the fires burning
And the local people turning
On the merchants and the shops
Who use to sell their brooms and mops
And every other household item
Watch the mob just turn and bite 'em
And they say it serves them right
Because a few of them are white
And it's the same across the nation
Black and white discrimination
Yell and you can understand me
And all that other jazz they hand me
In the papers and t.v.
And all that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more everyday
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
'Cause the color of your skin
Just don't appeal to him
No matter if it's black or white
Because he's out for blood tonight

You know we got to sit around at home
And watch this thing begin
I'll be there won't be many live
To see it really end
'Cause a fire in the street ain't like a fire in the heart
And in the eyes of all these people don't you know that this could start
On any street, in any town, in any state, if any clown
Decides that now's the time to fight for some ideal he thinks is right
And if a million more agree, there ain't no great society
As it applies to you and me, our country isn't free
And the law refuse to see if all you can ever be
Is just a lousy janitor unless your uncle owns the store
You know that five in every four just won't amount to nothing more
They'll watch the rats go across the floor
And make up songs about being poor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=girnJH7tvpM

[Cord Hurn]

Funny and sobering at the same time. Guitarist Steve Vai keeps changing his tone to match Frank's vocals inflections and it sounds like a challenging thing even for someone of Steve's musical prowess to try to do.

THE DANGEROUS KITCHEN
(Written by Frank Zappa)

The dangerous kitchen
If it ain't one thing it's another
In the middle of the night when you get home
The bread things are all dry 'n' scratchy
The meat things
Where the cats ate through the paper
The can things with the sharp little edges
That can cut your fingers when you're not looking
The soft little things on the floor that you step on
They can all be DANGEROUS
Sometimes the milk can hurt you
(If you put it on your cereal
Before you smell the plastic container)
And the stuff in the strainer
Has a mind of its own
So be very careful
In the dangerous kitchen
When the night time has fallen,
And the roaches are crawlin'
In the kitchen of danger
You can feel like a stranger
The bananas are black
They got flies in the back
And also the chicken
In the dish with the foil
Where the cream is all clabbered
And the salad is frightful
Your return in the evening
Can be less than delightful
You must walk very careful
You must not lean against it
It can get on your clothing
It can follow you in
As you walk to the bedroom
And you take all your clothes off
While you're sleeping
It crawls off
It gets in your bed
It could get on your face then
It could eat your complexion
You could die from the danger
Of the dangerous kitchen
Who the fuck wants to clean it?
It's disgusting and dirty
The sponge on the drainer
Is stinky and squirty
If you squeeze it when you wipe up
What you get on your hands then
Could un-balance your glands and
Make you blind or whatever
In the dangerous kitchen
At my house tonight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lpj2uMFi-c

[dANdeLION]

Joe's Garage




Lucille has messed my mind up
but i still love her..

Joe's Garage is my favorite; One Size Fits All & Apostrophe/Overnite Sensation are great too.