Feb 27: Z is for Frank Zappa

An alphabet of bands and artists as a series for the last 26 days. These were selected by the Spotify algorithm. This is the final feature... and comes with a parental advisory.

Frank Zappa rounds off the A-Z.... I often use Zappa quotes for my geography presentations - either to start them off, or to finish them off...

Here's one...

Zappa was a real musical maverick. He recorded well over a hundred albums, and was constantly recording, rehearsing and sharing his philosophy to a wide range of audiences.

As his Wikipedia entry says:

"His work, which predominantly features electric guitar work, is characterised by nonconformity, improvisation, sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture".... plus lots of smut...

I have quite a few favourite albums - he recorded so many - but they are often NSFW, with scatalogical, misogynistic or sexual interludes... which were a big part of his live concerts as well... He went through various phases, with improvisation, jazz and then rock, with a phase working with George Duke, and violinists including Jean Luc Ponty and Eddie Jobson (him again). 

Check out instrumentals such as 'RDNZL' for example from his jazz phase.

If you want to know more about him, this Medium post is a useful introduction.

He was a countercultural icon, a pioneer in progressive rock and jazz rock, one of the greatest guitarists ever to grace the Earth, an often-controversial lyrical provocateur, and arguably the finest composer of his generation. He was also almost supernaturally prolific.

He often broke the barriers of polite society (and strained the barriers of good taste) in his earlier material, but starting with Sheik Yerbouti, Frank Zappa was writing lyrics deliberately meant to offend just about everyone.

So you have been warned... 

I listened to these a great deal over 40 years ago as a student in Huddersfield with the Bent Street gang...

There were some key albums which came out in the late 1970s and which we then listened to just a few years after they came out. These were also recorded with virtuoso musicians who Zappa drilled for hour after hour to get their playing just right, so that it sounded spontaneous.

Joe's Garage, Acts I, II and III

Tinseltown Rebellion

You are what you is

There are so many classic riffs and lyrics here, but caution is needed...

To finish, here's his version of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' from an album of his which I have called 'The Best Band you never heard in your Life'. It's one of the few tracks I could safely include... the brass version of the famous guitar solo is a highlight...

And one of his last recordings from 1986 before his early death featured this Synclavier classic...

G-Spot Tornado - turn it up loud!

And, given that Zappa recorded a lot of albums, with orchestras, here's an orchestra managing to play that composition...

One reason I mention Zappa in my geography presentations, as I have done at numerous events is a connection with my own thinking on teaching and curriculum development.

Zappa's total output is unified by a conceptual continuity he termed "Project/Object", with numerous musical phrases, ideas, and characters reappearing across his albums. He also called it a "conceptual continuity", meaning that any project or album was part of a larger project. Everything was connected, and musical themes and lyrics reappeared in different form on later albums.

I try to plan curriculum so that themes reoccur and connections pop up - sometimes momentarily and other times for longer, and sometimes they may not even be a big part of the lessons, but I know they're there...

A full discography would include literally hundreds of albums...

Here's a sample that AI threw up....

And if you could let me know your own A-Z of suggestions that would be great - just open your streaming service of choice, and see what crops up...

More on this tomorrow...