FRANK ZAPPA - the extraordinary and gifted musician, a genius???   

That group of musicians he had that time in the vidieos was out standing, you really could see what a fun they had playing the music together, i´m a fanatic on his compositions well i have listend a lot and there´s still so much to listen to. Did you know in early 80´s Steve Vai played in his band & both made up some guitar duells? LOL

Yes Zappa also did sing but his singing is more on the rhythm context rather really singing, he has more a deep voice but sounds somehow cool... you sure know his song Bobby Brown, that´s his most known popular song.

I put the first video [St. Etienne] in for you & other´s to see that he really has a special own technique as you realize by watching him closely.
The second [Florentine Pogen] is one of my favourite tunes he wrote. I played that song in a group in 1998 but we were only four man, so we just took the main Theme of it, was a lot of fun and i wanted to know how it works playing that tune with the limit of having 4 musicians.

Here´s the song Inca Road also a wonderful tune with George Duke on vocals , i like the female percussionist Ruth Underwood she does a great work, also Zappa plays a nice melodious guitar solo, sounds great have a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36HG72P-RBI

you know many things about Zappa's story. You must be a great fan of him :) No I don't know that Bobby Brown song, I'm totally ignorant about Zappa :/
Wow Zappa and Steve Vai did a duel! lol Cool I can't imagine who could be the winner they're two excellent guitarist a bit different with their style.
Thank you for the links. I watched the last video too. The percussionist girl do a great work yeaah! The guitar work is execellent as always.
In that band I think they're all good players and singer too!
thank you for your detailed informations!

ps: I've listened to your songs, you're a guitar hero man! I like your style! In your tracks there is lot of groove! In the first tracks there's rock and funky, some riffs are in style of Red hot chili peppers "blood sugar and sex" album in the age of "suck my kiss" song. (Do you know that album? It is great clean and distorted riffs!) I like that style!
The second track is rock with progressive influences. I like the guitar and bass line they groove togheter cool! The mixing did a great work too and quality is good. I don't know if the missing voice is a good or a bad thing.
I think It is cooler without voice! I hope you will get more attentions on your work! You deserve it!

Hi jamz, you must have heard the song Bobby Brown... can´t believe that, i put a link in my comment on maribea´s post under your´s but the link somehow doesn´t work, just click on the link and then put in the search bar /frank Zappa - bobby brown (1978) /and it will show up... ok.

I listen to Zappa for many years and still there are so many albums to buy out there, you could say i am a fanatic... lol i love his music and haveplenty of it.
I will see if there are some rare videos in that site and put them here. I´m glad you like the tracks i sent you, i know what you mean by the riffs & coming to R.H.C.P. yes i know that album, it came out 1992 it´s a great one i would say their best, specialy Blood Sugar Magic is my favourite song to say, but i like all the guitars in each song and to say it´s a album on wich every song is great to listen. Well at the moment i´m trying on a new group and hope to get a female vocalist that would be nice, also would love to have a violin player, because i have a lot instrumental material & a 2nd soloist would be fine, i´ll see how it turns out in a few weeks. Thanks again for your interest and your opinions, allways great having you in.

here´s another cool swingin´ jazzy tune from a concert in New York early 80´s, the unison doublings on the different melody themes are great (just imagine driving through N.Y. by taxi and listening to this ... LOL) have fun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggueoDeeWFU

ps. did you recognize or see, Zappa is a heavy smoker he allwas has a cigarrette sticking on his guitar headstock ..haha

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I want to move on in the jazz rock/fusion genre but still being mainly on rock. I mostly played in groups with gtr/bass/drums so this time i really want to have another soloist in the band also could be a sax but i like the sound of a violin.

Well jamz only thing i can say is get your self to listen those genres in music you learn a lot and it´s great music to listen besides the mainstream. Here i just found another cool song from Mr. Zappa it´s Conehead from 1978.

www.youtube.come/watch?v=...

and hear is a site you can watch on his son Dweezil Zappa playing the guitar, after choosing your bandwith shows up you click on Zappa plays Zappa (eyebrows) and your there, some music files are included.

http://www.zappa.com

there is a problem with the zappa's video link (the first) and the page doesnt load. I saw the son's site.
Now you told me about the son, I remember last year there was he came in italy to play zappa's song and came in my city too. I don't remember well, I think he came with Steve Vai (I'm not sure about this).

To be an artist's son like Dweezil must be very hard. It is hard to play with the same level of Zappa expecially for his originality. I don't know if he does own music, if he don't he should start.

Funny that the links don´t work sometimes but you can try this one: http://www.youtube.come
then put into the search bar Frank Zappa - Conehead (1978) then i must show up.

About Dweezil i don´t know that much only that he played guitar on the Don Johnson (the Miami Vice guy) song Heart Beat that was in the pops in the 80´s, a nice song to say.
His idol was Eddie Van Halen and he played more Rock & Metall earlier. Did you see the videos on the site, he does a very good job playing his father´s compositions.
I just went through the net i read up that he s bringing out a new release called Automatic, mostly instrumental music and his first release since ten years.. wow..

ps. But here is some more Frank Zappa stuff Yeah...that´s a nice melodious song called Zoot Allures, in the middle the group plays more a reaggee vamp for Zappas soloing, sounds cool to me also a little weird, well it´s Zappa ... LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiiQ0kxPcA

and here is a cool song with vocal called - You Are What You Is, great tune typical 80´s sound spreads out real joy, so hope you enjoy an that they all work this time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssjVez9UA4w

bummer! i see the first one doesn´t work again so try this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AORDa6PXKM
if this one also fails then put in the search bar
Frank Zappa - Zoot Allures that will help.

hey zappa's is a good singer too! his voice sounds like a black man. I liked "Conehead" and "You Are What It Is" is very far from Zappa's classic songs, it is more near to the 80's mainstream, but it is cool too! I loved the video too.

Zoot Allures is very good, weird solo but cool lol! I like weird things in music, I think a band must have something original, and have to play unpredictable things

Dweezil do a great work too! I think it is very difficult to imitate the same way to play and reproduce the same Zappa's effects. It' s not easy to do Zappa's cover though.

ps: oh my god! :P I discovered right now they give me 10 rate! finally I got It :P

That´s great yes i just went on your topics and i saw it shortly befor i recieved your comment. Well i gave you a lot of + ratings for your great input so may be that helpt it a little for the one point that was missing to 10.

About Dweezil playing Zappa, yes your right but if you listen to him closely you hear that he has a great style of his own though sure his father had big influence on him.

ps. Did you watch the video in the Dweezil site where he plays the solo on The Torture Never Stops? that´s awesome what he´s playing, great talent and also very tasteful.

No, I tried to see it but I couldn't I had some problems with that format. anyway I looked for him in you tube. if you type Dweezil Steve Vai in the youtube search box you see a video of the battle between the two guitarist! I think this time Steva Vai won, it is a bit over Dweezil. Vai is more technic and Dweezil play a bit dirty than Vai.
Tell me who is the best between them. Anyway Dweezil is talented because in his blood has the Zappa's Dna ehhe.

ps: thank you very much, it is true you helped me with rating, I always helped you too.

To me Dweezil doesn´t play that good in the video, Vai is sure a head of him also Vai´s guitar sound is much more clear. But the videos in the Dweezil site are really great, he plays much better on there, he´s older now so may be that´s why.

too bad I can't load those video of the official site! anyway I think Vai has more experience than Dweezil because he's older.

I can´t really understand if you´re on the Zappa plays Zappa site click on Videos then 4 vid´s show up 1st upper one is The Torture Never Stops, it will take a while till it´s loaded. You just need the free RealPlayer to play them [you just don´t get it visual- but i hear the song with it] don´t you have it.

If not you can download a free RealPlayer version at:

http://www.real.com

you can change it to your language, click on realplayer in the upper bar and on the next page on the right side must be the free standard verion. You get the RealPlayer plus version only free for 2 weeks. If it´s not working then call me back through the private message system and sure we´ll get it but it must work jamz.

here´s another bonus i found on youtube, this is the great Frank Zappa composition called Zombie Woof, note the rhythm changes and it´s complex melody but still it´s easy listening to it, but Frank Zappa is not on the stage have a see.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7...

ps. if the link doesn´t work then go on the youtube home page and put in the seach bar [Zombie Woof Zappa Plays Zappa] that will d it.

ok, maybe I haven't fully load it. I was loading the video on zappa's site and it took a long time and didn't load so I though it didn't load. well I'm trying again. let's see. I've finished to watch the second video on you tube. He's was in great shape, he played better that the video of the battle i sent you. the effects he could do with his guitar were amazing, in a part of the solo it sounded like a synth lol. very good! well the zappa's video is still loading, let's hope I will make it to see it lol!

Yes, yes... did you watch all of the videos? there´s about 7 in that site, hope you saw the extra videos but i only hear Dweezil playing there´s no picture, i guess i need the RealPlayer Pro to watch.

ps. I have a look for some more good videos and put them on here, thanks for you interest jamz.

I loaded it a lot of time and when it finished it didn't work. I will try to find a solution for it. thank you for sharing links;)

Hi maribea thank you for your warm post, your words hit it exactly. About the videos, yes they sometimes get a little stuck... best thing to do is pause the play and wait till the upload bar get´s filled a bit and then play them.

Well known songs from him are probable: Dirty Love/Bobby Brown Goes Down/Dancin´Fool/Don´t Eat The Yellow Snow/Cosmik Debris/Fine Girl/I´m The Slime/Big Leg Emma/Apostrophe/My Guitar Want´s To Kill Your Mama/Trouble Every Day/Joe´s Garage/Find Her Finer/Easy Meat/You Are What You Is/Disco Boy/Muffin Man & i guess many more.

Great compositions to me are: Florentine Pogen/Inca Roads/Zoot Allures/Andy/Pound For A Brown/Let´s Move To Cleveland/Sofa#1/Zomby Woof/The Illinois Enema Bandit/The Purple Laggon/Mr. Green Genes/The Torture Never Stops/Penguin In Bondage/Village Of The Sun/Black Page & more, more & more... LOL

I recommand to get his albums Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) Zappa In New York (1978) & The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life (1991) all three are live recordings, also you hear different periods of his music & his groups
.... and they are fantastic to listen.

thanks for your interest, hope to see you again.

ps. here´s his famous tune Bobby Brown from the album Sheik Yerbouti released in 1979.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9cRU1Kjnfc

and here´s his marvelous composition called Pound For A Brown played with orchestra.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...

thank you for your advice. bet them I'm having a listen at some songs of him as soon as I can. Unfortunately I'm not at home and here I don't have a good internet connection therefore I have to wait to go and listen to the song you entered in your link. see you again talking about music and other things. ciao maribea

that's a very huge song list! Thank you very much Lewah, I will have to check them little by little. eheh If Zappa did 60 albums it would take years to know him well! It is good that there is so much materials about his music :)

Yeah it´s a hugh bunch to go for, i have about 27 albums from him. Also their are so many live recordings from him to buy, in a documention i saw Zappa had a hugh archiv on his live performing material also he discribes every date/location & musicians that supported him even if there where made overdubs on them, he was a real workaholic.

Dear maribea yes your welcome just come back here and we talk more about Mr. Zappa and his great music, would be nice. ciao

lol and so you have almost half of its discography besides of lives albums! great artist!