My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama - Happy Birthday Frank Zappa! (12-21-1940)
Hi, WA Friends!
Now that I have your attention, let's celebrate the birthday of the late great Frank Zappa, guitarist, composer, and band leader! He was hailed as a genius by conductor Kent Nagano.
If you like rock and were around back in the '60s, you probably have at least one Zappa album in your collection. In the early days, his band was called "The Mothers Of Invention."
He recorded over 60 studio albums, plus live and compilation material. Add to that the available bootleg recordings, and you're probably looking at close to 100 albums. I have 73 Zappa albums in my collection!
For those of you that are Rock guitar players, you're undoubtedly familiar with exceptionally difficult-to-play favorites like:
- My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama
- Peaches En Regalia
- Watermelon In Easter Hay
- Cosmik Debris
- Illinois Enema Bandit
- Po-Jama People
- Excentrifugal Forz
- Black Napkins
- The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet
In The Beginning
I was in middle school when I brought my first Zappa album," Freak Out," which was released in 1966. I had already been playing Rock guitar for about two years, and learning his stuff was like hitting a brick wall at 300 miles an hour!
I brought the album to school for my music appreciation class and played "The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet," which was heavily influenced by one of Zappa's idols, the French composer Edgard Varese. It wasn't well received by the teacher, to say the least! Have a listen to the tune, and you'll understand why.
The Zappa Concerts
I've seen Frank Zappa in concert on seven occasions, including once in Rome, Italy (with Steve Vai), and his famous 1977 Halloween Concert at the Palladium in New York City. Here's the cover of the 3-disc recording on CD, which is still available on Amazon.
My mother loved Zappa's music. When she discovered that his "Broadway The Hardway" tour was coming to town, she insisted I take her to the show. She was 78 years old at the time. I still have the concert program that she made me buy her.
Awards๏ปฟ
Although Franks's awards are too numerous to list, his " Civilization Phase III" and "Jazz From Hell" albums won a Grammy award.
Children๏ปฟ
Frank's son, Dweezil, is an excellent guitar player and does concert tours of his father's music, entitled "Zappa Plays Zappa."
His daughter, Moon Unit, did the vocal parts on Frank's song "Valley Girl," which was a Top-40 radio hit.
I hope I have sparked your curiosity, and you will check out Frank's music if you're unfamiliar. Please listen with an open mind. I recommend his instrumental pieces on albums like "Shut Up And Play Your Guitar" since his lyrics can be somewhat distracting.
Happy Birthday, Frank! ๐
Keep On Rockn'! ๐ค
๏ปฟFrank (the other one) ๐ ๐ธ
Recent Comments
70
Hi Frankโฆ
Yet another great informative blog post. Iโm not a huge Zappa fan, but do acknowledge his greatness.
-Mike
Hi, Mike
Yeah, Zappa can be very "hit or miss." There's so much stuff that it can be difficult to find what you actually like.
People get turned off by his silly, weird, and sometimes offensive lyrics, so they never get past them and listen to the music.
Check out his albums "Jazz From Hell," "Shut Up And Play Your Guitar, and Zappa with the "London Symphony Orchestra."
Frank ๐ธ
Hi Frank ๐ธ
Happy birthday to your namesake๐
Thanks for the info.
Greetings,
Slavka ๐
Always Frank, i like good music nothing without music. It's not always fierce ๐ธ I also like reggae ๐.
Right now I'm listening to: "Sppel on you" in the reggae version, uh it's good.
Hi Frank.
You wrote
'now that I have your attention'
Clickbaiter lolz. Have a great day.
Best,
Paul
Hi, Paul
Zappa was the ultimate "clickbaiter," so I learned from him! Hahaha ๐
Frank ๐ธ
Zappa was a unique musician and person. We've chatted a bit about him before. Many thought he did too many mind-altering herbal supplements. But as you know he was so against all that was around him then. He was so far ahead of his time. Ted Nugent is the same. Amazing drug-free musicians.
Hi, David
Yes, Frank didnโt need drugs because he had amazing musical talent.
Ted, the โMotor City Madman,โ is a naturalist and conservationist. He hunts all the meat he eats. I love all his music! ๐
Frank ๐ธ
Ooooo... Snakeskin Cowboys is one of my favorite songs ever. We used to crank it up in my pinto on the 8 track before our soccer game in high school and Aerosmiths Train Kept A Rollin! Now that was rockin music. ohhh Procol Harums, Toujours L'Amour I liked.
Who but Ted Nugent is crazy enough to play a Gibson Bryland hollow body guitar through all those amps to get his signature rockin'/feedback-laiden sound?
Aerosmith is a great band! Their residency at Vegas was put on hold, due to illness.
Robin Trower came out of Procal Harum. He played with them from 1967 to 71. I wore out his "Bridge of Sighs" album, stealing guitar licks.๐
Frank ๐ธ
Do you like country and western using a "steel" guitar? I grew to really love it when I lived in Dallas. It's a unique sound to me.
Hi, David
I love the sound of a steel guitar, especially in Country and Western!
Do you know Junior Brown, who plays Country Rock on the "Guit-Steel?"
Also, have you heard Robert Randolph & the Family Band? Robert really has a unique take on steel guitar!
Of course, we can't forget David Gilmour and all his steel guitar work in Pink Floyd and on his solo albums! ๐
Frank ๐ธ
Right on! I remember Frank and the Mothers of Invention! Wasnt a rocker, but listened to anything in those days!!
Rudy
-- Absolutely! My dad used to be a distributor for Decca records!
Do you remember The Dynamics?
One of their hit was called 'Misery'. The band used to practice in my folks' basement in Detroit!
Happy Holidays, Frank!
Rudy๐ฅ
Yes, I remember that tune from back in the 60s!
Thatโs so cool about the band and your dad! You must have one hell of a record collection! ๐
I used to... moved too many times, and they all didnt make it. Have started a new old vinyl collection....๐
Rudy
See more comments
You have Frank's name, Frank! Coincidence?? I think not!
Some excellent info on the Great man!
Jeff๐๐ค๐ธ
Haha, - Jeff.
Yes, Zappa made having the name "Frank" somewhat of a musical honor! ๐
Lots of "Franks" in our family, for some unknown reason. So many that my mom called me "My Frankie" to distinguish me from all the rest. ๐ธ
Haha! That's Great Frank!
Jeff๐๐ธ
Hi, Jeff
When I lived in Italy, and people found out I was American, their first response was usually "New York" or Frank Zappa."
They adored Zappa because he was "Italian." When I saw him play in Rome, tickets sold out in a matter of hours. He played outdoors in a big field at the cow slaughterhouse and came with a full orchestra so he could conduct arrangements of some of his multi-part musical scores.
I didn't get home until 8:30 the following day, going to all the after-concert Zappa parties thrown by friends at the University of Rome.
One of the best musical nights of my life! ๐
Frank ๐ธ
Wow, I can picture what you wrote in my mind, Frank! How totally cool that must have been!
My best experience was when my late wife Joanna and I went to see the Kiss Reunion tour in 1997. We caught the second leg of it after they had come back from Europe. The Entire tour opened in Detroit, Michigan, and I recall that front row seats were selling for $8K!
My mother did not let me go in 1977 for the Kiss Alive II tour because I was only 10 years old. I was 30 years old for this one.
What made it great is that we arrived in Topeka a bit late, and they only had a few nosebleed seats for around $200 as the concert was getting ready to start. I was about to get those for her and I when I turned around and noticed that she was talking to a guy in western attire complete with Cowboy hat, and the lobby was just about empty.
She rushed over to me and said I got us TWO tickets for $100. I thought, well two nosebleeds at $50 ea. was not too bad, so we went to find our way there. She explained the guy she bought them from won them in a radio contest and was trying to get rid of them.
Imagine our surprise when we asked for directions to ours seats (we still had not paid close attention to the tickets), and the usher's eyebrows raised, he motioned us through a velvet rope that he unlatched and escorted us into the arena all the way down to the Front row--Seats 1 & 2!
WOW! My only regret other than having my eyebrows seared off by Gene Simmons' Fireball during God of Thunder, was the fact that I was within an inch of Paul Stanley's Guitar body after he broke it at the end of the encore performance of Rock and Roll all night! The guy next to me got it!
Best concert experience EVER!!
Jeff๐๐ค๐ธ๐ค
Great story Jeff - the type of thing dreams are made of. Nice and a memory to keep.
BP
Hi, Jeff
I absolutely love your story! ๐๐
These are the memories that we can relive again and again, and take to our grave! ๐
Frank ๐ธ
Thanks, Frank!
I will definitely take that great experience to my grave. Seeing Kiss in their 1977 regalia--Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, and Paul and Gene was phenomenal, and a once in a lifetime experience!
Jeff๐๐ธ๐ค
It certainly was, Paul! I don't think I'll ever top that one!
Jeff
I agree!! ๐ ๐ ๐ธ
The best ever, Frank!๐๐ธ