Frank Zappa was a horrible musician.

[JVS]

A poet yes, but let's be honest. If you were to produce an album of Frank Zappa songs in an instrumental format it would be among the worst albums ever.

[Initech]

1. You are aware that plenty of all-FZ instrumental albums exist right?

It's not for everybody but to say he was a horrible musician is really pushing it.

[deutsey]

2. Not to mention his classical and jazz compositions n/t

[Initech]

4. And he was one of the few people on earth who could play the Synclaiver.

[MiddleFingerMom]

3. I LOVE most of Zappa's lyrics and it took me a while to recognize...

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... what an exceptional guitarist he was... however, I'm not a big fan of most of his intrumental works.
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That said, his "The Grand Wazoo" is one of my favorite albums ever -- and there's only lyrics on one song.
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Eat That Question
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaXrSMXsmwQ&feature=related
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[Throd]

5. You sir, are a nitwit.

[hobbit709]

7. I second that statement.

[bif]

6. Franks was a pure genius.

Phenomenal guitarist. So I totally disagree with you. I saw him perform many times. Always a great show.

[CBGLuthier]

8. No, not in the least. He just did not limit himself to pretty little things

and rhythms for simple folk. Towards the end he went a little nuts with odd time signatures but that is not what we usually consider to be bad musicianship.

No rancor and nothing personal but exactly what tools of music appreciation, musicianship, and compositional skills are you bringing to your critique?

[hifiguy]

9. You are joking, right?

The man was a brilliant lead guitarist and composer of everything from musique concrete to electronic pieces to orchestral pieces. Not to mention his gigantic rock catalogue.

Knock the wax out of your ears and listen to "Hot Rats" or "The Yellow Shark" the latter being a collection of FZ's classical pieces played live by the Ensemble Modern.

[Ohio Joe]

10. Shut up 'n Play yer Guitar

Look it up, listen and learn.

[kayakjohnny]

14. Oh yes!

That's one of my all-time favorite albums from any musician out there.

It's a masterpiece!

You are correct sir!

:fistbump:

[Ahpook]

11. What?

You must be kidding? :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfE_98yy2iw

[JVS]

35. No, that's exactly the kind of song I'm talking about.

The lyrics are funny. The music is monotonous, boring, and really not that good.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. Absolute fucking BULLSHIT

But for comparison's sake, post a link to some of your albums so we can listen and assess your musicals skills.

You said let's be honest, so I will. I'd have to say that your post has the highest level of horseshit of any post I've read so far on DU in 2011.

And he has produced all-instrumental albums, and they fucking well ROCK.

Goodbye.

[Generic Brad]

18. Weasels Ripped My Flesh was pretty unmusical

Perhaps I am not sophisticated enough to appreciate random sounds and dissonance.

[taterguy]

41. My level of horseshit doesn't measure up to JVS?

Now that's horseshit

[ornotna]

13. I'm there, and I see it..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9750172

[Tuesday Afternoon]

20. ah

;)

[MilesColtrane]

15. I didin't care for his guitar playing, but I find his compositions interesting...

and worthy of being played.

So does the rest of the world.

[Brother Buzz]

16. Dude played a mean musical bicycle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

[Orsino]

32. Yeah, but Steve sounded a little flat. n/t

[musette_sf]

17. Just for that

I'm gonna blast "Peaches En Regalia"

http://youtu.be/W9Io_H2un9c

[MrScorpio]

19. Tell me that you're kidding

For surely, you jest.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

21. Listen to "Black Napkins"

then come back and tell us what you think.......... :bounce:

[JVS]

36. Ok, I'll do that, but I have a feeling this is going to be like the Beach Boys fans who tell you..

to listen to Pet Sounds and then all the songs that make you hate the beach boys (with the notable exception of Kokomo) are on the fucking album.

[MilesColtrane]

22. Well Zappa wasn't entirely happy with this album, but I'd hardly call it the "worst ever".

Bogus Pomp (excerpt)

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

Sad Jane, 1st movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UppAHAilN1s

[7wo7rees]

23. My first Zappa video was "Inca Roads" on Night Flight on USA network.

Then, "Baby Snakes" and "200 Motels".

Forget the video and listen:

Sheik Yerbouti
Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation
Joe's Garage
Thingfish
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore

Brilliance. What's the problem?

[7wo7rees]

26. Oh, did I forget "Frank Zappa vs. The Mothers of Prevention"?

For his opposition to Tipper Gore and the PMRC alone, he should receive Hall Of Fame status, along with Dee Snider and John Denver.

[cemaphonic]

24. Surely you got that backwards

It's his lyrics that are the weak spot in his music, although even the stupider lyrics are at least amusing for a few listens.

And I'm not as enamored by his classical output as a lot of people are, since it just seems very derivative of early 20th century Modernism but not as interesting. (Though I think that Zappa probably wouldn't take "Sorry dude, you're just not as good as Stravinsky" all that badly.) But his guitar work, jazz fusion stuff and rock catalog is full of great music.

Even among his lyric-oriented music, I would absolutely love an instrumental arrangement of Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation, which has lots of awesome music and really cringe worthy lyrics.

And, has been already pointed out on this thread, there already are plenty of Zappa albums that are all or mostly instrumental.

[Tabasco_Dave]

25. If he sucked so much, why did some of the best musicians

in the world, join his band? :shrug:

Even the musicians who didn't like Frank complained about his heavy work schedule, temper and perfectionism but never put down his musical talent.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

39. George Duke & Jean-Luc Ponty - Canteloupe Island

as an example.

I like We're Only In it for the Money and Freak Out!

[Skittles]

27. mmmmmmmm.....no sweetie

you are dead fucking wrong

[NoGOPZone]

28. Not sure if this is a serious post or not, but I'll bite anyway.

He wasn't horrible. He was overrated by the diehards, perhaps because he unfairly ignored by most of the public, but he wasn't horrible.

[Paladin]

29. Wrong. (n/t)

[Grantuspeace]

30. Check out Watermellon in Easter Hay. link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9DqykUsqRY&feature=related

[Iggo]

31. No he wasn't. (n/t)

[ElboRuum]

33. I never considered him a musician...

I think that Zappa was something else, like an experimental performance artist, just using a musical vehicle for a wider artistic purpose.

[JVS]

34. See, I'll buy that. It's kind of like GG Allin didn't really want to make music, he just wanted...

an audience and to inflict his message on it.

[era veteran]

37. Miss you Frank, you never sold out.

Only saw him once with Mothers in about '75 or so in Frankfurt Germany right after Overnight Sensation. A great record with the best Rock violinist ever, Jean-Luc Ponty. Frank was too smart and complex for some people who may be more comfortable with 1910 Fruitgum Co.

[Joe Fields]

38. okay, you've tweaked my nose, now run along.

Obviously, you haven't been exposed to enough FZ....

[Manifestor_of_Light]

40. You're confusing complexity with badness.

I saw him live in '83.

He had to conduct the whole thing with a baton, because it was so complex. That means that it was of the same complexity as pieces by Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok or Sergei Prokofief.

The key signatures changed; the time signatures changed; weird rhythms, etc. With music that complicated, you can't just play it off sheet music. You HAVE to have a conductor.

I say this as a person who started piano lessons at five, violin lessons at ten years of age, and I was in numerous choral groups and orchestras, community and college orchestras.

At high school music camp, age 16, I was in an orchestra that played a full concert once a week. We rehearsed for five days and did an overture and two major works. I was on first violin.

One of the pieces we played then was The Firebird ballet suite by Stravinsky. We also played many other difficult works such as Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss.

In college, when I was 19, our college orchestra played The Miraculous Mandarin ballet suite by Bartok, Vaughn Williams' Symphony Number Six, and The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky.