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Frank Zappa
To me he is the real guitar wiz of the last twenty years. I first got in contact with Frank Zappa’s music about twenty years ago, when the neighbor’s son listened to it. I was maybe 14 at that time and really into Rory Gallagher, so the musical arrangements of Zappa were lost on me. I liked straightforward R&B. It took another 10 years, until I discovered the musical richness and the stunning lyrics of Frank. I went to a local yard sale on a Sunday afternoon and they had Joe’s Garage Act 1 for sale for 5 DM. I bought it just because of remembering the name and the price and listened to it half an hour later. It was like an electric shock. Superb lyrics, a very good humor and a band, that got their sound together. Instantly I was impressed by the precision and musical craftsmanship of the musicians in his group.
The next day I bought the CD with acts 1, 2 and 3 and it was the most played CD at my place for some time. During the following years I bought more and more Zappa (I must have about 50 CDs from Frank now) and discovered a wide musical variety. From classic via Jazz to Blues and Fusion... He played it all and he played it all perfectly. Most of his musicians became Names after leaving him, and you can say, that he had a real school for stars going on, sporting names like Ike Willis, Chad Wackerman, Winni Caliouto, Steve Vai, Captain Beefheart.
His guitar playing is very typical, often atonal and mainly based on the pentatonic and blues scale. Very often he is using two pentatonic scales and mixing them (Say the song is in E, but he is playing solo in E and A like Muffin Man or 200 Motels Finale) There is also no Zappa Guitar Sound. He changed axes, amps and effects every two songs (live and in studio), but his main axes have been Strats and SGs. I had the chance to see him once in Frankfurt on his last live appearance in 1992. If you might want to discover his musical universe (well, it IS a lot of styles to choose from) you might want to listen to:
Joe’s Garage (my favorite is Packard Goose). Mainstream rock and intelligent lyrics.
Broadway the Hard Way (Any Kind of Pain). Light rock and blues with a jazzy attitude and Sting joining the band.
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You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1 - Vol. 6. Thirteen hours of live performances. My favorite is #6. CD 1 - Does Humor Belong In Music (What’s new in Baltimore and Whipping Post.)
I hope you got interested.
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- Frank Zappa
Maybe it was a concert, or a CD (or an LP for us older players), or a song on the radio. There is usually one defining moment when we hear a player for the first time and they become our hero.
Here is your chance to tell the story of how a particular player became your hero. If you have an interesting story to tell, simply email me the story. Be sure to include the name of your hero and your name.
