Frank Zappa (December 21, 1940 December 4, 1993) was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. In his teens, he acquired a taste for percussion-based avant-garde composers such as Edgard Varèse and 1950s rhythm and blues music. He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm and blues bands—he later switched to electric guitar. He was a self-taught composer and performer, and his diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often impossible to categorize. His 1966 debut album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, combined songs in conventional rock and roll format with collective improvisations and studio-generated sound collages. His later albums shared this eclectic and experimental approach, irrespective of whether the fundamental format was one of rock, jazz or classical. He wrote the lyrics to all his songs, which—often humorously—reflected his iconoclastic view of established social and political processes, structures and movements. He was a strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, and a forthright and passionate advocate for …
Video Rating: 4 / 5
FormerlyMrBean667
February 14, 2012 at 6:05 am
@gubbenpersson Damn right.
davedenisetigg
February 14, 2012 at 6:31 am
1 Of my fave Zappa tunes ! Love it loud!!
postsux08
February 14, 2012 at 6:49 am
yes that’s my ring tone.
SalamaSond
February 14, 2012 at 6:51 am
To appreciate Zappa’s guitar you have to be able to hear those tight little rhythmic clusters that are essential to his musical personality. Not just triplets and quintuplets, but 7’s, 9’s, 11’s… 23’s! Not only could he play them accurately and extemporaneously, but he played them with emotional intensity. And from those fiendish rhythms he’d build melodies that only work if played accurately. The fact that he had the balls to do it live on stage was a gift to the audience I’ll never forget.
gubbenpersson
February 14, 2012 at 7:13 am
@xxXXxPagexXXxx saw him twice in sweden.seen all ofdweezils shows in stockholm
good job,god musician…but think best was black napkins in Globe arena with Terri Bozzio
gubbenpersson
February 14, 2012 at 8:01 am
in 300 years when they look bak it will be Wagner,Bethoven,Mozart and Zappa
Janitor989
February 14, 2012 at 8:50 am
@xxXXxPagexXXxx yeah.. I just suggested Zappa plays Zappa.. ..I’ve witnessed it twice now..
spoon149
February 14, 2012 at 9:45 am
@coleed00d yea nicely said, but you told everyone your age, pretty contradictory to what you just said, what does it matter
xxXXxPagexXXxx
February 14, 2012 at 10:28 am
@Janitor989 I was lucky enough to see him play. If you get the chance go see Dweezil so worth every cent
jmitch623
February 14, 2012 at 11:26 am
@zkxb What’s his address? I want to go over sit on his chest and sing the entire Freak Out album to him.
perothing
February 14, 2012 at 11:44 am
great as always.
zkxb
February 14, 2012 at 11:57 am
1 asshole prefers white napkins.
kiekiek
February 14, 2012 at 12:39 pm
One of the greatest guitarists ever.
AmAY259
February 14, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Ho. Ly. Balls.
coleed00d
February 14, 2012 at 1:51 pm
dude who gives a shit what age you are? i’ve loved zappa since my dad introduced me to him at age 6 (I’m 15 now), but that doesn’t mean anything. it’s not a contest. it’s still incredible, unique music that is good no matter how old you are. Although i will say… zappa>Lady gaga shit
jarbhamilton
February 14, 2012 at 2:26 pm
@LedZeppeloyd223 its wah and pinch harmonics i think
Janitor989
February 14, 2012 at 3:01 pm
check out some Zappa Plays Zappa sometime.. ..Dweezil is amazing.. way cleaner than Frank, has a great feel.. he’s learning a ton using the palette that is Frank’s music.
Janitor989
February 14, 2012 at 3:59 pm
@iamaheron ..just read the credits to The Man From Utopia. ..in clear print “Steve Vai – impossible guitar parts”
yes. we all know Vai is a technical guitar master, but Franks *feel* was warm and fuzzy and it flowed.. ..besides, he wrote everything Vai played for him.
Ryomaslade45
February 14, 2012 at 4:45 pm
@iamaheron I’d say go watch Zappa’s A&E bio
Steve Vai puts it out straightforward that he was *like* a tool for Zappa. It’s not insulting Vai, Zappa was composing rock Symphony, he used many different talented people for short periods just for certain sounds he was looking for.
wistoncap
February 14, 2012 at 4:50 pm
@iamaheron Calm down kid, Frank Zappa (as all composers have to do by the nature of the craft), “used” all the musicians he worked with in order to get out the music he was trying to create.. the video I made reference to was just to show how Frank had fun with him. So go smoke a J (or do whatever it is you kids do these days) and calm down.
iamaheron
February 14, 2012 at 5:21 pm
@wistoncap What the fuck does that have to do with Frank ‘using’ Steve? They are both great musicians who deeply respected eachother, and somehow here in the Youtube comment section, teenage nerds who have never met either musician are having a pissing contest about which musician ‘used’ who. Grow the fuck up.
MrPhu3l
February 14, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Vai is a nice technical guitarist, but from what I can hear he has always had trouble with expression in his playing. Zappa’s phrasing always sits so nicely over everything he plays on, it just turns me on.
ivymercer
February 14, 2012 at 6:13 pm
cut 20 seconds short the way black napkins ends leads into the torture never stops is incredible..genius sadly missed.
probrojeffro
February 14, 2012 at 6:14 pm
When you’ve said Zappa, you’ve said guitar.