"Zappa, his voice pinched in a whine, lamenting about all the time he spent washing and polishing his car,"- "I re-primered the right rear fender!".
Right from the get-go, he was rewriting the rule book for making popular music in America. His diverse stew of musical influences and his ever-ready, caustic, satirical humor would always be apparent in all of his recordings, concerts and composititons- this was just its first flourishing.
Robert, I don’t have time to read the post, work is calling but I’m gonna say right now everyone needs to look at the very long list of accomplished musicians who contributed over the years to Zappa’s band. The first one that immediately comes to mind isJohnny “Guitar” Watson! “Mother-in-law makes me wanna hit her in the jaw”. :)
Zappa and Watson were definitely kindred spirits- Watson's 70s funk recordings are close to what the Mothers were doing then in terms of their deft blend of weird humor and solid musicianship (they were both multi-instrumentalists as well).
Freak Out! was my third Mothers album, after Absolutely Free (which I first heard during my first acid trip, October 1970), then Ruben and the Jets, which I received as a gift. Absolutely Free kinda prepped me for Freak Out, as much as anything could. I still know every lyric on the first disc of FO, which I’ve listened to many more times than the second. Now I’ll be listening to it beginning to end again.
Is the verse about being a janitor a reference to that Rhodes Scholar, Kris Kristofferson, working as a janitor at Columbia Studios in Nashville? He was there when Bob was recording’Blonde on Blonde.’
"Zappa, his voice pinched in a whine, lamenting about all the time he spent washing and polishing his car,"- "I re-primered the right rear fender!".
Right from the get-go, he was rewriting the rule book for making popular music in America. His diverse stew of musical influences and his ever-ready, caustic, satirical humor would always be apparent in all of his recordings, concerts and composititons- this was just its first flourishing.
Oh, for sure, and it's not the only time on Freak Out! that there's an extended monologue on automobile upkeep.
Robert, I don’t have time to read the post, work is calling but I’m gonna say right now everyone needs to look at the very long list of accomplished musicians who contributed over the years to Zappa’s band. The first one that immediately comes to mind isJohnny “Guitar” Watson! “Mother-in-law makes me wanna hit her in the jaw”. :)
I need to know more about Zappa - I also recall George Duke too!
Yes! And Lowell George from Little Feat.
Zappa and Watson were definitely kindred spirits- Watson's 70s funk recordings are close to what the Mothers were doing then in terms of their deft blend of weird humor and solid musicianship (they were both multi-instrumentalists as well).
How I miss that 70’s funk ;(
The companion albums to Freak Out are We're Only in It for The Money, and Uncle Meat.
Freak Out! was my third Mothers album, after Absolutely Free (which I first heard during my first acid trip, October 1970), then Ruben and the Jets, which I received as a gift. Absolutely Free kinda prepped me for Freak Out, as much as anything could. I still know every lyric on the first disc of FO, which I’ve listened to many more times than the second. Now I’ll be listening to it beginning to end again.
Is the verse about being a janitor a reference to that Rhodes Scholar, Kris Kristofferson, working as a janitor at Columbia Studios in Nashville? He was there when Bob was recording’Blonde on Blonde.’