Latest Release
- AUG 23, 2024
- 1 Song
- Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III · 1979
- Hot Rats · 1969
- Hot Rats · 1969
- The MOFO Project/Object · 1966
- Apostrophe (') · 1974
- Sheik Yerbouti · 1979
- Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III · 1979
- Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch · 1982
- Over-Nite Sensation (50th Anniversary) · 1973
- Apostrophe (') · 1974
Essential Albums
- Initially released as a single album and a double album, Joe's Garage was issued eventually as one massive rock opera about "Joe." The story is told through the narrative of "The Central Scrutinizer," as Joe forms a band, has sex with appliances, is imprisoned and then released to a world where music is outlawed. As usual, Zappa tempers a number of styles, with touches of country-pop in the title track and stoned-out 70s rock wafting from "A Token of My Extreme." Most guitar solos have been taken from old live tapes and reformatted to the studio tracks. "Watermelon in Eastern Hay," a track Zappa considered among his best, was an exception to this experiment. In fact, his son, Dweezil, is the only person allowed to perform this song, according to Zappa's last wishes. "Catholic Girls" and "Crew Slut" turn out catchy and demented pop, complete with munchkin vocals. "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" and "Stick It Out" continue Zappa's scatological/sexual streak obsessions to further humorous results.
- Frank Zappa's guitar chops played second fiddle to his skewered pop visions, his tape-edit abilities, and the general bizarre quality of his work with The Mothers of Invention. Lumpy Gravy saw him conducting an orchestra, while Cruising with Ruben and the Jets fulfilled his interests in doo-wop. Hot Rats, meanwhile, shows off Zappa's unorthodox approach to jazz and blues. "Willie the Pimp," with Captain Beefheart wailing away as Howlin' Wolf, is an epic jam, with Zappa turning in one of his dirtiest performances on record. At nine minutes, the only complaint is that it's too short! "Peaches En Regalia" is a stone classic, a compact piece that shows off Zappa's guitar and arrangement skills. The extended pieces—"Son of Mr. Green Genes," "The Gumbo Variations"—carry symphonic and jazz-improv weight, respectively, while "Little Umbrellas" and "It Must Be a Camel" prove Zappa can get down to business when the spirit moves him. Longtime musical accomplices Ian Underwood and Don "Sugarcane" Harris are on board, as well as Jean-Luc Ponty and Little Feat's Lowell George.
- 2022
Music Videos
Artist Playlists
- Meet the man who turned rock inside out and found it sounded better that way.
- The eccentric rocker worshipped classical, doo-wop, and fusion.
- His musical lunacy—and capacity for crudeness—knew no bounds.
- His eccentric genius cuts across heavy metal, alt-rock, and prog.
Singles & EPs
About Frank Zappa
Singer, guitarist, and composer Frank Zappa got his start writing avant-garde performance pieces for his high school orchestra in the ’50s, before turning to rock. ∙ Zappa and future bandmate Ray Collins cowrote “Memories of El Monte,” which became a doo-wop hit for The Penguins in 1963. ∙ In 1966, his band The Mothers of Invention released the satirical concept record Freak Out, rock’s first-ever two-disc debut album. ∙ The Mothers’ 1971 performance at the Montreux Casino inspired Deep Purple to write one of rock’s greatest anthems, “Smoke On the Water.” ∙ 1974’s Apostrophe (’)—featuring the Pop hit “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”—peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, giving the Mothers their only Gold record. ∙ “Valley Girl,” which Zappa recorded with his 14-year-old daughter, Moon, in 1982, was his first and only Top 40 hit. ∙ He won his first of two Grammy Awards in 1987, when Jazz From Hell was named Best Rock Instrumental Performance. ∙ In 1995, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Lou Reed, and his daughter, Moon, delivered the acceptance speech. ∙ Former New York Philharmonic director and composer Pierre Boulez released the critically acclaimed Boulez Conducts Zappa in 1998.
- HOMETOWN
- Baltimore, MD, United States
- BORN
- December 21, 1940
- GENRE
- Rock