OUR FIRST REACTION TO Frank Zappa - Inca Roads | COUPLE REACTION (BMC Request)
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
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This is from the album One Size Fits All (1975) by Frank Zappa.
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There's more creativity in this one track than most musicians manage in a whole career
Indeed .....
It's ridiculous alone what kind of negligible graduations in what people are doing are considered "genres" these days (ok, it really was starting to get that bad in the 90s already). A band like Black Sabbath, not to mention Jethro Tull, might easily span 10 genres, lol! "we do "bagum, bagum, bagum, bagum, ba-dee-dee-dee-gum", but this band over there does " ..., ba-dee--ba-gum" - therefore, they are in a different genre! You don't know much about music, do you?" ...
Truth has been spoken.
I wouldn't like to offend another musicians but... facts are facts. You only have to listen this masterpiece. And THE guitar solo...
@@Sancho_Retablez As another musician, no offense taken. I strive to be able to compose something half this good.
I have over 60 albums by Frank, saw him 16 times from L.A. to New York and every where in between. George Duke is playing keys and a Moog synthesizer , Chester Thompson is the drummer . Every concert the sound was incredible, that's why so many of Frank's albums are live recordings. Even though I am in my late 60s, everytime I hear Frank playing his lead guitar solos, I always have an acid flashback! Wee!
And Tom Fowler is doing an amazing job on the bass on this track. So groovy!
It’s not a moog it’s an ARP
What I would do to just see Frank play once, sadly I was born after his death :/
Zappa was garbage
I have 125 albums by FZ - cant get enough!!!
First to comment. Great choice!
Edit: Watermelon Man is a jazz funk standard written by Herbie Hancock, Watermelon in Easter Hay is the Zappa tune you're thinking of.
Steve Hackett from Genesis was tapping on The Return Of The Giant Hogweed on Nursery Cryme in 1971 and Jeff Beck used his pick to tap in The Yardbirds in 1966.
Paganini tapped his violin with a bow in the 1800s. Roy Smeck tapped his ukulele in the 1930s. Emmett Chapman developed a tapping technique in 1969 and later invented the Chapman Stick.
Frank Zappa IS a legend. He was know for rehearsing his band to death, but you can tell on this track how incredibly tight and perfectly attuned together they were. There are videos of the band doing this live and it sounds every bit as crisp and perfect. Watching Ruth Underwood bounce from marimba, vibes, tympani and so on is mesmerizing, too.
Tight. Zappa demanded excellence. Great comment. Thanks ✨🤪
Yes, Ruth Underwood was incredible!
That’s only because all the basic parts of the album track were recorded live (from the KCET TV special and the Helsinki Concert) !;)
You can see why he worked them so hard though...
@@dago87able The Helsinki concert is fire. Great live album that one
Great request, RG. Behind all the wacky, there is so much talent. This track is trippy and jazzy but Zappa had a reputation for zero tolerance with drugs. Thanks ✨🤪
Oh yeah. The genius of Frank Zappa. He's definitely not for everybody. He's far too eccentric for a lot of people. He's a great composer. I've been a fan for a long time. I believe when Frank was asked about his odd lyrics he said something like; "lyrics are for people that need them."
Not only that, the truth is, his lyrics aren't "*really* all that odd if you understand why he wrote them. for example: "Moving to Montana," sounds like a really silly song about moving to Montana to start a dental floss empire. Actually, it IS a silly song, but it's mocking a "movement" if you will, that was going on in Southern CA at the time of all these hippies going out to countryside and starting these communal farms and such. The vast majority of which failed, or got busted because they were growing weed. Zappa did a brilliant job, actually, of mocking the shit of them.
@@somersetcace1 - I personally think "Montana" is just a fun song created from Frank's imagination. If he wanted to mock hippies in that song he would have, just like he did on the album We're only in it for the Money.
@@Frunobulax74 It was the movement that was being mocked, not specifically hippies, and I'm pretty sure that's what it's having to do with. Still a fun song and all. Though, none of that's really the point I was making. It's that a lot of Frank's lyrics were based on some social commentary or another. Not just silly lyrics that don't mean anything.
@@somersetcace1 - Frank hated dentists and never went. Band members have said Frank dealt with bad teeth problems through the years. I thought he was having a laugh about dental floss since it was becoming a popular part of daily dental care in the 1970s.
@@somersetcace1 We’re Only in it for the Money is a perfect example of a Frank album that decimated all over hippie culture. Love that one, great cover too
Steve Hackett of Genesis and Zappa are definitely two of the first pioneers of tapping techniques on electric guitar.
‘Little House I Used To Live In’ from Burnt Weeny Sandwich is my favorite Zappa song.
I was in high school when Burnt Weeny Sandwich came out, and Little House was a life changer for me.
I couldn’t pick a favourite.
I’ve loved so many over the years👍
My favourite Zappa album too.
There's a lot of humor to Franks music, but the musicianship is always on point. Everything is written out, with the exceptions of some improvised solos. Frank is excellent.
on this trac:
Frank Zappa - guitar and backing vocals
George Duke - lead and backing vocals and synthesizer
Napoleon Murphy Brock - flute, backing vocals, tenor saxophone
Ruth Underwood - marimba, vibraphone, percussion
Chester Thompson - drums, sounds effects, voices
Tom Fowler - bass guitar
And every one of them was absolutely incredible on this piece!
@@stpnwlf9 ...there are no slackers in that lineup, or any of his lineups.
@@buddystewart2020 Frank didn’t tolerate slackers. Some tracks sound comical, cartoonish, space jazz or plain crazy ... but it’s meticulous from the mind of the mad genius. Thanks ✨🤪
What you said!
Napoleon Murphy Brock on Tush Tush Tush*
Zappa never stopped working. You have wonder and amazement before you should you dive in.
So happy you guys liked this! The idea that aliens from outer space might have visited Earth in the past and built things like the "Inca Roads" became popular in the early 70s, and that's what Frank's lyrics are making fun of ... The Mothers of Invention was the name of Frank's original late-60s band, and he kept using that name (off and on) for this great fusion band that he assembled in the 70s. That marimba sound you were hearing wasn't a keyboard, but Ruth Underwood tearing it up on an actual marimba! George Duke, on keyboards and lead vocals on this track, was a jazz guy who had played with Jean-Luc Ponty before joining Zappa, and for a time alternated between playing with Frank and Cannonball Adderley. Chester Thompson, the great drummer, played with Weather Report after leaving Zappa (he's on the "Black Market" album), then replaced Bill Bruford as Genesis' touring drummer in '76, staying with them for 16 years; he also played with Santana for a year and on Phil Collins' solo tours from '82 through '05. A great band!
@Kendeeni - Chester Thompson was also the drummer for the Bee Gees on their 1989 World Tour.
Zappa always had the best musicians in his band. His composing is top notch and always has a comic element. The music is very jazzy, avant-garde, with rock elements, so next level. Glad you two enjoyed this, shows you have good taste and intelligence!
Exactly! I've learned this from Zappa and Peter Gabriel: If you surround yourself with top musicians in their field, everything will be great music. Special attention to have the best drummer you can, because as good the other musicians may be, a mediocre drummer will drag all down,,, Greetings from Rio!
@@rofavilla Agreed. A good drummer is VERY important!
I love how Lex keeps looking at Nick. That's the way it should be.
The section near the end around twelve and a half minutes sounds like a tear in the fabric of musical space-time has been opened up as you tumble through it.
Hey Nick N Lex. This is how the love a fare with Frank Zappa starts. The guy was a musical genius but never took himself to seriously lyrically. This was a great song to introduce yourself to him. Glad you both liked it. He's a lot of fun to listen to. Keep up the good work.
I was fortunate to grow up in the era of Zappa, and bought every album he put out. My only complaint about him is that he shared the spotlight with the other musicians in the band, and didn't highlight his guitar playing as much as I would have liked. He was a brilliant guitar player.
@@joedanis2889 - Did you ever see Zappa in concert? If so, where and when?
If you want serious Zappa lyrics then Trouble Every Day is one of the best IMO
@@Frunobulax74 Twice, both in London, can´t remember dates, but, 70s/80s, Wonderful.
In reality, though the lyrics have humor and satire, they often are great evaluations, insight into the time, sociology for sure.
Everyone in this line up of The Mother's was an outstanding musician,absolutely no weak links. My favorite FZ musician was Ruth Underwood. She was Zappa's premier percussionist for almost 10 years and played some of the most breathtaking Zappa charts with such command. She played the entire array of tuned percussion,xylophone, marimba,vibraphone, tympani,etc. She was a master percussionist. After she left zappa continued to have amazing percussionists and extremely challenging music, but to my ears it lost some of the sparkle and warmth after her absence.
Yeah, what he said -------^ Ruth is amazing indeed.
Ruth is/was a genius percussionist. She studied or graduated from Julliard. There is a video out there with all the Zappa drummers together to compare notes. Amazing.
The 'other' drummer is Chester Thompson, a brilliant jazz percussionist. He said the rehearsals with Frank were as rigorous as could be imagined. Chester also played with Weather Report, another group of amazing musicians (serious fusion). Mr. Thompson said the only other group he knew of that came close to Zappa's rehearsals was Genesis!
@@rk41gator I watched that it was fascinating. All of them are so unique and gifted some of the stories were hilarious
George Duke. Máster!
@@rk41gator Love Weather Report.
zappa is the greatest. his lyrics can offend some people, but he's usually just pointing out hypocrisy.
This is my favorite Frank Zappa song. Do you realize Frank wrote out every thing on charts?
Frank liked Gentle Giant also.
Incredible, huh?! Hi, Rand. And always good to see your input and celebrity in these comments. 😉✨🤪
Frank and Jimi were pretty chummy before he died.... would really have loved a collaboration between those two. Jimi thought Frank was the shit.
Except for the solos.
@@Frunobulax74 i know, but again, solos were for the improvisers themselves. Thats the point of soloing.
He mad a lot of use of the synclavier (sp?) which would print out the sheet music for the band.
He did a shit ton of composing the old fashioned way though.
You can listen to 10 different posts of this song from different times and Franks solo is always different!! Musical Genius!
If you get a chance to see Dweezil Zappa's band, go see them!
I saw Dweezil and ZPZ play One Size Fits All in it's entirety. Absolute magic.
Seen Dweezil in 2006. Excellent show!
Frank Zappa - straight up musical genius. George Duke is playing keyboard on this album, the master of time.
He also does the lead vocal.
"Watermelon in Easter Hay"- fuckin' brilliant
Frank Zappa is the man Leonard Bernstein named the greatest composer America has yet produced. Kinda high praise there.
One size fits all is a masterpiece
16:25: actually, no, Zappa doesn't sing on this track (except for a few words he speaks). Main vocals are by George Duke, the renowned Jazz pianist, who also plays the keyboard instruments. Napoleon Murphy Brock sings some of the lines.
Zappa actually sings the part where he goes “why don’t you sharpen it then?!!” And “Mother Mary and Joseph!”
Experimental jazz fusion space rock? Whatever that was, it was a blast.
From the same album "Andy" is my favourite.
Very good taste yours!
@@EnglishTomanotJuanma San Berd'no
From the same album, "Andy" is highly worth a listen. You've barely touched the tip of the Zappa iceberg.
"Do you know what I'm really telling you. Is it something that you can understand?" Oh, that song is incredible!
So true, but you need to know who Andy Devine was to really get the humor of that song, lol!
If you include all the covers of Zappa songs over the years and around the world the iceberg becomes the size of mount Everest !!!
@@EnglishTomanotJuanma The part with the piano breakdown and the vocals over the top... "Andy! Oh, Andyyyy.... Andy pandy!"
Chills everytime haha
DROWNING WIIIIIITCH
I really love Zappa. Thanks for this ♥♥
At last , boy have you opened up a whole new galaxy of music!!??🙏❤️👌😅✌️
Love to see the sheer joy on your faces. Thanks. Great news for you: you've opened the door to a bigger universe. Frank was a composer who often built compositions with a unique rhythmic concept, using odd changing meters and nested tuplets, and he excelled with creative orchestration. I'd recommend listening to several versions of a song (such as "Peaches en Regalia" or "Black Napkins") to begin to understand that amazing range: it's mind-expanding.
In the background you have a cover of Jean-Luc Ponty.
He was also a member of the Zappa Band from 1969-1973
I love seeing two people react, who look just like the people I would play this for almost 50 years ago.
What's really crazy is that Ruth Underwood was playing the vibraphone, and percussion, so all of that crazy vibraphone stuff and the percussion fill at the end was all done by one person and she was constantly jumping between instruments. Everyone in that band was absolutely crazy talented.
FZ was a massive talent, a groundbreaking artist, and constantly challenging himself and his fans. I really recommend Jazz From Hell, which was pure composition using digital hardware. The Girl in the Magnesium Dress is my favorite track.
ruclips.net/video/QLI120j2kHA/видео.html
Maybe his most underrated album. You have to listen to it like 20 times to get it but it eventually becomes very catchy actually. St. Etienne is his greatest guitar solo hands down. Rhythm section was absolutely perfect for that solo section on Drowning Witch.
Chester Thompson was the drummer on this album. He's my all-time favourite drummer. He toured with Genesis for several years when Phill Collins became their lead singer. Anyway, Terry Bozzio succeeded Thompson as Zappa's drummer for a few years, followed by Vinnie Colaiuta, David Logeman and, eventually, Chad Wackerman.
The lead singer on this song was George Duke, with a lot of support from Napoleon Murphy Brock. Zappa himself also contributed some vocals on this song, but he was not the lead. There is a lot of keyboard in this song (played by George Duke), but a lot of what you think is keyboard is actually the marimba/vibraphone played by Ruth Underwood.
Yo idk if you’ve listened to Duprees Paradise from the Helsinki Concert but dear God is Chester Thompson one of the best drummers of all time
I love that you're experiencing Frank Zappa. Have fun with this you two.
There is a video of them doing this LIVE.... wow!
Thanks for finally tackling ZAPPA! Please keep it going.... Frankly speaking, I feel it's about time...🤯👍💖
Frank actually doesn't sing on this tune. Those are George Duke and Napoleon Murphy Brock
Please don't take it personally, but you are wrong.
@@trevorb6 He sings, he says "Chesters Thing"
@@trevorb6 Lol no I'm not. Only if you want to be a smart ass because Frank technically says a few lines in the background lmao.
Doesn't Frank's vocals come in a bit in the later part of the song? I thought that was him singing after the guitar solo.
@@bobd7855 HAHAHA!🤣🤣 Yeah that and “Mother Mary and Joseph!”
A playlist I sent you, when I began watching you guys, under a vid, or to your Email, was the Origins of "Math Metal", and I began the playlist with various Progressive Rock and Fusion bands (The "pre-cursors"; the bands that influenced, inspired, or were the 1st bands to do complex music, that led to complex Metal) - THIS track was in it as well. Frank was ahead of his time, and has other tracks that I need to find again and re-discover.
Before I worked at Tower Records, I got to know a guy named Andre', who was from Brazil. He was a guitarist interested in Metal, Shredders, Progressive Rock/Prog Metal and Jazz/Fusion. He said to me one night from a visit (with his Portuguese accent); "I'm going to listen to EVERY Frank Zappa Album every night!" - which he did after 8pm (we had to play the top 20 releases all day). He'd go on about how "Incredible!" the music was. He was a VERY funny guy, we ended-up working together about 2 years later :).
YES! Nick, as I mentioned before, Steve Vai's debut "Flex-Able" and the Ep "Flex-able Leftovers" are VERY Frank Zappa, also Mike Keneally's 1st 2 solo albums; "Hat" and "Boil that Dust Speck" :p.
As I mentioned (Vai Reaction) about the Guitar Player issue with Frank on the cover, and the sub-article about Vai, like you said Nick, as he transcribed Frank's music, the article was appropriately titled; "Frank Zappa's Italian Virtuoso". Out of the Berklee School of Music and right into Zappa's band. Look for a video called; "Steve Vai Talks About Zappa Audition" :P.
Note that drummer "Chester Thompson" (who plays on this album), would decades later play with post-Gabriel/Hackett era Genesis live, and Yt has some excellent live footage of Chester and Phil doing Solo Duets!
If anyone is interested in that Math Metal playlist (with bands that Nick/Lex mentioned, and a lot more), do a Yt search for;
mvunit3, Origins: Math Metal ~ eQuations I: 1985 to 1995.
The live version on Roxy & Elsewhere from the 73 tour is nuts. There is video of it and you can see what they are playing.
"One Size Fits All" is one of my all time favorite albums. Every tune on this album is Fantastic! I still play this album and just love it! Inca Roads is simply awesome!.
I still miss Frank so much. I would say we could do with him being around today - as an antidote to so much that's happening in society - but I probably just feel he should be around forever.
The guitar is lifted from a live recording of the song and the original and be found on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, the Helsinki Concert.
Of all of Frank's many musical compositions, this may well be my favorite. The creativity, the precision of the playing, the incredibly beautiful changes are like nothing I have ever heard before. I have listened to it so many times, and yet with each listening I am awe stuck by its' brilliance ....
Maybe not my all time favorite but this is the best go-to song when someone asks what should they listen to first. It has everything.
This is one of my favorite songs. Thank you for reacting to it!!!
This woman named Ruth has these mallets, and she wacks these assorted bell like tablets arranged in ascending or descending order, and somehow it makes amazing melodic sense. It's gotta be hard cause she often uses two mallets per hand and wails. I wouldn't think it's possible, but her hands blurringly hover above these arrangements and it sounds like angels tiptoeing across clouds to make rain.
Amazing man. Brilliant musicians all. Love this…I can’t even begin to comprehend how someone could have written this, and even more mind boggling for others to perform it!
Must try Black Napkins next, it’s perhaps a more ‘digestible’ tune for some ears.
Great selection! Everyone wanted to play with Zappa which is a testament to his greatness. Enjoy!
I think that listening to Zappa literally places you into an alternate reality. That's been my experience.
Great song. It must be remembered that Zappa was a great performer but that was shadowed by his immense talent in composing. He was a master orchestrator, always in the pursuit of new sounds.
Zappa was a great composer and performer, but he was also a good at finding new talent. His record company brought us such groups as Alice Cooper. If it was not for Zappa taking Alice Cooper under his wing we may have never heard of the band. Zappa's contributions to music are so underated.
I love how the auto translation is translating his solo lmao
This was right down my alley. This was a fun song. Lots of instrumentals! And just a lot of fun! Loved it. Love your channel and the both of you! 😀
RG is the man with the song suggestions! (Wackerman came later than this, btw. Frank did champion Holdsworth in interviews and such, though. Chester Thompson is the drummer on this recording. Ruth Underwood plays that amazing marimba and sundry percussion).
Most of the lead singing is George Duke, btw, though you can pick out places with Frank or Napoleon Murphy Brock vocals in front.
Great info. And yes, I can def hear Frank’s voice in there. Genius, creative and fun. ✨🤪
@@michelemichele3375 you might like hearing Mike Keneally do this, solo acoustic guitar .... where he tries to play all of the parts and comes damn close!. Keneally was the last "stunt guitarist", after Vai, in Frank's bands. (Check out "Mike Keneally - Inca Roads - Cardiff on youtube and you'll see that).
The vocalist at the start of this is George Duke, who also played the keyboard solo.
Hooray! ! You found Zappa. So happy for you. Lots to explore. Love from Tassie
HA HA! You finally found FZ. He covered ALL genres of music. Agree Watermelon in Easter Hay is lovely. Try the Apostrophe album. Love from Tassie.
Zappa is a genre in itself.
@@GoodCorporateRobot TOO TRUE !! ; )
So glad you listened to the studio cut. Utterly sublime tune.
For context: at the time of this record, there was a very popular “non-fiction” book, claiming that aerial photography showed ancient roads, or runways, had been carved out of Andes mountaintops in prehistoric times…suggesting aliens 🤷♂️
Chester Thompson plays drums on this album, he later was the touring drummer for Genesis for many years.
The thing that really knocked me out about this was that the beginning and ending of the song were recorded live for a tv special, yet the (heavily edited) guitar solo was lifted from a live concert in Helsinki !!
During the second free-form instrumental part both of you were obviously grooving, to two completely different time signatures! And that is one of the unique aspects of Frank's genius. It works, even when it shouldn't.
Can you imagine somebody audditioning for Zappa's band thinking,oh there just jamming and playing chaotic notes and random percussion and then ,the sheets upon sheets pepperd with notes and dynamic markings are placed on the music stand? Well sorry sport,NEXT! lol
Zappas body of work is unrivalled. I'm a huge metalhead but love Steely Dan, Allmsn Brothers, The Dead. But the greatest of them all is for certain, Frank Zappa. He was just unique. A beautiful soul.
The more I listen to this (over 30 years now), the more I reckon Tom Fowler is my favorite part of it and, for a song as layered as this, that's saying quite a lot.
he was a great bassist but broke his hand and caused a diversion of paths.
Could shit zappa play guitar with his ugly nose? 😂
Frank Zappa will likely be regarded in music history as one of the best and most interesting composers of the last half of the 20th century. His music is a genre of his own, with it's own sub-genres, all very eclectic in style and substance.
The bass player is killing it.
You should play "Peaches in Regalia" from Hot Rats! That's what really started him in this direction.
Agreed. This would be my next pick.
Don't forget the gumbo variations!
Wow guys! What a great way to start into exploring Zappa's music! This is probably my favourite Zappa song and one that just keeps on giving on re-listens. The live recordings with this classic band line-up (George Duke, Chester Thompson, Ruth Underwood, Tom Fowler, Napoleon Murphy Brock) are well worth finding - check out "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol 2 (The Helsinki Concert)" and "A Token Of His Extreme Soundtrack". Parts of both of these live recordings were used by Zappa in the final mix of the "One Size Fits All" studio version you've just played. There's also killer versions of Inca Roads from Zappa's last tour in 1988 with his awesome big band on "The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life" and the recently released "Zappa '88 - The Last U.S. Show". Thanks again for taking the plunge and sharing your new discoveries with the world! 😊
Frank Zappa is the greatest. I was lucky to live in CT in the 70's and 80's. I saw him 66 times. Steve Vai came late in Frank Zappa's career. Frank writes all the music, however Steve Vai wanted to transcribe Frank's guitar music as Frank improvises his solos so every solo is different. Most of the rest of the music is written out by Frank himself. The Mothers of Invention are whoever Frank hired to be in the band at any time. Frank also has big band music, and symphony music, along with rock, jazz, fusion, doo wop, many other styles.
LOVE THIS..BACK IN 1977 MY FRIEND CARMEN AND I WOULD LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM DAILY,ALONG WITH OTHER ZAPPA JEWELS LIKE UNCLE MEAT AND HOT RATS..ZAPPA FELL INTO CYNICISM AND ANGER OFTEN BUT WHEN HE REALLY PLAYS HE IS A TOP 20 GUITARIST...GREAT TO SEE YOU REACT TO HIM...ALL MY BEST,KENT
dude, turn off CAP LOCK
@@truthurts1692 OK..will do :-)
Frank Zappa began his recording career as a studio hand/composer/producer/engineer/musician in the early sixties, at Paul Buff Studio in Cucamonga, CA. By 1963 he bought the studio from Paul Buff and rechristened it Z Studio where he continued to make a living composing for artists and recording them. Eventually he figured out that the only way he can really play and record his more ambitious compositions was forming a band. He did the next best thing which was joining a band (The Soul Giants) and taking over it within three months. By 1965, The Soul Giants had become The Mothers. They managed a residency at The Whiskey A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood where they were "discovered" by Bob Dylan's original producer Tom Wilson and signed to a record deal with MGM's subsidiary Verve Records. However the record company refused the name The Mothers, so they became The Mothers of Invention. The original Mothers of Invention, so called despite cast fluctuations, existed only between 1966-1969. Zappa however would use the name sporadically for live promotions as well as some of his albums, up until early 1976.
The singer on this is actually his keyboardist, George Duke. One of the hardest singing parts by Frank is the tune Montana, which is sung beautifully by Tina Turner and the Iketts.
Frank Zappa music is like a movie for your ears.
Mother, Mary and Joseph! Great reaction Guys. Have fun diving down THIS hole!
My favorite Zappa album.
George Duke's electric piano/synthesizer solo was actually dubbed onto the studio recording from a live show they previously. Frank liked the solo so much that he put in onto the studio album. There's video of that live show performance of Inca Roads on RUclips (easy to find), and Frank has an ear to ear grin when George Duke solo's, which was unusual for Frank, as he was the type of band leader more apt to hear mistakes than to be overwhelmed by a great line or phrase.
Que alegría que hayan reaccionado al maestro de maestros, el compositor de musica más rica y divertida de todos los tiempos.
The first time I saw Zappa was right after 1 size fits all came out and became a life long fan! Overnight sensation was the 1st introduction to Frank .You young people are great and makes me have some hope for the future!
I can't believe this is the first time you've reacted to Inca Roads for some reason. Anyway great song off one of his absolute best albums. Chester Thompson played drums on this and many Zappa albums - later became Genesis' touring drummer. This was Zappa's classic and absolute best musician lineup - esp. Ruth Underwood. BTW - Steve Hackett of Genesis was doing finger tapping on album in 1971. All of the other songs on the album sound completely different. Steve Vai didn't get involved with Zappa as a transcriber until a couple or few years later.
I liked the drowning witch line up a lot, even if Scott Thunes never played his part correctly (according to Zappas standards)
The OG Mothers also had insane synergy, King Kong was a 30 min masterpiece jamola
And you can here Thompson's drumming sounding like when he was in Weather Report. (the jazzy part) And tapping goes back to the '30s or earlier. There's a movie from then that showed a guy doing it. And there's another guitar player who invented 4 other ways of tapping. And he has about 300 albums out. Wears that KFC chicken bucket on his head. :)
@@tixximmi1 Yes, saw that old clip. And Marcel Marceau and others did the moon walk before Michael Jackson. But tapping on an electric with distortion/fuzz/sustain is unique enough that I consider Hackett one of its originators in rock. EVH was aware of it also. Hackett also talked about the technique in a Guitar Player magazine interview in the early/mid 70s.
@@eximusic Like I said it's been on TV and old movies that I've seen from the '30s. '40s and '50s too. Like we say here in Texas, Never Let the Truth get in the way of a Good Story.
@@tixximmi1 I'm guessing EVH heard Genesis, The Musical Box, and not the unknown guitarist from some obscure clip that wasn't available in the pre-internet age. There was no on-demand video information back then besides VHS tapes. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there, does it make a sound? Everything you know now you would have never known in the 80s or 90s. Googling isn't the same as winning on Jeopardy. You need actual knowledge and brains for the latter.
Nice job. keep listening to Zappa- It’s good for ya.
Frank is an enormous study all by himself. He's notable for putting musicians through extreme paces that made some careers and handsomely burnished many more. He's arguably rock music's greatest underrated guitarist. Also: a uniquely striking lyricist. (His "Magdalena" from 1971's "Just Another Band From L.A." is a live-recording tirade against child sexual abuse before anyone was even really talking about the subject, featuring Flo & Eddie from the original Turtles, and Aynsley Dunbar on drums.)
His work goes through several distinct periods, from the Mothers in their first and second lineups until "The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life" in 1988. My favorite is the Roxy Band, exemplified in this piece. That's Ruth Underwood on vibes & marimba.
There's a lifetime to dig in Frank.
The middle solo by frank was spliced from a live recording, back into the studio version after it... completely seamless in final editing.
Players on this cut and the album "One Side Fits All"
Frank Zappa - Guitar, Lead & backing vocals
George Duke - Keys, Lead Vocals
Ruth Underwood - Marimba, Vibraphone, Percussion
Chester Thompson - Drums, sound effects, voices
Tom Fowler - Bass
Napoleon Murphy Brock - Flute, Tenor Saxophone, lead & Backing vocals
Marimba is played by Ruth Underwood. It's to her that they cry out “On Ruth” at the end. Watch a life version from that song.
This entire albums a Masterpiece. My brother bought this album. The day it came out. Not only do I still have it. I still listen too it. This probably dropped in 1973..Theirs a great George Duke interview discussing this song it’s worth your checking it out for yourselves….Ty
No need to stop/start the nodding head grooving every time there’s a little break, the groove is rock solid.🙂
The guitar solo is Frank. He cut-and-pasted it from a live show, edited it and dropped it in the track. Actually he’s the only guitar player on the album.
Kurt Elling! Never thought of him but I totally see that. Kurt is one of my favorite male jazz singers of the late 20th century.
Guitar solo recorded live in Helsinki in 1974.
Napolean mirphy brock and george duke and chester thompson and Mr Frank Zappa all participated on bionic vocals, especially Napolean!
Yeah, syou are witnessing some of the greatest musicians world wide the world over. Behold.
Glad you did this Zappa song first. It's a great song but things will likely get much stranger going forward from here. Frank was a tremendous talent and one hell of a guitar player.
Zappa is weird and I love it . Challenges your perceptions of what is a melody. And there is always one if you can keep up.
Terrific song that showcases the more serious side of Frank Zappa's music. Usually, most people know the songs with funny lyrics like the "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow Suite" which is terrific and you should definitely react to, or his big hit "Dancin' Fool" which will make you want to get up and dance.
y es una grabacion en vivo!!!!! Zappa es un compositor completo y complejo que abarco muchos generos y los reinvento...bienvenidos!!!
Wow! So many comments to make about Frank.
Firstly, I had the good fortune to see him play live in 1980. He had this smokin hot guitar player who I thought could really give Eddie Van Halen a run for his money. It was Steve Vai.
Frank’s backup band has been an incubator for some of the planet’s most insanely talented musicians over the years. Getting into his band was a real badge of honour, kinda like getting a degree from Harvard.
It wasn’t until the late ‘70’s that he started having a second guitarist in the band. The solo on this track was all him. Even with other guitarists accompanying, you can always tell when it’s a Frank solo. He had a very recognizable style.
Fun fact - although much of his music (like this song) sound completely chaotic at times, everything he did was meticulously charted out - very little, if any improvisation.
Hope you decide to dive a little deeper into this rabbit hole. It’s deep. Frank was a notorious workaholic and a perfectionist. He was known to go back and re- record rhythm tracks from albums he’d recorded decades prior just to bring the sonic quality up to what he considered to be acceptable standards. Remixes amd remasters of older albums are commonplace today, but Frank was always a trailblazer - he was ‘fixing’ his older material way before anyone else thought to do it.
Glad you enjoyed this track and hope to see more reactions to the music of this prolific artist. And you haven’t even gotten to the goofy stuff…!
@Scott Stevens. Steve Vai was placed up on the riser next to the keyboards and drums for his first tour with Zappa in 1980. He didn't have that much impact on that tour. Perhaps you meant the 1981 tour when Steve played at the front of the stage with Frank and contributed a lot. Frank had other guitar players from the beginning of The Mothers. Elliot Ingber, Jim Fielder, Lowell George, Jeff Simmons, Adrian Belew and Warren Cuccurullo played guitar for Frank before Steve Vai joined the band in 1980.
@@Frunobulax74 No, it was the 1980 tour. He was up on the top riser. Even up there he stood out as an incredible guitarist.
Not as clear in my memory was who the drummer was. I believe it was Vinnie Caliuta (I hope that’s the correct spelling). He did a solo which he had to interrupt because his shoelaces got all tangled up in his kick pedal. He just took his shoe off and tossed it offstage and continued with the drum solo. Absolutely brilliant.
@@scottstevens7639 - Yes, Steve is fantastic. I saw 2 shows on that tour. He had a more prominent role and more parts to play on the '81 tour that I saw. Yes, the fall 1980 with Steve had Vinnie Colaiuta as the drummer.
glad you went there...lol
Happy Friday! Nice to hear your checking out some Zappa, Easter in Watermelon Hay is the song you might be referring to, it highlights Frank’s impressive Guitar skills. Sit down and listen to it together the beginning is a little course for Public consumption. Enjoy!