Drummer reacts to "Florentine Pogen" & "Willie the Pimp" by Frank Zappa
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- Опубликовано: 28 июл 2024
- Thank you to Peter K for these two requests... for Frank Friday!
Holy shit this guy is the best guitarist in history. I mean what the actual fuck did I just watch. Both songs were absolutely Zappa heavy AND I LOVED IT.
Link to original content (Please support the artist! I'm just giving my opinion, go get the real deal.)
• THE DUB ROOM SPECIAL -... - florentine pogen
• Willie The Pimp - willie the pimp
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ZAPPA is one of the few you can play hundreds of times and never feel the tunes are too old...!
I have a feeling Willie the pimp is gonna get a lot of play on Pandora from me... lol
@@L33Reactsyou asked whether or not Frank Zappa improvises his guitar solos or whether or not he writes them down I will let him answer for himself on that one here's a link!
ruclips.net/video/A6ZzTr-a2L8/видео.htmlsi=R0WKna-dXZ5wBfy-
I was fortunate to attend seven Frank Zappa shows from 1974 to 84 and there were times during his guitar solos that I was completely mesmerized by the totality of the moment. I realized that it was an experience that was almost spiritual like he was talking to the audience through his guitar. I was truly blessed the see Frank playing his guitar live and having the sound waves that were emanating from the amps fill my mind and body. Nothing like those moments and seeing your reaction helped me to relieve that awesome experience!
I saw him 24 times from the late 70s until 88 when he stopped touring, it never got old, it was always amazing.
Wow I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the kind words 🙏 he really does seem to be one of a kind.... no one else comes close. I wish I was blessed enough to witness this beauty live but alas... time is a cruel mistress.
Sooooooooo jealous! Was never fortunate. Lived overseas almost all my life and, well, no luck. 😢
East coast, a survivor of three shows, and one Zappaween, N.Y.C. "84. Living on Cape Cod.
@@L33ReactsI'm going to say since there were no such thing as Marlboro lights back in those days that he probably was smoking Marlboro reds!! Either that or like Newports or something but I think Frank might have been a Marlboro guy!!
I was also fortunate enough to have been able to see Frank Zappa live a half a dozen times or so back in the late 70s and early 80s! I lived in Northeast New Jersey and every year Frank would have a block of shows right around Halloween, usually at least three different dates sometimes four one of which was on Halloween night itself, at the Palladium theater on 14th Street in New York City!! I'm not kidding when I tell you that it was one of the wildest experiences that anyone could ever experience!! For one thing 90% of the crowd was in costumes! Also Frank was known for a lot of audience participation gags at his live shows!!
So it was always a crazy party atmosphere of fun and just utter wackiness!!! Anybody that will react to Frank Zappa deserves a subscription in my book so you just gained another one!!😅🎉
That's Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart singing lead vocal on Willie The Pimp 😉
What?? No shit... well I guess it's time for me to put on that beefheart cd cuz those vocals were great haha
@@L33Reacts You're going to love it. There are two Beefheart albums on that CD. Both are great but the Clear Spot album is off the scale.
@@L33ReactsI mentioned in the Olias comments, Lee, but check out the Clear Spot 2nd half of the CD first - just go ahead and hit Low Yo Yo Stuff which is the opening track for that album. Glad to hear you liked the vocals on Willie!
Frank improvised every
Solo live, and NEVER
Repeated the same
Set list throughout his
Whole career.
The man was a Savant…
Definitely a savant... how do you remember all that?? Haha
Like Stevie Ray Vaughn.
The second part of LG's statement is incorrect - Frank had a "repetitive setlist" era (late'75 through '79) in which plenty of shows featured exactly the same set of songs. It was what happened within those songs that made all the difference.
@@L33Reacts Actually,, in the 80’s he had two different set list for every tour. If you went to 2 shows in a night, you saw two completely different shows. Also, he made the band learn each song in several styles, and would use a hand signal to tell the band which style to use. Those bands worked really hard.
Sometimes the bands had to rehearse 100 SONGS to go on tour... five days a week, eight hours a day. You had to know the songs [not just] note for note, but also understand how to INSTANTLY CHANGE GENRES (like rock to reggae) right in the middle of a song... simply by watching Frank conducting. And not the traditional way, but with obscure HAND GESTURES! For example he twirled his hair as if they were dreadlocks to indicate reggae. He might hold his nose or do something else weird to indicate he was about to play a solo, and they'd never know how many bars he would take. These enormous collaborative efforts were unprecedented in creativity and focus. Zappa reigned hell if you played a sour note.
Frank had a ZERO DRUG policy. He didn't care what people did in their spare time, but he believed a clear mind was the only way his band could follow his compositions and conducting. Also, he was aware that if a band member got busted on tour, it would be impossible to get a last minute replacement. So, no drugs was the only way.
Napolean Murphy Brock, my favourite Mother of Invention. But everyone in this iteration of the Mothers was brilliant, One Size Fits All is still my favourite of Frank's wild and wonderful ouvre.
For one so young, you are a fucking awesome dad, Lee. This took me back to seeing Zappa at Knebworth in ‘78. I was jammed in to the front row and the punks were piss-bottling the stage. Frank just gave ‘em the bird and ripped off the longest guitar solo I’ve ever heard. Pete Gabriel was on the same bill and for some reason he and the band were pretending to be security down in front of the stage. Just before they climbed up and played their set Pete ran along the front row, shaking hands with us all. I’d just taken a piss on the grass and was so stoned it was all over my hand. So Pete Gabriel played Knebworth with my piss on his hand. Zappa wore a brown crocheted grandma cardigan. That was some fucking gig. We ended up with our car in a ditch and a girl named Sue who had attached herself to us laying against the windscreen laughing like a lunatic. Gods, I’m glad I’m old and got to do that shit. Zappa and Beefheart: Muffin Man; there’s a recommendation for you. Peace and love from Fat Gandalf.
This early 70's line up was astonishing.
I love Zappas guitar playing. He has an album called Shut Up N' Play Yer Guitar, and a few of the solos on that album are pretty intense.
Hot Rats might just be the first album to properly unite jazz and rock in a way that works in a long play (LP) format. A few months later Miles Davies came out with Bitches Brew and nonchalantly defined a sound; a whole new musical concept. Soon thereafter jazz fusion came to be.
... Frank started his young career as a drummer
I had to look it up. A Florentine Pogen is a type of cookie or biscuit.
I was lucky enough to see Zappa on stage a couple of times.
Hi, Jeffex from Cape Cod, Just turned 60. I was privileged to have seen Uncle Frank, 3 times. Inspired to the point that my oldest Son, of three, as a musician, took the course of composer, Dad's job checked.
Your generation of artists need this kind of improvising in the studios and in concerts so they can create great music.
I totally agree... but that requires practice and effort to gain the skills be like that..
Most just want it the easiest way possible with maximum results. It's like an equation. They either want money or fame. Not art for arts sake or just telling a story. It always comes with something attached. Oh well... 🤔
The so called Artists can't sing Happy Birthday without an audio enhancement device.
@@L33Reactsan interesting thought that you might be The reincarnation of FRANK!! But then you commented that wait, you're a DRUMMER, but has ANYONE told you yet that actually Frank Zappa STARTED as a drummer!??
Yes that's right Frank's first instrument of choice was DRUMS and he would write the drum music for every song that was played by the band!!!
The songs are composed, written out. The solos are improvised.
Hot rats is one of my favorite albums by frank zappa the whole album rocks
I'm definitely going to continue with hot rats. I really dug the overall sound and vibe of Willie.
The day Zappa died I was hanging out at the college radio station and convinced my law school classmate to play Dinah-Moe Humm on the air. The weird thing is I had no idea Zappa had died, as the family didn't release it until after the funeral three days later!
Frank said in interviews that he always improvised his solos, playing "without a net," meaning without a safety net.
hi i’m so happy that i found someone who covers Frank’s music .. thanks man 👍🏻
I'm so glad you found the channel too bro! Welcome. I lost your comment about brand x but here Is my reaction to nuclear burn ruclips.net/video/5bAdn7zOURI/видео.html
Frank’s collaborations with Captain Beefheart are among my favorites. Love Beefheart!! They went to high school together. Check out Trout Mask Replica - Beefheart’s chef d’oeuvre
The meaning of Florentine Pogan is obscure and probably a word play. Florentine relate to Florence/Firenze in Italy (Zappa had his ancestors in Italy). Pogan may relate to cockies available in US from the Swedish company Pågens or maybe not.
Technical info about people instruments etc.: there are huge amount today at the net.
"How to describe this?" You don't need to. Frank already did: "Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny".
Nice reaction!
Thank you Erik I'm glad you enjoyed! Florencia 🎶
penguininbondage.blogspot.com/2018/03/nar-zappa-sjong-om-pagens-i-malmo.html
You meant to text cookie? Yes a Florentine Pogen was a cookie that was out in the 70s Nabisco or some company like that. The daughter of a wealthy cookie! Gotta love Frank!!!
Hot Rats was release in 1969 and pre-dates. One Size Fits All (album that Florentine Pogen is from) that came out in 1975. Yes his style changed alot in a few short years, but it continuously evolved through his career. I can proudly say I own every album he has has ever released including all his post humous releases!!
Zappa was amazing, both as a guitarist and an insanely creative composer. He was able to attract the best musicians. Ruth Underwood (Percussion) graduated from Julliard. Chester Thompson (drums)played with Weather Report but said the only band that came close to the crazy difficult rehearsals for Zappa was Genesis. Zappa wrote out all the compositions so you needed to be able to read music. His bands were SO tight. Such a great groove. Genius. Pure Genius.
Every solo was based on a communal prior chord progression, but he improvised both notes and rhythms. Very few in history could match his improv skills. He's also conducting the band as he solos, which is why everyone "knows" where to go with him.
Have you listened to Black Napkins from the Zoot Allures album, Lee? For me, it's the absolute peak of rock guitar solos. And the tone he had on it is unbeatable.
And - the torture never stops....
No I have not but I will definitely add it to the list :) thank you!
I prefer the Baby Snakes version. That was the track that made me realise I was going to be a Zappa fan for the rest of my life.
Now any of you that know anything about Zappa's music will know that Keep It Greasy is a notoriously difficult song, mostly because of the 19/16 and 21/16 time signatures and the insane drumming by Vinnie Colauita. But it's not just the drums that shine in this tune.
Frank WAS a drummer originally. There is YT vid of several FZ drummers sharing experiences. Ruth pointed that out
Perhaps you are unaware of Frank's beginnings and further progression as an artist? Frank Zappa was a r&b combo drummer turned composer (plays piano), turned married man with a job as a greeting cards artist for a company, turned divorcee, turned studio assistant and multi-instrumentalist, turned Hollywood B-Movie soundtrack composer, turned studio owner and producer, turned out-of-the-box rock infused band leader and lead guitarist, turned recording artist world renown. Now FZ seems to have become this genius workaholic composer of "off kilter music" that has left us with all these recorded evidences of his artistic imagination for later generations like yourself to discover. Makes you wonder, does humor belong in music? Let's be frank...
I knew he started with percussion but I didn't know the context and details. Thank you for filling me in. He is a true artist... and wow can he make that thing sing or what?
@9minutes: The guitar is always Air Sculpture. Almost everyting else, apart from solos and improv sections (including drum parts), were written by Zappa the composer.
"For each type of music there are listeners who think that reviewers don't know what they're talking about. These listeners, when excited about a certain group or style of music, will fight for it in their hometowns. These are the people who have made it possible for me to stay in music through the years and I thank them for it." - FZ
Frank always had a good part of his live performances to improvise on the guitar and occasionnaly let other musicians to improvise as well. That was part of his creative process and most of his new stuff was created that way.
I changed my mind- Florentine Pogen covers a lot od Zappa-isms.
Willie is just a fun, and amazing guitar solo.
Have you listened to any versions of the Black Page yet? Zappa wrote it as a drum piece, then expanded it to become an orchestral piece.
He writes out all the charts for the band. His solos are improvised….
Notice all eyes are on Frank because he’s conducting as well as playing and at any moment can throw the band a curveball. His bands, no matter who was in the lineup, was the tightest band in the history of the world!
A Classic!!
With the one off genius 'Captain Beefheart' doing the vocals!!....
Excellent Frank Zappa Selections…the live material is spectacular as Always! Every live performance from FZ is amazing!
…if you all want to deep dive … Check out ‘Shut up and play your Guitar’ 🎸
Mind blowing!
You can thank Peter for the selections! He knocked it out of the park. I am definitely going to dive into shut up and play soon enough...I can't wait! 😎
Frank saw voices as another musical instrument. Musicians like George Duke would say, Frank, I don't sing. Frank, they said didn't pressure, he just suggested. And we end up with beautiful vocals.
I heard Zappa was a percussionist and he has 2 in his band....He writes all the parts so he knows when someone misses a beat or time issue! He is the master!
He smoked Winstons
*That is Captain Beefheart singing in Willie the Pimp. BTW Dweezils band is incredible.
Yeah dude someone told me! That's crazy. I'm definitely doing the beefheart cd now haha
I've said it before you should listen to Keep it Greasy from Joe's Garage. The drums are freaking great - Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. The whole Joe's Garage is a master class in drumming.
Hot Rats was released in 1969. And this track is the only one with vocals. And they are by Captain Beefheart.
And if you want another epic guitar solo from Frank Zappa, check out Yo Mama.
Zappa is my God. Nice to see a younger generation getting it.
He really is the best..I mean good lord how could you not believe that after hearing these songs back to back 😩 😂
Ruth playing Marimba. FZ talked her into drilling into it to place transducers in it to amplify it.
There is a photo on Steve Hackett's website of him and Chester Thompson hanging together backstage at the Nashville concert that Steve played here a couple of weeks ago. I actually asked Chester at a drum clinic here in Nashville back in the 80s about the gorilla, he just laughed it off and said it was Zappa's studio humor 😁🥁🥁😁
Lee, the singer in Florentine Pogen is Napoleon Murphy Brock. I kid you not!
"There's almost no words, how do describe this?" Instrumental.
Your hooked, man. Good for you. You look to be my sons age. Brought him up on Frank.
The 70's was a great time to be alive, I was 20 in 1971 & saw Zappa live a few times, his musicians were always superb. The "One Size Fits All" album is perhaps my favourite Zappa album with "Hot Rats" not far behind, though they are completely different. "Willy the Pimp" has Captain Beefheart on vocals. Keep up these great reactions.
I am eternally jealous of yall haha I grew up in the pre and post nine eleven USA so it was wild... lol. But so was back then I suppose. Beefheart killed it on the vocals! They sounded so cool hahah
I'm so glad you have listened to him. Good luck.
If there ever was a guy worthy of the name Napoleon, this is the one!
The string in the background was probably Jean-Luc Ponty on violin.
Willie The Pimp was the first Zappa song I ever heard years ago.
Singer and sax player is Napoleon Murphy Brock
Also plays flute.
God- if you’re into the guitar solo on Florentine just wait ‘till he starts soloing on Willie😯
My head was successfully blown off by the end... like damn. What a fuckin doubleshot that was. 😳
Phil Manzanera once said he tried to play along Willie The Pimp but stopped after a few minutes exhausted !
My two favourite Zappa songs.
Well Damn this is THE video for you Ed. These were amazing... my brain hurt at the end 😂
what a time indeed,,i was 18 in 1975..love your channel.Kent in Ohio
Zappa smoked winstons! Also Chester's gorilla is a reference to a woman seen leaving Chester's hotel room that apparently looked like a gorilla from the back. Most of zappas songs are just road stories or made up stories turned as absurd as possible.
You gotta check out alien orifice by zappa!
You've really hit a lot of great Zappa Lee! Nice to see! Peace!
I'm happy to be able say (brag) that I've seen Zappa on every tour, often multiple nights the same venue, since 1974. Still friends with most guys from the different band incarnations and still get to see them whenever they play. Lastly in July at Zappanale by the Baltic Sea.
Where are you located.
Drummer Chester Thompson before Genesis
And don't forget Weather Report.
Shut up and listen so we can too
Zappa was a drummer in HS band FYI. :)
Please do 80's Zappa one of those fridays, totally different vibe and sound but still great ! I recommend "Drowning Witch", one of the best Zappa solo ever, great drumming and the musicianship is amazing 😊
I will definitely add it to the list! That's a dope ass title so I might just do it soon 😏 😂
Napoleon Murphy Brock is the singer, sax, dancer
I think Napoleon helped upgrade the group from the Po-jamma people.
Great reaction! May I request "muffin man" from bongo fury?
Hahahaha he has a song called muffin man? Well that's ironic. I must have subconsciously known that somehow. Thanks! I appreciate the kind words 🙏
He improvises. In interviews he basically says that he has a theory of operation of the instrument. George Duke says he had told him that he thinks in shapes.
Great reaction Lee!!
Thank you so much Gary I appreciate that brother 🙏🙏
Hot Rats Zappas first post mothers album.
Bombed in US, TOP 10 in UK. I'm in the right place 🎉
"He wrote it, because we had done this 40-piece orchestra gig together and he was always hearing the studio musicians in LA, that he was musing on that, talking about the fear of going into sessions some morning and being faced with "the black page". So he decided to write his "Black Page". Then he gave it to me, and I could play parts of it right away. But it wasn't a pressure thing, it just sat on my music stand and for about 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks, before we would rehearse, I would work on it. And after 2 weeks I had it together and I played it for him. And he said, "Great!", took it home, wrote the melody and the chord changes, brought it back in. And we all started playing it." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Page
The most entertaining guitarist
Napoleon Murphy Brock was a godsend to Zappa’s music.
The words to Florentine Pogen, although sounding really cool- aren’t that important.
I figured... it just sounds cool said together haha I love words like that. "Jaguar Avalon"
The story I heard is that Chester (The Drummer) had an groupie that was the Daughter of the cookie produced with the same name. That is why Chester's Gorilla came on stage, a metaphor for Chester's equipment which Florentine found out about...... (lol) A luv story ...sorta.. as Zappa said.
I'll give you a thumbs up because you said Frank was the best guitar players who ever lived. He isn't BUT his music is the best stuff ever to smudge the twentieth century.
A major component of Frank's guitar playing is his use of the Wah pedal. Not in the traditional way, but as a way of texturing notes.
Viva Zappa !
Sounds like Capt. Beefheart on vocals in Willie the Pimp
Correct
Napoleon murphy brock. Singer, sax, flute. One of the best
Frank was a Winston fanboy. I found that out by reading Pauline Butchers book about her time with them. Thats what hes got hooked on his guitar
His ear was so good that he could hear one wrong note or one out of sync note out of all that
Everyone smoked back then, and all the guitarists used to park their lit cigs in the strings next to the tuning pegs. The drummers, however, .... (Stewart Copeland, Travis Baker, Ginger Barker, Jim Gordon, Phil Rudd. Roger Taylor, Jeff Porcaro, Bun E. Carlos, John Bonham, Ringo Starr...)
Zappa began as a drummer (percussionist)
If you listen to the HOT RATS SESSIONS... you can hear all of the guitar solos that were edited down to the solo that you hear on Willie the Pimp.
John Guerin on drums
Zappa was the master of the long-form guitar solo. Also, as you noted, he was an absolute master of guitar tone and doesn't get a lot of recognition for that facet of his playing.
Willie the Pimp is a Zappa song that I don't listen to very often; as sometimes comes of as repetitious, especially if I;ve recently heard it. Today is sounded really good as I haven't heard it in a while, and I was listening through your ears.
Watch Transylvania Boogie off of Chunga's Revenge, then listen to the Warren Cuccurullo cover on RUclips for an awesome cover.
Inca Roads solo is preferred over this IMO... Many killer Zappa guitar solos. Try Ship Arriving too Late for example :-)
As I understand it, Zappa solos were mostly improvised.
Pågen marketed their 'Tosca Pågar' cookies as 'Florentine Pogens' in the United States until 1992.
Vocalist/saxophonist on Florentine was Napoleon Murphy Brock, drummer was Chester Thompson. Interesting side note, Chester went to play with Phil Collins, and Phil stole Zappa's drum fill from the Orange County to More Trouble every day transition, an extremely cool drum fill! Phil made it his signature sound, and as I understand it, Phil himself was unable to play it (I am not a Phil Collins fan). Watch the RUclips video Drummers of Frank Zappa with Ruth, Thompson, Bozio, Wackerman, and Humphrey. As a drummer, I would say it is a must watch.
saw n.m.brock plus ike willis in a zappa tribute band awesome show
No, early,man! A student favourite on acid in 69.
Captain Beefheart on vocals on Willie, check him out, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band...
This was a much earlier album that the other. This was more in line with Weasels Ripped My Flesh, and Burnt Weenie Sandwich or Uncle Meat. I saw Zappa twice in the early 70's. Once before "Overnight Sensation" and once after. Huge difference in the music, but all classic Zappa. He was the best. Next check out Captain Beefheart!
Saxophone /singer: Nate Murphy Brock
Sugar Cane Harris on violin. I think this was his first post Mothers album.
I'm looking at your copy of The Spotlight Kid behind you. It's as good a place as any to start with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Beefheart's music is entirely different to Zappa's even though they are so closely related in the avant garde rock arena Like Zappa, Beefheart was a perfectionist and rigorous in getting the best performances from his band. Also like Zappa, he is one of a kind.
Zappa doesn’t plan his solos, they just happen. At least that’s what I read.
At some point you will give up on favorite song and settle for favorite artist
Don "Sugar Cane" Harris on violin. Frank bailed him out of jail to play on this album
FWIW the longest Zappa guitar solo that I know of is from the Basel 1974 rendition of Dupree's Paradise (it's 15 minutes, or 14 if you discount the first bit where him and Chester are toying with a car commercial jingle). There are a few FZ solos which would be about as long if they weren't in some way interrupted - and all of them are from Black Napkins (Berlin '76, one of the London '77 shows, and Passaic '78).
Willie the Pimp was an earlier song 1969, Florentine Pogen in1975
The lead singer/Sax player sings and performs in the style of Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull!!! In fact the music sound like Jetro Tull!!!
He has some real talent! His voice is crazy. He can manipulate it in so many cool little ways that it really stands out. Throw a sax in there too and bam you got yourself a great musician 😌😊
interesting ..
"How do you describe this?"...😊
You don't It's a Zappa thing!!
He is absolutely nuts man lol I love it
Sometimes it's best to discover zappas music listening only.. without the videos
Zappa liked a packet of Winston's ( one of the major food groups, coffee and burnt weenies!) Enjoying your content....try out "Dina moe hum" check out Tina turner ripping it up
If you like the Willie The Pimp solo you need to try The Ocean Is The Ultimate Solution!
You should investigate Zappa and Captain Beefheart's album Bongo Fury.