Composer Reacts to Frank Zappa - Drowning Witch (REACTION & ANALYSIS)
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- Опубликовано: 29 июл 2024
- Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Drowning Witch
ORIGINAL VIDEO // • Drowning Witch
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0:00 Intro
1:06 Reaction
13:18 Analysis - Expressive Art
14:30 Analysis - Chaotic Counterpoint
25:09 Analysis - The Improvised Sections
37:11 Analysis - The Wild Meter Change
41:45 Analysis - Lyrical Breakdown
48:47 Analysis - Performative Complexity
55:33 Outro
One of the best pieces of recorded music EVER. INSANE.
That is correct Sir.. cant get none better than this.. !
There are soooo so so many things to explain... first... this is live... from many different shows. 15 to be exact. Frank Edited together. With a razor. Old school. The reason it is edited from 15 different nights, is because the band was never able to play the song 100 % correctly... EVER. So... there go some concepts you had. But don't feel bad because Zappa's eyes would have lit up when he heard you say the music was making you laugh, because it delivers punchlines. Zappa would have loved you forever for that.
So any stupid little mistakes you might make out of pure ignorance... can be easily forgiven.
Like... for instance who's singing...lol...it is fucking Frank, dude. Not only is it Frank... but it is VERY VERY Frank... lol.
But remember... all 120 albums... were made by Zappa or his family... no one produced Zappa's music... but Zappa. Definitly for the 70 or so albums that came out wheb he was alive... but some of those that came out after he was dead... were also 100 % Frank Zappa created albums... and there are others waiting.
There is no one that comes close... except maybe... MAYBE ,prince ,in unreleased output waiting to be finished and released. Frank always said... humor belongs in music. Listen to the song again (It's pre digital, so if you listen close... you can hear some of the edits very clearly)
Give it a second chance, because you have stumbled on to one of Frank's true jewels.
Just wait for the comments to start...snicker.
why... do you... use... so many ... ellipses?
@@erosionoc5557 artistic freedom?...
Well, It's not totally live. There's fat chucks where everything but the rhythm section was recorded in the studio.
@@buddygripple7512 I've read interviews with Frank where he talks about the 15 edits... show me the place thaty you read the info that large chunks were recorded in the studio, and I'll beleive it... but for now--- I choose to beleive Zappa.
@@Frunobulax74 thank you... hey look everyone... someone else that knows what he's talking about.
Great review. Something that might be worth considering is that, in the middle ages in Europe, one of the trials by ordeal during a witch-hunt was to throw the suspected witch into deep water. If she floated she was a witch; if she drowned she was innocent. This may, or may not, be relevant to this piece of music - I don't know. Also, as a long time Zappa fan, I can confirm that the vocalist is Frank.
I'm also kind of surprised you didn't catch the Stravinsky reference -- "ritual sacrifice" = "Rite of Spring". Stravinsky was his favorite composer.
Zappa is the greatest of our time and will be with us as long as there is music.
I’ll drink to that.
Your Cardiacs analysis brought me here, and Im loving the Zappa reviews. Ive listened to him for years and still get surprised every time, i dont think you ever get fully conditioned to his music. I guess thats the appeal! Look forward to future reviews, tho I think you could spend your whole life reviewing Frank's work!
"I don't think you ever get fully conditioned to his music" is exactly my experience with his works. Going in to any of his music I can only have the expectation that it's gonna be wild and that it could honestly be anything.
I love how I got introduced to Frank Zappa as a teen, around 16 years old. And I’m now 24, and still finding new songs and music by Frank.
Guys discography is so goddamn vast and exceptional.
Yeah but there's too much comedy music. Got addicted to Franks music in '71.
@@tixximmi1Even despite the comedy, he has still released SO many mindblowing albums..
@@Chryslerdude yes he did and they're still coming out.
I was also introduced to Frank when I was 16. I’m still discovering new stuff and being surprised. I’m 66.
The vocalist & Guitarist is Frank Zappa.. all sections are pre-composed & he usually rehearses his band for 2 - 3 months 6 hours per day before hitting the tour road...That track is a live recording. Franks writes it all.. he produced everything did after 1968.. read up on Him, he's worth it.!
Zappa's music has so many layers and chaos and order twining into each other. Great sounding stuff!
Hey Bryan, you need to review the Grand Wazoo from Zappa. the title track means, he throws everything at it... the whole Grand Wazoo...his pet name for an ensemble.
As seen on the Album Cover, it is (2) different music Factions both playing at the same time, each trying to play louder than the other. It plays out very well in his story line (no spoken words) but very clear image in your mind. Zappa is a great story teller, and does not even need words...!
That sounds quite interesting. I've heard Zappa with a lot of instruments before but I'd love to hear this specific concoction of chaos :)
that's Frank on vocals
this 'song' part evolved over the length of the tour
the vocal style they called "meltdown" but there's already a term in German 'Sprechegesang" where a pitch is kind of 'referred' to but not quite intoned like singing it does.
Frank referred to the technique as 'Sprechstimme'
wow. i have listened to this song many many times before but never thought to describe the guitar tone as "under water". brilliant 🤯
I played this to my son for the first time the other day and he made exactly the same remark. But he is a guitarist himself.
Zappa was garbage
Chad Wackerman (drums) and Scott Thunes (bass) was around 20 when this was recorded.
21, in fact. But we might tend to forget this after all this time. Vai was the same age.
_Rockin' Teenage Combo_
I really did appreciate this reaction! With no musical education at all and after enjoyed Zappa's music since five decades, it is so nice to have someone explaining why I like it! But I think I can add two thoughts: as I have understood it, FZ built up his songs from some stupid comment or in this case a picture. The origin was a book in 1953 by Roger Price named "Droodles". Very simple pictures, and you should guess what was pictured. On the album cover you have the droodle "Ship arriving to late to save a drowning witch". Droodles were popular around the 1970s. The other "inspiration" appears now and then in FZ's songs: his childhood with a father working with mustard gas etc in the defence industry and gas masks always available at home in case of an emergency.
I always thought the song was another recitative improvisational "song" like The Radio is Broken, Jazz Discharge Party Hats, and the Dangerous Kitchen, who got a lot of overdubbing and editing. Love those...
Zappa was filth
Chad Wackerman (drums) and Scott Thunes (bass) are noting short of brilliant.
There's nothing you can say except be amazed and humble.
At time marker 3:26 just after you say, "that bass tone is so nice though..." you hear hysterical laughter in the background generated from a 1970's laughing box that some of us remember well.
I would like you to react to Alien Orifice or Sinister Footware 2nd movement, preferably from the Make a Jazz Noise Here. Love your interpretation. And yes, this is Frank singing.
Chad Wackerman on drums and Scott Thunes on bass !
Hey man....2:50....rite of spring reference....
Drowning Witch was Frank's stab at a sea chanty. Love the guitar solos. Frank's guitar playing peaked in this 80-82 time period IMHO.
Completely agree. Early 80's Zappa guitar is way overlooked, and on the contrary his playing in the early mid 70's is a bit overrated...
@@Alix777. Hell no.. Whattabout the Inca road solo.. Roxy &... / Over nite & Apsotrophe, "OVERRATED" ? Come on man!
80 were indeed great.. but so was the early 70'ies !
I've watched three Zappa videos by you in a row noe. I'm very impressed by you. Even though you go in with practically no background info on Zappa or the recordings, and I don't necessarily agree with your taste, it's still a pleasure to listen to your observations and reflections. First of all, your focus and memory is remarkable, being able to listen only once, and then talk systemically and detailed about it immediately afterwards. Next, unlike many other analysts, you don't seem to use a standard repertoire of points that you force onto another song. I think you do very well in taking each case seriously and consider it thoroughly as it is, and think critically in the moment. You are also knowledgeable and well-spoken. As a Zappa-fan, knowing his history and discography intimately, I still learned a lot. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for all the kind words! I'm glad that it's clear and apparent that my intentions are to explore every work on their own and genuinely attempt to figure out what an artists is saying rather than how well they fit into a certain box of constraints.
RE: the guitar sound: Frank liked to use two amps. One clean and one overdriven. And as you noted, he'd pan the two all over the place. Frank is the vocalist.
Also: the little 3/8 section at the end is a separate composition called "Envelopes". There's an orchestral version, too.
Finally: I'll bet if you were to analyze the guitar solo, you'd find that it's more than just "emotive noise". Frank was really good at disguising meaty musical stuff as rock and roll.
There is a quote from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in this too. And quite appropriately it is right before Zappa sings ritual sacrifice!
there is a thing here, and a lot of what he did was captured on video, called St Etienne, a guitar solo thing. It's from Drowning Witch.
The guitar solos could vary wildly, he could do something kinda sorta similar with the first one, but no two versions are alike, as was his wont.
it's funny that you talk about the "vocalist". It's Frank Zappa singing But great analysis!! I love Zappa's music
Greatly appreciate your observations. Have always been a Zappa fan and am self-taught guitarist. Hearing feedback from true professional composer offers so much more perspective and understanding. Thank you!
A really perceptive appreciation. Regarding Zappa as an improviser: his language is so individual. It took me ages to 'get' his message. He rarely repeats himself when improvising, which is pretty rare. Zappa was unmatched in his exploration of guitar tone
@peeper6785 - Definitely a master of the guitar tone. Too few people acknowledge this.
On this album we have Fank, Steve Vai, Ike Willis, and Ray White on guitar. Steve is credited with the playing of impossible guitar parts. Although it is my understanding that this is Frank on guitar on this song. I would like a little bit more info on this topic as I could imagine Steve playing some of those parts...
The first time I heard him was a few tracks from the Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar (two of the three title tracks and Soup n Old Clothes). I’d been a guitar player for several years by then and was playing progressive rock very wall, but this stuff grabbed my attention. I’ve since described it as hearing someone speaking very eloquently in a foreign language. His playing was so melodic and so toneful, but the phrasing was just so unique. Bought the cassette box and wore it out. I bought my first CD player when the CD boxed set came out. The improvisation and interplay between him and Vinnie Coliauta on those sets was revelatory. And then the instrumental compositions on top of this!! Genius isn’t enough to describe him. He is so missed!
When you get around to doing more Mats & Morgan keep this side of Zappa in mind. They tend to be a little more restrained and focused than whatever is going on here but it's really interesting to draw parallels to the approach to textures and layering, as well as their heavy emphasis on humor and zaniness when presenting musical ideas.
Hell yeaha
I was just thinking about this song/ album.
Thanks for continuing down the Zappa hole. Recommend Jazz Discharge Party Hats for at least your own personal enjoyment
Purchased upon release. In fact they all were, since 1973, when I was introduced to the Maestro. Frank was a dots on paper composer. This chunk of noise is beyond excellent. There's an excellent live, without a net, version somewhere on youtube. This particular piece has been a personal favorite from inception.
The 'Ritual Sacrifice' is a reference to 'The Rite of Spring'.
Frank scored two movies before the release of his debut album Freak Out, The Worlds Greatest Sinner-1962 (frank called it the world's worst movie) it's now a cult classic, and Run Home Slow-1965, which is a decent B-western. Frank's movie 200 motels is the first movie that was shot on VHS tape, then transferred to film.
Been on that zappa journey since 78' my friend. Saw him at SUNY.
bought every album I could at the time I was 13. Due to recent events, need something to do... What else? Study zappa.
Awesome video. Saw your black page vid and loved it. I just bought music notation by Gardner reed. Zappa was a genious. Thank you for bringing him back in the light for a younger generation.
Which SUNY? I love that '78 touring band!
@@noturnleftunstoned72 Stony Brook LI.
I love how you said jumping into this chaotic form!!!!
FYI, the only parts that might have been improvised were Frank's guitar parts. He absolutely improvised live, but in the studio he would work out something that sounded right for the song's composition. Everything you hear being played by other musicians was composed entirely by Frank, and he rehearsed with his band until they got it right before going on tour.
this was my introduction to zappa's work decades ago. Not looked back since. I was instantly hooked
I believe that cackling was sampled from the old novelty toy called “bag full of laughs”.
Frank’s great at creating a musical ride designed for your imagination & ear holes
Definitely can become a life long musical endeavor of entertainment.
Great reaction & Analysis man 💯🎶
The talented vocalist you've been referring to in this and other Zappa song reactions is FZ himself.
Some other interesting things too. If you listen carefully, you can hear musical quotations from The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky and the Dragnet TV theme composed by Walter Schumann and Miklós Rózsa. Also Zappa commented that the album version of this song included 15 edits between live performances from different cities...
Thank you sir for recognizing the panning!
You get it!
I concur!
i consider myself a zappa fan but have never heard of this song. glad to have discovered it through you
That’s likely because Zappa made more music than most human beings on earth. His discography is so unbelievably vast.
Ship Arriving to Late is a fairly famous album, it contains Valley Girl which many look down upon because it was his most commercially successful solo, I believe it was even on MTV. Being a posthumous fan I can't really remember if that's correct.
This is from the Ritz show,I stood in Front of Frank during this unbelieable solo and the whole cocert which was almost 3 hours.
only parts of it are from the Ritz, in think the second guitar solo section, the whole track is contructed from many shows becuase the band never played it 100% correctly once
Regarding the similarities between Zappa and Brock - Zappa was very specific about how he wanted his vocalists to inflect/phrase.
Hey, did you catch the Rite of spring reference at 2:50? "ritual sacrifice..." and the musical quote...hehe
Check out Truck Driver Divorce from the Them or Us album, which has a similar vibe to Drowning Witch. Playful, zany silly song on the front end with an extended emotive solo with an amazing guitar tone and that wide sound stage you noted.
Alright, im giving you double thumbs up for reviewing this! ....bow brave🤣
Always loved it when FZ included the Hawaiian Punch theme.
The basic track was assembled from several live performances, solos are live but there's plenty of overdubs, enough to make it almost like a studio recording at times.
Quitessentially Zappa.
Also, the accenting in the "ritual sacrifice" bit at the end of the vocal section is a quote from Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring.
Would appreciate your analysis of Zappa’s ‘The Grand Wazoo’. Really enjoyed this vid. Thanks.
That "weird" ending of your's was (intentionally or not) very close to "the central scrutinizer" from Zappa's Joe's Garage trilogy 😊
Anyways, I believe that the "story" in here is just free association from Frank inspired by the art (by Roger Price) on the cover. That would be close to your parallell with a kid's story that can go anywhere.
I believe it also had to do with the cheesy horror movies he liked.
Nice analysis! This song is a mixed bag of goodies.
The laughing was done by this cheap mechanical toy that was popular in the late 70s, early 80s. It came in a bag and was called Bag of Laughs. I'm sure there were versions with different names.
ruclips.net/video/gFnfALtw3Kk/видео.html
Actually, Frank was the singer here. And the guitar player. He was not however the cackling laugh -- that sounds like Ike Willis. Frank's mobile recording rig was for years the best technology money could buy; I think by the early 80s it was a 24-track digital recording. He recorded everything, kept it all, and produced the hell out of it.
The source of the laughing.
ruclips.net/video/gFnfALtw3Kk/видео.html
FZ: "I think my playing is probably more derived from the folk music records that I heard - Middle Eastern music, Indian music, stuff like that.
For years I had something called Music On The Desert Road [Deben Bhattacharya], (ruclips.net/video/VI8vSy8KwNI/видео.html ) which was a recording of all kinds of different ethnic musics from different places in the Middle East. I used to listen to that all the time - I liked that kind of melodic feel. I listened to Indian music, Ravi Shankar and so forth, before we did the Freak Out! album. The idea of creating melody from scratch based on an ostinato or single chord that doesn’t change, that was the world that I felt most comfortable with.
If you listen to Indian classical music, it’s not just pentatonic. Some of the ragas that they use are very chromatic, all sustained over a root and a 5th that doesn’t change, and by using these chromatic scales they can imply all these other kinds of harmonies. The chords don’t change; it’s just the listener’s aspect that gets to change based on how the melody notes are driven against the ground bass.”
FZ - 1993 interview
That Sinatra style of singing, he called his "meltdown" style, which was a semi improvised crooning, you can hear it a lot from the early 80's on, and he had so much fun just singing in that silly style and making shit up. He used it on his live shows too. Radio is Broken, Dangerous Kitchen, Jazz Discharge Party Hats are all songs in this style from The Man From Utopia.
SATLtSaDW live premiere: ruclips.net/video/xlJOpy65-5s/видео.html
This reaction should be titled "Guy Reacts To Composer Frank Zappa'.
That would be accurate too!
I think it was a story done by his daughter Diva, the Picture too?
Listen to the Drowning Witch from the live Ritz performance that's here on RUclips was standing second row directly in front if Frank. I've been to over 30 Zappa concerts from 74-88.starting when I was 14.This truly is Zappas greatest performance. His Drowing witch solo is like he has Jimi H dead,maggot infested body flying around the room.Frank blew the doors down that night,the music was so perfect and incredibly loud your heart would pump to the beat.Absolutly Frank's greatest performance and he was playing his Jimi H burnt strat for Drowning Witch and several other solo.
Compliments on your chanel. They're usually live cuts made studio quality. For the sake of albums, segues, in which were live, are not heard in studio format. Therefore, in this case, a song would end abruptly.
Does Humor Belong in Music? Is one of Frank's live albums , he answered that question with a resounding yes. There is social commentary, humor both lyrically and musically, as well as story telling both musically and lyrically. There is often the use of music "sound effects " if you will. Very happy to see people being exposed to Frank's genius , it is very deep and very wide. Keep exploring his music and his various bands. Many genres and styles. On stage antics as well as lots of studio production techniques. Even visual elements with videos and movies like 200 motels. If you have time off channel to sit with some of the albums and listen in full I highly recommend it. Check out Joe's Garage for example, which should be listened to in full before listening to different tracks separately.
I would love to see your reaction of a Captain Beefheart song like "sweet sweet bulbs" from the album "trout mask replica" by many considered one of the beat albums ever. Your reactions are great, love from Italy ❤
trout mask is an enigma. I'd recommend Bill's Corpse
@@RRBuilder611 Too many great songs pal, pachuco cadaver and sweet bulbs are my favorites but any song is a world by itself.
Great point in describing the lead sounding like its underwater. Just like our economy.
2:16 The melody in response to the lyric about "... people with Hawaiian shirts on." is a reference to this Hawaiian Punch Jingle melody:
ruclips.net/video/Fld2U5t4S6o/видео.html "C'mon and go Hawaiian!"
Yay!
Perfect profile picture for the comment :)
The guitar tone comes from triggering the flanger as it follows the envelope of the high frequency decay... And then compressing the shit out of that sound. Also, all of that is panned across stereo, of course. This is how you get such a distinct attack sound with a pillowy feedback effect. Almost assuredly, he actually recorded the guitar soloing with a, relatively speaking, straight distorted tone during live recordings and did the flanging effect in the studio afterwards. He would record a few different split guitar tones during all of his concerts and take home those solos and play with effects rigs and mixing in different levels of clean, modulation heavy, distorted, etc. tones and release those edited versions on his studio albums. So he would not only build a perfect guitar tone AFTER the fact, but comb through TOURS worth of his favorite improvisations and release only what he thought was best. Wonderful way to use improvised guitar work.
Yessah!!!!
Frank is the vocalist and it was digitally recorded with his own equipment.
It is NOT digital. The first album that was recorded digitally is Does Humor Belong in Music. This was recorded on his Mobile Truck with 2 nieve 24 track ANALOG tape machines. There is ONE song prior to that recorded digitally...You Didn't Try to Call me... which, although it was recorded in 1980 it eventually appeared on YCDTOSA vol 1. in 1988. If you don't know the facts, don't just blurt out what you wish was the truth... Frank HATED that... I'm not a big fan of it either.
@@wowwhywow He also HATED people who took themselves to serious… Take care.👍
@@jonasolsson2256 I promise not to take myself to seriously... or think I am so evolved...lol. But... just making sure the right info gets out there. Your mistake didn't disparage Frank's character, so it doesn't deserve ire or contempt...but... wrong is wrong. peace.
@@wowwhywow peace brother, and thanks for all your accurate, well informed and dedicated comments.👌👍
10:20 is the fist-pumping part. Incredible music.
The name of the song is "Ship Arrivig To Late To Save a Drowning Witch"
Oh, you gotta do Zappas masterpiece "Greggary Peccary"! =)
The lyrics came from his daughter. She drew the cover. Frank asked what is it. She said "it's a ship arriving too late to save a drowning witch".
Hence, the lyrics are inconsequential.
Did you hear "The Flight of The Bumblebee?"
@@HakanTunaMuzik Gracias
Yep, I was wrong!
Best Zappa song
You got a lot to learn about Frank.
This reminds me a lot of Henry Cow.
About the meaning of the lyrics:
When you write Zappa… the first two letters Z and A when written together look like a ship arriving to late to save a drowning witch… it’s actually the album’s cover…
From here it’s just a matter of adding words to create a song
As pointed out on another reaction video to this piece, if you turn it sideways, you can see an "F".
The vocalist is Frank haha
Yup, missed that one completely. For what it's worth, I've only heard Frank sing in one song *AND* this sounds very close to Napoleon Murphy Brock's singing in Florentine Pogen, or at least what I remember of that. It's been a while since that track but I think that was the last time I had a Zappa song with vocals on the channel.
@@CriticalReactions not knocking you at all, I'm glad that you praised his vocals. I always loved his comedic style
Yes, "it sounds like it's underwater"!
You should react to "The Black Page Number 2". It's even more insane.
So many alien guitar sounds from zap. Not to mention his odd phrasing. RIP.
Yes! I respect yohr take! Its very entertaining to me, to suprise peoples wit dis arcane incunabula.
I think Zappa was influenced by dadism early on and maybe absurdist theatre. He loved old B movies especially monster movies...like The Attack of the 50 foot woman...
1.“ I right music about things that piss me off.”
2.” The only way to approach modern day society is though sarcasm.”
Zappa.
The vocalist is Frank. LOL.
Shame, you should have listened to the version of You Cant Do That On Stage Anymore vol 3. IMHO it contains one of Zappa"s 5 top solos.
He is the singer.
There's a Zappa quote that might shine light on the lyrics. "America hates music, but loves entertainment"
Did i say that? Yes. Derrr!
Listen to the albums The Grand Wazoo or Waka-Jawaka,both are total Zappa jazz.Listen to Hot Rats.
Possibly my favorite Zappa song, honestly. That's a tough one though.
Very good your comentaries , look the lyrics are becose of the Z and A !
So Zappa maybe saw the drawing first and imagine the witch and de ship and did a storie about it !!!
It is comical as so to speak, I believe the wittiness of it surpasses the sophomoric humor.
The DADA ethos is probably the most important ingredient in his work.
DADA is never far from anything he did!
ummm... the "vocalist" on this song... is Frank Zappa.
Yup. I was curious after making the video and looked it up. Which is wild because it's very close to Napoleon Murphy Brock's vocals on Florentine Pogen, which is what I was trying to remember in the reaction.
@@CriticalReactions Might be close to your memory of Napoleon Murphy Brook but I can't really hear much resemblance... I can clearly identify Frank's voice right from the beginning when they are all singing in harmony. But then I've heard it 40+ years 😁
@@progperljungman8218 That's very likely. It was a while ago 😅
Sorry, it got better at the end
Good morning! This is Frank Zappa music, existing since 1967 and up to 1993! The singer is Frank Zappa himself accompanied by his band, Ike Willis etc... How ignorant can you be, composer??! This is business as usual for Zappa fans. Glad, you composer finally found out...
The vocalist is FRANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zappa is the vocalist
Fpr my purposes….I need “Envelopes” to follow. You just got to. Without it…it’s like sex without coming. 😝
Zappa is singing himself, have you not noticed???