Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Grand Wazoo
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Free Music Notes for Grand Wazoo
Free Music Review: My Kind of Zappa
Hit: 5 Stars
This album comes out of my collection and onto my CD player or iPod playlist every few years, and it never disappoints. Of the three early-70s primarily instrumental albums, "The Grand Wazoo" features the biggest band and perhaps the most relaxed sound. Unlike other Zappa albums, this one is almost gimmick-free. Everything you hear on it seems to have been put there purely for musical value. The one song with lyrics, "For Calvin" does have some distorted and exaggerated vocal stylings, but as is sometimes the case with Zappa, they work beautifully here. Elsewhere, you'll hear some fantastic guitar work from Zappa, incredible electric piano work from George Duke, lots of fabulous horns especially Sal Marquez on trumpet. There is a merry sense of humor throughout much of this record, but there's a rare, for Zappa, lightness about it. No rants, no Brechtian confrontations, no strained nods to Varese -- just purely original, enjoyable music.Free Music Review: Phi Beta Zappa
Hit: 5 Stars
Thinking people agree that this is Zappa's finest album. Frankly, this is because there, with the exception of Calvin, is no singing. Let's be frank, Zappa, the songs were bad because the words were lousy. I will not analyze why this was the case, but again speaking frankly, Zappa's repressed anger and neurotic behavior helped to do him in in the prime of his life. Having said that, with apologies to Gail, let me again speak frankly by saying that George Duke is the main factor in making this album as good as it is. To be frank with you, dear reader, I believe that if Carla Bley had collaborated with Zappa, the musical results would have been astonishingly brilliant, but many of her records are astonishingly brilliant anyway, in my frank opinion. As John Lee Hooker frankly stated "Nothing but the best and later for the garbage".Free Music Review: Underrated
Hit: 5 Stars
This 1972 album of big band jazz-rock was also one of Zappa's biggest commercial failures, the result of supporting a large touring band and an album that did not chart. Demonstrating his regard for the album, he said, "They were hits in Scandanavia" - he would not revisit this music later in his career. It's a shame, because the performances are inspired and the arrangements undeniably Zappa-esque (critic Art Lange described them as "bland" and "too mellow"; I wonder if I am listening to the same album). The melodies are memorable, notably in the title track and the aptly titled "Blessed Relief", which follows the George Duke fueled funk of "Eat That Question". A great place to start if one is wary of scatological lyrics and other such controversy attached to other albums in the Zappa catalogue.Free Music Review: Is This Phase II of Waka Jawaka?
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm a big Zappa fan (actually saw the Roxy band in 1974 - eat your heart out). Anyway, in my humble but all important and all knowing opinion, The Grand Wazoo (with its glorious 21 piece jazz orchestra) and Waka Jawaka simply represent the best of Zappa's material from the 70s. Ok, we can throw Roxy and Elsewhere and Bongo Fury in there as well. Sure, Zappa had bands that sounded this good, most notably the Make A Jazz Noise Here band - but for some reason, this music just sounds more organic than that final touring band (which he regarded as his best band ever). There are 5 tracks on Grand Wazoo and they are all great. I have a particular fondness for the title track and the closing track, Blessed Relief. If you want to hear Zappa at his very best, you want The Grand Wazoo and Waka Jawaka. 'Nuff said.Free Music Review: great FZ BIG BAND
Hit: 5 Stars
I am stitting here reading some of the reviews of this album which Ihave had in my possession in one form or another since it came out in the early 70's. I have to laugh becasue I never have seen so much ponitficating by so many on what is clearly describable: this is an album FZ did in the early 70's with a big band, some great improvisational moments and another reviewer hit the nail on the head when he described it as fusion music, which is what it is. Of course Miles Davis invented fusion music and a lot of the early proponents were graduates of his band (John Mclaughlin, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, etc). Anyway, this album succeeds in that vein. No need here to speak of the talent of Frank Zappa, who could write, produce, arrange any kind of music. Period.