Moshkiae 200 MOTELS USA 1972

It is a real shame that someone like Frank Zappa gets commissioned to do an opera for one of the world's music centers, Austria, but his work goes by barely noticed in his native country.....

While 200 MOTELS is not exactly for everyone, it is hard to follow, and what comes off as a drugged mentality, is actually a very well designed, and composed piece, while not as well done on film as compared to the orchestra playing the piece. There are vocal styles, which even today are being worked with by many classical composers.... and they are not easy to play, or sing. And it is a tribute to a musical genius that it can be pulled off.

While I would like to see a piece of work which tackled more interesting themes than mere rock'n'roll-iness, Frank's work for the American radio have retained a sort of disguised identity, probably to make sure he himself does not fall prey to a stylized social stigma which he himself has witnessed...his family has been known to have rescued many actors and artists from the many overdoses of everything (Frank has been anti drugs, even during his early albums when he was already making fun of it ).

200 MOTELS, twenty years later, still holds up musically, where much of the music of that day has long gone and faded away into goldies radio.

This film is a look at the distorted mind state one gets in a road tour, in this case, the invisible 200 motels that bands stay in. The mind deranges, tires, the players all fight and disagree, and the bands often break apart. And to bring this off, the film takes on the look of the psychedelic shows of the 60's, with an incredible array of images superimposed on musicians, and the visuals of the situation. At this point it is hard to distinguish between reality and the ideal which the music is about.... but that is the story and theme of this film.

Of interest here are a few people, like Keith Moon dressed up as a nun, Ringo Starr (the only Beatle big enough to play with Frank Zappa), Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan who were the two mainstays behind the popular group THE TURTLES, and their magnificent vocalizations which lend themselves well to Frank's material. The magnificent orchestra playing what could be considered nerve wrecking music because it does not have simple passages to relax with is conducted by Elgar Howarth ... Aynsley Dunbar on drums and George Duke on horns and keyboards.... two superb musicians in their young days, learning a craft that they play so well today....Pamela Miller, of the groupie fame (Pamela Des Barres) who went on to write a book about her time from the early days.

RECOMMENDED, IF YOU GO TO SEE IT AS ... ANYTHING GOES MOOD. HAS COMEDIC TOUCHES WHICH ARE VERY SOUTHERN CAL-ISH, like satires on commercial products and their addictiveness....

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Theodore Bikel, Ringo Starr, Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan SUPER FEATURES: The music ... and is Frank Zappa. Hopefully you know the difference!

NOTE: Much later just before Gail Zappa (Frank's wife) passed away this was done in its entirety at UCLA and there is a recording of it, and it comes off brilliantly ... however, as the original, the commercial minded folks refuse to listen to it, and realize how some things came off really well, specially the choral parts towards the end, which were exceptional. One can only hope that we get to hear these special works and have them be more appreciated.

Moshkiae Frank Zappa Over-Nite Sensation 1973

This is, by very far, likely one of the most "commercial" of all albums by Frank Zappa, and it might have been done specifically to fit within the FM radio formats in Southern California, some of which played a little of Frank's material and generally some of the less well known stuff, or maybe the instrumental stuff, so by the time this came about, it added a completely different audience to Frank's concerts. The rock audience is not one of the best audiences, and sometimes they are ridiculously sick, and often demand that someone do their hits and nothing else and many bands give in, so they can collect the money.

All of the pieces here have lyrics, and some of them might not be exactly in the area of good taste, or at least within the private taste during your affairs in the middle of the night! But, in the end, the music in it is the best a "song" can bring about and grace the waves of the FM radio band ... as his material comes off as anti something or other, but in the end, it is much more attractive than some of the other stuff in the air waves.

And above all, it shows Frank as a massive excellent rocker, that can put on a show and play like a monster can ... and not quit ... since the next song is more of the same, but different of course. And unlike his previous material which had some Flo & Eddie on lyrics, this time, Frank does all of the singing and in the end, his ability to act out the words, shows an impressive touch that many of us did not see before, though it created some more issues later, with fans wanting him on guitar and nothing else, until one day he got mad, set the guitar on the floor and took up a baton and conducted his band the rest of the time ... and did not touch his guitar the rest of the way, which would be interesting to hear if there was a recording (it was likely that there was btw!!!) that showed the whole of the band working hard to make do in the absence of the guitar.

Some folks dislike the "filthy" lyrics in some parts, that I think were more about making sure the fan ate his/her rock'n'roll and lyrics thing, than it was meant to be bad and above all opinionated, as it was very difficult to take Frank seriously in those days, specially when the "fame" blew up his ideas with this album, after taking more than a year off to recuperate from a stage fall, and I suppose that his singing here was more about letting folks know that he was fine, than anything else.

It is an album I like to hear now and then, but not the one that I tend to go to right away ... for various reasons. The rock 'y touch of this album is nice, and very strong, but in the end, you want more of the serious. probably more jazzy material that he has shown before in various albums, but that's not to take anything away from this album. It has all the "touches" that you might have heard before, though here they are used for a break and an intentional bit to show something different that a lot of rock folks don't always like ... more guitar and less crap, kinda of thing.

Many of these songs in this album are likely the best known stuff by Frank Zappa, which for me is kind of sad as he was one of the most creative musicians of all, and he continued it in his career to the end, though is taste for unsavory lyrics never really fell out, but it was soft ended some and a couple of examples, that probably made things uncomfortable for many ... but then, that would be a laugh considering how the rock folks thought of the rest of his music!

If you listen to Frank's work, the one thing that will surprise you is the compositional design of what he does, and where he takes it ... and at that point, you know that this is not just another rocker out there with a fat fame excuse, but a really thought out musician, one of the few that has ever lived in rock music. A very special musician!

5 Gibloons

Moshkiae Frank Zappa The Grand Wazoo 1972

Right from the start of this album, we get a long piece that shows what composition is all about for Frank Zappa and his musicians. In many ways, this is the definition of his wording for more "serious music" instead of the amount of stuff that was on radio at the time, and in so many bars at night, like you would never know the difference in the music because of the drinks or the partner you were with ... and all of a sudden, you don't realize what you missed the whole time, and it wasn't just your date!

The interesting thing on this opening piece is the use of the horns and trombones, to add a different touch, but they do not take away from the music as it continues, as if nothing had happened. The various small solos in it, do not distract from it at all, though I think all of us will state that they sound very unusual here. But when you listen to it from beginning to the end, you don't think about each solo done, you wonder where the music is going to go, and it just feels right and good.

"For Calvin" is a fine piece, and a long one to start the album with, which pretty much sets the tone for FRank Zappa's music ... you're not going to be able to expect what you want at all ... it is going to be a surprise for us, in so many ways, and this is the special side of Frank's work. Non stop and always going and going ... and you can't help it by going along.

This is very jazzy in its own way, in that things seem to come and go and continue and come and go again, but the over all touch of the whole piece of music never fails, and continues and is exciting in many ways. I'm not sure I can compare this to anything else, or think that it was inspired by this or that ... as I think that Frank's intuition has so many starting points, that after a while you don't even consider where they might have come from, though some things are clear, the satires on the LA radio are very obvious to me, having been in the area for a long time, but in the end, the satirical tone was more of an excuse to do something else, that we did not expect.

"The Grand Wazoo". I've often thought that a lot of the lyrics were kinda used simply to make fun of things, and sometimes mention previous things. In the title piece, Calvin's car is mentioned a couple of times, and I think it was just added for fun, to help make the piece clear and not just weird and strange, which it is, but in an interesting way. Musically it is challenging for your ear and mine ... we didn't expect that, or even thought ... what the heck? ... but there it is, and it sounds fine, though not exactly in how you or I would expect it to be, but then, it would not be Frank Zappa if it was what we wanted or expected, right? Let's put it this way ... this is like listening to Chicago, and they were so stoned and out of it, that they couldn't keep it together, but Frank got them together regardless. A total treat, a bit strange, but a fun listen.

"Cletus Awreetus Awrightus" maybe the most conventional piece of all of them, but it is done in a fun style, and it reminds me of The Bonzo Dog Band in many ways, in its changes, though it is missing Vivian Stanshall, though it feels like he is thought of in the lala's. A fun tune, and the least jazzy of the pieces.

"Eat That Question" ... probably one of the neat things here, and if you want t ohear something special listen to Aysnley Dunbar keep up with George Duke, and then later, Frank adding his own touch with the guitar ... I think he knew he was hearing something special, and might have wondered what he could do with a guitar, but eventually he joined in and ... wow ... it's like just a trio and it is special and far out ... more please! Such a satisfying piece even though it changes towards the ending, and it is a bit different, but interesting and special in its own way. Both Aynsley and George augment the guitar beautifully, and it's like you would not expect any less from these folks ... a special treat.

The ending piece "Blessed Relief" seems to be a sort of elegy for the album, when compared to the rest of the stuff. It is more laid back, and pretty, very jazzy in its implementation and design, and you just go along with it. A wonderful touch to end this album, that is very different from a lot of other albums, when Frank does his stuff that some folks don't like in some lyrics, but in the end, the music that accompanies always gives us a different take, so it makes it seem that the ugly stuff is there to make sure that only folks that like real music stand by Frank Zappa ... and the rest ... take a walk!

One thing that really shows in this album as very special, is George Duke ... such a great touch and an incredible help to make Frank's music better and much more interesting. Him and Frank can play together really well, and they compliment each other superbly ... a nice and jazzy touch that is hard to deal with in rock music, when its format and solo thing is the priority, not the music itself. Here, there is no doubt what the important thing is, and you and I will always be appreciative of that.

5 GIBLOONS

Moshkiae Frank Zappa Chunga's Revenge 1970

There is a lot of Frank Zappa that I enjoy listening to, and appreciate it tremendously, even after all these years. And we're talking 55 years later, though I first heard this album around 1971 and I think it was the first album of his I got.

The one thing that you notice right away on the very first piece "Transylvania Boogie" is that he knows how to move with his instrument, and it is not just a "solo" at all, it is continuous and non stop, making the idea of a solo, just something silly for the average rock'n'roll stuff ... few people can move around with their instrument and constantly maintaining a new feeling for the continuation of a piece. You know right away that this is not a simple guitar tune, but something else, and when it fades out ... you really want to hear more ... much more.

The hard part is to define what it really is that Frank Zappa is doing. In general, I always thought that it was very satirical, even when serious, specially towards the LA area radio and TV, not to mention what he was seeing, when touring with his band. Somehow, even when it is what appears to be just a rock'n'roll song, like the next piece "Road Ladies", and all of a sudden you get a lot more than just a simple rock song ... and it shows you that you can use the lyrics well to the point of having them define and entertain what you do with the instrumentation, and this is where FZ shines the most ... he seems to have had an endless ability in this area, and maybe, we should restate that ... it was there all the time, but we never thought beyond the simplicity of the music, which is what we got on all the radio and albums at the time, a lot of really poor musical stuff, in reality, it should be said.

This is not exactly a "jazz" album per se, but when yu sit back and listen to it, your first thought is ... goodness, so much variation and incredible musicianship, that it is more like a jazz album than it is a rock album, that normally is so defined by its same structure over and over again, and the usual rinse and repeat formula ... you will have a hard time finding that on Frank's albums.

I'm not sure that you can find a lot of jazz artists that can move around a piece of music as well as Frank does in this album, and it is something that leaves us wondering where it comes from, but the firmness and ability he does this with, is obviously a show of how he defines his music and shows it to us ... we will get confused, for sure, because ... hmmm ... is this jazz? is this rock? is this ... what? And if you have to do that, this album and just about any of Frank's albums will not show you a whole lot, except that the guy is obviously talented and way out there, to the point that ... how do you define that?

I don't think you should!

By the time you get to the long piece on side one of this album with The Nancy & Mary Music, you get to see others also flying all over, like George Duke, who, no doubt, could fly with Frank anyday, and did many times.

One thing that will really say a lot about this music ... not many of the musicians involved were known to be big in the jazz or rock areas, and did not have much of an involvement elsewhere, which either says that they were not that great at what they did, but were not interested in the simplistic music of the radio and albums of the time. And I suppose that is a great compliment to Frank's work and we should applaud that because not even George Duke went out and showed he was a star ... he seemed to enjoy playing with Frank ... but the rest of the folks in the band, you could not suggest that they did not know what they were doing, since the cohesiveness of the work is amazing and one of the things that all of us appreciate, regardless of what kind of music, though many think that this does not show itself as well within the rock circles because of an ego factor that says you gotta have a solo here and a chord change there and a ... you know what I mean ... and at least in Frank's work, the changes are a continuation of what he does, not a change for the sake of the change as has become the issue with the majority of progressive and progrock music these days ... not to mention that Frank never seems to worry what this or that piece is about or where it fits, and that's where his talent lies.

And by the time you hear Chunga's Revenge, you know that this is a very special musician and composer and he knows how to use his own instrument, which is less of a show off piece, than it is a true highlight of what the whole of the music really is about ... and, my friends, this is TALENT, at its best.

js Frank Zappa’s “Cruising with Ruben and the Jets”, is probably one of the more misunderstood and under appreciated albums in pop music history. Often called a satire on doo-wop music, or a parody, this album is actually a labor of love of sorts as Frank and his band mates, sincerely (mostly anyways) try to pay tribute to the music of their youth. Yes, there is some silliness on here, but doo-wop was music by, for and about teenagers, it is by nature a somewhat silly form of music in the first place. About half of the songs on here are straight ahead doo-wop, expertly performed and souped up with some creative chord progressions and arrangements. In addition to that, there are a couple of doo-wop meets art rock creations, and then, since it is Zappa, there are also a couple of kind of ‘silly’ tracks too. The more straight ahead doo-wop numbers are excellent, this band had killer vocalists and their vocal arrangements are stunning. Add to that, the production on here is some of Frank’s best, every little vocal detail is crystal clear. This is doo-wop, so you can bet all the lyrics deal with teenage romance, especially the heartbreak of failed teenage romance.

On a couple songs, Frank and his crew merge doo-wop with art rock tendencies such as changing rhythmic meters, unexpected chord changes and psychedelic guitar work. Of this lot, “You Didn’t Try to Call Me” and “I’m Not Satisfied” are master pieces. Then there are the numbers that contain overly silly elements, such as the rap part in “Desire”, or the gun fire and scream insert in “Stuff Up the Cracks”, which would have been a much better song without the extraneous sounds. Many reviewers will dutifully point out that there are Stravinsky musical quotes on here, but that’s what happens when people copy someone else’s review because it would be nice if they actually knew where the alleged quotes are because a listen to the album does not seem to reveal any such thing.

Zappa was not too fond of hippie culture and most hippie music. With this in mind, “Cruising” could be seen as Frank’s attempt to deflate the pretentious and overly serious nature of the trendy ‘revolutionaries’ of the late 60s. No doubt, fun mindless teenager music such as doo-wop was considered very un-cool when this album came out in the late 60s, and it seems that had a lot to do with why Zappa put "Cruising" out in the first place.