Frank Zappa - FAQ: All That’s Left To Know About The Father Of Invention
by Lisa Torem
published: 19 / 4 / 2017
intro
In her 'Raging Pages' book column Lisa Torem finds that John Corcelli's new book 'Frank Zappa FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Father of Invention' highlights the American composer's complex compositions and legacy
John Corcelli’s 276-plus page book includes a detailed discography and an intelligent break down of American composer/guitarist/producer Frank Zappa’s extraordinary career. Early on, we get a good picture of everyday living: the musician was born to Sicilian/French parents in Baltimore, Maryland. Because he suffered from asthma, his family moved to Florida, but came back for familial reasons. Ill health meant he was often housebound, so young Frank immersed himself in science experiments, using beakers that his chemist father brought home from his laboratory. In 1965, Zappa was working at Studio Z in California, when he was offered the job of lead guitarist for t-he Soul Giants. The band barely made ends meet doing “Top 40” songs, so Zappa persuaded them to perform his own material and to change the band name to “The Mothers of Invention.” The decision to concentrate on originals displeased local club owners who saw an immediate drop in dance activity, but that decision certainly paved the way for a one-off future; the band cultivated the carefree Californian youth known as “the freaks,” who craved experiential music in the mid 1960s. The author goes on to examine the eclectic collaboration between Zappa and Captain Beefheart, and the emotional challenges they faced while recording a couple of albums, most notably, ‘Trout Mask Replica’ (1969). The first line-up was: Frank Zappa, Roy Estrada, Jimmy Carl Black and Ray Collins. The following year, the band graduated to eight and maded ‘Freak Out,’ ‘We’re Absolutely Free’ and ‘We’re Only in It for The Money’. By 1969, the band had run its course. Zappa’s family gets its fair due. His son, Dweezil, a talented guitarist/arranger in his own right, performs his father’s original compositions on tour, hoping to introduce a younger generation to his father’s music. To illustrate the diversity of his subject’s talents, there are chapters on video and TV appearances and a deep analysis of the man’s recordings. Beyond that, Zappa’s fight against musical censorship depicts a deep, articulate thinker who goes on to challenge conservative viewpoints during a heated congressional hearing. In addition, there is Frank, the psychic, who Rykodisc founder Don Rose referred to as “a forward-thinking artist who controlled his own material and was already digital-friendly” in Billboard, May, 1990. Corcelli stresses the point that when Zappa remastered his albums from vinyl to CD, he made sure the conversion involved an enhancement of or variation on the primary arrangement. Corcelli beautifully described how Zappa’s comfort with the Synclavier opened him up to develop more complicated themes on state-of-the art digital equipment. The photos were limited and sometimes difficult to decipher, but the overall information in this book os conveyed smoothly and intelligently.
Also In Raging Pages
Beatles (2022)
Benjamin Orr (2018)
Bernard Purdie (2015)
Billy Bragg (2017)
Billy J. Kramer (2016)
Bob Boilen (2016)
Bob Dylan (2018)
Bob Marley (2019)
Brian Wilson (2017)
Clive Davis (2015)
Common (2020)
Damned (2021)
Don Short (2020)
Donovan (2022)
Elliott Murphy (2019)
Elvis Costello (2015)
Felix Cavaliere (2022)
Frank Sinatra (2023)
Gary Wright (2014)
Gene Simmons (2015)
Geoff Emerick (2018)
George Harrison (2022)
George Martin (2019)
Graham Nash (2023)
Green Day (2019)
Iron Maiden (2014)
Jann Wenner (2019)
Jerry Lee Lewis (2015)
Jerry Nolan (2018)
Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick (2019)
Jimmy Webb (2022)
Joe Perry (Aerosmith) (2014)
John Lennon (2017)
Kinks (2014)
Lani Hall Alpert (2019)
Laurence Juber (2014)
Liberty DeVitto (2021)
Lisa Robinson (2021)
Lita Ford (2021)
Little Anthony (2014)
Louise Harrison (2015)
Luke Haines (2024)
Manic Street Preachers (2017)
Mary Wilson (2021)
Michael Bloomfield (2020)
Michael Dorf (2019)
Miscellaneous (2014)
Ozzy Osbourne (2014)
Pamela Des Barres (2017)
Paul McCartney (2020)
Radiohead (2022)
Renee Rosen (2018)
Richard Balls (2018)
Rick Wakeman (2023)
Ringo Starr (2015)
Robby Krieger (2022)
Roger Daltrey (2020)
Rolling Stones (2016)
Ronnie Wood (2015)
Roy Bond (2023)
Sam Phillips (2018)
Sean Madigan Hoen (2014)
Silas House (2020)
Spencer Vignes (2017)
Spirit (2023)
Suzi Quatro (2023)
Sylvain Sylvain (2018)
Thin Lizzy (2016)
Tommy James (2021)
Tori Amos (2020)
U2 (2021)
Who (2014)
Will Romano (2015)
Woody Woodmansey (2018)
Zz Top (2014)
Band Links:-
http://www.zappa.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
previous editions
Microdisney - The Clock Comes Down the StairsWorld Party - Interview
Michael Lindsay Hogg - Interview
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EP
Ain't That Always The Way - Alan Horne After The Sound of Young Scotland 2
World Party - Interview with Karl Wallinger
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Steve Harley - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Prisoners - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart