🎵 How Good Are They Really 🎵 Frank Zappa

[Funkhouser]

Hoping this thread delivers some Cheap Thrills…

Fall Out Boy go low after a not entirely pleasant thread:

Leaderboard

Artist	Rating
Aretha Franklin	4.64
Nina Simone	4.57
A Tribe Called Quest	4.56
Kraftwerk	4.50
Neil Young	4.48
Miles Davis	4.42
Alice Coltrane	4.42
Talking Heads	4.39
R.E.M.	4.38
John Coltrane	4.37
Beastie Boys	4.36
Scott Walker	4.36
Otis Redding	4.34
The Velvet Underground	4.33
The Temptations	4.32
David Bowie	4.31
The Beatles	4.31
Pixies	4.30
Leonard Cohen	4.30
The Cure	4.28
Boards Of Canada	4.28
Björk	4.27
Mogwai	4.24
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	4.22
Marvin Gaye	4.21
Fugazi	4.21
Tom Waits	4.20
Johnny Cash	4.19
Aphex Twin	4.18
PJ Harvey	4.17
Stevie Wonder	4.17
Four Tet	4.17
Nirvana	4.15
Joy Division	4.15
Radiohead	4.13
The Supremes	4.13
Pavement	4.12
The Four Tops	4.12
Minutemen	4.12
Prince	4.11
Wu-Tang Clan	4.11
Cocteau Twins	4.11
Orbital	4.11
Nick Drake	4.10
De La Soul	4.10
The Stooges	4.10
Jason Molina	4.10
Elliott Smith	4.09
Yo La Tengo	4.09
Pulp	4.08
Public Enemy	4.08
Sonic Youth	4.08
Sleater-Kinney	4.08
Kate Bush	4.07
OutKast	4.07
Slowdive	4.07
Autechre	4.06
Portishead	4.03
Super Furry Animals	4.03
Black Sabbath	4.03
Simon & Garfunkel	4.02
Joanna Newsom	4.02
Mclusky	4.02
MF DOOM	4.01
Sufjan Stevens	4.01
The Knife	4.01
My Bloody Valentine	4.01
Run The Jewels	4.00
Sharon Van Etten	4.00
The Roots	4.00
New Order	3.99
Bob Dylan	3.97
Kendrick Lamar	3.97
Wilco	3.97
Frightened Rabbit	3.97
Low	3.96
Robyn	3.96
Grandaddy	3.96
Built To Spill	3.94
The Beach Boys	3.93
Jimi Hendrix	3.93
Sigur Rós	3.93
LCD Soundsystem	3.92
Arab Strap	3.91
Joni Mitchell	3.89
Massive Attack	3.89
Janelle Monáe	3.89
The Twilight Sad	3.88
Frank Ocean	3.86
Spiritualized	3.85
Bruce Springsteen	3.84
Deftones	3.84
Future Of The Left	3.84
Siouxsie & The Banshees	3.83
Underworld	3.82
The Kinks	3.82
At The Drive-In	3.82
Guided By Voices	3.82
Deerhunter	3.81
Fucked Up	3.80
Run-D.M.C.	3.78
Young Fathers	3.78
The Clash	3.77
Dolly Parton	3.77
Pet Shop Boys	3.76
Modest Mouse	3.76
Trail Of Dead	3.76
Hüsker Dü	3.74
Blondie	3.73
Bright Eyes	3.71
Rage Against The Machine	3.71
Nine Inch Nails	3.70
The Walkmen	3.70
The National	3.68
Paul Simon	3.68
M.I.A.	3.68
The Ramones	3.67
Spacemen 3	3.67
ABBA	3.66
Fiona Apple	3.66
Neutral Milk Hotel	3.66
Kanye West	3.65
Solange	3.65
Arcade Fire	3.64
Mercury Rev	3.63
Blur	3.61
The Magnetic Fields	3.61
N.W.A.	3.61
Beck	3.59
Elvis Costello	3.59
The Smiths	3.57
British Sea Power	3.56
Sunn O)))	3.55
Beyoncé	3.54
Yeah Yeah Yeahs	3.54
Mew	3.54
Eels	3.52
Carly Rae Jepsen	3.51
Roxy Music	3.51
Mastodon	3.51
Daft Punk	3.50
The Chemical Brothers	3.49
Jimmy Eat World	3.49
Explosions In The Sky	3.49
Bob Marley & The Wailers	3.48
Jeff Buckley	3.47
Teenage Fanclub	3.47
The Flaming Lips	3.46
Hot Chip	3.44
Bon Iver	3.43
Idlewild	3.42
The Fall	3.42
George Michael	3.41
Madonna	3.40
Manic Street Preachers	3.39
Fleetwood Mac	3.39
Queens Of The Stone Age	3.39
Big Thief	3.39
The Postal Service	3.38
The Notorious B.I.G.	3.37
TV On The Radio	3.37
The Go! Team	3.36
Toots & The Maytals	3.35
The White Stripes	3.34
Supergrass	3.32
Dr. Dre	3.32
Leftfield	3.32
Sepultura	3.32
Hole	3.31
Squarepusher	3.31
Iggy Pop	3.31
The Decemberists	3.31
The Smashing Pumpkins	3.30
Suede	3.30
Steely Dan	3.29
Misfits	3.29
Elton John	3.28
The Pogues	3.28
Kylie Minogue	3.27
The Specials	3.26
Vampire Weekend	3.26
Doves	3.26
Richard Hawley	3.25
Death Cab For Cutie	3.24
Laura Marling	3.24
James Brown	3.23
Sugababes	3.22
Thin Lizzy	3.22
Hall & Oates	3.21
Rihanna	3.19
The Prodigy	3.18
Led Zeppelin	3.16
Ash	3.16
The Streets	3.16
Pink Floyd	3.15
Pearl Jam	3.15
Taylor Swift	3.14
Jay-Z	3.14
Arctic Monkeys	3.14
Goldfrapp	3.14
Gorillaz	3.13
Interpol	3.12
TLC	3.12
Lana Del Rey	3.11
Los Campesinos!	3.10
Nas	3.10
The Rolling Stones	3.09
Animal Collective	3.07
Iron Maiden	3.06
Placebo	3.06
The Charlatans	3.06
Destiny’s Child	3.05
HAIM	3.05
Primal Scream	3.04
The Divine Comedy	3.04
Everything Everything	3.04
The Strokes	3.03
Elvis Presley	3.02
System Of A Down	3.02
AC/DC	3.00
The Bee Gees	2.99
Weezer	2.97
Grimes	2.96
Garbage	2.96
Amy Winehouse	2.95
Girls Aloud	2.93
Frank Sinatra	2.92
2Pac	2.91
Elbow	2.91
The Stone Roses	2.90
The Doors	2.89
Franz Ferdinand	2.89
The Mars Volta	2.89
Ariana Grande	2.88
Tool	2.88
The Coral	2.88
Lizzo	2.86
Belle And Sebastian	2.85
Britney Spears	2.85
Metallica	2.81
Green Day	2.81
Madness	2.80
Slipknot	2.80
James	2.78
Foals	2.76
The Jam	2.75
Basement Jaxx	2.75
Alanis Morissette	2.75
Miley Cyrus	2.73
Oasis	2.71
Whitney Houston	2.69
The Verve	2.67
Slayer	2.65
The Sex Pistols	2.63
Faithless	2.63
Lady Gaga	2.61
Queen	2.60
Billy Joel	2.57
Foo Fighters	2.57
U2	2.55
My Chemical Romance	2.54
Justin Timberlake	2.52
The Maccabees	2.52
Biffy Clyro	2.48
Dire Straits	2.43
The Beautiful South	2.43
Meat Loaf	2.43
Bloc Party	2.41
Cher	2.40
Michael Jackson	2.39
Eminem	2.38
Mariah Carey	2.32
Jamie T	2.32
Coldplay	2.31
IDLES	2.29
Rancid	2.26
Guns N’ Roses	2.26
The Killers	2.22
The Who	2.22
Blink-182	2.21
Muse	2.20
Robbie Williams	2.20
Katy Perry	2.18
Bon Jovi	2.11
No Doubt	2.10
Christina Aguilera	2.09
The Offspring	2.08
Moby	2.06
Adele	2.05
Aerosmith	2.03
Drake	2.02
Kings Of Leon	2.01
The Libertines	1.99
Fall Out Boy	1.96
Red Hot Chili Peppers	1.90
The Eagles	1.86
McFly	1.85
Limp Bizkit	1.82
The Spice Girls	1.81
Take That	1.76
Stereophonics	1.74
Busted	1.74
KISS	1.73
Morrissey	1.69
Kasabian	1.57
Ed Sheeran	1.29

Next!

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[Funkhouser]

There are 119 Frank Zappa studio albums. There will be no poll today (unless someone else is really bored)

[hip_young_gunslinger]

Tried once when I was about 18 to listen to some of his stuff. Didn’t get on with it at all. Also he was probably a CIA asset. Going to go low unless someone can point me to some decent songs soon.

[rich-t]

Never got it. 2/5

[Kallgeese]

NO.

[Mistersteve]

He’ll get a pasting, so I’ll post this and leave.

An actual musical genius. Naturally with that much output it’ll be a mixed bag, but 5/5 for the highs, the talent, the sheer audacity of it all and the huge influence on popular music.

Beginners should start with Apostrophe('), Over-Nite Sensation, Hot Rats (be prepared for jamming) and maybe Sheik Yerbouti. Bongo Fury for an excellent live album.

If you don’t like them it’s not for you, but if you do there’s a wealth of incredible stuff to pour over.

Favourite track is Cosmic Debris, which is basically perfect.

[McGarnagle]

A friend of mine growing up was really into him, but I hated pretty much every single thing I heard. So much show off technical-bore nonsense, all smeared in a blanket of irony and detachment seemingly designed to avoid having to actually ‘mean’ anything and protect from criticism.

Also responsible for Steve Vai’s career.

1/5

[JaguarPirate]

One of the most beautiful pieces of instrumental guitar music around - always feel like this must have rubbed off on Pavement for Grounded

Frank Zappa "- Watermelon In Easter Hay -" 1988 [HD]

[Funkhouser]

Don’t know why but I thought he’d be right up your street.

[Shoebox1976uk]

I have heard “Weasels Ripped My Flesh” and I think I wanted to like it more than I actually did. File alongside Captain Beefheart in the “I think this is too out there for my tastes” category. Think I’ll go with a 2

[jordan_229]

Actually the same person as captain beef hart. Only heard trout mask replica and that sucks. 1/5

[paulo]

I’m sure you’ll all be glad to know i’m currently working on my “music for…” post and it will be with you shortly.

I think I like the idea of Zappa more than I like his actual music. I like quite a few of his albums and love when his stuff gets jazzy or psychedelic, but some of his really weird stuff just isn’t that fun to listen to. Not really a fan of his “quirky” stuff either.

But he is responsible for giving Captain Beefheart the artistic freedom to create Trout Mask Replica, so that is almost worth a 5 alone. His fight against the PMRC has to be admired too. I’m probably edging towards a 4 at the moment. If there were half scores, he’d be a 3.5

[Aggpass]

Prog rock weird Al.

One.

[SunnyB]

Think I would enjoy it a lot more if all the wackiness and irony didn’t make it seem so utterly pointless. Might stick a recommended album on today (if anyone actually says anything nice about him) and see what I feel as it has been a long time since I tried.

[hesastopsiiiiign]

So many conflicting feelings about Zappa. On one hand he made some great music, some of it with his mate Captain Beefheart (the fiviest of fives for me) but on the other side, man there is a whole load of dross and self indulgent noodling.

The biggest issue I have with him and the thing that always shuts me down is the far too frequent use of the most teenage, puerile toilet humour around. I just don’t get how it can be enjoyed.

The stuff I like, if taken on it’s own, is a high 4, maybe creeping to a 5 but there is so much other stuff that any time I dip a toe in to the uncharted waters, I quickly turn it off again.

3

[Mert]

Shite
1/5

[brettsgsy]

Brian Eno said Zappa had contempt for music. That said, Hot Rats and Joe’s Garage are great.

3/5

[jordan_229]

also always thought he made rubbish gateway pop punk for kids finally moving on from McFly

[riverwise]

Amazingly talented musician, if I’d got up earlier I’d have posted Watermelon In Easter Hay myself because it’s a wonderful piece of music. A bit too prone to noodling but what really puts me off is the misanthropy in his lyrics. There is so much cynicism and sneering* it’s just a chore to listen to. A grudging two.

*so he’s perfect for this place, ba dum tish.

[hesastopsiiiiign]

He didn’t write this but what a piece of music

Frank Zappa-Uncle Remus

And as @paulo said, he has to be commended for his unfailing commitment to fighting musical censorship, even stepping into the crosshairs for other artists that weren’t brave enough to defend their own music