Zappadan is upon us, where we celebrate the life and music of Frank Zappa, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Herein lies the tale of how Frank’s music entered my life.

It was the spring of 1986. I was hanging out with my friend Brad, listening to records at his house. Brad wasn’t just a cool dude. He was a guitar player, and a pretty good one at that! Brad guided me headlong into the blues. I learned about Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins, and many others from Brad.

Brad loved my open-mindedness when it came to music. You could’ve knocked him over with a feather when I professed my love for King Crimson, which was less than a year old. I guess that’s what helped Brad decide that I was ready for the next step.

Brad went into his music bins and came back with a record, which he handed to me. Turns out the LP was a box set consisting of three records. The entire set was called Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar. The artist on the cover was Frank Zappa.

“Frank is an incredible guitar player,” Brad told me. “He’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard.” Within three seconds of the needle hitting the vinyl, I knew Brad wasn’t exaggerating. I knew very vaguely of Zappa by way of a couple of “novelty” tunes called “Valley Girl” and “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.” But Zappa as guitarist? I didn’t have a clue.

The opening track is called “five-five-FIVE.” I tilted my head like a confused puppy while trying to figure out what was coming out of those stereo speakers. Frank’s guitar seemed to be working against what the rest of his band was doing. But it worked! I had yet to fully understand what a countermelody was, but here was a prime example.

I was completely baffled. And completely enthralled. Shut Up … is a collection of Zappa guitar solos recorded live during 1979 and ‘80 (save for one track recorded in ’77). That the solos are presented without the full tune around it could be a little jarring. But once I got into it, there was no stopping my enjoyment.

There was just one problem. I began to think of Zappa as a guitarist and nothing else. This was a massive mistake! Zappa’s music comes in a wide variety of forms, be it rock, jazz, R&B, classical, avant-garde, or who knows what else. That fact continued to go past me, as I spent nearly all of my time listening for the guitar solos and little else. Zappa’s instrumentals were what I lived for. His lyrics, to me, were just … weird.

My viewpoint was driven even further home when Zappa won a Grammy Award for the instrumental Jazz from Hell in 1988. I was unaware of the record at the time, and it left me completely baffled when I heard it.

I had no idea what a synclavier was or why Zappa chose to record an entire album around it. I wanted guitar solos! On this album, I got just one. The rest of the album was all about this mysterious computer-driven keyboard. It took a little time to grow on me, but when I finally understood “Night School,” the opening track, everything else fell into place.

I had a parallel experience with the Miles Davis album Bitches Brew. Both albums require the elimination of expectations and intense listening. Like Brew, Jazz from Hell is not designed for casual listening. But the payoff can be glorious!

From there, I finally started to appreciate Zappa’s compositional skills. My love for his music has grown exponentially since then. It continues to grow to this very day.

Even for the weird stuff.

#cirdecsongs

If you would like to have your music reviewed, or have your band photographed while in Chicago, contact me at cirdecsongs@gmail.com