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Born on December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, Frank Vincent Zappa defies easy artistic caterogization. A self-taught musician and composer, his prolific musical career spans genres as electic and experimental as doo-wop, avante garde, opera, rock, jazz, classical and electronic music. Zappa refused to adhere to audience expectations and was known to release up to four albums, each wildly different but undeniably Zappa, in a single year. A vocal critic of mainstream education and organized religion, his songs often revolved around his views on established political movements and processes. His artistic output wasn't confined to just composing and performing music; Zappa directed several feature-length films and short music videos, and he also designed a handful of album covers. Widely considered to be one of the 20th century's most original musicians and composers, his legacy as a producer, multi-instrumentalist, satirist, social critic, conductor, and guitar virtuoso was cemented with his posthumous 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. |
During the 1960s Zappa worked as a producer at an underground music studio called Studio Z. After it was broken up by the Vice Squad, Zappa was asked to lend his guitar talents to a local R&B band called The Soul Giants. Zappa quickly assumed leadership of the group, whom he persuaded to play his own music in hopes of scoring a record contract. The band, which renamed themselves The Mothers of Invention
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Freak Out Their debut album mixed R&B, doo-wop and experimental sound collages to capture the 'freak' subculture of Los Angeles. |
We're Only In It For The Money Regarded as the high point of their late '60s output, this album satirizes the hippie movement and flower power phenomena. |
Lumpy Gravy Zappa's highly experimental solo album mixed orchestral music with surreal dialogues, sound effects and musical fragments. |
Cruising with Ruben and the Jets Influenced by Igor Stravinsky's 'Rites of Spring,' this album is a simultaneous tribute and parody of doo-wop music. |
After disbanding the Mothers of Invention in 1969, Zappa embarked on a solo career that explored the nascent genre of jazz-rock fusion. He reformed the Mothers in 1970 with a rotating cast of studio and touring musicians and released several albums with them, starting with 1970's Chunga's Revenge.
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Hot Rats |
Apostrophe |
Grand Wazoo |
Bongo Fury |
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore vol. 2 |
After waging several successful lawsuits over Warner Brothers unauthorized release of his albums, Zappa entered the 1980s stronger than ever. This decade saw him embrace the Synclavier, an early synthesizer and sampler, as a major compositional and performance tool. In 1985 he became a political icon when he testified against the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) for their attempts to place warning labels on albums deemed "Inappropriate". His last world tour, in 1988, was captured on the albums Broadway the Hard Way
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Tinseltown Rebelion |
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch |
London Symphony Orchestra Vol. 1 |
Thing-Fish |
Francesco Zappa |
