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Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

Posted By: Someonelse
Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010) + Bonus
DVDRip | English | AVI | 720 x 480 | H.264 @ 1496 Kbps | AC3 2.0 @ 160 Kbps | 01:27:38 | 1,04 Gb + 52 Mb
Genre: Documentary, Music

The idea behind this DVD is simple. On the liner notes to Freak Out!, the 1967 debut album by Zappa's original band the Mothers of Invention, Zappa listed some seventy-two names on the liner notes and cited them as influences. The Freak Out List intends to explore who these artists are and what influence they had on Zappa's music. This listing encompasses all sorts of music, from classical composer Edgar Varese to R&B star Johnny "Guitar" Watson to jazzman Eric Dolphy to flamenco guitarist Sabicas. By mixing footage and songs by some of these artists and comparing them to some of Zappa's music, the DVD explains how it's possible to hear their influence on his music. You can hear for instance, how the esoteric classical influence of Varese shaped Zappa's long-form epics like "Lumpy Gravy" or how Dolphy's instrumental prowess led Zappa to incorporate jazz-fusion on albums like Weasels Ripped My Flesh! (1970), which even included a song titled "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue." Interviews with various Zappa biographers and music historians as well as musicians George Duke, Ian Underwood, and Don Preston, all of whom played in the Mothers at one time or another, help add additional context.

Brooklynrocks

This film explores the musical roots of Frank Zappa by putting The Freak Out List under the microscope and tracing the lineage from the most pivotal names thereon to the recordings and performances of the man himself. Featuring rare footage of Zappa and the Mothers plus archive film of Freak Out List artists, exclusive interviews with The Mothers Of Invention’s Ian Underwood, Don Preston and George Duke, 1950s Doo Wop legends, The Cadillacs, contributions from Zappa biographers Ben Watson and Greg Russo, Edgard Varèse biographer Alan Clayson, experimental modern music historian Professor David Nicholls, soul and R’n’B expert Robert Pruter, and many others.

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

Also features numerous seldom seen photographs, news archive, radio spots and a host of other features which all together make for a fascinating, unique and hugely watchable programme. Among the people listed within the abovementioned list are recognizable names like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan attorney Melvin Belli, painter Salvador Dali, bluesmen Willie Dixon and Buddy Guy, along with the obligatory family members and friends. What The Freak Out List does is examines a few of the names on the list and helps illuminate their influence on the album, with clips of their music interspersed with interviews from rock journalists, music historians and occasionally, some of the musicians. The parties include two members of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs, along with a couple of the Mothers (Ian Underwood, Don Preston and George Duke). The documentary, which was initially produced for British audiences, explains the impact that the artists had on Zappa's music, and provide biographical information on the artists covered in the piece.

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

The intention of the piece is good; I've always been curious about what makes a musician's mind tick and what gets their creative juices flowing. And I've always been one who has been fascinated by an eclectic taste in music, so to see these tastes of Zappa's musical style for the "Freak Out!" album are interesting and fun to watch.

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

I am really not a huge fan of Frank Zappa – although I do admit that I admire and respect his talent. However, I do make one specific exception for Zappa’s 1966 debut (with the Mothers of Invention) Freak Out! which is one of my favorite albums of that seminal year in music history. Produced by Waco, Texas’ very own Tom Wilson – the producer of Sun Ra’s debut Jazz By Sun Ra (now known as Sun Song); Dylan’s The Times They Are a-Changin’, Another Side of Bob Dylan, and Bringing It All Back Home; Simon & Garfunkel’s debut Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.; Nico’s Chelsea Girl; and The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat – and released on Verve, Freak Out! belongs to no one single genre. It bounces fluidly from blues to doo-wop to jazz to rock to psychedelic to avant-garde to prog rock.

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

Some shrug it off as an obscure concept album, but I hear Freak Out! as album on which Zappa is wearing many of his musical influences on his sleeves. And this brings me along to the infamous Freak Out! list – a wide-ranging and comprehensive list of important musical influences that Zappa included within the packaging of Freak Out! And this is what the documentary Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List is all about. Quite heady and intellectual, Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List combines archival footage of Zappa and his influences with interviews with The Mother of Invention’s Ian Underwood, Don Preston and George Duke; Zappa biographers Ben Watson and Greg Russo; experimental music historian Professor David Nicholls; soul and R&B expert Robert Pruter.

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

I’m a fan for waxing philosophically about music history and theory, but I’m just not sure if Zappa really intended for the Freak Out! list to be the Rosetta Stone for his music – which is how the list is interpreted by Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List. Personally, I always thought that Zappa was just trying to turn his fans on to the music that he liked.
Then, rather than being a more comprehensive review of the list, Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List chooses to expand its focus beyond Zappa’s debut record going into a fairly extensive discussion on Zappa’s first jazz-rock hybrid album – Hot Rats. This is where the documentary looses me…especially when people start comparing Hot Rats with Miles Davis’ masterful In a Silent Way. Again, I recognize Zappa’s talent within Hot Rats, but I just don’t see how it can be compared to an album like In a Silent Way.

Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

Just the archival footage and high-brow discussions on some key (and unknown) figures in pre-1966 music history makes Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List a worthwhile viewing…even for non-Zappa aficionados. But if you are an unabashed admirer of Zappa, then there should be nothing stopping you from checking this documentary out.
Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)

BONUS:
A less than five minute piece entitled "Desert Island Discs," which covers some of the essential Zappa-influenced music to try out. If you're looking for a biography on Frank Zappa, The Freak-Out List isn't it, but it is a little entertaining to see the music that Zappa dug and helped play a part in his own music. For fans of music or that of Zappa, it's worth checking out
Frank Zappa: The Freak-Out List (2010)



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