Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa í Osló árið 1977.

Frank Vincent Zappa (f. 21. desember 1940, d. 4. desember, 1993) var bandarískur gítarleikari og tónlistarmaður. Hann spilaði framsækið rokk af ýmsu tagi, popp, djass og klassíska tónlist. Í byrjun ferilsins stofnaði hann hljómsveitina Mothers of Invention. Zappa var afkastamikill og gaf út 62 plötur á ferli sínum frá 1968-1993. Um 50 plötur hafa verið gefnar út eftir andlát hans. Zappa hlaut gullsölu í Bandaríkjunum fyrir plöturnar Apostrophe (') og Over-Nite Sensation. Platan Sheik Yerbouti (1979) með vinsæla smellinum Bobby Brown var vinsæl í Evrópu og hlaut t.d. gullsölu í Frakklandi, Þýskalandi, Noregi og Svíþjóð.

Zappa var oft gamansamur og pólitískur í textagerð og barðist gegn ritskoðun. Hann kom fram fyrir Bandaríkjaþing árið 1985 þegar það fjallaði um ritskoðun á tónlist.

Zappa var valinn númer 22. af 100 bestu gítarleikurum af tímaritinu Rolling Stone.

Sonur hans Dweezil Zappa hefur haldið tónlist hans lifandi með hljómsveitinni Zappa Plays Zappa en þar hafa m.a. komið fram ýmsir tónlistarmenn sem hafa spilað með Zappa í gegnum árin, þar á meðal Steve Vai, gítarleikari og Napoleon Murphy Brock, söngvari/saxafónleikari. Hljómsveitin kom til Íslands árið 2006.

Útgefið efni

• 1966:

1. Freak Out! (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1967:

1. Absolutely Free (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. Lumpy Gravy (með Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra)

• 1968:

1. We're Only in It for the Money (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. Cruising with Ruben & the Jets (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1969:

1. Mothermania (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. Uncle Meat (með The Mothers of Invention)
3. Hot Rats

• 1970:

1. Burnt Weeny Sandwich (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. Weasels Ripped My Flesh (með The Mothers of Invention)
3. Chunga's Revenge

• 1971:

1. Fillmore East – June 1971 (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. 200 Motels (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1972:

1. Just Another Band from L.A. (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. Waka/Jawaka
3. The Grand Wazoo (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1973:

1. Over-Nite Sensation (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1974:

1. Apostrophe (')
2. Roxy & Elsewhere (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1975:

1. One Size Fits All (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. Bongo Fury (með Captain Beefheart og The Mothers of Invention)

• 1976:

1. Zoot Allures

• 1978:

1. Zappa in New York
2. Studio Tan

• 1979:

1. Sleep Dirt
2. Sheik Yerbouti
3. Orchestral Favorites
4. Joe's Garage Act I
5. Joe's Garage Acts II & III

• 1981:

1. Tinsel Town Rebellion
2. Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
3. Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More
4. Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
5. You Are What You Is

• 1982:

1. Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch

• 1983:

1. The Man from Utopia
2. Baby Snakes
3. London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. I

• 1984:

1. Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger
2. Them or Us
3. Thing-Fish
4. Francesco Zappa

• 1985:

1. The Old Masters, Box I
2. Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention

• 1986:

1. Does Humor Belong in Music?
2. The Old Masters, Box II
3. Jazz from Hell

• 1987:

1. London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II
2. The Old Masters, Box III

• 1988:

1. Guitar
2. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1
3. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2
4. Broadway the Hard Way

• 1989:

1. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3

• 1991:

1. The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life
2. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4
3. Make a Jazz Noise Here

• 1992:

1. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5
2. You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6
3. Playground Psychotics (með The Mothers of Invention)

• 1993:

1. Ahead of Their Time (með The Mothers of Invention)
2. The Yellow Shark (með Ensemble Modern)