Zappa's earliest influences were 1950s pop and rock (such as doo-wop and rhythm and blues), and 20th-century classical composers including Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. His output was divided between adventurous instrumental compositions and succinct, catchy rock songs with ribald, satirical, or comically absurd lyrics. On stage he demanded virtuosity and spontaneity from his musicians, and employed many performers who would later go on to achieve fame in their own rights. He directed and released a number of films featuring himself, his musicians and entourage, including 200 Motels and Baby Snakes.
His career started in 1955. His earliest recordings date from the mid-1960s, and include collaborations with his school friend Captain Beefheart. In 1965 he joined a bar-band called The Soul Giants, quickly dominating its musical direction and rechristening it The Mothers. Their first release (as The Mothers of Invention; the name alteration requested by their record company) was the 1966 double album Freak Out!. The line-up of the Mothers gradually expanded to accommodate Zappa's increasingly ambitious and avant-garde music, but by 1969 he decided to work outside the band structure, focusing on his solo career, and effectively disbanding the Mothers in 1971.
The beginnings of his solo career in the late sixties and early seventies was characterised by a strong free jazz influence, with albums containing little, if any, lyrical content, such as Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Towards the mid-seventies his albums became more rock-orientated, with a combination of Jazz Fusion instrumentation and Rock song structures. This more accessible sound bore reasonable mainstream appeal, especially with the release of the well-advertised albums Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (') (which both went Gold), but Zappa's unpredictably eclectic output never led to solid mainstream recognition. He received uniformly lukewarm reviews from popular music publications such as Rolling Stone throughout his career. In his late seventies' output, the gulf between his humorous songs and more lengthy, complex instrumental music widened, and albums, such as Zappa in New York, Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, and Sleep Dirt displayed, by track, both sides firmly segregated.
Zappa saw a second run of success in the early eighties with the release of many albums with predominantly comedic rock songs, but later continued to experiment with virtually every style of music through the eighties, and was productive as ever until his death. His output in this later-career period included two albums of strikingly original classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra, an electronic take on 18th-century chamber music (written by the obscure Italian composer 'Francesco Zappa', no relation), an album of Synclavier compositions (misleadingly titled Jazz From Hell which garnered a Grammy award), a double-CD release of electric guitar instrumental music (the laconically titled Guitar) and a plenitude of official live releases, revisiting fan-favourites as well as showcasing Zappa's talent for reinventing the music of others; his version of Stairway to Heaven becoming a word-of-mouth favourite.
Zappa produced almost all of his own albums, spending many hours in the studio recording and manipulating tracks, and was always at the forefront of emerging technologies; from tape editing, collage, multitrack and overdubbing in the sixties to digital recording, electronic instruments and sampling in the eighties. Conversely, Zappa was also a obsessive self-archivist, recording virtually every one of his live performances, and often using live recordings of new material without needing to enter the studio. The archive of tapes at his family home in Los Angeles continues to be a source of posthumous releases for the Zappa Family Trust. He was also noted as a spotter of talent and his shifting line-up of musicians included Lowell George, Jean-Luc Ponty, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, George Duke, Mike Keneally, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, as well as giving Alice Cooper his first break in music and working again with his old collaborator Captain Beefheart when his career was in decline.
In the late 1980s he became active in politics, campaigning against the PMRC's music censorship scheme and acting as culture and trade representative for Czechoslovakia in 1989; and considered running as an independent candidate for president of the US.
His death in Los Angeles, California, on 4th December 1993 came three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Hordern Intro
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
FZ: Good evening, ladies & gentlemen, welcome to The Mothers Of Invention Extravaganza for Sydney, Australia, 1976. And tonight featuring the dynamic Napoleon Murphy Brock on tenor sax and lead vocals . . .
Napoleon: Wen-a-hena-hena-hean (Hel-l-l-lp me!)
FZ: The probably overheated later in the program André Lewis on keyboards, the extremely susceptible to increases in tempo tiny skinny foxy little cute little available tonight to each and everyone of the ladies in the audience, and maybe some of the other persons that might be interested in him, little skinny Terry "Ted" Bozzio on drums. And last, but not least, Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada on bass.
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's "Hordern Intro" consist of a brief exchange between an overly enthusiastic fan and Frank Zappa himself. The fan interrupts Zappa's introduction to the concert to call out, "RIGHT NOW!", presumably in excitement for the upcoming performance. Zappa responds with a calm and collected greeting to the audience, introducing the members of his band, The Mothers of Invention. He mentions Napoleon Murphy Brock, who will be performing lead vocals and tenor saxophone, André Lewis on keyboards, Terry Bozzio on drums, and Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada on bass. While Zappa's introduction is typically humorously verbose, his tone in this instance is notably subdued, indicating a certain level of professionalism and seriousness despite the interruption.
Line by Line Meaning
Good evening, ladies & gentlemen, welcome to The Mothers Of Invention Extravaganza for Sydney, Australia, 1976.
Frank Zappa welcomes the audience to the concert.
And tonight featuring the dynamic Napoleon Murphy Brock on tenor sax and lead vocals . . .
Napoleon Murphy Brock is going to perform on tenor sax and lead vocals tonight.
Wen-a-hena-hena-hean (Hel-l-l-lp me!)
Napoleon Murphy Brock sings an improvised line where he asks for help in a humorous way.
The probably overheated later in the program André Lewis on keyboards,
André Lewis might get overheated later in the program while playing the keyboards.
the extremely susceptible to increases in tempo tiny skinny foxy little cute little available tonight to each and everyone of the ladies in the audience,
Terry 'Ted' Bozzio is a small, cute, and charming drummer who is open to the ladies in the audience.
and maybe some of the other persons that might be interested in him,
It is possible that some other people might be interested in Terry 'Ted' Bozzio too.
little skinny Terry 'Ted' Bozzio on drums.
Terry 'Ted' Bozzio is going to play the drums tonight.
And last, but not least, Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada on bass.
Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada is the bass player of the band.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Vincent Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind