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.
Zanti Serenade
Frank Zappa Lyrics
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[Rainbow Theater, London, England
December 10, 1971]
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's Zanti Serenade seem to be exploring themes of paranoia, anxiety, and the feeling of being trapped or hunted. The opening lines of the song describe a strange buzzing sensation, as if one is being followed or spied upon. The singer then goes on to describe a mysterious creature known as the Zanti, which seems to embody these feelings of fear and paranoia. The Zanti is described as having "four pincers on each hand," and being someone the singer "wouldn't want to meet in the dark." The song then takes a psychedelic turn, as the singer describes feeling "trapped inside a moving lava lamp," and being unable to escape the feeling of being followed by the Zanti.
Throughout the song, Zappa's lyrics seem to be evoking a sense of anxiety and paranoia that is prevalent in modern society. The Zanti creature can be seen as a metaphor for our own personal demons, fears, and anxieties that we feel are constantly lurking just around the corner. Zappa's use of surreal imagery, such as the "moving lava lamp," adds to the sense of disorientation and unease that the song evokes. Ultimately, Zappa's Zanti Serenade is a psychedelic exploration of the darker corners of the human psyche, and a reminder of the fears and anxieties that we all carry with us.
Line by Line Meaning
Good evening, and welcome to the Zanti Serenade.
Greetings and salutations, it's a pleasure to have you here for a musical experience called the Zanti Serenade.
The Zanti Serenade?
Did you say the Zanti Serenade?
We hope you will enjoy it.
Our sincerest desire is that you find this performance pleasurable.
We hope you will enjoy it.
Our sincerest desire is that you find this performance pleasurable.
Reaching from the depths of your innermost fears, to the heights of your fondest hopes ...
This music is a journey from your darkest fears to your brightest dreams.
ladies and gentlemen, the Mothers of Invention!
Introducing the talented musical group known as the Mothers of Invention!
Don Preston on keyboards, Ian Underwood on woodwinds ...
Let's acknowledge the talented musicians playing the keyboard and woodwind instruments in this performance, Don Preston and Ian Underwood, respectively.
one, two, three, four ...
The musical piece is about to start, and we will count down from four to signify its beginning.
[Instrumental]
A purely instrumental section of the music.
Thank you, thank you, thank you...
Expressing gratitude for your attention and applause after the conclusion of the musical performance.
Goodnight!
Farewell, it's time to say goodbye and end the show.
Contributed by Owen C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.