Show Notes
In this episode we set our sights on Frank Zappa's mid-eighties work. Things are getting extra weird, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
It's a controversial period - partially because some folks weren't ready for Zappa to go completely electronic with his Synclavier-led composition, while others felt that his lyrics in this era went far, far beyond the pale.
Culty indie pop singer/songwriter Marc With a C continues to analyze the entirety of the Zappa's discography as one continuous composition - exactly how the experimental artist claimed his work could be viewed. This week Marc takes the deep dive through ill-fated run-in's with the London Symphony Orchestra, big movements that are built around sampling the infamous PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) hearings, and... one record so difficult that Marc almost jumped off this project, full-stop.
We're getting tied to the whipping post, we're going to night school to learn all about the elusive G-Spot Tornado, and we're visited by... Sting from The Police?
(Also we should mention upfront that this is the least "safe for work" episode of Discography yet.)
This episode's discography:
0:00 - Intro | 5:50 - Them Or Us (1984) | 15:52 -Thing-Fish (1984) | 26:25 - Francesco Zappa (1984) | 29:30 - The Old Masters, Box I (1984) | 31:00 - Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention (1985) | 37:22 - Does Humor Belong In Music? (1986) | 44:24 - The Old Masters, Box II (1986) | 45:32 - Jazz From Hell (1986) | 50:35 - London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II (1987) | 54:54 - The Old Masters, Box III (1987) | 55:50 - Guitar (1988) | 1:00:18 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (1988) | 1:04:53 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (1988) | 1:10:00 - Broadway The Hard Way (1988) | 1:21:26 - Outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Discography
After an entire season spent searching for the stories hidden in the grooves, we finish by hearing from someone who put them there. Last time, Derrick Bostrom helped us straighten out the Meat Puppets' first decade into their stint on London Records. Now, things get weird.
We've spent seven episodes telling the story that The Meat Puppets' records contained; now we get to hear the story from someone who lived it.
Some reunions chase the past. The Meat Puppets used theirs to prove the story wasn't over.
Sometimes the end of one band is the beginning of several new adventures: unlikely supergroups, overlooked masterpieces, and the quiet confidence of an artist who kept moving forward no matter what name appeared on the album cover.
Not every chapter in a band's history is defined by triumph. Sometimes the most revealing stories are the ones told through uncertainty.