Felix! — Zappa Connections Challenge

[Texsox]

Frank Zappa to David Lee Roth

[Felix]

Frank Zappa to David Lee Roth

Something tells me there's a Steve Vai connection there, but I don't know when it happened.

[Texsox]

Something tells me there's a Steve Vai connection there, but I don't know when it happened.

 

Exactly. Frank to Weird Al?

[Felix]

Weird Al cites Zappa as an influence, and parodied him with the song "Genius in France."

[FlaSoxxJim]

Something tells me there's a Steve Vai connection there, but I don't know when it happened.

 

Yeah, Steve Vai is exactly right. Vai was on most studio and live FZ alums from '81-87 (as you are aware), and then played guitar for Roth on the Eat 'Em and Smile and Skyscraper albums and (I believe both) tours.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Weird Al cites Zappa as an influence, and parodied him with the song "Genius in France."

 

Genius in France is an UNBELIEVABLE Zappa homage!! It nails at least a dozen different FZ era sounds and dozens of FZ songs, hooks, musical "ears and eyebrows", etc. Plus Dweezil plays guitar on it.

 

:headbang

[southsider2k5]

Weird Al cites Zappa as an influence, and parodied him with the song "Genius in France."

 

ALL PRAISE AL!!!

[FlaSoxxJim]

Well it's obviously Warren Cuccurullo then, but Colaiuta also has a link to Duran Duran. According to his wiki page at least, he was involved with Duran Duran's self titled album (aka The Wedding Album). He apparently played drums for one track on the album, while Cuccurullo was the lead guitarist.

 

On that note, I don't understand how someone goes from making music with Zappa to Duran Duran. Talk about polar opposites.

 

Here's a tough one (I think at least, I only found out about it via wiki): Zappa and John Mayer

 

I'm not sure how legit the connection is, but Mayer was a guest on an album which a former Zappa band member was also a guest.

 

OK, I'll credit the Vinnie answer for Duran Duran (which I didn't know), though it looks like he nly played on a single track.

 

I got nothing on the John Mayer question.

 

How about linking FZ to Talking Heads/King Crimson/Laurie Anderson (yep, all by one guy)?

 

[Felix]

Adrian Belew! He played for Zappa on Baby Snakes as well as with Talking Heads on Remain in Light and The Name of the Band is Talking Heads.

 

Can't say I'm familiar with King Crimson or Laurie Anderson (although I've heard a few King Crimson songs), but I'd bet he's the guy.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

Adrian Belew! He played for Zappa on Baby Snakes as well as with Talking Heads on Remain in Light and The Name of the Band is Talking Heads.

 

Can't say I'm familiar with King Crimson or Laurie Anderson (although I've heard a few King Crimson songs), but I'd bet he's the guy.

 

He's absolutely the guy. And he's been fronting Crimson since their 1981 reformation although Robert Fripp is still the heart and soul of the band. He's also on Laurie Anderson's Home of the Brave.

 

On the FZ side of things, Belew also played on Sheik Yerbouti, delivering the awesome vocals on City of Tiny Lights and also providing the bad Bob Dylan impersonation on Flakes.

[BigEdWalsh]

Frank Zappa to Babe Ruth

[FlaSoxxJim]

Frank Zappa to Babe Ruth

 

I'm clueless if you're talking Babe Ruth the Ballplayer. BUT, if you are talking Babe Ruth the 70s Brit prog rock band, I'm good. Babe Ruth covered Frank's Unce Meat instrumental anthem King Kong on their debut album.

 

Leaving FZ for a moment, I'll throw out three more groups for Big Ed to try to connect Babe Ruth to: Jethro Tull, Yes, and the Beatles. Note, these are direct conections (not Kevin Bacons), but they are not al shared musicians or songs covered. 5 highly-coveted Flaxx Cool Points will be awarded for each correct connection.

Edited November 30, 2009 by FlaSoxxJim

[BigEdWalsh]

Toughie. I don't really know all that much about Babe Ruth, never having owned anything by them, but I thought Janita Haan was pretty sexy.

I do know that Glenn Cornick who played with Jethro Tull (when they were really good) left them and formed Wild Turkey. Guitarist Bernie Marsden played with both Babe Ruth and Wild Turkey (Cornick played in Paris with Hunt and Tony Sales too, good mostly over-looked band with Bob Welch).

I've got nuthin' on any connection with Yes or the Beatles.

 

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

Toughie. I don't really know all that much about Babe Ruth, never having owned anything by them, but I thought Janita Haan was pretty sexy.

I do know that Glenn Cornick who played with Jethro Tull (when they were really good) left them and formed Wild Turkey. Guitarist Bernie Marsden played with both Babe Ruth and Wild Turkey (Cornick played in Paris with Hunt and Tony Sales too, good mostly over-looked band with Bob Welch).

I've got nuthin' on any connection with Yes or the Beatles.

 

100% right on Glen Cornick being the Babe Ruth/Jethro Tull nexus. I'll take some exception to your implication that everything after the third Tull album was of lesser quality, but I also enjoy the bluesy incarnation with Glen and Mick Abrahms as well.

 

The Yes connection is easy enough if you have ever seen the First Base album:

 

[BigEdWalsh]

Roger Dean, I'm guessing.

 

As for Jethro Tull, Aqualung was a GREAT album, but they lost me with Thick As a Brick and I thought A Passion Play was even worse. Never bought another Jethro Tull album after that clunker though somehow I own Songs From The Wood (I think I got it at a garage sale).

 

Back to Frank Zappa, I'll never forget buying the Freak Out! album. It was, I think 1966 and back then you didn't have "underground" FM radio; all you had was AM top forty, WLS and WCFL. So I had never heard of the Mothers of Invention. Who had? But when I saw that album cover I thought it was really neat, bought it and LOVED it. Me and my friends were 16 and had just discovered that there was cool stuff that the radio didn't play.

Edited November 30, 2009 by BigEdWalsh

[FlaSoxxJim]

Roger Dean, I'm guessing.

 

As for Jethro Tull, Aqualung was a GREAT album, but they lost me with Thick As a Brick and I thought A Passion Play was even worse. Never bought another Jethro Tull album after that clunker though somehow I own Songs From The Wood (I think I got it at a garage sale).

 

Back to Frank Zappa, I'll never forget buying the Freak Out! album. It was, I think 1966 and back then you didn't have "underground" FM radio; all you had was AM top forty, WLS and WCFL. So I had never heard of the Mothers of Invention. Who had? But when I saw that album cover I thought it was really neat, bought it and LOVED it. Me and my friends were 16 and had just discovered that there was cool stuff that the radio didn't play.

 

Yes, Roger Dean cover art on First Base.

 

Re Tull, Passion Play is a flawed gem, but Thick As A Brick is their high water mark for me for sure. And I think Songs From The Wood is brilliant, so I think your garage sale find is a fine one nd you need to give it another spin.

 

Freak Out was released a year before I was born, so my "discovery" of the album doesn't hold a candle to your contemporaneous discovery of the album at the time it came out.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Dang, Ni's Zeppelin bio lets the cat halfway out of the bag, but I've been holding this question in reserve. What is THE conection between Zappa, Led Zeppelin, and the Vanilla Fudge?

 

I'm counting on Felix to come up with this one. . . unles al that ABBA music has ruined him.

 

[Felix]

Just from the Zeppelin bio, my first guess would be Jeff Beck, who I know was involved with Zeppelin. I'm not familiar with the Vanilla Fudge, but he's certainly been referenced in a couple of Zappa songs, including Titties 'n' Beer and Punky's Whips (His hair is so pretty, I'd like to bite his neck, I've heard a rumor he's more fluid than Jeff Beck), both of which are great songs on a great album. I also think he played with the GTOs, but I'm not completely sure about that.

 

Also, was just reading about Terry Bozzio, and apparently he worked with Duran Duran as well. So yeah, that's another Zappa to Duran Duran link. He also worked with Jeff Beck on some things, but I didn't know that without reading (although I should have.. I love me some Terry Bozzio; my favorite Zappa story is the one of Bozzio's audition and the subsequent creation of the Black Page.. awesome stuff)

Edited December 1, 2009 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

Just from the Zeppelin bio, my first guess would be Jeff Beck, who I know was involved with Zeppelin. I'm not familiar with the Vanilla Fudge, but he's certainly been referenced in a couple of Zappa songs, including Titties 'n' Beer and Punky's Whips (His hair is so pretty, I'd like to bite his neck, I've heard a rumor he's more fluid than Jeff Beck), both of which are great songs on a great album. I also think he played with the GTOs, but I'm not completely sure about that.

 

Also, was just reading about Terry Bozzio, and apparently he worked with Duran Duran as well. So yeah, that's another Zappa to Duran Duran link

 

Terry, Dale, Warren, and Patrick O'Hearn are also a Zappa Alumni coup as the core members of Missing Persons!

 

Good guesses on the Zeppelin/Fudge/FZ nexus, but incorrect. As a hint, this connection was destined to be replaced in Your Mythology by The Circular Motion.

 

There's a motel in Seattle, Washington, called the Edgewater Inn . . .

 

[Felix]

Ha, I just turned on the Mud Shark as per your lines, and what do you know? Vanilla Fudge is mentioned as telling the Mud Shark story to Don Preston. Not sure the connection to Zeppelin, but this is probably what you're getting at

 

And duh, just re-read the Zeppelin bio and bam:

It was also during this period of intensive concert touring that the band developed a reputation for off-stage excess. One alleged example of such extravagance was the shark episode, or red snapper incident, which is said to have taken place at the Edgewater Inn in Seattle, Washington, on 28 July 1969.

 

So to come full circle (I think), the Mud Shark is a story about Zeppelin using a shark to pleasure a groupie, which Zappa heard about from Don Preston, who was told the story by Vanilla Fudge.

 

I didn't know this before today, pretty funny stuff.

Edited December 1, 2009 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

Also. . . Jeff Beck is credited with some songwriting on the GTO album, but as far as I am aware he doesn't play on it. GTO Miss Christine (Christine Frka) is a good conection between FZ and Todd Rundgren, whom she was briefly romantically involved with. She's also the girl peering out from the crypt on the Hot Rats album.

[Felix]

I thought I had remembered something about the GTOs and Jeff Beck, but I've never heard their one album. I guess he was somewhat involved in their project, even if he didn't actually play anything on the album. I also did know that about Miss Cristine, although I'd be damned if I could have told you it was her instead of one of the other girls (Miss Pamela and such). I confuse them all with one another

 

Hot Rats was actually the first Zappa album I'd ever heard. I was working at a library and I saw the CD in stock and recognized the name "Zappa" but had never heard his stuff. I promptly checked out the album and I've been hooked since.

Edited December 1, 2009 by Felix

[BigEdWalsh]

Frank Zappa - Montana - Live

 

The guitar and violin knock me out.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Ha, I just turned on the Mud Shark as per your lines, and what do you know? Vanilla Fudge is mentioned as telling the Mud Shark story to Don Preston. Not sure the connection to Zeppelin, but this is probably what you're getting at

 

And duh, just re-read the Zeppelin bio and bam:

 

 

So to come full circle (I think), the Mud Shark is a story about Zeppelin using a shark to pleasure a groupie, which Zappa heard about from Don Preston, who was told the story by Vanilla Fudge.

 

I didn't know this before today, pretty funny stuff.

 

Yeah, that's pretty much it, but versions of the alleged incident differ. Most likely the main instigator was Led Zeppelin tour manager Richard Cole. . . at least he's the only person who has willingly copped to the incident. He maintains it wasn't a shark at all, but rather a red snapper which was used to apparently pleasurable effect on a willing groupies. . . er. . . red snapper. Now that I've grown up to find myself employed in the marine science field, I'm pretty sure the "red snapper" Cole refers to is actually a Pacific rockfish (Stegastes) and not the Atlantic red snapper you see on dinner menus. Cole's version of events places John Bonham on the scene and has Vanilla Fudge's Mark Stein supposedly filming the event in glorious 8mm. The mudshark/red snapper/rockfish was probably caught by a member of the Vanilla Fudge or its crew.

[FlaSoxxJim]

<!--quoteo(post=2051291:date=Nov 30, 2009 -> 10:02 PM:name=BigEdWalsh)-->

<!--quotec-->Frank Zappa - Montana - Live

 

The guitar and violin knock me out.

 

 

 

This entire concert is unbelievable, thanks for posting that! Great striped down Apostrophe (') lineup before the Roxy lineup formed.

 

Edit to Add: Check out this version of Montana from the next year, taped for the Token of His Extreme LA teevee special. No Jean-Luc on violin, but Napolean Murphy Brock's stage antics and Chester Thompson and Ruth Underwood on percussion make up for it. Crappy quality on the video . . . my stone-age VHS copy is only slightly better.

 

Edited December 1, 2009 by FlaSoxxJim