Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ SHUT UP `N PLAY YER GUITAR ZAPPA 3863 (Barcode: 824302386323) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1977 - 1980 Released: 2012 This is a reissue / remaster of the 31st, 32nd and 33rd albums by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, originally released in 1981 as “Shut Up `N Play Yer GuitarFind albums with this title”, “Shut Up `N Play Yer Guitar Some MoreFind albums with this title” and “Return Of The Son Of Shut Up `N Play Yer GuitarFind albums with this title” and combined here into one release. The 2CD album presents twenty tracks, which are guitar solos taken from original compositions by Zappa, except one track which was co-composed with Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist. The music was mostly captured during live performances between 1977 and 1980, with some of the dates, places and lineups unknown. The lineups that recorded the music include Zappa on guitar, guitarists Ike WillisFind albums by this artist, Denny WalleyFind albums by this artist, Warren CuccurulloFind albums by this artist, Steve VaiFind albums by this artist and Ray WhiteFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Tommy MarsFind albums by this artist, Peter WolfFind albums by this artist, Bob HarrisFind albums by this artist, Eddie JobsonFind albums by this artist and Andre LewisFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ed MannFind albums by this artist, bassists Arthur BarrowFind albums by this artist, Roy EstradaFind albums by this artist and Patrick O`HearnFind albums by this artist and drummers Vinnie ColaiutaFind albums by this artist and Terry BozzioFind albums by this artist. The music is entirely instrumental and focuses on Zappa’s extraordinary guitar virtuosity, which gets here the full exposure. The tracks testify to his diversity and inventiveness as a guitarist, which often gets lost within the complexity of his music, especially so when it is performed by one of his big ensembles. Although cut off from their “natural” context, the soli form perfectly coherent kaleidoscope of styles, techniques and genres, as well as a collection of performances, which are all Zappa’s idiosynchratic spontaneous creations, totally unlike any other guitar work by any other musician on this planet. Despite the fact that these are “only” guitar soli, the album is perfectly listenable and these selections are so intense and unadulterated that they require an absolute attention from the listener, who has to overcome the harmonic and rhythmic complexities in order to enjoy this music in full. Overall, although over forty years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius remains mostly a mystery and his guitar playing should be a bottomless source of inspiration to all musicians trying to play the guitar, even if they (hopefully) realize that there was only one Frank Zappa. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 22/09/2022Posted: 23/12/2021

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