Frank Zappa - Dog Breath Variations + Uncle Meat

Frank Zappa / Ensemble Modern, Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany, 17 sept 1992

It was his last professional public appearance, as the cancer was spreading to such an extent that he was in too much pain to enjoy an event that he otherwise found "exhilarating". Recordings from the concerts appeared on The Yellow Shark, Zappa's last release during his lifetime.

[hsap]

Frank zappa has enhanced the quality of my life tremendously

[squeakeththewheel]

I believe this is what Frank spent his whole life aiming for. I think he was extremely proud during this performance. As he should be.

[lazyrrr]

Thank Gaud the Europeans took Zappa seriously and appreciated him in his lifetime

[alexanderpolasek]

Zappa almost cried at the end. Once he said something like he was not a rock musician but a musician that used rock in his compositions. Yellow Shark is probably a kind of masterpiece he always wanted to make. It may represent the project of his life.

[miket-jj]

In the History of Universal Entertainment Frank Zappa is one of the most important people. Forget Oscars and MTV awards, Frank is going to live forever.

[nesseq]

At least Zappa at the very end of his life got the recognition as a serious composer. As an American Composer. He really deserved it.

[grandwazooX]

Lovin' it. I saw this live. Met him afterwards. Siemens Empfang. Shook his hand. Told him that i love him. Once in a lifetime. Will never forget.

[dcullins]

An emotional Frank Zappa. You don't see that everyday. Great work!!

[jackkilman]

The older I get, the more I appreciate Zappa. He was the George Carlin of music, the Stravinsky of rock, and the clown prince of classical. It's a shame that, like so many great artists, he was mostly unappreciated in his own lifetime, and now orchestras all over the world are performing his works.

[stonyhil]

The look on his face is so gut wrenching as a tear is almost noticeable. You can see he’s holding back emotion. Stirring 😎

[peterguglietta]

Brilliant. Anyone who doesn't appreciate the genius of Frank Zappa is missing out on a whole lot.

[mcollins]

As long as we keep listening, FZ lives.

[sunlion]

One of the greatest composers in the history of mankind.

[KaupSeli]

That last shot of Frank sitting there could shatter my heart everytime i watch.

[pipeandslippersman]

the final close up is just heartbreaking. i hope he's thinking "yeah - that's how i heard it in my head all those years ago..." - but, in reality (a place FZ knew only too well), he's probably thinking "they fucked up bars 34 and 58, gonna have to edit that when i get home...". the present day composer refuses to die, coz he's always got a little more work to do!

[andragg]

I think that Zappa did most of his finest work in the '60's. I first heard "Uncle Meat" in 1970 and I still think it's the best album showcasing his brilliance as a composer and these two songs are on it. The key to "Uncle Meat" is the fact that Ian Underwood and Art Tripp joined The Mothers. I have not read or heard Zappa admit this but I'm sure that Ian (who has a PhD in composition) helped Frank with scoring and arranging those complex chamber works. Zappa didn't learn all this from just 2 semesters of Music Theory and going to the library, he had help. I met Bunk Gardiner 22 years ago and he pretty much confirmed that Ian was Zappa's righthand man. Art Tripp brought in vibes and marimba which was to go on to define the sound of many Zappa pieces plus Tripp was able to play all those complex percussion parts. Listening to Uncle Meat when I was 15 literally blew my mind open. I had no idea some weird looking guy with the bizarre mustache/goatee could get a band to play this type of seemingly extraterrestrial music, combined with Cal Schenkel's incredible cover art too. Zappa made me think outside the box and outside of boring mainstream society. It was the right thing for me at the right time and influenced me to this day. Just by chance I met Zappa in 1976 before a concert and I thanked him and asked if he would be doing anymore cool chamber orchestra work like on Uncle Meat and he just stared at me, not answering. Suddenly a few kids ran up and yelled "Hey Frank! You gonna rock out tonight?!?" Well, with the Ensemble Modern and this concert, I did get my answer after all.

[DidNotReadInstructions]

What's so crazy about this guy is that he never really got formal training, just started to write music after learning about it at age 14 or so. He wasn't really taught at an early age. He did it the hard way, by working so fucking hard at it. Then he wrote dots on paper for hours and hours he says, 16 hours. No one took him seriously. His book is required reading for any musician. Died at 52 from Cancer. I wonder what he would be doing now, massive concerts, massive. But he died. This little piece of composed music he wrote is awesome. He is not Alma D. But he was Zappa. And he would hate the comparison that I just did but, he was in another musical world we are not in. Amazing life story and his kids are doing just fine.

[ebaylistentomusic]

52 years since I first heard Zappa and 50 years since I first saw him. And now, not only does his body of work hold up, it towers above and is utterly exhilarating in a period of largely dead music.

[Alun]

I bought "The YellowShark" upon its release, not long after Zappa's untimely death. I had loved "Hot Rats" when it came out in 1969, but not pursued his music further. I was young and got distracted by other music and was not sure about what he was doing after that great album. When he died I thought about Hot Rats and wondered what else I might have missed. Listening to Yellow Shark was a revelation. I backtracked though his releases, becoming a complete and utter Zappa fan in a very short period of time. For nearly thirty years his music has regularly punctuated my playlist, and I have had my listening enriched by the great man's remarkable output beyond measure. A towering figure, he deserves far greater recognition and appreciation. It is always interesting when I ask if someone is familiar with his music, and how often their eyes light up and a broad smile beams at me. It is a truism that there is no such thing as an "ex-Zappa fan". Once you discover his music, there is no turning back.

[pontecanis]

Some complained about the difficulty...Frank said:"My rock band can play this..."