Zappa.com

Don't foget Teo and Miles!
They could make a whole album out of 20 minutes of playing.

Hey Jeddy, thanks for bumping this topic, made me smile.

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I'd like to know what Frank was up to inthe colour photo of Mr.Nice Guy's...
Probably transfering some of his old tapes to digital judging by the timeframe
Of the picture?

And is that a "family photo" on the table in the black and white photo?
Gosh what an old softy he was...LOL

Godley and Creme.

Greatest?? He was an one of them. Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn stands out for me with over 1000 overdubs. "Hope" by Hugh Masekela is a benchmark recording. I take the 45rpm vinyl whenever I am auditioning a new piece of audio gear. Dr. Keith Johnson comes to mind also... Dafos, Tafelmusik Dusty Springfield's The look of Love. Dennis Edwards "Don't Look any Further all engineering masterpieces...

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"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Sunflower by the Beach Boys is an incredible sounding record, the original vinyl especially. They produced it collectively, and the main engineer was Steve Desper, who worked with Frank shortly afterwards.

Agreed.....Pet Sounds is quite awesome too. Gotta love that '60s tube sound!

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"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Free Flow is one of the greatest studio recordings ever in my book...

Overly produced yet magnificently engineered, Toto's "Rosanna" has always held a special place in my heart...the song has everything...great hook, great solos, great writing.....

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"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

I Robot, and a lot by A Parsons, that said;>For better musicians, technology can inhibit spontaneity. For George Massenburg, "It's all about authenticity," his goal in the studio is to simply capture a moment. And when recording engineers do that, the emotional power of the music has some chance of connecting with the listener.

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"I'm interested in the capitalistic way of life, and the reason I like it better than anything else I've seen so far is because competition produces results."

I was reading about one Buckethead, and I was (aimlessly) wondering: What if Zappa made it to 2015, how many records would he be releasing yearly, with all the studio, computer and internet tech we have today? I think it would dramatically increase his already notable output.

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Now yer talking.
Have you heard the studio version of All This Is That? Another gorgeous recording.

For those who might be interested Vinnie Colaiuta plays on Brian Wilson's fine new album Pier Pressure.

Les Paul.


In the fifties, he was blowing everyone away. He was doing crazy shit that the Beatles still couldn't do ten years later. And he didn't just turn the knobs on the equipment: he designed and built the equipment.

This picture, for example, shows him with a sandwich he designed and built himself...

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I'm petulant, and I'm having a frenzy...

Was Zappa the greatest studio wizard ever?
I don't think so at all. Really!
There are too many things that ain't quite right that makes him anything but a studio wizard.
For example, I was listening to absolutely free yesterday - why is the awful tambourine all through it, and so loud too? And then there's the 'invocation' solos - FZ is much quieter than the other solo going on at the same time. Plus the terrible 80s drum sounds.
FZ was a great composer, writer, player and arranger, but aside from a couple of neat tricks, his studio skills were not that great.
TT

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and I know, I think

John McEntire's work with Tortoise and others is outstanding and in this league.

http://www.trustmeimascientist.com/2013/04/02/producer-profile-john-mcentire/

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If I'm not alone... I wonder if I've been asleep?

You like that loud tambo that isn't in time with the rest of the band?
You like the 80s drum sounds better than the Bozzio and Humphrey sound?
You don't think so...
TT

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and I know, I think

It's his editing/splicing that is impressive. Tape manipulation. Xenocrony. Shit like that. Brian Wilson with Good Vibrations really helped open things up.

What rendition of Absolutely Free are you listening to TT: original vinyl, ryko cd, 2012 remaster?
They are all different....

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Hey Punk, where you goin' with all those pads of pardons?

I've got the vinyl and ryko CD. I haven't actually played the vinyl for about 30 years (no record player), but I think they're the same aside from the added tracks on the ryko.
TT

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and I know, I think

He might or might not be great studio wizard, but he sure could use the studio and medium of recording in such creative way that only a few people would. Not too much people that time could use the studio as compositional tool (sure there were some of them).

I'm not an expert on the subject but Esquivel supposedly did some innovative and interesting things in the studio.

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Even going back to the early days of ELO, they had to have very good folks recording them, or the rest of their orchestral sound would not have come through. Later, with the bigger and better synthesizers, things like Roy and his friends having a party, were no longer necessary, but by then, ELO was no longer a fun band, but one with 5 hits or so. And some really nice music!

I think the question is more about the folks that do their own music ,and also wizard it on the studio ... and I would say Peter Hammill, is an excellent one specially his solo material.

Others, of interest have been mentioned here, but I doubt things like "Pet Sounds" would be out without a crazy guy imagining it in the studio, so Brian Wilson deserves a mention.

I discount the Beatles, and Spector (who is keeping "Let It Be" locked!), because they had the finances and the studio to be able to do better ... and it wasn't because they were better ... it was because they had the best equipment around.

From an individual point of view, yes, I would say Frank is excellent. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that Steven Wilson is just a kid playing with toys, when compared to Frank and the work he did in the studio.

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The only art there is, resides within your heart. Have you listened to it lately to ensure that the top ten is better than you are?