Orchestral Favorites [Original recording remastered]

Frank Zappa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Zappa Records
• ASIN: B0000009SX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,535 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Strictly Genteel

2. Pedro's Dowry

3. Naval Aviation in Art? [Segue]

4. Duke of Prunes

5. Bogus Pomp

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 2-MAY-1995

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of FZ's finest albums., December 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Stony Brook NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orchestral Favorites (Audio CD)

"Orchestral Favorites" presents Frank Zappa's "classical" experiments at it's apex. The arrangements, orchestrations and performances are tight and played with the humor so closely associated with FZ's "rock bands". Great care was taken in the actual recording and mixing of this music and the listener is treated to wide array of timbres and specific left and right pannings. There is never a dull moment. The choice of material is excellent and thoroughly "Zappa" in approach. One of the most striking things about this CD is Zappa's genius for juxtaposition of musical styles, and of course many parodies abound. Strauss waltzes, Rite Of Spring rhythms, Boleros, 12 tone excerpts, Webernesque String Arrangements, Varese-Electronique, Broadway, Scarey Movie Music etc...It's non stop fun. The CD also contains FZ playing some wicked idiosyncratic guitar (hints of "Zoot Allures") on the tastefully orchestrated "Duke Of Prunes". A thrilling performance.

Now some critics have been hard on Zappa because of his penchant for writing complex dissonant melodies. But in many cases if you listen a few times you will hear that they have a memorable flavor to them - you just have to expand your listening palette and memory. In this CD we are treated to some of Frank's most charming and playful melodies. Check out the sweet, expressive tune played by the harmonica on "Strictly Genteel", or the sneaky melody played by the trombone and violin in the hilarious "Pedro's Dowery". The existential wedges in "Naval Aviation In Art" are chilling,not to mention so many robust, dynamic moments in "Bogus Pomp".

Zappa was a master of form. Even in complex pieces such as these the form is clear and believe it or not, it's still pop! This makes for a totally enjoyable album that should be in everyone's collection. It will open up your mind to check out all the other great 20th century work Frank drew from as well as his own musical universe.

Wonderful stuff with a sense of humor from an artist who lived to create art.

-Reviewed by J. Tabacco

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't blame Frank for this, April 5, 2002

By 

Bruce E Bowman (Clayton, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orchestral Favorites (Audio CD)

This album is one of three Warner Brothers releases that Frank didn't have much involvement in (thus, the horrid cover art). The other two are Sleep Dirt and Studio Tan.
These three, along with other material from In New York, were originally intended for release as a four-album boxed set called Lather. When WB refused to release them as a boxed set, Frank provided them with the three albums all at once to complete his contract. WB was required to release any material within 6 weeks, whether as a boxed set or individually. Not wanting to release all this material so close together, Warner balked, and re-arranged the material, and released them over the course of 9 months. This prompted a long-running lawsuit that was never resolved to the artist's satisfaction.
If you really want the material present on Orchestral Favorites presented in the context of the original play sequence, buy the Lather 3-CD set, which was eventually remastered and released by Ryco in 1996. Nonetheless, if you're the kind of person who appreciates Zappa only for his humor and rock/guitar material, you will undoubtedly be disappointed by these selections, in or out of context. If your musical tastes are broader, I agree with other reviewers that The Yellow Shark and The Grand Wazoo are better representations of the true symphonic genius of FZ.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Zappa completists only (which isn't a bad thing)..., August 18, 2007

By 

Grigory's Girl "Grigory's Girl" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orchestral Favorites (Audio CD)

This is a decent album, but it's not among my Zappa favorites (no pun intended). All 5 songs/pieces here are on other albums, and those versions are better than they are here. As you Zappa afficiandos know, this was originally part of the 4 LP Lather album, so it wasn't meant to be Frank's first "official" orchestral album. Having said that, Strictly Genteel is better on the 200 Motels soundtrack (but the version here is better than the out of tune mishmash on the London Symphony Orchestra album), Naval Aviation in Art? is better on The Perfect Stranger album, I like the longer versions of Bogus Pomp and Pedro's Dowry on the LSO album, and Duke of Prunes sounds better in its rock version on Absolutely Free. It's an interesting album, well arranged and played, but there are much better renditions of these songs. I am a bit of a Zappa completist, so I do have this, but I don't play it very often.