Customer Reviews

Zappa, Frank - The Freak Out List

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The idea behind this video is to explore the 66 names that appeared in a list inside the gatefold cover of the MOI's "FREAK OUT" LP.These people supposedly had an inspiring effect on FZ. The problem is the producers concentrate on only a handful of those listed--Varese, Miles Davis, The Cadillacs etc.
The ensuing discussion plays out like a web-based college course. The discussion is intelligent, deep and well researched. You will find out more than you thought you knew about these people and how they influenced FZ-positively or negatively.
The videos and picture sources are nothing new-they use alot of the SNL and the BBC performances that have been floating around for years-so don't purchase this to see Frank or the MOI in concert.I was disappointed as I would have loved to find out why people like 20 Mule Team Borax spokesperson Rosemary DeCamp or DJ B. Mitchell Reed deserved a shout out.
This is dull but it is educational. I wished they would have covered more individuals with less detail than the few they single out here.

This video is recommended to fans of Frank Zappa, and want to know more about his influences.It starts with some of the people who were listed on the Freak Out lp inner sleave. People would wonder how a composer/ musician could admire artists of diverse backgrounds. In the DVD, one time Zappa band member Don Preston, a classically trained keyboardist, wonders why Zappa likes Do Wop music. Well after seeing the list of Zappa influences, I have concluded Zappa liked the best of the best, and sought(successfully in my opinion) to incorporate them into the fabric of his music. He liked Do Wop. Why? because of the intricacy of the Vocal structure. He like blues(particularly Johnny Guitar Watson )for the guitarwork. He liked Edgar Varese for his compositional complexity, his use of percussion, and his use of various musical textures. He liked Jazz for the improvosational possibilities. He also like classical music(Stravinski is mentioned) probably for the ensemble playing. Zappas flair for theatrical themes and performances were not discussed, but they are also a part of his palette of musical elements. Zappa found the best elements of various musics, and incorporated them all into his music. Seeing this video ,one will see those elements as they began and came to merge in the world of ZAPPA.

I tracked this down after reading someone raving about it on a Frank Zappa forum, and I wasn't disappointed. It features some surprisingly in depth analysis of not just Zappa's music, but also of those listed on his famous list on influences that forms the basis of this film. For any hardcore fans i'm sure there's a lot in there you may have heard before but I found it great to see all the music that informed Zappa summed up in a coherant narrative. After watching this I found myself going through my record colelction to dig out some of the music on here, well worth purchasing!