The Words and Music of Frank Zappa

This excellent book is a fascinating study of the music and often obscure lyrics of the eclectic and extraordinary musician/composer Frank Zappa(1940-93).Despite obstruction from the Zappa Family Trust, this is an informative and perceptive book which encourages the reader to seek out or revisit FZ's brilliant and provocative albums.Sadly, the author Kelly Fisher Lowe died in 2007 aged 41 just before his book was published.

Based on the holdings at Amazon, did you know that there are more biographies (and autobiographies) of Frank Zappa than there are biographies (and autobiographies) of Chester A. Arthur, the Twenty-First President of the United States?In WORDS AND MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA, Lowe offers a chronological presentation of the historical content surrounding Zappa's albums and CDs. Such an approach is a creative platform for composing a biography. I have seen this approach employed once before in Greenblatt's WILL IN THE WORLD. I think it is a creative departure from the mechanical writing found in most biographies. Like Greenblatt's work, Lowe used this approach with expert skill. In addition, he offers a critical analysis of each work.Lowe chronologically reviews each album/CD. At the beginning of each discussion, Lowe offers some general information. Most interesting is his report of the highest BILLBOARD ranking. I don't understand why, but I was fascinated by these rankings. I found myself contrasting each album/CD with the others and discovered that many of Zappa's works that I felt to be his best were, in fact, given low rankings in BILLBOARD. Either good sales don't suggest quality, or I have very bad taste in music! Some had such bad sales, they were never ranked! These include: BROADWAY THE HARD WAY, THE FISH THING and THEM OR US. I very much like BROADWAY THE HARD WAY and THEM OR US. I can't believe they didn't get a BILLBOARD rank.Sadly, Lowe's work is not comprehensive. He failed to include the following: ORCHESTRAL FAVORITES, LONDON SYMPHONEY ORCHESTRA 1 & 2, THE PERFECT STRANGER, THE YELLOW SHARK, CIVILIZATION PHASE III, JAZZ FROM HELL, AHEAD OF THEIR TIME, BABY SNAKES, THE BEST BAND YOU'VE HEARD IN YOUR LIFE, DOES HUMOR BELONG IN MUSIC?, MAKE A JAZZ NOISE HERE, the 6 volume set YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE, SHUT UP AND PLAY `YER GUITAR, JOE'S CORAGE, JOE'S DOMAGE and ZAPPED. However, if he included these additions, I am sure the book would be over 600 pages long. Although most people wouldn't want a book that long, I would! I particularly enjoyed ORCHESTRAL FAVORITES, LONDON SYMPHONEY ORCHESTRA 1 & 2, THE PERFECT STRANGER, JAZZ FROM HELL, and SHUT UP AND PLAY `YER GUITAR and would have enjoyed reading about them.Below is a list of books written by or about Frank Zappa. These titles are ranked in terms my perception of quality. What makes Lowe's book interesting is that he cites most of these within the pages of his book. He contrasts his critique of Zappa's work with the other authors.1. THE REAL FRANK ZAPPA BOOK by Frank Zappa and Peter Occhioigrosso2. THE WORDS AND MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA by Kelly Fisher Lowe3. MOTHER! THE FRANK ZAPPA STORY by Michael Gray4. FRANK ZAPPA: THE NEGATIVE DIALECTICS OF POODLE PLAY by Ben Watson5. THE ACADEMY ZAPPA: PROCEEDINGS OF ESEMPLASTIC ZAPPA edited by Ben Watson and Esther Leslie6. ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE: THE DEFINITIVE STORY OF FRANK ZAPPA by Neil Slaven7. NECESSITY IS... THE EARLY YEARS OF FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION by Billy James8. COSMIK DEBRIS: THE COLLECTIVE HISTORY AND IMPROVISATIONS OF FRANK ZAPPA by Greg Russo9. NO COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: THE SAGA OF FRANK ZAPPA by David Walley10. FRANK ZAPPA: THE COMPLETE CUIDE TO HIS MUSIC by Ben Watcon11. MY BROTHER WAS A MOTHER: AZAAPA FAMILY ALBUM by Patrice "Candy" Zappa12. THEM OR US by Frank Zappa13. UNDER THE SAME MOON by Suzannah Thana Harris14. BEING FRANK: MY TIME WITH FRANK ZAPPA by Nigery LennonIn addition to citing the some of the above, Lowe also cites reviews he read on Amazon. Thus, if YOU send a commentary to Amazon on any of Zappa's LPs or CDs, you might be cited in Lowe's book!Lowe makes a very important and well written contribution to the understanding of this most complex writer/composer. I strongly recommend WORDS AND MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA to every Zappa fan.