Maggie's Farm

Heh Tom, I don't even consider what Frank Zappa did as music. It was more like practice sessions of intricate patterns that had very little melodic relations to one another. Over educated Julliard Grads impressing each other with their technically difficult yet melodically horrible exercise scales. Like Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' (bad) played backwards (worse).

I saw Zappa in Port Chester, N.Y. many years ago and i fell asleep during the concert. The girls sitting in front of me would periodically wake me up by punching me and hitting me with their purses because while sleeping i would start to stretch my legs out.

Nothing personal Tom, i've many friends who are also enamored with that late performer's creations as well. I can't stand the lyrics either too cynical, rich kids sneering. Maybe 'Susie Creamcheese' but that's about it.

BirdDog thanks for sharing that. I didn't know he played there -- you are lucky to have seen that as others have said. Excellent video of JIMI. He was truly an innovator and original. I think his 'Who Knows' live performance was a path breaking, original take on beck & call. 'Rainy Day' both takes, 'Manic Depression'. His 'Cry of Love' album/compilation is under appreciated. He was setting out new sounds, riffs, and melodies there. What a G%d@^n shame he checked out so early. No Christmas album? Damn! Can you imagine the songs and melodies and ballads that he'd be gracing the airwaves today with? WE NEED THAT! None of this 'wall of sound' crap, just give JIMI a guitar and he'd give you the Piedmont Style, that's with one guitar mind you, 1 guitar.

Like some of the other Artists of that era (Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, etc.) somehow i think they knew they were going to pass on early, like their brethren in Vietnam, but along the way they were making paeans along with them, trying to push out different visions besides ongoing war and zero-sum game sh*t.

JIMI could take the simplest tune, listen for the echo, embrace the carom, and start to ricochet the rhythm into harmonic complexity that had subliminal sense.

Stevie Ray Vaughn probably took it and ran with it more than anyone else.

We're so lucky to have had him commensurate to when we plugged into electricity, Humanity plugs in, holy sh*t.

His Dad knew he wasn't going to be around for long going at the pace he was going and encouraged him to write a will. His Mother was a bright, in the musical sense, and loved to dance

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Tom: agreed ;-). You're into music deep. Friend.

Heh Tom, sorry to post this follow up comment way past current discussion but i feel compelled to clarify that I happen to like The Grateful Dead and feel fortunate to have had their music as a companion as well as the acquaintance of so many great people i've met over the years via similar sentiment. So i feel like if i don't add this, i'm insulting them as well as Jerry and the rest of the Band and not being true to the experience that i had.

Have never recommended them to anyone and it took me a while to appreciate their style and am fully aware and am not unconvinced that they contributed to drug-addled communism and the ruination of lives -- yet taken at their innocence they provided many a person the chance to follow a band of modern troubadours, peacefully, and while having a good time.

@gonewiththewind, too funny! Answer me this: Would John Mayer playing 'Bold As Love' win on that show?