1 comments about Frank Zappa: In His Own Words (In Their Own Words Ser).

1. This book (by Miles, not Watson) is a great place to start to learn the important points in Zappa history. It shows most of the famous pictures of Zappa throughout the years. The small, story-like presentation makes for fast reading and its fun to skip around. The book in no way attempts to analyse the modern day composer, just quotes or interviews. There is no Watson, Poodle Play here, just fun! Other books would better suit the long-time Zappaphile!

1 comments about The Frank Zappa Songbook Vol. 1.

1. Very rare and out of print 1973 Zappa Songbook. With 16 of Zappa's compositions (listed below) superbly transcribed and arranged for piano/guitar/voice by Ian Underwood, this book is essential for any Zappa-phile's collection (especially if you play)!
   Table of Contents
   =================
   [page number in book shown at left]:
   11 Brown Shoes Don't Make it
   30 Mother People
   36 Igor's Boogie
   39 Penis Dimension
   46 How Could I Be Such a Fool
   52 Let's Make the Water Turn Black
   57 Oh No
   62 America Drinks & Goes Home
   65 Son of Suzy Creamcheese
   69 Excerpt from "Music for Electric Violin and Low-Budget Symphony
   Orchestra" (piano with concert pitch melody line)
   74 Excerpt from "Music for Electric Violin and Low-Budget Symphony
   Orchestra" (transposed Bb Clarinet part)
   75 I'm Not Satisfied
   84 Mom & Dad
   90 Absolutely Free
   98 Uncle Meat
   103 The Idiot Bastard Son
   107 Piano introduction to "Little House I Used to Live In" (revised)
   113 Manuscripts
   
   Pages 7-9 are occupied with storylines from Ruben & The Jets, Uncle Meat and The Legend of Cletus Asreetus-Awrightus & His Grand Wazoo. [The same material which can be found in the albums.]
   The "Manuscripts" consist of Zappa's manuscripts from:
   1. Waka Jawaka (one page, just a sketch)
   2. "Nun Suit" from side four of 200 Motels (vocal quartet score)
   3. "The Girl, in a Statement to the Press, Explains" (full
   orchestral score, from 200 Motels)
   4. "Can I Help You With This Dummy" (full score, from 200 Motels)

5 comments about Being Frank: My Time With Frank Zappa.

1. Nigey Lennon's book is problematic for the Zappa fan. First off, it seems to contradict with the image of Zappa that he himself created and that the Zappa Family Trust continues to perpetuate: that of a brilliant composer and thinker, who while being somewhat of an iconoclast and eccentric, was also well-grounded and devoted to his family. Lennon, on the other hand, talks about Frank on the road, and presents an altogether seedier side of him. The problem is, who do we believe?

   I tend to be somewhere in the middle, leaning towards the Zappa picture, not just because I happen to be a Zappa fan, but because there is a lot more evidence for it. No doubt he was not a perfect father or family man-- when you're on the road half the time and in the studio the other half, it can be hard to make time for your kids. Not to mention that when women are throwing themselves at you, like they no doubt were, fidelity is a difficult trick to manage. But I find Lennon's claims to be more than a little outrageous.

   As another reviewer already pointed out, while it's perfectly plausible that she worked with Frank, there is no evidence apart from her word that she ever played on stage with him. And her claims about their relationship seem to be her romanticized recollections, tinged with bitterness from later in life. I have no problem believing that Frank and Nigey had some sort of sexual relationship at one point in time, but Lennon presents it as some sort of "true love" and tries to make herself into Zappa's muse. I'm sorry, but I have only one abbreviation for that: B.S. Her claim that "Andy" from the "One Size Fits All" album is really Frank's bitter lashing out at her for their break-up? HIGHLY doubtful. Her claim that the material from Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka was written for her as some sort of synaesthetic musical/sexual gratification? Yeah, right. And I've got a bridge to sell you.

   As other reviewers have pointed out, most of this book is really about Lennon, and not about Zappa. More auto than biography, this is the work of a jaded ex-groupie, who found herself briefly on the fringe of the life of a mysterious and talented composer, and has tried to imbue her very minor and periphery role with far more importance than it ever warranted.

   On a purely stylistic note, Lennon's writing style is a little weak, and unoriginal. Rather than writing in HER voice, she uses a watered down imitation of Zappa's style from his Autobiography, the Real Frank Zappa book.




2. Who is Nigey Lennon? There are no reference anywhere else to her.
   If she knew Zappa ever, it is insignificant.



3. I bought the book when it came out years ago. I desperately wanted it to be true, however portions of it sounded familiar. I took a highlighter and marked any part of the text where the information in it could be found in secondary sources. Granted most of the stories were Zappa favorites, "... the closest that I ever came to eating sh** was at a Holiday Inn in Fayetteville North Carolina," but other moments make oblique mentions of things like an article in Guitar Player from around that time period. Most of the information in the book can be found in secondary sources. What remains deals more with the author's life than Zappa's. If someone has a lot of Zappa in print, they won't need this book at all.



4. It was a nice readable book with information that is interesting and plausible. If you like Zappa, and you like information about Zappa, it's interesting, but the writer also has some self deprecating and humorous stories to tell about her relations with him during this mid-career point for Zappa.



5. Lennon was your average rebellious teenager in 1960s California, until she discovered a strange looking album by someone named Frank Zappa at the local record store. She bought everything she could find by him, and wore out the albums due to playing them over and over. A budding songwriter, she and her boyfriend recorded several songs on reel-to-reel tape and sent them to Zappa.
   
   Months went by, until the phone call came asking if they could stop by at the offices of Zappa's record label. That would be enough for most people, but to realize that Zappa actually listened to the tape was overwhelming. His general opinion was that she didn't stink, but that she wasn't ready yet. On thing led to another, and a trip to the Zappa residence led to an invitation to be a substitute guitarist on his next tour.
   
   On tour, Zappa rarely, if ever, indulged in the alcohol and drugs that are part of any tour, if only to keep that boss/employee distance. He was obsessive/compulsive and a perfectionist who, because of constant stomach problems, drank kaopectate by the gallon. Lennon's time on the tour was rather short, only a couple of months. Zappa sent her home after word got to Mrs. Zappa that their relationship wasn't exactly platonic.
   
   Time went by, and after Lennon got thrown out of the house (the relationship with her parents was not good), she was able to crash in the basement of the Zappa residence, on the understanding that she not disturb him while he was composing. He had been seriously injured at a concert in England, and, physically and emotionally, things had changed. The arrangement lasted for a while, until Zappa went back on tour.
   
   More time went by, and Lennon attempted to continue her music studies at a local college. She again ran into Zappa while he was rehearsing a grand, orchestral piece called The Great Wazoo. She tried to be as helpful as possible, while also learning as much as possible. Zappa seemed to tolerate her, more than he actually wanted her around. The relationship between them ends badly.
   
   Zappa fans should read this book. He is shown to be a lot more than just someone with strange ideas about music. For rock music fans in general, this is a gem of a book.

No comments about Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and the Secret History of Maximalism (Salt Studies in Contemporary Literature & Culture S.).

5 comments about Necessity Is . . .: The Early Years of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

1.  "Necessity is.....the early Years of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention" by: Billy James (c) 2001

   (Forward by Don Preston)

   Published by: SAF Publishing Ltd. - Unit 7 Shaftsbury Centre 85 Barlby Rd - London W10 6BN

   ýNecessity is...ý in their own humorous anecdotal remembrance, an insiders view of the original line up of The Mothers Of Invention composed of Roy Estrada, Bunk and Buzz Gardner, Motorhead, Ray Collins, Jimmy Carl Black ...and Don Preston, who can be reached at: ....

   The significant difference, as compared to the many other MOI biopathies and memorics is that the infinitely covered life and times of Frank Zappa are herein represented largely in the background to the antic histrionics and talented virtuosity of the other Mothers. As die hard MOI fans we always knew that they were an ensemble of great musicians, but we werenýt exactly sure why. For those of us who weren't completely bamboozled by Frankýs talented ego, ýNecessity is...ý finally offers up a member by member biography of their musical foundations and pre-Mothers work which is notably diverse, and avant garde to say the least. For all that has been written about Frank Zappa and his diverse ensembles, this book is a necessity which factionally (versus fictionally) represents our Mothers like no other, including marvelous notes on MOI concert listings and the formation/continuation of The Grandmothers. If Frank is what you are looking for, see the present day composer who unfortunately died on December 4, 1993 of prostate cancer at ...




2. I've read many books on Zappa and found Necessity is.... to be a
   great viewpoint from inside the band itself. So many other books have many stories and thoughts from the authors; many who have interviewed or maybe travelled a bit with FZ to learn more about the inside world, but this book is essentially taken from his bandmates and the stories that they have to tell from that early era of MOI. All of the other FZ books I've read were very good. Its just great to see what it was like for everyone else who worked for the great FZ.....



3. Billy James has actually written a decent book on Frank Zappa. Unlike most authors who have written on this subject, James refrains from blathering prose that seems to exist mainly to show readers how "literate" and "intellectual" they are. His book is mainly based on interviews that he conducted with members of the early Mothers, and in a style not unlike Stephen Ambrose, transcription excerpts from these interviews form the foundation of the book. I found this book engaging, readable, with only a few minor, forgiveable inaccuracies. Well done, Billy James



4. This was a fairly entertaining read about the early years of Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Overall this was a fun, quick read but it would probably only interest you if you were into Zappa.



5. This book contains a pretty decent history of Zappa and the Mothers from 65 - 70. The anecdotal information is delivered by the guys who lived the experience, Preston, Black, Collins, Estrada, Gardener, and others who joined later. The actual history is a wee bit short and the writing style is somewhat... well, James clearly doesn't write books and wasn't educated to write books for a living, let's just put it that way. Still, it is and enjoyable, quick read.
   
   An interesting read for all who want to learn about the early Mothers. Don't expect to understand the contradictions that are Frank Zappa after reading this. There probably isn't anything that could impart that kind of understanding.

2 comments about Frank Zappa - Hot Rats.

1. Ultra precise transcriptions of almost every instrument Zappa used in the recording of this landmark album, except for maybe a piano part or two. Guitar solos are amazing. If you want to learn something from the greatest guitarist ever, buy this book, then buy Apostrophe when it (hopefully) is released.



2. Maybe I recieved a different version of this book than the one reviewed previously, but mine is GUITAR transcriptions and TAB only!! No bass, no drums and no keyboards! I feel very misled by the description and the review. I give it three stars ONLY because it is a great album, and the music has been with me for 30 years now. But I am very disappointed in the book. As a bassist, it is useless to me.

5 comments about The Words and Music of Frank Zappa.

1. The newest volume in Praeger's "Singer-Songwriter Collection" series, The Words And Music Of Frank Zappa is not so much a biography of Zappa's life as it is a close study of the popular culture songs associated with this rock music composer. Leaving no note unturned, author and academician Kelley Fisher Lowe scrutinizes everything from Zappa's gift for satire to contribution to "progressive rock" to his scathing criticisms of American culture and society, his drive to speak out politically, and much more. Highly recommended for students and scholars of modern American music in general, and Zappa's song lyrics in particular.



2. 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 Occhioigrosso
   2. THE WORDS AND MUSIC OF FRANK ZAPPA by Kelly Fisher Lowe
   3. MOTHER! THE FRANK ZAPPA STORY by Michael Gray
   4. FRANK ZAPPA: THE NEGATIVE DIALECTICS OF POODLE PLAY by Ben Watson
   5. THE ACADEMY ZAPPA: PROCEEDINGS OF ESEMPLASTIC ZAPPA edited by Ben Watson and Esther Leslie
   6. ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE: THE DEFINITIVE STORY OF FRANK ZAPPA by Neil Slaven
   7. NECESSITY IS... THE EARLY YEARS OF FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION by Billy James
   8. COSMIK DEBRIS: THE COLLECTIVE HISTORY AND IMPROVISATIONS OF FRANK ZAPPA by Greg Russo
   9. NO COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: THE SAGA OF FRANK ZAPPA by David Walley
   10. FRANK ZAPPA: THE COMPLETE CUIDE TO HIS MUSIC by Ben Watcon
   11. MY BROTHER WAS A MOTHER: AZAAPA FAMILY ALBUM by Patrice "Candy" Zappa
   12. THEM OR US by Frank Zappa
   13. UNDER THE SAME MOON by Suzannah Thana Harris
   14. BEING FRANK: MY TIME WITH FRANK ZAPPA by Nigery Lennon
   
   In 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.



3. Despite its highbrow appearance and air of scholarship, this book is a failure. The writing is banal (the overuse of the words 'hilarious' and 'interesting' is particularly annoying), and worse, Lowe's arguments, when he attempts them, are unsupported. This would be less troublesome if Lowe knew something about Zappa's music. His descriptions of the music are amatuerish ('Who Needs The Peace Corps' is not a 'shuffle'!) and he misquotes and edits lyrics. Poor handling of music and misuse of the lyrics adds up to a book that abuses its title. This is partially a survey of other extant material on Zappa's work, and he relies a lot on Ben Watson's 'Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play' (which he seems to dislike) and other recent books; if you've read them, you don't need this. In fact, if you've read Ben Watson's book, and understood even a portion of it, whether you liked it or not, you probably understand Zappa better than this author. He also quotes many internet sources, including [...] and the All Music Guide.
   This book probably wouldn't work as a doctoral dissertation, or even a master's thesis. I was disappointed.



4. hi, please provide more information about the product. it was not that I expected. thx anyway



5. I'm a old zappian fan and I think that this Book is the most important support to know deeply the big master's opera, because in this precious instrument there are every things, I mean very musical things, about FZ necessary to know his music and ideas, out of the simple ugly news that we can read in every news paper. Good

No comments about Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation.

5 comments about Frank Zappa: The Complete Guide to His Music.

1. First, I was profoundly struck by Watson' critique of Feminist Theory within Zappa's work. I never read such an analysis and found it refreshing. I saw Zappa much more of a deep thinker and an intellectual giant. Second, some of Watson's later analysis of Zappa's work seemed to be pushing the envelop to absurdity.
   
   Currently, there seems to be no formal label for Watson's brand of humor. Bowman came to the conclusion that Watson's work can best be described as hyperbolic or benign fabrications - descriptive terms that were derived from the work of Erving Goffman. Essentially, through a series of intellectual gyration, Watson takes classical literature (throughout the ages) and draws parallels with Zappa's work.



2. very helpful to old and new fans of frank. the book made me reconsider and relisten to some albums again. fans... hold on to your original album copy of "Ruban & the jets" the CD is remixed??? a short handy guide. thank you ben watson.



3. Slipped between the pointless neo marxist claptrap (uh memo to Comrade Watson - unemployment went DOWN in the 80's, significantly)and some eyebrow raising analysis is lotsa good info about Zappa and his work. Watson knows his stuff. Everything is covered here thru about 2005. Would've liked SOME objectivity ("Just another band from LA" does in fact suck). Good buy for Zappa fans; purchase with Horowitz's "Radical Son" for insight on how to overcome childish political delusions.



4. We ordered Nov. 21 and while there were holidays, I think they've had enough time to get up the bedside CD player we had to cancell, as missed everything.
   
   Course he'll take this book, least he can read without the CD Player.
   
   If THAT comes in?



5. This is the "tweezed" 2005 update to the original 1998 publication. It comes with the addition of a section on 1998-2005 releases, called "Posthumous Existence."
   
   This book is a very serious, crowded work of Zappa deconstruction and analysis, definitely not for someone looking for an introduction into the Zappa cosmology. Watson certainly knows his stuff, whether it comes to the music, its construct and content, band membership, the history and context, but his overwrought analysis, increasingly haughty tone, and his curt dismissal of virtually all other Zappa writers and historians comes off as nothing but intolerant ego.
   
   I got this book as a work-up to Watson's Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play. Being a solid FZ fan and prophet for a good 30 years now, I'm just a few releases short of the complete library, and have been reading up. And in reading about FZ, you can't miss the references to the massive, intimidating Ben Watson magnum opus, his Mother of all Zappa biographies/interpretations. At the same time, while these references make it clear that it's no Ulysses, one has to have a certain level of background and knowledge of FZ's work and larger issues of music and its criticism to be able to access it. This was my seventh Frank Zappa book, having read the FZ/Occhiogrosso autobiography, and the Walley, Courier, Kostelanetz, James and Lowe works. I figured I was ready to get into Watson, at least at the introductory level. But, reading this book has changed my plans; I don't think I'll be reading Negative Dialectics.
   
   Watson comes across in this book as the worst kind of expert, the one who has complete command of the facts, never lets you forget it, and then heaps condescending scorn on every single aspect of your outlook which does not conform perfectly to his own interpretation. You get that with his snide comments on "peanut-brained `hardcore [FZ] fans'" and almost universal condemnation of authors of other FZ books, sarcastically deriding their works. I got the feeling from reading this book that the two of us would not get along, despite the fact we're both lifelong Zappa fans.
   
   Watson's increasingly frequent references to himself and his work at first were quirky, but by the end of this short little book were just plain intrusive and egotistical. His first mention uses the journalistic third-person convention ("The author observed..."), but as the book progresses it's more and more "I," "my" and "me," with extended first-person narrative on his actions. We get more than enough references by Watson to what he wants us to know is his personally defining 1993 meeting with FZ, talks with Gail, and meetings with others in the inner circle, right down to Frank playing Watson selections from "Civilization Phaze III," in Frank's living room of course. For a book with such a high gloss of academic rigor and discipline, this increasingly frequent first-person intrusion seems a desperate and needy attempt at legitimation.
   
   As for the density of this work, it seems Watson is over-qualified to write a guide like this. His wide-ranging, reference-rich approach and his analytical touchstones are so esoteric and academic that they're going to leave most readers weary, if not totally lost. This book has Marxism, feminism, Kafka, Plato, Samuel Beckett, Shakespeare, Goethe, the vilification of "the `political correctness' that expresses the condescension of the rich and powerful," and the loneliness of pornography, among many, many other issues, concepts, persons, movements and philosophies. I mean, seriously: "Zappa's confrontation of accident and rigour bears comparison to John Cage and Jackson Pollock and their fascination with `chance.' However, although the neo-Dadaists of Fluxus liked to say they were demolishing `high art' values, the discourse that surrounded them elevated them to a plane Zappa could not aspire to." Wut?
   
   Early on, it's pretty clear Ryko has been involved in the preparation and/or publication of this book. Watson gives clear thanks to Ryko for its decision to re-release the entire FZ catalog. And whaddaya know, all of the Rykodisk catalog numbers are listed, but all we get for the original vinyl releases is a date. For a "complete guide," this deliberate lack of release detail is unforgivable, and smells to me as coming strictly from commercial. Go to the Billy James book for a more comprehensive discography. (The James book also is better on appendices on band members and concerts, although restricted to the MOI years.)
   
   Layout: Major sections are the introduction, "The Verve Years," "The Bizarre Years," "Discreet," "Warner Brothers versus Laether," "The CBS Years," "'Classical' Projects," " Barking Pumpkin," "Digging the Archive," "The Final Masterpiece," (that's "Civilization Phaze III") and "Posthumous Existence." Each FZ release gets its own write-up. There are no individual write-ups for each track, although certain tracks do get extensive coverage within the album descriptions/deconstructions. There's also a very interesting and helpful appendix on which Zappa recordings are most treasured and rare.
   
   The index is a track index only. If you're looking for specific references to your favorite track, you can find it easily. But, with all of the places, studios, personnel and musicians and academic references noted here, a comprehensive index would be extremely helpful. Note to editor: upgrade the index in the next issue.
   
   I also note for this book, as I did for the Steely Dan guide, that the print is too small. Note to editor: up-size the print for the next edition.
   
   Bottom line: If you're new to the world of Frank Zappa, the MOI and conceptual continuity, and are looking for a book that'll give you clear background on and observation of Frank and his music, don't choose this one. This book is written from the point of view of total familiarity with FZ and all of his music, words, performances, etc. This overly dense and distractingly author-centered work is not an entry-level book on FZ; read the FZ/Ochiogrosso book, the word from the original hungry freak.

2 comments about Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (').

1. This is a very thorough book of transcriptions from the Apostrophe album. Every guitar and vocal part from the album is included, and from what I can tell, the transcriptions are right on the money.
   If you enjoy learning Zappa music on guitar, you probably like to try the non-guitar parts too. This book includes tons of marimba lines, and lots of the more prominent keyboard and horn parts too, all in both standard notation and guitar tablature. Last but not least, Jack Bruce's bass part on the title track is in here as well, solo and all. While there are Zappa albums I enjoy more than Apostrophe, there is a ton to learn from studying any of Zappa's guitar music. And this collection provides lots of of challenging, fun music to learn - I'm knee-deep in the interlude from "St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast" as we speak. Man, Zappa's music really is amazing! Now if we could just get a similar book for One Size Fits All or Joe's Garage...



2. This tab book is definately a must have for almost any gutarist (especially a Zappa fan). The songs here are actually great lessons, since by working through the songs you get lessons in vibrato,bends,tremolo picking, wah-wah, pretty much everything that a rock guitarist needs to pracitce and know. And even better this is like a chance to get a lesson with one of the best guitarists ever . True most people dont acknowledge it (including Frank himself) but "Zappa the guitarist" was a real virtuoso guitarist and there is so much to be learned from learning some of his songs. But some of the songs here are a little hard to play, let alone "master". Which is why this is meant for "intermidate" to "advanced" guitarists. (I've been playing about six years and still stumbled on a few songs!!)

   Now tab wise the book is %100 accurate. (At least as far as I can tell). Plus the tabs are super easy to read. If you have ever read a tab from " guitar world" or any other tab books you wont have any trouble here. Theres even a section that explains the symbols used. Also like mentioned every song is transcribed note for note solo for solo. It even includes horn lines, piano parts, and marimba lines arranged for guitar.

   My only problems with the book are that they probably could have thrown in a few more pictures and done more detailed descriptions about how Frank got some of his guitar tones for Apostrophe. Instead of the usual "w/distortion", "w/wah-wah", or "w/delay". That and the guy that transcribed Apostrophe, Andy Aledort really should keeping going. Think of all the great Zappa albums he could tab... Zoot Allures (especially "Black Napkins") Bongo Fury ( espcially "Muffin Man") Overnite Sensation, Joe's Garage......