The purpose of this site is to provide a little help to those that are looking for written material about Frank Zappa.
afka (at) afka.net
- Frankly Zappa by John Klein Sloatman III, 2024 ?
- Frank Zappa. The Man From Utopia by Michele Monina, May 2024
- Mother Superior : The Saga of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: The Authorised Biography by Alan Clayson - 2024 ?
- Earth To Moon: A Memoir by Moon Unit Zappa - August 2024
Support this website!
This is a non-profit website, dedicated to composer Frank
Zappa.
Please help with the running costs of this website by making
a donation.
Zappa Books
New Entries.
-
28 March. Rock N Roll Industries magazine #10, February 2014. Review of Zappa Plays Zappa show at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, 19 October 2013.
-
27 March. Some issues of the Spanish film magazine Fotogramas from 1975 and 1976.
-
25 March. Another year, another UK Hi-Fi magazine, same subject – Hot Rats album. Hi-Hi World, December 2012.
-
24 March. Hi-Fi News & Record Review, August 2009. The first album to make audiences proclaim, 'Wow, Frank Zappa can really play guitar', Hot Rats was a pioneering fusion of jazz and rock created using prototype 16-track recording equipment. It is still revered 40 years after its release... Very good write up by John Bamford.
-
23 March. Hi-Fi News & Record Review, November 2006. Jason Kennedy: "While 'Inca Roads' is generally considered the highlight of this album I consider it to be one of nine superb pieces that go toward making One Size Fits All the most solidly consistent and entertaining album in Zappa's oeuvre."
-
22 March. Hi-Fi News & Record Review, September 2000. Ben Watson is reviewing Everything Is Healing Nicely. "Just a cynically released CD of some rehearsals? Far from it! This is essential Frank Zappa."
-
11 March. New issue #151 of Zappostrophe fanzine from Czechia. This edition is dedicated to the artist Cal Schenkel.
-
9 March. Hi-Fi News & Record Review. One very thorough review by Ben Watson - "Mystery Disc" and a whole series of short reviews:
- 1995 January : The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play
- 1997 February : Apostrophe. One Size Fits All
- 1997 July : Have I Offended Someone?
- 1997 September : Strictly Genteel
- 1998 January : 200 Motels
- 1998 December : Mystery Disc -
5 March. German Filmdienst, August 2013. The edition includes a larger review article about Zappa and the medium of film, as well as a review of the Jimmy Carl Black film.
-
4 March. Hi-Fi News & Record Review:
- 1986 May : Does Humor Belong In Music?
- 1986 June : Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention
- 1987 March : Jazz From Hell -
3 March. Portuguese Pop-Clube, May 1977.
-
2 March. Guitar Player, November 2007. ... pigeonholing Zappa as a rock artist is a bit like labeling Johann Sebastian Bach a church organist ... "Frank Zappa - Guitar Heroes A-Z" by Josh Workman.
-
1 March. Some album reviews according to the oldest hi-fi title, British Hi-Fi News & Record Review:
- 1982 January : You Are What You Is
- 1985 February : The Perfect Stranger
- 1985 March : Them Or Us
- 1985 July : Thing-Fish
- 1985 September : Francesco Zappa -
29 February. Finnish anarchist cultural magazine Loimu, November 1974. "The anti-guru of progressive music".
-
28 February. Argentinian Expreso Imaginario, August 1979. Sheik Yerbouti.
-
27 February. The "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" Creem:
- 1973 August : "The Androgyny Hall Of Fame" including The GTOs, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart
- 1973 December : A review of the As They Were, a book by Tuli Kupferberg and Sylvia Topp. -
26 February. Finnish Suosikki, February 1977. Exclusive Zappa interview made in New York "I'm PA I need money!"
-
24 February. Two Stereoplay album reviews more:
- 1982 June : Grandmothers "Looking Up Granny’s Dress"
- 1982 July : Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch -
23 February. German Stereoplay, some five star album reviews:
- 1979 February : Zappa in New York
- 1979 March : Sleep Dirt
- 1979 December : Joe's Garage -
22 February. Touch! was the first glossy magazine for Adult Entertainment in the Benelux. The very first edition in 2006 included an article on Frank Zappa by Piet Davelaar.
-
21 February. Probably the very first Zappa fanzine was Inventions, started by 16 years old Piet Davelaar in 1971 in Amsterdam. It had about 50 subscribers, mostly in The Netherlands, but also in Belgium, Switzerland, UK and even Brasil. The page is updated with some valuable information got from Piet Davelaar himself.
-
14 February. Three album reviews from High Fidelity:
- 1985 July : The Perfect Stranger
- 1987 April : The CD Software Parade - Frank Zappa (8 CDs by Rykodisc reviewed)
- 1988 October : All CDs Great And Small -
11 February. American High Fidelity:
- 1974 April : Over-nite Sensation
- 1976 November : Grand Funk: Good Singin', Good Playin'
- 1978 July : Zappa In New York
- 1979 January : "Top 12 Best Pop Album Covers of 1978", including Studio Tan !!! -
9 February. Three album reviews from 1972, High Fidelity magazine:
- 1972 Februar : 200 Motels
- 1972 July : Just Another Band from L.A.
- 1972 December : Waka/Jawaka – Hot Rats -
5 February. To wrap up Musician for now, here's another list like this:
- 1985 March : "Grand Wazoo Refuses to Kazoo"
- 1986 September : FZ on CD full page ad
- 1988 January : The Return of FZ on CD full page ad
- 1994 October : Asteroid Zappafrank
- 1995 June : Civilization Phaze III
- 1996 November : Läther -
4 February. Still Musician magazine.
- 1983 April : Carvin full page ad w FZ and artcile on Missing Persons band.
- 1983 October : AKG microphones ad with FZ
- 1984 August : What's the Role of the Rhythm Section in Frank Zappa's Music? Scott Thunes and Chad Wackerman, -
3 February. Musician magazine. Two album reviews from Dan Forte, who really likes FZ's work.
- 1981 August : Tinsel Town Rebellion
- 1982 August : Ship Arriving Too Late ... -
2 February. Two editions of the Musician magazine:
- 1980 March : Joe's Garage II & III
- 1980 Deember : "Captain Beefheart's Iridescent Logic" by Lester Bangs -
28 January. The Beat Instrumental had two album reviews from Peter Douglas, who wasn't happy with what he was listening to:
- 1978 June : Zappa In New York
- 1978 Deember : Studio Tan -
27 January. Interview with Mick Glossop, who mixed Joe's Garage and engineered Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar. Sound International, March 1981.
-
26 January. Pop/Rock Music, December 1968. Text and pictures added.
-
25 January. A recent review of the Czech edition of Pauline Butcher's book "Freak Out!" by Petr Dorůžka in magazine UNI.
-
23 January. Attention! Viva Zappa! French magazine Rock & Folk, current February issue.
-
23 January. Another critical review - German magazine Sounds, May 1978 gives a devastating assessment of Zappa's album In New York.
-
22 January. The oldest hi-fi title published since June 1956 - British Hi-Fi News & Record Review. Two fairly critical album reviews from the 70s:
- 1974 August : Apostrophe
- 1979 January : Studio Tan -
21 January. Argentinian magazine Pelo, 3 editions from 1971. Issues 12 and 13 both feature the Hot Rats local version called Ratas Calientes. Number 14 presents five of the greatest guitarists - Peter Green, Alvin Lee, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Frank Zappa.
-
20 January. "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" Creem:
- 1972 July : Just Another Band From L.A. full page ad
- 1972 September : Rock 'n' Roll News on No Commercial Potention book -
19 January. The Man From Utopia reviewed in Italian Ciao 2001, July 1983.
-
18 January. A long-living American magazine Modern Drummer, July 1999 issue. Great overview of all of Zappa's work from a drummer's point of view - "The Drummers Of Frank Zappa" by Mark Griffith. A very thorough, good and recommended read.
-
17 January. Cosmic Lion Retrospective 2021. A comics book containg Zappa appearances.
-
17 January. Sounds, 8 April 1978. Reader's letter about the f word.
-
16 Januar. 30 Jahre ohne Zappa - 30 years without Zappa - this book was printed in December in Germany.
-
15 January. Entertainment magazine After Dark, April 1980. Frank Zappa on Bette Davis and Sparky Parker from the GTOs.
-
14 January. German fanzine Arf-Dossier, #118, December 2023. The table of contents is right here.
-
13 January. Several very positive record reviews from High Fidelity magazine:
- 1970 September : Burnt Weeny Sandwich
- 1971 February : Chunga's Revenge / Lick My Decals Off, Baby
- 1971 September : The Worst of The Mothers
- 1971 November : Fillmore East, June 1971 -
13 January. Cash Box, 12 November 1966. Newcomer Picks - Trouble Comin' Every Day. "This wild workout by the Mothers of Invention, called “Trouble Comin’ Every Day,” is just far enough to attract lots of attention from buyers and spinners. Group may finally break out with this one. “Who Are The Brain Police” is an eerie cacophony in the psychedelic vein."
-
12 January. Czech fanzine Zappostrophe, issue #150. Published in October 2023.
-
12 January. Portuguese Musica & Som, October, 1982. Reader's letter on three pages.
-
11 January. Creem, September 1971. Glendora High School wall painting.
-
10 January. Vintage Creem, March 1971, has a lot to read: album review (Chunga's Revenge), single review ("Tell Me You Love Me"), film news and a 6-page article on Wild Man Fischer.
-
9 January. Two interviews with Milan Jakobec, a former Czech diplomat who was ambassador to Costa Rica and also worked at the embassy in London. He is now retired and recently translated Pauline Butcher's book Freak Out, which was published in Czechia.
- Lidové Noviny, 21 December 2023
- UNI, December 2023 -
8 January. Zoot Allures review in British Beat Instrumental, January 1977. "Vintage stuff. Don't play it in front of your parents." out Zappa, but you can still find some photos.
-
6 January. More from the New Year's mailbox.
- Germany's two Hi-Fi magazines Audio and Stereoplay merged in October. Their common December issue includes a comprehensive review of the Over-Nite Sensation 50th Anniversary album.
- The Over-Nite Sensation Anniversary 50 review is also in December's Record Collector magazine. In addition, there are other readings, such as an overview of the work of Shankar, a violinist who collaborated with Zappa. -
5 January. Not exactly a Zappa special, but still a cover story where Zappa's name appears dozens of times. British Shindig!, November 2023 issue has a 9-page story "LA Freak Scene" starring Zappa, Beefheart, Kim Fowley, Vito Paulekas, and more.
-
4 January. Another great Zappa special. The French Jazz Magazine regularly publishes a special Zappa issue every few years, which contains a valuable Zappa dossier. Once again in this December issue, it is compiled by the well-known author of Zappa books Guy Darol. Most of the content this time is dedicated to the female musicians who collaborated with Zappa.
-
3 January. A couple of interesting Zappa special magazine editions were released for the New Year. Here is the latest December issue of the German bimonthly magazine Good Times, with an 8-page Zappa dossier. Most of it is taken up by an interview with the main organizer of the Zappanale festival, Peter Görs.
-
2024
-
30 December. Christmas 1968, Melody Maker. Frank Zappa is on the cover of the magazine with other stars. Viv Stanshall of Bonzo Dog Band: "Frank Zappa has a great lino cut quality about him. He's so graphic, like the Michelin tyre man – absolutely unmistakable."
-
28 December. "Nobody gives a shit if we're great musicians" - this is a new book in Italian by Marco Fraquelli. Title in Italian A nessuno frega un cazzo se siamo grandi musicisti. This is a book about musicians who performed with Frank Zappa. 109 of them have received their own few-page chapter in this book.
-
23 December. Freak Out! by Pauline Butcher was recently issued in Czechia. In two versions – the public version and the limited fan club version.
-
15 December. Famous German weekly Stern, 9 April 2004. A double page picture "Frank Zappa is signing the breast of a female fan".
-
14 December. Cash Box, 9 July 1966. Album reviews - Freak Out!
-
13 December. Record Collector News, September / October 2023. "Zappa: Funky Nothingness"
-
13 December. Portuguese magazine Se7e, August 1979. "Frank Zappa: A definitive musician, a work of reticence".
-
1 December. Melody Maker, 24 December 1994. John Peel on the highlights of his first 40-odd years as a music lover. No Zappa, but Captain Beefheart is present.
-
30 November. British Beat Instrumental, August 1972. Just Another Band From L.A. plus Alice Cooper on Frank Zappa. And another issue of the magazine from September 1975, which talks about Captain Beefheart.
-
21 November. Esquire, February 1996. About the statue of Zappa erected in Lithuania.
-
21 November. French monthly Best, March 1988.
-
20 November. Zappa, Vol 1 with the London Symphony Orchestra reviewed by Zoogz Rift. Music Connection, July 1983.
-
19 November. Two Music Connection editions more:
- 1982 July : Moon Unit - A Child Of The Studio
- 1982 October : Zappa peels Studio Tan -
18 November. Two Music Connection editions:
- 1978 November : SNL performane review
- 1980 February : FRANK ZAPPA when asked his opinion of new wave music: Some of it is good and some of it is very boring. I like a couple of songs I heard by the Stranglers. I saw the B-52's in New York and I thought they were great. "Rock Lobster" is really good. -
3 November. A couple of reviews from the great British magazine Q, which sadly no longer exists.
- 1993 July : Frank Zappa Presents: The Amazing Mr Bickford
- 1994 January : Frank Zappa & The Ensemble Modern: The Yellow Shark -
2 November. Esquire, April 1993. Cucamonga Years: The Early Works of Frank Zappa, 1962-1964.
-
1 November. The last batch of issues (6) of Bizz magazine, from 1994-1999. Contains a full range of album reviews as reissued on CD in succession.
-
31 October. Some fun Bizz issues more:
- 1993 June : The worst albums of all time (incl. Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar)
- 1993 July : The most important prog albums (incl. Zappa In New York)
- 1993 November : anniversary issue #100 with several FZ references -
30 October. Bizz, June 1988. Zappa's concert at Wembley in London.
-
29 October. Bizz was a quality Brazilian music magazine. We added some record reviews from there.
- 1986 April : We're Only In It For The Money
- 1986 June : Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention
- 1986 July : Sheik Yerbouti
- 1987 April : Tinseltown Rebellion
- 1987 June : Jazz From Hell
- 1988 March : Trout Mask Replica -
26 October. Disco Actualidad, May 1980. A magazine from Zaragoza, Spain. Joe's Garage Act I published in Spain and reviewed.
-
23 October. Magazine Q, January 1997. Article about rock musicians in classical music - Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, Deep Purple, Frank Zappa.
-
22 October. Rip It Up, free magazine from New Zealand. The page has been updated and improved.
- 1978 December : Studio Tan
- 1979 July : Sheik Yerbouti
- 1979 December : Orchestral Favorites, Joe's Garage Act I
- 1980 April : Joe's Garage Acts II & III
- 1980 May : Captain Beefheart and Shiny Beast
- 1982 April : You Are What You Is
- 1983 October : The Man From Utopia -
21 October. El Musicquero, musician's magazine from Argentina. Two issues added:
- 1987 June : several articles and interviews with FZ
- 1996 November : Läther -
20 October. Two articles from the well-known Spanish weekly Triunfo:
- 1974 October : "Frank Zappa: The Badalona concert"
- 1979 March : "Frank Zappa: The perverse moralist of rock" -
19 October. Portuguese Musica & Som, January 1979 with some pictures of FZ at the Saarbrücken festival.
-
18 October. Jazz From Hell review in Scottish magazine Cut, January 1987.
-
16 October. Australian Mixdown, March 2012. Interview with Dweezil Zappa.
-
14 October. Frank Zappa: The Definitive Collection of Guitar Tabs appeared in July. Purchase of this book is not recommended.
-
13 October. Italian magazine Guitar Club:
- 2019 April : Zappa In New York 40th Anniversary
- 2020 July/August : The Mothers 1971
- 2021 November : 200 Motels 50th Anniversary
- 2022 April : The Mothers 1971
- 2022 July/August : Zappa, il fumetto book review -
11 October. "La notte del fumo sull'acqua" (The night of smoke on the water). An excellent book by photographer Moreno Nicolosi, devoted entirely to the Montreux casino fire of 4 December 1971. Foreword written by Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice.
-
10 October. British Record Mirror:
- 1978 April : Zappa In New York
- 1978 October : Studio Tan -
10 October. Dutch music trade magazine Muziek & Beeld Info, April 1978. "Dancin' Fool" single ad.
-
9 October. British fanzine Outlet, August 1978. Uncle Meat.
-
8 October. Hullabaloo, March 1967. "Mothers Of Invention".
-
8 October. New Music Express, 4 February 1978. Hammersmith Odeon, London concert review by Charles Shaar Murray.
-
8 October. Rock Scene, January 1982. On the way into the Ritz, the '82 Frank Zappa.
-
8 October. Final Stereo Review pack:
- 1983 November : London Smphony Orchestra, Volume 1 and The Man from Utopia
- 1985 March : Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger and Them or Us
- 1992 October : Beat The Boots, Vol. 2
- 1994 March : Track Records
- 1997 January : Läther -
7 October. Third Stereo Review six-pack:
- 1977 April : Zoot Allures
- 1978 May : Pop Rotogravure - a weird short story
- 1979 June : Sheik Yerbouti
- 1979 December : Joe's Garage, Act I
- 1981 October : Tinsel Town Rebellion
- 1982 December : Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch -
6 October. More from Stereo Review:
- 1971 November : The Mothers, Fillmore East – June 1971
- 1972 November : Just Another Band from L.A.
- 1973 January : Waka/Jawaka – Hot Rats
- 1975 March : Roxy & Elsewhere
- 1975 December : One Size Fits All
- 1976 March : Bongo Fury -
5 October. It's good to read album reviews written when the album first came out, not years later. American magazine Stereo Review:
- 1968 August : We're Only In It For The Money
- 1969 August : Uncle Meat
- 1970 January : The **** Of The Mothers
- 1970 June : Burnt Weeny Sandwich
- 1971 January : Weasels Ripped My Flesh
- 1971 March : Chunga's Revenge -
4 October. Arf-Dossier #117. Quite a lot of the content of this issue is devoted to the idea of creating a Zappa Museum.
-
2 October. Reviews of two rare DVD-Audio albums in British magazine Hi-Fi World:
- 2004 January : Halloween
- 2005 January : Quaudiophiliac -
1 October. Australian men's magazine People, January 1978, with FZ poster.
-
30 September. "Frank Zappa / Wembley" by Charles Shaar Murray. NME, 22 September 1973.
-
30 September. Japanese Rhythm & Drums Magazine, August 2002. Drummers around Zappa.
-
29 September. Frank Zappa: A Grande Mãe (The Great Mother) is a book in Portuguese, published in 1988. This is one of the early comprehensive approaches to Frank Zappa's work. Those interested can find this book in some antiquarian shops.
-
24 September. Guitar Magazine from Japan, February 2002 issue. "Every Picture Tells A Story", a collection of photos of legendary guitarists.
-
23 September. Radio One Story of Pop was a weekly encyclopedia by BBC Radio 1 published in 1973. Volume 16 contains "Shock Rock", an article on Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart and the Fugs.
-
22 September. Music Technology, April 1990. Interview with Patrick O'Hearn. "[Zappa] had sort of the Noah's Ark of electronic collections – just about two of everything with the exception of the E-mu system. He only had one of those. He had two Polymoogs, two Minimoogs, and two ARP 2600s, among other things."
-
22 September. British Rave, January 1968. "Rave's New Year Honours List".
-
21 September. Life Is So Strange by Dale Bozzio. "I genuflect to Frank. I idolize Frank for his knowledge, his graciousness, his genius, and I’m indebted to him forever, forever and ever. He’s the hero of my book."
-
21 September. Italian Musikbox, November 2006.
-
21 September. Swedish comic book Ung och kär, July 1980.
-
20 September. British Classic Rock:
- 2021 December : Frank Zappa: 200 Motels (50th Anniversary Edition)
- 2022 April : Frank & Co book
- 2022 May : The Mothers 1971
- 2022 July : Zappa/Erie
- 2022 November : Zagreb '75
- 2023 January : Waka/Wazoo
- 2023 April : Mudd Club/Munich -
13 September. Some British publications.
Mojo, August 2023 : Shake your tail (Funky Nothingness)
Uncut, September 2022 : Zappa/Erie
Uncut August 2023 : Funky Nothingness
The Wire August 2023 : Funky Nothingness -
12 September. Leading Polish rock monthly Teraz Rock. Two album cover stories:
- 2021 February : We're Only In It For The Money
- 2023 March : The Man From Utopia -
11 September. Electronic Musician, September 1986. Frank Zappa, back from fighting the forces of evil in Washington, D.C. by championing truth, justice and the First Amendment, streches out in his home studio ready for some fun with The Digital Consort (his Synclavier): "Frank Zappa and His Digital Orchestra".
-
9 September. French Salut Les Copains, December 1971. "The Rock Family Affair" picture series from Life magazine reprinted.
-
9 September. A couple of recent issues of Japan's Record Collectors' Magazine, May 2022 and April 2023.
-
8 Sptember. An exclusive limited edition book Frank Zappa - European Music Press 1966-1970, compiled by Fulvio Fiore, who has also sent us a lot of material and to whom we are very grateful. The book was published in April 2023.
-
7 September. The largest magazine page we have here is undoubtedly Italian Ciao 2001. We include a whole series of issues from 1982. Perhaps the most important of them is the May 30 issue, which contains the Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar review.
-
6 September. Hungarian monthly Rockinform:
- 1994 March : FZ discography and videography
- 1994 November : Does Humor Belong In Music DVD
- 1996 January : Strictly Commercial
- 1996 June : The Lost Episodes
- 1997 March : Läther -
5 September. Several Marvel Comics series published a full-page We're Only In It For The Money advertisement between February and April 1968.
-
5 September. Australian Left Review, June 1990. Zapping Czechs.
-
4 September. One Thousand Mustaches, a book by Toronto-based psychiatrist Allan Peterkin. 2012.
-
4 September. German Jazz Podium, October/November 2018. Was Frank Zappa almost a jazzman?
-
3 September. Esquire, September 1969. "One whole page of people upon whom you can safely bestow love and admiration" - from Arthur C. Clarke to Frank Zappa.
-
3 September. "Yeh, just another band", album review in British Sounds, 1 July 1972.
-
2 September. From Australia - Mixdown #44, December 1997. Includes an overview of Zappa's discography and a review of the new 200 Motels soundtrack release.
-
1 September. "Torture Mama & The Open Brain", a Hammersmith, London concerts review by Miles, the well-known author of the Zappa books. NME, 19 February 1977.