Discography

Join cult indie-pop songwriter Marc With a C as he chronicles a legendary artist’s catalogue album by album. With Discography you'll walk in a novice, and come out well-informed and with a new favorite record or two. And if you’re a longtime fan, we’ll go deep enough that you’ll be brimming with new factoids and perspectives.For this maiden voyage, Marc takes on Frank Zappa.Zappa is one of the most revered American musicians of all-time, and with 100+ records to his name, one of the most impenetrable. What’s more, Zappa claimed that all of the 63 or so albums released in his lifetime can be listened to end-to-end to create one gigantic song. Can that possibly be true? We’re going to find out as over this 6-part weekly podcast event Marc travels from 1966’s Freak Out! to 1994’s Civilization Phase III, offering up the world’s first review of Frank Zappa’s career-spanning song.If you're unfamiliar with Zappa's rather bizarre take on American life, these episodes will allow you to walk away a certified expert. We'll be covering a multitude of artists and genres on this show, but his catalog might just be the most timely one we could've picked to kick things off. Now, more than ever, the virtues and values of Zappa need to be extolled. Now, more than ever, it's time to Freak Out.This episode's discography:0:00 - An Intro to Frank Zappa | 9:24 - Freak Out! (1966) | 15:15 - Absolutely Free (1967) | 20:53 - Lumpy Gravy (1967) | 25:36 - We're Only In It For The Money (1968) | 30:44 - Cruisin' With Ruben & The Jets (1968) | 37:34 - Uncle Meat (1969) | 48:00 - Mothermania (1969) | 53:40 - Hot Rats (1969) | 1:00:40 - Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970) | 1:06:30 - Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970) | 1:14:00 - Chunga's Revenge (1970) | 1:21:50 - Fillmore East - June - 1971 (1971) | 1:31:22 - Outro

Is that a real poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican poncho, or is that a Sears poncho? Marc With a C intends to find out as he continues to traverse Frank Zappa's monolithic catalog this time from 1971's 200 Motels to 1978's Zappa In New York.Zappa contended that if you played all of his recordings together end to end, they'd create a big song, and we're in the early stages of testing that theory. Thrill as Zappa ditches and regains the "Mothers" moniker. Shiver as the records bounce back and forth between free jazz explorations, orchestral compositions, and learn which type of snow to avoid. Quiver as Zappa glides into "entertainer" territory with a little help from... Don Pardo and The Turtles???Grab Opal's pen and hang it in your earholes. Go ahead! Shove it right in! You ain't the devil!This episode's discography:0:00 - An Intro to Frank Zappa | 4:50 - 200 Motels (1971) | 16:15 - Just Another Band From LA (1972) | 26:30 - Waka/Jawake (1972) | 33:18 - The Grand Wazoo (1972) | 38:22 - Over-Nite Sensation (1973) | 45:15 - Apostrophe (') (1974) | 52:28 - Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) | 1:00:20 - One Size Fits All (1975) | 1:09:21 - Bongo Fury (1975) | 1:16:25 - Zoot Allures (1976) | 1:24:20 - Zappa In New York (1978) | 1:36:00 - Outro

Chop-a-line, now! In this episode we're getting into the most NSFW territory we can possibly offer while we dig through what Zappa called the "ugly" albums. But, in addition to that, we're exploring some serious orchestral stuff, Zappa's first foray into Synclavier territory, and... a bonafide hit single featuring his daughter, Moon Unit? Like, omigod!Walk in uninitiated, leave with the ability to hold your own at parties where those same two guys insist on speaking in only Zappa quotes. You know the ones. A cow don't make ham.

In this episode we set our sights on Frank Zappa's mid-eighties work. Things are getting extra weird, and we wouldn't have it any other way!It's a controversial period - partially because some folks weren't ready for Zappa to go completely electronic with his Synclavier-led composition, while others felt that his lyrics in this era went far, far beyond the pale.Culty indie pop singer/songwriter Marc With a C continues to analyze the entirety of the Zappa's discography as one continuous composition - exactly how the experimental artist claimed his work could be viewed. This week Marc takes the deep dive through ill-fated run-in's with the London Symphony Orchestra, big movements that are built around sampling the infamous PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) hearings, and... one record so difficult that Marc almost jumped off this project, full-stop.We're getting tied to the whipping post, we're going to night school to learn all about the elusive G-Spot Tornado, and we're visited by... Sting from The Police?(Also we should mention upfront that this is the least "safe for work" episode of Discography yet.)This episode's discography:0:00 - Intro | 5:50 - Them Or Us (1984) | 15:52 -Thing-Fish (1984) | 26:25 - Francesco Zappa (1984) | 29:30 - The Old Masters, Box I (1984) | 31:00 - Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention (1985) | 37:22 - Does Humor Belong In Music? (1986) | 44:24 - The Old Masters, Box II (1986) | 45:32 - Jazz From Hell (1986) | 50:35 - London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II (1987) | 54:54 - The Old Masters, Box III (1987) | 55:50 - Guitar (1988) | 1:00:18 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (1988)  | 1:04:53 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (1988) | 1:10:00 - Broadway The Hard Way (1988) | 1:21:26 - Outro

Is this phase five of Discography? It would appear to be. Indie rock musician Marc With a C has taken on the arduous task of reviewing all of the albums released in Frank Zappa's lifetime end to end as... one big composition.Yes! But does it work? "Yes and but also": better than you'd think.There's more live material in this episode than you can shake a stick at - trust us, we've tried the stick test - and the purportedly massive composition seems to do more rewinding than usual as we hurdle towards our conclusion: Civilization Phase III.The end of this episode seems pretty final, but don't fret! We've still got one episode left in our Zappa journey. What could it be? Could a bunch of guests be dropping by? Will Marc read a bunch of listener mail? Will Marc finally change that intro statement he's recited five times? All these things are distinctly possibilities.But for now, thrill as the anthropological audio documentaries give way to the return of the piano people, while we're visited by more friends from Zappa's past than we can list here. Take a listen, rate and review us on iTunes, and follow Marc on  Twitter, and follow Discography on Facebook.This episode's discography:0:00 - Intro | 7:35 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (1989) | 16:00 -The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (1991) | 24:00 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 (1991) | 30:20 - Make a Jazz Noise Here (1991) | 38:34 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 (1992) | 45:08 - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 (1992) | 52:48 - Playground Psychotics (1992) | 58:30 - Ahead of Their Time (1993) | 1:03:55 - The Yellow Shark (1993) | 1:11:54 - Civilization Phase III (1994) | 1:25:38 - Outro

While venturing into the hitherto unknown territory of reviewing all Frank Zappa records as one big song was a feat in and of itself, Marc isn't done talking Zappa! After spending 5 episodes voicing his own takes, it's high time to get some other perspectives: "Weird Al" Yankovic, actor/ documentarian Alex Winter, and Zappa band member Mike Keneally.Each of these guests share their first encounters with Zappa's music, the ways he influenced their lives, and they even offer advice on which album should be your first.Alex Winter is presently in the midst of assembling the Zappa documentary to end them all. We hear how he gained unprecedented access to the Zappa vault and how this Kickstarter-record-breaking production is preserving priceless pieces of music history.Mike Keneally shares memories from being brought into Zappa's 1988 band as a guitar wunderkind, working alongside the master, and elaborates on the controversial, forthcoming Zappa hologram tour."Weird Al" Yankovic took a break from his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour to share how Zappa became one of his earliest and most influential influences and discuss his now classic Zappa parody/ tribute, "Genius In France".Marc also brings this season to a close by dipping into the mailbag to share listener letters and comments - not to mention holding himself accountable for a few errors in previous episodes. (Shhh!)The Discography journey continues in July with an all-new legendary musican! Tell a friend about the show, rate and review us on iTunes, and stay up to date with the latest from Marc on Twitter, and follow Discography on Facebook.