Big Swifty (1972 - Paramount Studios) - Revision history

Spider of Destiny at 14:17, 7 December 2025

2025-12-07T14:17:08Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 14:48, 6 December 2021

2021-12-06T14:48:52Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 17:09, 14 September 2021

2021-09-14T17:09:37Z

Jason.Kreitzer at 04:04, 25 July 2021

2021-07-25T04:04:50Z

Spider of Destiny at 15:47, 5 December 2010

2010-12-05T15:47:23Z

Maroual: /* Zappa Albums */

2008-07-21T12:01:56Z

Zappa Albums

Fishbrain at 15:48, 24 December 2007

2007-12-24T15:48:29Z

Fishbrain at 15:31, 24 December 2007

2007-12-24T15:31:18Z

Fishbrain: New page: ==Lyrics== ''Instrumental'' ==Players On This Song== * Frank Zappa guitar & percussion * Tony Duran slide guitar * George Duke ring-modulated & echoplexed electric piano * [[...

2007-12-24T15:22:58Z

New page: ==Lyrics== ''Instrumental'' ==Players On This Song== * Frank Zappa guitar & percussion * Tony Duran slide guitar * George Duke ring-modulated & echoplexed electric piano * [[...

New page

==Lyrics==

''Instrumental''

==Players On This Song==

* Frank Zappa guitar & percussion
* [[Tony Duran]] slide guitar
* [[George Duke]] ring-modulated & echoplexed electric piano
* [[Sal Marquez]] many trumpets & chimes
* [[Erroneous (Alex Dmochowski)|Erroneous]] electric bass
* [[Aynsley Dunbar]] drums

==Records On Which This Song Has Appeared==

===Singles===
-

===Zappa Albums===
* [[Waka/Jawaka]]
* [[Zappa Wazoo]]
* [[You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1]]

===Tributes & Cover Albums===
*[[Meridian Arts Ensemble]]: [[Smart Went Crazy]]
*[[The Muffin Men]]: [[Muffinz]] as [[Big Swifty]] and [[Big Swifty|Big Swifty (Reprise)]]
*[[Ensemble Ambrosius]]: [[The Zappa Album]]
*[[Zappatistas]]: [[Live In Leeds]]
*[[Colin Towns plus NDR Bigband|Colin Towns + NDR Bigband]]: [[Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (And Funny Smells)]] as 2nd part of track 13
*[[Yahozna Band]]: [[05]]

==Notes About This Song==

*The piece follows a basic '''head-solo-head structure''', in which the head is highly structured and rhythmically complex, and the solo parts are played over a loose vamp that would change from performance to performance.

*FZ on "'''Big Swifty'''": (from [[The Complete History Of The Few Last Weeks Of The Mothers Of Invention]] (1972))
<blockquote>"This piece (which comprises all of Side One of the [[Waka/Jawaka|HOT RATS Waka/Jawaka]] album) presents a theme in rapidly alternating time signatures, a few solos, and an out-chorus done up in a sort of Prom Night orchestration which suspends the opening rhythmic structure over a straight 4/4 accompaniment.<br>
The restatement of the theme is actually derived from a guitar solo on the album which [[Sal Marquez]] took down on paper. After about an hour of wheeling the tape back and forth, [[Sal Marquez|Sal]] managed to transcribe this rhythmically deranged chorus (I don't have the ability to do this kind of musical dictation, but, since [[Sal Marquez|Marquez]] had a full-bore education at North Texas University, he had it covered). After he'd written it out, we proceeded to over-dub three trumpets on it, and, presto! An organized conclusion for "'''Big Swifty'''."<br>
The arrangement played here presents that line in a harmonized setting, as well as a number of orchestrational refinements of the opening material (such as the addition of woodwinds and percussion to segments which, on the recording, were played by guitars and trumpets). 'It's not "just like the record," but you'll get the idea."<br></blockquote>

==CC Clues In This Song==

[[Category:Tracks]]
[[Category:Them Or Us (The List)]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:17, 7 December 2025
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	[[Category:Instrumental tracks]]		[[Category:Instrumental tracks]]
	[[Category:Them Or Us (The List)]]		[[Category:Them Or Us (The List)]]
		+	[[Category:1972]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:48, 6 December 2021
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		+	__NOTOC__
		+
	''For other versions of this song, see: [[Big Swifty]].		''For other versions of this song, see: [[Big Swifty]].

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 *[[Tony Duran]] (slide guitar)
 *[[Glenn Ferris]] (trombone and euphonium)
-*[[Bruce Fowler]] (trombone of the upper atmosphere)
+*[[The Fowler Brothers|Bruce Fowler]] (trombone of the upper atmosphere)
 *[[Jim Gordon]] (electric drums)
 *[[Jerry Kessler]] (electric cello)

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 {|
 | valign="top" |
-*[[Frank Zappa]] (guitar and white stick with cork handle)
+*[[Biography|Frank Zappa]] (guitar and white stick with cork handle)
 *[[Mike Altschul]] (piccolo, bass clarinet and other winds)
 *[[Earle Dumler]] (oboe, contrabass sarrusophone and other winds)

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:47, 5 December 2010
Line 74:		Line 74:

	[[Category:Tracks]]		[[Category:Tracks]]
		+	[[Category:Instrumental tracks]]
	[[Category:Them Or Us (The List)]]		[[Category:Them Or Us (The List)]]

@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 ===Zappa Albums===
 * [[Waka/Jawaka]]
-* [[Zappa Wazoo]]
+* [[Wazoo]]
 * [[You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1]]

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Players On This Song==
 * Frank Zappa guitar & percussion
 * [[Tony Duran]] slide guitar
@@ Line 14: / Line 15: @@
 * [[Erroneous (Alex Dmochowski)|Erroneous]]  electric bass
 * [[Aynsley Dunbar]] drums
 ==Records On Which This Song Has Appeared==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Lyrics==
@@ Line 40: / Line 43: @@
 ==CC Clues In This Song==
-−
+-
 [[Category:Tracks]]
 [[Category:Them Or Us (The List)]]