The Grand Wazoo (Think It Over)

For other versions of this song, see: The Grand Wazoo (The Track).

Lyrics

FZ:
Thank you! Thank you very much! Thank you very, very, very much! I'd like to tell you a little bit about... this, this here band, ok? Here is the deal: This band was put together for a very short period of time; I think it was only 8 concerts, maybe 7, but I would have to count. Anyway, this is the last time this band is gonna play together; this is closing night in Boston. However it is possible... shut up! It is possible...

SPECTATOR:
Where's Mark and Howie?

FZ:
They'll be around, they have their career.

SPECTATOR:
Bullshit

FZ:
Anyway, it's possible this band will appear maybe next year or something, but this is the end of our tour here and we're going to, er... make an attempt to blow it all out for you... in Boston. Now... so, so that you won't be misled about what we're going to do up here by having us start off with something that was oriented towards a boogie, most of the rest of the stuff that we do is a little bit more abstruse. So I just wanted to... break, break it to you easy... Some of it is hard to tap your feets to... OK? Let me get my guitar in tune, we'll progress to something a little bit weirder...

(tunes guitar)

OK, the name of this piece is "Approximate", just a minute! ... Now, the way, the way this piece works is... the rhythm is in, in many instances specified for the instruments. However, the, the pitches that they play are left to their own, uh... discretion. So... at any one time there is a choice of a... about 20 different pitches being chosen all at the same time and the piece turns out different every time you play it... This here's the Boston version... OK? One, two, three, four...

Players On This Song

Frank Zappa (guitar and white stick with cork handle) Tony Duran (slide guitar) Glenn Ferris (trombone and euphonium) Bruce Fowler (trombone of the upper atmosphere) Jim Gordon (electric drums) Jerry Kessler (electric cello) Tom Malone (trumpet in Bb and tuba) Sal Marquez (trumpet in Bb)

Malcolm McNab (trumpet in D) Jay Migliori (flute, tenor sax and other winds) Charles Owens (soprano sax, alto sax and other winds) Dave Parlato (bass) Tom Raney (vibes and electric percussion) Ray Reed (clarinet, tenor sax and other winds) Kenny Shroyer (trombone and baritone horn) Ian Underwood (piano and synthesizer) Ruth Underwood (marimba and electric percussion)

Records On Which This Song Has Appeared

Singles

-

Zappa Albums & Side Projects

• Wazoo

Tribute & Cover Albums

• Zappatistas: Live In Leeds as Grand Wazoo
• LeBocal: Oh No ! ... Just Another Frank Zappa Memorial Barbecue

Notes About This Song

• Recorded live at Boston Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts on 24 September 1972
• FZ, from The Complete History Of The Few Last Weeks Of The Mothers Of Invention (1972):

"About six weeks ago, I finished the book and lyrics for a science fiction musical called Hunchentoot (which may never be staged), and under the title "Think It Over," this piece is used as an aria, sung by a religious fanatic con man of the future, as an instruction to his Alpha-meditating followers:

If Something Gets in Your Way,
Just think it over
And it will fall down, etc.

But, as an instrumental item, it goes under the title-disguise of "The Grand Wazoo." It doesn't require too much in the way of scientific explanation. It's just a shuffle."