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Trying not to sound like an old fogey here, but IMO FZ's output during that period was the greatest, most productive, most varied and most creative of any popular recording artist in history.

Even forty-odd years later it is hard to comprehend how he did it. Throw in constant touring, rounding up and recording with all sorts of artists, discovering new ones, writing and producing everything, and, oh yeah, recovering from a broken neck for a year ... at this point, words fail me.

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caress me Aunt Jemima

i agree, but i say it's more like 66-75. those ten years are amazing

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Who's this dude with his hair straight back?
His new white socks, 'n his pants all black
His T-shirts rolled His watch is gold
A '55 Chevy that his brother just stoled

Yeah. Why is '73 the cut off? You don't think ROXY and One Size Fits All are varied and creative?

Zappa used to get some sleep, but the Captain did not, so I heard...

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

I didn't sleep from 1975 to 1992 and I'm about a sleeping mother f#cker now...I was busy, I can still stretch it when work requires, but long term continues lack of sleep...no more...

As long as I get 8 hours a day and another 8 hours at night I'm OK.

Plook, if you can prove that, you may want to contact some record book or something. The longest known sleepless survivor went kipless for 11 days.

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Join the PackardGoose forum! Send me a PM!

When I say didn't sleep, I ment not much and no where near required amounts. When I was surfing I was a Dawn Patrol Surfer and I liked goig to concerts, parties, and clubs until the wee hours of the morning. Often I would run on what amounted to cat naps, when I entered the real world of working, almost every job I had required some night shifts on short notice and doubles quite often. Of course I would not allow that to get in the way of sunrise surfing or my night life. During those years 5 hours of sleep was as good as it got and more often than not it was 3 or 4 hours...switching from nights to day working would be done on 2 hours sleep more often than not. Like I say, I love to sleep now but I still go to bed rather late for how early I normally get up.

Roxy was recorded in '73 and the basic tracks for Apostrophe' as well. I meant to include OSFA which was from '74. I ain't taking nuthin away from anything FZ did, but I did warn ya that I was being an old fogey.

To me, FZ's legend was established between '67 and '74. That's everything from WOIIFTM to OSFA -- 17 original albums, one feature length movie and parts of others, nonstop touring except in '72 and who know how many other projects on the side. That amazes me to this day.

Don't read any denigration of anything else he did into it. It isn't there.

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caress me Aunt Jemima

I understand your preference for that era, but if you want to include One Size Fits All, you have to stretch it another year into 1975. "I hereby pronounce myself ready to go back on the road." - FZ, Easter Sunday 1975.

If we're talking about working hours and the unlikelihood of getting any sleep because of constant activity, many other years are as striking. How about 1984? How much sleep did he get that year?

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We make a special art in an environment hostile to dreamers. Frank Zappa, 1971

Or 1980 - two U.S. tours (March 25-May 11 and October 10-December 11) and a European tour (May 23-July 3), plus recording most of two double albums (TR and YAWYI) and some live tracks included on SUNPYG and YCDTOSA.

Listening to Lumpy Money this evening, it's just amazing how FZ embraced the post-WWII Avant Garde. You can here the themes in rock, jazz and classical that he developed back then in nearly all of his later music.

I miss him.

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caress me Aunt Jemima

he wore a PIPCO T-shirt for much of that time.

Maybe he slept it that on occasion.

sweet dreams