‘Out To Get You’: the guitar solo Frank Zappa never wanted to play
Few figures are as accustomed to the realm of rock and roll as Frank Zappa was, not only for his own mind-expanding, revolutionary output, but also for the sheer amount of band break-ups, drunken fallings-out, and studio brawls that the moustached guitarist bore witness to over his many decades as a rock and roll hero.
Inevitably, when you stick a group of young people, all hopped up on a litany of different mind-expanding substances, in a small recording studio together, things tend to get a little tetchy. You only need to look at the ever-revolving door of musicians who made up The Mothers of Invention to recognise the fact that musicians are very difficult people to please, and keeping a band together for multiple years is one of the hardest parts of the job.
Zappa’s extensive experience with inner-band conflict wasn’t limited entirely to his own group, either. In addition to exercising his improvisational muscles continuously for upwards of three decades, the songwriter also embarked upon various side projects, collaborations, and, in some cases, production work. Being behind the production desk tends to give you an unparalleled look at whichever artist you are producing, and back in 1976, Zappa wasn’t overly impressed with what he saw.
By the mid-point of the 1970s, Grand Funk Railroad were rapidly approaching the end of their tether. After a solid few years establishing the realm of arena rock and gaining enough in the way of popularity to outsell The Beatles at Shea Stadium, the band members were burnt out and sick of the sight of each other. The fittingly titled Born to Die was their final record before splitting up, but that all changed when Zappa fell into the picture.
Having apparently suggested that he’d like to produce the band, Grand Funk Railroad reunited for one last record, with Zappa at the controls. Not only did the psychedelic god lend his production efforts to the record, but he also wrote a guitar solo for side two’s ‘Out to Get You’, albeit begrudgingly.
“I didn’t want to play on it, but I was trapped into doing it, because of circumstances that occurred during the production,” he revealed during a 1981 chat with WLIR Free Flight.
Recalling the tumultuous circumstances surrounding the recording, Frank Zappa explained, “Mark Farner had already gone back to his ranch – or farm or whatever it is – in Michigan and the tune that I played on was a song that was written by the piano player.” Seemingly, one of the conditions of the album being made was that it would include a songwriting effort by keys player Craig Frost, so much so that, according to Zappa, the band axed an already-finished track to put one in.
“It was unfinished, and we were already in the process of mixing by the time that changeover was made,” Zappa continued. “So they asked me to fill in this blank that was in that song, and I didn’t want to do it, but I did it, and so it’s on there.” Although Zappa did go on to add that he “enjoyed working with them, and they’re nice guys,” he wasn’t overly impressed with the chaotic nature of the recording.
Grand Funk Railroad split up (again) almost as soon as the album was finished, adding yet another sour taste in Zappa’s mouth. In fact, at the time the songwriter gave that interview in 1981, GFR were in the process of reuniting: “They asked me to produce their next album,” Zappa revealed. “I’m not gonna do it.”
