Book Review: Earth to Moon

From daughter of musical visionary Frank Zappa. Moon Unit Zappa, comes a memoir of growing up in her unconventional household in 1970s Los Angeles, coming of age as part of the MTV generation in the 1980s as the “Valley Girl,” and finding herself after losing her father, then her mother, and the fracturing of her longest relationships.

Earth to Moon, the memoir of Moon Unit Zappa, was published August 20, 2024. Dey Street Books provided a galley for review.

Frank Zappa - Francesco Zappa

Today (November 21st) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Franceso Zappa, the late 1984 release from Frank Zappa.

Frank Zappa - Them or Us

Today (October 18th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Them or Us, a double-album from Frank Zappa. It charted at number 53 in the UK and number 22 in Sweden.

Frank Zappa - Boulez Conducts Zappa: the Perfect Stranger

Today (August 23rd) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Boulez Conducts Zappa: the Perfect Stranger. The album brings together experimental rocker Frank Zappa with the French composer Pierre Boulez.

Frank Zappa - The Man From Utopia

Following 1982’s Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch (click here for that review), Frank Zappa returned to the studio to create The Man From Utopia. This album went to number 153 on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 87 in the UK and number 23 in Sweden. This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of its release.

The original vinyl track order and content varied a bit from the later re-release. As the norm, I will be examining the record as it first came out.

Frank Zappa - Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch

Thirty years ago this week (May 3rd, 1982, to be precise), Frank Zappa released his thirty third album. With only six tracks to it, Ships Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch not only had a very intriguing title but it also had an interesting format. One side of the album featured studio cuts and other side featured live cuts.

The album went to number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 200. In the UK, it reached number 61. And in Norway and Sweden it went to numbers 20 and 26 respectively. And, it featured Zappa’s best selling single in the US.