From: eichler2@comcastsucks.net   
      
   I finally got around to buying a copy of Charles Ulrich's book, "The   
   Big Note - A Guide to the Recordings of Frank Zappa".  I had it on the   
   Amazon wishlist that my relatives use for Xmas shopping since it first   
   came out, but no one took the hint so I finally just ordered it for   
   myself for my birthday.   
      
   This book has got to be the most encyclopedic set of information about   
   Zappa's albums ever gathered in one place.  So far I've read the   
   introduction and the chapters on Absolutely Free and Ahead of Their   
   Time (while simultaneously listening to the albums), and I've already   
   learned at least a dozen things I had never known before or never   
   noticed in the music before.  I'm really looking forward to continuing   
   this reading/listening process for an album or two each week over the   
   next...well, few years probably.   
      
   My only minor complaint is that I wish the albums had been listed   
   chronologically by release date instead of alphabetically by title.   
   It's explained in the introduction why the book is organized the way   
   it is, but I still think listing the albums by release date would have   
   made more sense.  But I guess there's nothing stopping me from reading   
   the chapters in whatever order I want (apart from the fact that I've   
   already read the first two alphabetically).   
      
   Anyway, if you're still reading alt.fan.fz Charles, thanks for doing   
   the mind-boggling amount of research and work it must have taken to   
   put this book together.  It has definitely rekindled my interest in   
   Zappa's music.   
      
     -- Bob   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)