Billy the Mountain you say? What is this all about? This is one of the cool, crazy and creative stories from the late Frank Zappa, about a mountain named Billy and his little wooden wife. Read on to hear how one fan recorded this entire epic with only his voice, creating an amazing a cappella version of this legendary ballad.

“Billy the Mountain” is a Frank Zappa song, first made available on the album Just Another Band from L.A. in 1972. The original recording of this song, which took more than a half-hour to perform, was from a live tour performance on August 7, 1971 in Los Angeles during the Flo & Eddie days of Frank Zappa’s band. The album recording had to be reduced to 24 minutes and 47 seconds in order to fit on one side.

Some say that the epic treatment of the story and its development is considered to parody the rock opera style, which recently had emerged with the release of Tommy by The Who three years earlier. The lyrics are a satirical myriad of imagery of the popular culture of the day, the city of Los Angeles, the demise of urban America, and overall absurd juxtapositions of situations.

Billy the Mountain – Part I:

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