Essential Frank Zappa

[Deluge Of Sound]

That could be the most spectacular thing ever. Aside from actually seeing the original band playing the whole of Apostrophe live, that is.

My dad and uncle saw Zappa somewhere in the UK, roughly around the "Ahead of Their Time" era. Mindblowingly good, according to both of 'em.

 

[Big B.]

The album that really broke me into Zappa was Live in New York. One of the greatest live band performances around. And every time I hear "the Illinois Enema Bandit" I fall over laughing. Every time.

 

[nutdog]

+1 Over-Nite Sensation

What a groove on Dinah-Moe Humm (aside from being absolutely hilarious)

I find some of Zappa to be unlistenable, and some to be absolutely incredible.

The dude was brilliant. These clips give insight into Frank's phonic perspicacity:

Steve Allen show age 22

 

[onionpuzzle]

Man from Utopia -- soundtrack to High School drug use.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

there was a period of five records or so that were reputed to be contractually necessary,and not his best work...

yeah, the whole "Sleep dirt" and "studio tan" era... Those are pretty missable.

No matter what, I miss him. He was a great musician and a great American.

 

[BassLife77]

All the live stuff with Patrick O'Hearn on bass is essential.

 

[Jim Campbell]

yeah, the whole "Sleep dirt" and "studio tan" era... Those are pretty missable.

No matter what, I miss him. He was a great musician and a great American.

i hear ya....sigh... i'm gettin' a sudden urge to hear hot rats.....

 

[Funk&Disorderly]

yeah, the whole "Sleep dirt" and "studio tan" era... Those are pretty missable.

I would absolutely dispute the missability of Studio Tan. For me, this album has some of the most amazing music that i've ever encountered. This was actually the first CD i ever bought (with money saved from my paper round). I quickly discovered that all of my friends hated it, but i didn't care.

However, this whole album is included on "Läther", which also features a wealth of other amazing tracks from the era.

 

[Sketchy]

You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol 2

Just brilliant instrumentals and assorted rambling dialogues while playing.

 

[AltGrendel]

ROXY AND ELSEWHERE!!!!!!

+1, very accessible and very essential Zappa. If you have a brass section that can do "Echidna's Arf (of You)/Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" and keep it together, you have a bunch of hot, hot, hot horn players.

Also just about any of the "You can't do that on stage anymore" series.

 

[Skitch it!]

I like Joe's Garage, Man From Utopia, One Size Fit's All/Apostrophe and the live version of 'The Evil Prince' from You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4, amongst stacks of others.

 

[RFord04]

I was inroduced a few years ago with the compilation "Strictly Commercial" as a few others have mentioned. It' the perfect introduction to his music, and I knew almost every song within a couple days. I could not take it out of the CD player, until I got some of his original releases. Easily one of my favorite artists of all time (that I know of, I'm only 23, but I regret waiting 20 years to listen to his stuff).

+1 on reading his autobiography "The Real Frank Zappa." Definitely puts his work in to perspective, and a very entertaining read on top of that. Not your average autobiography by any means, but what would you expect from a genious like Frank?

 

[fishtx]

I have probably 30 Zappa CD's in my collection...and some of it is whimsical, some is so advanced it is completely over my head...but I have always really really loved the way Frank could do blues...those dirty blues grooves and shuffles his band's would lay down were just so bad a**....tunes like "200 years old" and "advance romance" on Bongo Fury..."Anythinhg ya wanna do is alright" from Roxy..."Crew Slut" from Joe's garage..."Bamboozled by love"...man...he knew how to make the blues nasty...