Zappa have a greatest hits album?

Strictly Commercial is the closest thing to a greatest hits, but it isn't anywhere near "greatest"...as the title implies, it's his most "commercial".

Just pick up One Size Fits All, Apostrophe, and Overnite Sensation. These three are very accessible (for Zappa) and will get you started.

 

+1 to the previous suggestions. Another good one is "The Best Band You've Never Heard in you Life". Good stuff.

imp.

 

+1... that's actually a nice disc to own if you are going to get one and only one Zappa disc. It captures the craziness (the 'Ring of Fire' theme is hilarious), the 'hit's', and also the stunning chops and writing all in one package. Very cool disc... amazing and hilarious at the same time! Stairway to Heaven is classic!

 

well, classic FZ is the early 70's: 'Overnite Sensation', 'One Size Fits All' and 'Apostrophe' are the 3 big Zappa albums from that era

'Sheik Yerbouti' and 'You Are What You Is' are two very good & accessible song-based albums from his late 70's early 80's period

'Hot Rats', 'The Grand Wazoo' and 'Waka/Jawaka' are three great mostly instrumental albums

All the albums from his last tour (1988) are virtually perfect: 'Make A Jazz Noise Here', 'The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life' and 'Broadway The Hard Way'.. agree with KJung and Chebass88, 'Best Band...' is a great all round introduction to what FZ was all about... and the bass playing is especially stunning on those releases


those 11 albums are about as good as it gets... although there's another 25 or so great albums worth a listen

 

also, check out freak out, absolutely free, or we're only in it for the money for some awesome/hilarious/weird psychedelic doowop rock

 

You can still find Overnite Sensation and Apostrophe together on a single disc, which makes it quite a value.

 

Pretty good source for info:

http://www.zappa-analysis.com/scores.htm

 

And probably not for the beginner, but one of my favorites, is the comp "Shut up and Play Yer Guitar", the 3-disc box set of FZ lead work.

 

How about the "Joe's Garage" concept albums? I think they have nearly everything FZ could do represented there.

 

There are the cheep thrills compilations as well. But Zappa was one of those artists who worked in albums. Zappa won't make any sense unless you listen to his albums in their entirety... make sense is a term I use loosely. But I had "Strictly Commercial" and I thought it was cool/funny and I did get a sense that the guy was a great musician/composer, but the art of Zappa is in his albums.

Just dive in head first, I recommend Mothers of Invention stuff.

 

+ 100

There is no greatest hits solution. Zappa is an artist whose medium was the album and while the Apostrophe era stuff had it's commercial successes, the breadth of his wide-ranging compositional and stylistic explorations can't be summed up by a best of mentality.

 

Get whatever you want from the above suggestions and then start collecting CAPTAIN BEEFHEART albums.

 

I have much love for his live albums (esp. with flo and eddie!)
...really lets you appreciate the showmanship and skill of his sidemen, and some of them are downright hilarious.

Live at the Filmore East 1971, june 1971
Just another band form LA
The Roxy and Elsewhere
You can't do that on stage anymore vol 1 (probably the best overview over time)
You can't do that on stage anymore vol 2

 

+1

and the funniest concept album ever

 

Essential:
Fillmore East
Apostrophe/Overnite sensation
Sheik Yerbouti
You cant do that on stage anymore Vols 1-6
That'll get you started

 

Only one odd thing, why can't I get Zappa albums from iTunes/Amazon et rest download sites? They were on emusic in the early days -- silly me didn't download them as quickly as possible before they were removed...

--Kent

 

+1...Bongo Fury and the Live in New York records are great as well

 

Not if you buy them...