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A friend of mine has just given me a near complete Frank Zappa discography, and there really is sh1t loads of music on there to get through, can any Zappa fans on here recommend any good albums?
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I've only got one .Hot Rats .It's good but i then made the connection to Captain Beefheart.The album Unconditionally Guaranteed is quality with a capital Q.
Joe's Garage is a good place to start.
apostrophe......top album
The live CDs.
joes Garage
Sheik Yerbooty
Roxy and Elsewhere.
My favourite album of all time. ever.
Hot Rats also great.
Think i am only missing about 4 albums...
You really should start With Joe's Garage.
All the live records I've heard are pretty good.
And another vote for Hot Rats. And then you can start getting into the world of wonder of Captain Beefheart...
Hmmm...well I've got 60 or so of his albums and think Joe's Garage is OK but far better ones about! I'd probably just start in release order but there are some less appealing ones in the 80s. But then maybe best to start with the more accessible ones - Hot Rats is a good one for that and his best known I suppose. The Best Band series are good for a bit of a cross section - the 4th is maybe the most accessible of those; also Make a Jazz Noise Here and Best Band you never heard in your life. The 60s stuff is perhaps his most interesting though so go for Freak Out and We're only in it for the money.
As for Beefheart? Yep, I'm a big fan - Trout Mask Replica, which FZ produced, isn't for the faint hearted though....
Do the Mud Shark baby!
The problem is that he was prolific in his output and each of his studio albums has a uniqueness in it's own right.
I got started on Zappa with Tinseltown Rebellion which is still my favourite along with You Are What You Is, Sheik Yerbouti and The Man from Utopia (incidentally these are from the 1979-1982 era which is my favourite).
I was fortunate enough to see him on his last ever tour in 1988 and I can recommend the CD The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, which is live recordings from that tour with quite a few cover versions thrown in.
DrBike seems to like albums that I find less appealing!
This is a good comparison of ratings of his albums:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kbfoxqe5ldde~T2
why does it hurt when i pee?
Overnite Sensation for me...a little gem of an album but there again Chunga's Revenge is pretty good. I like Joe's Garage etc but they really are a little commercial for FZ. Hot Rats never did it for me but Live at Filmore East did! It really is tough with FZ as his output was so varied. You'll either like it or loathe it.
Not much help am I?
why does it hurt when i pee?
That song always reminds me of when I had cystitis as a kid - lava pee....
Mudshark - I just like them cos it's the first Zappa stuff I heard and it blew me away. I should also say that Overnite Sensation and Apostrophe are up there, plus everyone should listen to Freak Out and then compare to other stuff that was recorded in 1966 just to get an idea of what genius FZ was.
Now you've got me thinking about Captain Beefheart too ...
Apostrophe, Tinseltown Rebellion and Joe's Garage are all ACE.
You Are What You Is is a particular favourite of mine.
Jazz From Hell really is jizz from hell, best avoid.
Also worth a listen to Steve Vai's first solo album (Flex-able) - there's a lot of obvious Zappa influence there.
What DrBike said.
Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch or a 2nd for The Man From Utopia.
Also if you can still get a video called "does humour belong in music?" get it and watch in wonderment at the whole band
Chad Whackerman.....best name for a drummer ever
****in awesome
I saw zappa at wembley arena (poss the same tour as Dr Bike) and it was sh!te. a few hours of my life I'll never get back. The problem with Zappa is that his output was so huge that you're not going to like all of it. Some of it is fabulous and some is total dross.
But seems we don't all agree on the dross?
BTW, Yellow Shark was performed at the Proms one year.
Not so sure it was dross.....just less accessible than other "easier" stuff. Strangely enough I love the humour on Ruben and the Jets but no way is that going to be on many people's "must listen to" list.... unless you like doo wop.
I'd recommend albums from the seventies for a new listener - earlier stuff is a bit off the wall, and eighties just isn't as good I think.
That said, the first FZ albums I got into *were* from the 80s - Joe's Garage, You Are What You Is, Sheik Yerbouti (okay, 1979...)... but my tastes changed once I started listening to the 70s albums and I much prefer them now. The albums I listen to most are Apostrophe, Over-Nite Sensation, Zoot Allures, One Size Fits All.
If you like the jazzier instrumental stuff, check out Waka Jawaka or The Grand Wazoo.
As far as live albums go, The Best Band You Never Heard is excellent.
Sheik Yerbouti for me
Joe's Garage is ace, first Zappa album I bought: Watermelon in Easter Hay is one of my favourite tracks ever.
Personal favourites are the first 'You can't do that on stage anymore' Sampler, the one with the yellow cover (The version of Whipping Post/Floss with Dweezil doing the guitar solo is immense) and Sheik Yerbouti.
Also, if you're a fan of guitar instrumentals, Shut up and play yer Guitar is a stunner.
Remember buying Them or Us and getting strange looks on the bus all the way home - couldn't stop laughing at this:
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Then go and get Clear Spot by Captain Beefheart, as mentioned by so many people above.
Zappa eh? what a talent!
Not a Zappa obsessive but Hot Rats( mmmmmmmm Willie the Pimp) or Joe's Garage.