I like Zappa, but most of what I have heard was from friends back in high school and I can’t remember any of the songs. What is good?
Depend on what you like. I’m partial to his lengthier mid-period instrumental work, much of which is more-or-less jazz ( King Kong, the Burnt Weeney Sandwhich album, Hot Rats, The entire Grand Wazoo album, et al ).
If you prefer his humour ( which I also like ), it really depends on what period. Some of his stuff is silly, some smart, some just puerile ( in a good way IMO 
). You might try the album Chunga’s Revenge which is a blend of instrumental and mid-period Flo & Eddie clowning ( what he referred to as “the vaudeville band” ). Joe’s Garage Pt. 1 is later comedy that is decent ( don’t like pts. 2 & 3, though ) and We’re Only In It For The Money is his early-period classic spoof on the Sgt. Pepper album.
If you like his clever parodying of ( and quasi-tribute to ) doo-wop, there is always the classic Cruising with Ruben and the Jets.
Radio Zappa? The stuff from Apostrophe ( “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” ) and Ship Too Late to Save A Drowning Witch ( “Valley Girl” ) both got some airplay.
Really his output was so enormous and rather varied that it is hard to distill down to a selection of “definitive Zappa”.
- Tamerlane
Newbies to Zappa should start with these albums:
- Over-Nite sensation
- Roxy and Elsewhere
- Apostrophe
- One size fits all
It’s all pretty melodic (and not too jazzy). Lot’s of humor and a pretty good start to understanding him and his music. From there I’d branch out to his earlier stuff - all of the albums above is from '72-'75. Later in his life he tended to be too productive. Album after album of jazzy guitarr-solos. If you’re into that, fine, but it was nothing for me and I sorta dropped my interest in him somewhere around '83. Been planning on buying all the old stuff on CD, since I don’t have a turntable anymore, but haven’t got around to it yet.
You could try Zoot Allures or Shiek Yerbouti. Both are good fun albums.
Dave
Good Flo and Eddie era albums are <i>Just Another Band from LA</i> and <i>Live at the Fillmore</i>.
Instrumental wise, I’m very partial to both the albums Tamerlane mentioned,<i> Hot Rats</i> and <i>Burnt Weeny Sandwich</I>.
Later period,<i> Live in NY </i>is good, as is <i>You are What You Is</i>.
Now we have successfully overloaded you with information and you’re no better off than you were before you asked.
I think it depends on whether you want Zappa or whether you want Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.
IMO, nothing Zappa did under his name alone* rivals Hot Rats especially Peaches en Regalia and Willie the Pimp.
With respect to the Mothers, my favourite, and I think the most eclectically enjoyable, is Uncle Meat.
YMMV.
[sub][sup]*in fact he had some amazing people with him including Jean-Luc Ponty[/sup][/sub]
Tamerlane did a very good breakdown of the different phases of Zappa’s musical output, it is hard to name a “definitive Zappa” album or song.
I usually loan people my copy of Strictly Commercial: The Best Of Frank Zappa as a way of introducing (or reintroducing) people to his music. The subtitle is a bit misleading, the album is better described as the more accessible of Frank Zappa. It includes songs from many, but not all, eras of his output.
Personal favorites I’d recommend: Freak Out!, Hot Rats, The Grand Wazoo, Roxy And Elsewhere, Zoot Allures, Jazz From Hell, The Yellow Shark. Although the last one is technically a group called the Ensemble Modern performing commissioned arrangements of Zappa’s music.
Definitely agree with the consensus here. But as much as I admire the man, much of his music I can’t stand. Yes, I am a troglodyte.
Joe’s Garage Just part one. Good song cycle with some pointed observations about music, the life of a rock star (“Crew Slut”) and god knows what else.
Sheik Yerbouti Great social commentary, some of it locked in the '80s, but some of it still timeless (“Dumb All Over,” with the lines “you can’t run a country by a book of religion / not by a heap or a lump or a smidgen / of foolish rules of ancient date / designed to make you all feel great”) . There’s also “Suicide Chump” (“Go on and get it over then / find you a bridge and take a jump / just make sure you do it right the first time / cause nobody loves a suicide chump”) and “Heavenly Bank Account” about televangelists.
Live at the Fillmore East 1971 has the legendary “Mud Shark” / “What Kind of Girl” that’s hilarious and cruel.
This may be one of those things where one likes what one has good associations with. And it’s also a question of whether you are more drawn to his humor, or his music. I have a strong bent for humor, and my favorites are:
Absolutely Free and Fillmore East. (If you’re a Beatles fan, that’s well worth getting for a couple really fine John Lennon tracks.) 200 Motels has many moments.
I really like “Live in New York”, Don Pardo just adds so much.
And of course, I am quite partial to “Dinah-moe Humm”
Just to throw in my favorites:
Just Another Band from L.A.
Bongo Fury with Carolina Hard Core Ecstacy, my favorite Zappa sing-along
Roxy and Elsewhere
One Size Fits All (Evelyn, a Modified Dog has become a ‘family anthem’ with my sibs and I - which drives my niece nuts)
[/Hot Rats
Sheik Yerbouti
His first three albums are the best, in my view -
** Freak Out
Absolutely Free
We’re only in it for the money**
The lengthy guitar solos of his later works all start to sound the same.
[QUOTESheik Yerbouti Great social commentary, some of it locked in the '80s, but some of it still timeless (“Dumb All Over,” with the lines “you can’t run a country by a book of religion / not by a heap or a lump or a smidgen / of foolish rules of ancient date / designed to make you all feel great”) . There’s also “Suicide Chump” (“Go on and get it over then / find you a bridge and take a jump / just make sure you do it right the first time / cause nobody loves a suicide chump”) and “Heavenly Bank Account” about televangelists.
[/QUOTE]
Sheik Yerbouti is indeed a great album.
Unfortunately, all the songs you have quoted are on the You Are What You Is album. A fine album in its own right, BTW.
Chris W.
PS If Zappa’s guitar solos interest you, Guitar and Shut Up N’ Play Yer Guitar are both mind-blowers.
I’ll have to second this. Insanely catchy Schoolhouse Rock-type vibe and very, very filthy. Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation was my first Zappa album and a lot of my favorites are here…Camarillo Brillo, Apostrophe, Dirty Love… ahhhhhhh. In fact, what the hell am I doing futzing about online? I’m gonna go put on headphones…
here is a good site that will help you decide what you want to buu, and what style is on the discs. I prefer the Apostrophe(’) and Over Nite Sensatio era band.
Shiek Yrebouti was my first Zappa album, and I liked it. It is a good place to start too, but the lyrics are offensive to some people.
btw ** dinahmoe**, my username is a Zappa song too.
I should always preview my posts.
Nah what fun would that be?
I like the personal touch.
I don’t know about songs per se, I think Zappa is more of a “listen to the whole album” kind of musician. Honestly, I can only name a handful of Zappa songs, and usually refer to certain parts of an album for reference (i.e. the solo after he says “take it down to C # Ernie”)
My favorite albums are Bongo Fury, Absolutely Free, Hot Rats and the German release of The Best of the Mothers of Invention.
Really, it’s all good.