Stealing Psychedelic Paul's concept once again. This one should be interesting. So many classics, so many ways to enjoy/annoy: To many albums to list. I'm certain you know which ones you got and which ones you love (the most).

1st album - 12 points

This wasn't easy, but in the end I got:

I can't say I have a favorite, except that I have over 25 cd's of his music, which ought to tell you how much I think of all the stuff. 

Of all the things, even though things like "Overnight Sensation" and "Apostrophe", or "Hot Rats" and even "The Grand Wazoo" are super nice, to me, the most impressive and valuable of all of these is "200 MOTELS" because its satiric edge and totality of work is insane and not something that anyone else has even considered doing since then. Here we are, 50 plus years, and that thing is still crazy, without all the beers and dope and BS about it being a hit.

Sadly, not a whole lot of his classically minded stuff done in Europe is well known, since we are all rock fans, and we hate anything else.

Lastly, the UCLA performance of 200 MOTELS just prior to Gayle's passing, is phenomenal, and so few folks ever bothered listening to it. The choir piece at the end alone is worth the price of admission, and for once you see a choir stretch its talents and vocals ... something you will never see, even in Salt Lake City!

2. One Size Fits All

3. Apostrophe'

4. Joes Garage

5. The Grand Wazoo

6. Hot Rats

7. Sheik Yerbouti 

moshkito wrote: I can't say I have a favorite, except that I have over 25 cd's of his music, which ought to tell you how much I think of all the stuff.

I've got about the same amount in my collestion. Love them all of course. Otherwise I wouldn't own them. While I'm the type of person that actually may prefer some music over other music (and a work of art over some other work of art), this whole favorite-Zappa isn't personally an important issue to me. I mainly start something like this hoping it may end up somewhere interesting. Maybe the replies  will have me thinking something like "perhaps I should relisten to Overnite Sensation tomorrow... everyone seem to love it so much, and it's sure been a while since I last spun it..."

-Waka / Jawaka is just plain wonderful though, a desert island disc and I listen to it ALL THE TIME.

moshkito wrote: Sadly, not a whole lot of his classically minded stuff done in Europe is well known, since we are all rock fans, and we hate anything else.

Haha speak for yourself. I listen to jazz and ca. 600 years of "classically minded" music more than I do rock. I "enjoy" Civilization Phaze III (Zappa Vol II not so much), but there's hundreds of composers I'd reach for over Zappa in a classically minded mood. Don't blame me for Zappa operating within some sort of jazz-rock-framework-thing during his vibrant and most creative years.

moshkito wrote: Lastly, the UCLA performance of 200 MOTELS just prior to Gayle's passing, is phenomenal, and so few folks ever bothered listening to it. The choir piece at the end alone is worth the price of admission, and for once you see a choir stretch its talents and vocals ... something you will never see, even in Salt Lake City!

You mean the one conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen?  I'll admit I've never heard it, and will try to do sometihng about thT.

7. Joes Garage (4 points)

.....................................

9. Burnt Weeny Sandwich (3 points)

10. Absolutely Free ( (2 points)

Ummmm,,, two #1,  two #7 & two # 11 ??  I guess that's one way to sneak a few extras in.

Yes, all inclusive.

1. One Size Fits All (20 points)
2. Over-Nite Sensation (18 points)
3. The Grand Wazoo (17 points)
4. Waka / Jawaka (12 points)
5. Hot Rats (10 points)
6. Apostrophe' (8 points)
7. Joe's Garage (Act 1) (7 points)
.....................................

8. We're Only in It for the Money (4 points)
8. Roxy & Elsewhere (4 points)
10. Burnt Weeny Sandwich (3 points)
11. Absolutely Free ( (2 points)
12. Uncle Meat (1 point)
12. Sheik Yerbouti  (1 point)
12. The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life  (1 point)

 I'm sorry, I misunderstood the post . I thought these were your selections. I did realize you were tallying the points, My bad. 

A bit arbitrary, except for the first one, but otherwise I'd have 12 candidates for a top 7 in no particular order (not considering live albums...):

1. Civilization Phaze III

2. One Size Fits All6. Apostrophe

Good thread!

1 The Grand Wazoo

2 Hot Rats

3 Uncle Meat

4 Jazz From Hell

5 One Size Fits All

6 Waka / Jawaka

7 Roxy & Elsewhere

Uncle Meat (1969)

Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)

The Grand Wazoo (1972)

Over-Nite Sensation (1973)

Hot Rats (1969)

Waka/Jawaka (1972)

Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar (1981)

OverniteThe Grand Wazoo has taken a quite comfortable lead, while Uncle Meat, Civilization Phaze III and Burnt Weeny Sandwich has entered the Top 7:

1. The Grand Wazoo (44 points)
2. One Size Fits All (33 points)
2. Hot Rats (33 points)
4. Over-Nite Sensation (28 points)
4. Waka / Jawaka (28 points)
6. Uncle Meat (19 points)
7. Civilization Phaze III (12 points)
7. Burnt Weeny Sandwich (12 points)

……… the three closest are:

Apostrophe' (10 points)
Joe's Garage (Act 1) (8 points)
Weasels Ripped My Flesh (8 points)

Sad ... no one else cares about 200 Motels, and at the time it was done it was one of the most progressive and original things ever done ... one of the first times video was done with film, for example. It also had more satire and stuff that is way out there, not to mention the musical variety is insane ... but we're all rockers ... do we care about the rest of the music?

Here's an idea: pick seven albums as the OP requested, and then STFU. No one cares about your pompous editorializing and tw*tish insults of other posters. So stop defecating on otherwise enjoyable threads. 

Oh, and the classical recordings released later in Zappa's career are alright as those things go, but they are certainly not some of his best albums. Just because you can hire a symphony doesn't make it particularly great. 

Here's my choices, in no particular order:

Hot Rats

Over-Nite Sensation

Apostrophe

Freak Out!

Uncle Meat

Weasels Ripped My Flesh

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vols. 1 and 2

1. Uncle Meat

2. Roxy & Elsewhere

3. Weasels Ripped My Flesh

4. We’re Only In It For The Money

5. Make A Jazz Noise Here

6. Lumpy Gravy

7. Burnt Weeny Sandwich

Nice!

1. The Grand Wazoo (43 points)

6. We're Only in It for the Money (28 points)

Here's the ones with 10 or more points

Roxy & Elsewhere (13 points)

Lumpy Gravy (12 points)
Apostrophe' (10 points)

moshkito wrote: Hi, Sad ... no one else cares about 200 Motels, and at the time it was done it was one of the most progressive and original things ever done ... one of the first times video was done with film, for example. It also had more satire and stuff that is way out there, not to mention the musical variety is insane ... but we're all rockers ... do we care about the rest of the music?

Hey Mr. Rocker. I find 200 Motels mostly annoying and impossible to sit through as a whole. The "musically interesting" ideas presented there can be experienced in other, more interesting contexts elsewhere - without Flo & Eddie (and without rock). I've saw the movie a bunch of times during my student years though. Admittedly without paying close attention. It was just on all the time in our living room. It did create some good vibes.

1. Apostrophe

2. One Size Fits All

3. Waka / Jawaka

4. Over-Nite Sensation

5. Roxy & Elsewhere

6. Absolutely Free

7. Broadway The Hard Way

7. Apostrophe’ (28 points)

-the four following:

1/ Overnite Sensation

2/ Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch

3/ Broadway The Hard Way

4/ Them Or Us

5/ One Size Fits All

6/ Apostrophe'

7/ Thing Fish 

1. The Grand Wazoo

2. We're Only In It for the Money

3. Zappa In New York

4. One Size Fits All

5. Chunga's Revenge

6. Apostrophe

7. Emmm... London Symphony Orchestra Vol. 1? (Haven't heard all of it but I love his orchestral/Modern side)

I suppose we got a top four, a top eight - and the rest:

1. The Grand Wazoo (55 points)

Ten or more: