You want to play 5 Zappa albums for your clueless friend to get the best reaction out of them; which 5 would you pick and why?

Mine....

Meat - It's all over the place in a good away - showcasing everything the Mothers were doing up to that point. Idk about you, but I love it when Zappa randomly throws in juvenile humor spoken word bits for no reason other than to mess with you! 

Fav Song - King Kong medley

Wazoo - Jazz Fusion in the manner you would expect from Frank: weird, creepy, unpredictable, insane, and funny!  Fav Song - Title or Blessed Relief - so hard to pick!

Money - Hippy satire and all cast in a humorous light while underpinning a dark depth and message.  Fav Song - Mom & Dad or Lonely Little Girl

Roxy - His most accomplished band playing original tunes on stage (with added overdubs!) - what's not to like??  Fav Song - "Don't you ever...." or "Son of Orange"  I just can't believe you are such a foooool ah ah!

Best Band '88 - A recharged Frank with a giant rock ensemble playing all sorts of tunes from Cream, Hendrix, Cash, Zeppelin, to Bolero and Bonanza!  Fav Song - Stairway (w random noises) 

I think I would put on LIVE AT THE ROXY ... and if you can take that ... good ... if not ... go home and take your pacifier with you! 

Sorry, but only two, and that is the ones I'm fond of myself:

Hot Rats   and  Over-nite Sensation

Watermelon In Easter Hay

Inca Roads

Deathless Horsie

G-Spot Tornado

Black Page V2 (Live '81)

For my picks I would try to expose some of the different sides of Zappa's work: Jazz Rock, wizardry, silliness, contemporary music and a wonderful live rendition of his work:

Hot Rats

The Grand Wazoo

Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III

Civilization Phaze III

The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life

We're Only In It for the Money

The Grand Wazoo

Uncle Meat

Hot Rats

I think it's kind of the opposite. The 60's Mothers era has a lot of weird, annoying stuff, particularly on Uncle Meat and WOIIFTM. Even Hot Rats can go on a bit long at times. But I've played Freak Out! for my friends, at least the first disc, and they thought that was funny. Over-Nite Sensation and some of OSFA worked out as well, as did Joe's Garage. YAWYI is pretty accessible too. But I've also played a lot of Zappa back when I still lived with my parents, and my siblings and my mom really do not like any of it, really. Especially the guitar solos. But my friends took to Dirty Love and Wet T-Shirt Nite pretty easily.

I guess if I had to pick 5 albums I'd spread them out over different facets of Zappa. So,

Freak Out! simply because it's groundbreaking for 1966 and a completely unique album

Orchestral Favorites because it's the best representation of his classical music

One of the Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar albums...whichever I'm in the mood for I guess

Roxy & Elsewhere because it's a good represtation of both his more accessible and fusion focused aspects of this era

You Are What You is because it's a good culmination of his late-70's onwards era and a good proof that he can write more accessible stuff (if you cut out some of the lyrics and the occasional weird touch).

But really, friends of mine become at least acquainted with Zappa sooner or later because he's my favorite artist, and my oldest friends and family will pretty easily pick out a Zappa song if I just play random sh*t.

Wha?? I thought that aspect is what captures the attention and praise of somebody unfamiliar with him (as if you don't have to like his style, but the solos are the WOW factor nonetheless). 

- Agree!

- I would put that second right after Yellow Shark.

- A whole disc of guitar solos!  That might burn them out unless your goal is to test their patience. 

- Agree!

- But that's what makes Zappa! If you do that with YAWYI, you wash all the life out of it. 

Did your friends and family watch the YAWYI music video?? 

Stressed Cheese wrote: I think it's kind of the opposite. The 60's Mothers era has a lot of weird, annoying stuff, particularly on Uncle Meat and WOIIFTM. Even Hot Rats can go on a bit long at times.

I think there's weird and annoying stuff spread out all over Zappas career. But to me those you mention both work well as a full album experience. And as I don't mind their weirdness, I'm not annoyed by it.

Stressed Cheese wrote: Orchestral Favorites because it's the best representation of his classical music One of the Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar albums...whichever I'm in the mood for I guess You Are What You is because it's a good culmination of his late-70's onwards era and a good proof that he can write more accessible stuff

If those were played I would be the one leaving the room along with my friends, I'm afraid. I'm exaggerating a bit, but endless guitarsoloing don't have to be weird to annoy me. And I hardly know anyone who has the patience for that (those I do know are are already Zappa-fans). It's not what I personally look for - or long for in music at all. I'm not particularly interested in Zappa's "classical music" either. For someone whose listened to over a thousand moviescores (which is what it reminds me of), I think Zappas uniqueness is largely lost in translation. I'm quite certain I would get something resembling an angry, almost aggressive response from any friends of mine that wasn't already into Zappa (I know plenty who is though). The way I see it these three would all be completely disastrous introductory albums , and not for newcomers at all. 

I think you simply enjoy a lot more and obviously prefer a differnt Zappa than I do. And we probably have very different friends too.

There was also a time I just had a bunch of songs on shuffle play and thought to myself "It'd be awkward if something like 'Broken Hearts are for a****les' played next"... and then it did, with no intervention. The only time something like that had ever happened to me.

Fun Story! 

So you played that on yourself? Or you mean nobody in the room intervened to say a word? 

What was the condition of the room when the song was over? 

Maybe they like some of it, but the solos go on too long for most non-fans I think, and they also tend to be kind of hyper and all over the place. My mom in particular doesn't like "nervous" music (like fast jazz fusion riffs and solos), so playing her one of the Shut Up title tracks would drive her mad. Even though she listens to metal with obnoxious blast beats, so I've told her how much of a hypocrite she is.

And no I have not played people the YAWYI video, but I've played the song, and people liked that one.

Saperlipopette! wrote: I think there's weird and annoying stuff spread out all over Zappas career. But to me those you mention both work well as a full album experience. And as I don't mind their weirdness, I'm not annoyed by it.

I think you bring a good point! 

Which 5 would you play for a newbie to get the 'best' reaction from them (best is subjective here)? 

I used to play as much Zappa as I can to my grandpa for the best reactions haha 

OVERNIGHT SENSATION is the one album that is "easiest" to play for your friend. The whole album was put together with the idea of it breaking into the FM radio that was playing so much FZ already, and of course, the album became a massive hit, with many of the pieces that we can still hum to or easily flip a lyric or two.

But, in many ways OS is not exactly what FZ was about ... which was way more than just a few rock songs fit to be tied neatly on the radio lists at the time!

Hi,

I would add that at the time, the ability , talent ... and ABOVE ALL ... DESIRE ... to do something different that was not marked, controlled and defined by how "music" and its myriad of mathematical concepts were in control of the art. The 20th century has been one for the experimentation, changes and very different things in the arts, music likely being the most visible of all due to the incredible rate that radio, then commercialization brought music to the front via rock and jazz music.

Some of the younger generation is not going to enjoy and appreciate a lot of things, and 200 MOTELS is a perfect example, that a lot of folks hate because it's so all over the place, and folks don't even realize how ANTI-COMMERCIAL the whole thing is, and the point that it makes, with a lot of fun, weird, and bizarre jokes. 

I'm not sure that you, or I ... can convince anyone of anything ... it reeks of something else. Folks ... and you all know this well ... need to FIND things on their own way, so they can figure out who they are and what they are. 

Hey, both the 60s and 80s eras can serve as entry points to different people. 

I think Freak Out is a great starting point for Zappa if you ignore side 4 of the vinyl, so there's that. 

I would introduce Hot Rats only if the person is already somewhat versed in jazz-fusiony music and extended instrumental jams. The album is 6 songs and most go over the 6 minute mark. 

For the uninitiated crowd that I've dealt with, that tends to be the case. Granted these were younger people. You talked about "lasting popularity," but that doesn't mean that people who weren't alive when it released are going to connect with it as much as those who were around then and still prefer that era. And I know there's a sizable crowd that do.

Also, the original Mothers era also incorporate dated jokes, and he was still writing weird, complicated compositions with horns. I would argue that, despite how Frank would incorporate so many different styles and sounds as his career progressed, one thing that remained consistent was the mixture of the accessible with the inaccessible. At least in terms of the composition. Some people will just never jive with most of the lyrics he writes. I'd say only his orchestral and synclavier albums are completely uncompromising in their density.

Hi,

The term you want is "anti-commercial", which is very obvious by his many satires on many products and also on a lot of things on the TV airwaves in Southern California. 

TODAY, a lot of this stuff is not "accessible" because no one takes a look at history to help make sense of so much music the world over ... SF "happened" because the local free form FM radio was THE THING back then with a couple of DJ's helping a lot of new material not only get on the air, but also get concerts in various places. Today, a Party at the G. G. Park, could not even get started and the police would think that the new homeless group has arrived ... again!

This is the hard side of studying "progressive" and a lot of musical events and scenes, going back hundreds of years ... none of it makes sense ... until you also explain, and help get a kid's attention to the different possibilities ... though in this case someone at school with a woke mentality would say you are subverting the kid with bad ideas! The same mentality/media that killed all the "psychedelic" generation!

I think, and I try here ... hard ... to explain that some of the critiques in many of the comments here are inappropriate and sad ... they take the music out of context. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and many other artists make a lot more sense when they are viewed as the "ROMANTIC" artists ... just like Shakespeare and Marlowe and others are considered "RENAISSANCE" artists. This, would IMMEDIATELY help the youngster realize that things were different then ... that what they are hearing is NOT something that would likely be heard today ... specially with the "de-sanctified" group deciding that the content is not right for any teenagers in the state of fluoride, like it was for a general that ordered the bomb sent! (fun movie with Slim Pickens riding the bomb!)

I´d pick some of his most accessible releases (that´s how I got into Zappa). Not many people are ready to hear and understand some of the more challenging stuff at first listen:

"We´re Only in it for the Money"

"Overnight Sensation"

"Apostrophe"

"One Size Fits All"

"Sheik Yerbouti"

If my friend fanzy those releases, we can move on to some of the more challenging releases.

Hi,

This is strange to me ... having had the experience with Space Pirate Radio going back to its start in 1974, there are/were two kinds of folks in the listenership ... those who like to listen to things, and those that are brainwashed by the hits they like, or as you see on the street and in many cars, loud rap ... or around here, lots of Spanish speaking salsa and tortillas!

And, at times, it seems to not be anything in between. 

Given Guy's history with his show, the only folks that "didn't get it" or "didn't like it" were the folks that tried to convert Guy to another automaton playing all the hits and nothing but the hits. They treated him like dirt for a long time, because of his choices of music, and in the end, he added MORE to their play list than they will EVER admit. 

Guessing/expecting any friend to feel this or like this or that, is weird ... the best, and only thing you can do is play what you like and not worry about your friend. In the end, he/she will either come around and understand/appreciate new stuff or they want ... but I have to tell you that chatting and saying hello to folks that have heard a lot of Space Pirate Radio going back to 1974 is a treat and then some ... we weren't the only ones, that loved the new music!

You kinda have to let music just flow on its own ... and new folks will pick up on different things or they want ... and probably go back to the boomboom style! oh well ... maybe one day they will "get it" and learn something about themselves and other music out there in the stratosfear of their minds! 

Hi,

If I was normal, like many others, we wouldn't have a "progressive" board at all! Or "progressive" anything!

Saperlipopette! wrote: ... If I wanted someone to start appreciating painting or classical music - much as I love them - I wouldn't start by introducing them to Mondrian or Schoenberg. It's just common sense to me.

Based on my experience, it doesn't matter what we choose since the tastes vary so much and folks get slapped with some sounds or music, that somehow they can relate to, and end up liking. The only bother, I suppose was the bunch of stonies that asked for Led Zeppelin, man ... and they had the album on top of it! That's stoned, for sure, and not about the music I don't think!

I got used to sound effects with The Goons, and later hearing Guy have fun with them (all those BBC sound effects records got their due in a 1000 speeds) ... made it easier to hear a lot of stuff that was weird and off the track ... it was harder, for example, for me to get into Tangerine Dream (took a week!!!) than it did to listen to Faust, which in my book was a lot of fun, and the same with Frank Zappa being so anti-commercial (very obvious on his satirical stuff in 200 Motels and other works) ... and the different folks that still listen to Guy's show, per chat on the twitch thing ... makes you wonder what got them into it.

I really think that there is no telling what is going to snap someone's ears on ... it just happens for many, though one could say psychologically that it is because of this and that ... and I'm not even sure of that anymore. 

Nowadays, it is much harder I think since a lot of folks are so commercially bound that they are having a hard time hearing anything else, and that would be the same thing with the examples of the music. I, for one, loved Stravinsky the first time I heard it ... Leonard Bernstein doing The Rite of Spring ... I think that album is either 1963 or 1964, to give you an idea ... and at that time I mostly liked Puccini, Verdi, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and such. Stuff that you could say was more melodic, which made The Rite of Spring completely anti-melodic (so to speak!).

Frank Zappa is a variety shop, which makes things tougher for a lot of listeners, thus one likes this album, but hates 200 Motels, or one likes the early and weird stuff because so much of the rest is more attuned for a little sales, so he could keep doing things, but that did not explain his forays into Europe to do classical music, which America hated and would not touch ... and other than one or two folks no one listens to it one could state.