THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: OVER-NITE SENSATION

The seventies was certainly a golden era for Zappa and Over-Nite Sensation while up against some stiff competition in his back catalogue is one of his best albums ever. The humour in well intact while having a band of far superior musicians to early Mothers Of Invention albums. It's also by Zappa's standards a fairly accessible record. Despite its underlying complexities it comes across as an album of immediately likeable rock songs, done in his own inimitable style of course though with fusion thrown in here and there. It also happens to be one of his best albums to showcase his excellent lead guitar playing which is all over the place, none better than his extended workout on closing track Montana.

The albums short and sweet; only 34 minutes in total, nothing longer than six and a half minutes, but most tracks are Zappa classics including the hilarious though very naughty Dinah-Moe-Hum (don't play this to your Mum), the stunning complexities of Zombie Woof and his put down of rubbish Tv and the way it can be used to manipulate people with I'm The Slime.

With over 40 Zappa records in my collection Over-Nite Sensation is one of his albums I revisit most often, never tiring of the excellent songs and brilliant musicianship of one of his finest line-ups. An excellent place to start discovering the great man and an essential part of any Zappa collection.