Though his dabbling was what others would consider mastering.įor this guide to the best Frank Zappa albums for first-timers, I am not digging into his posthumous albums, instead focusing a little more on his solo work than his time with the Mothers, though they were certainly important. The broad range of the musicians he inspired reflect the even greater range of sounds Zappa dabbled in. Even Paul McCartney claimed Sgt Pepper’s was The Beatles’ Freak Out!. Bungle, Primus, Merzbow, Psychic TV, John Zorn, George Clinton, Brian Eno, Weird Al, Alice Cooper, Devo, Kraftwerk and Jimi Hendrix.

He influenced a long list of artists including Phish, the Dixie Dregs, Mr. The important of Zappa can not be overstated. Little did I know, aside from smoking a couple joints in the ’60s, Frank was not into drugs, which might come across as a a surprise, considering how crazy his music can get. It piqued my interest-I found a double cassette of Joe’s Garage when I came down, and now 25 years later I am writing this guide to getting into Frank that does not require an eight-hour hallucination. The first album I heard was Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention during an acid trip in high school. But If you are looking to get into Zappa you have come to the right person. With a career spanning from the Mothers of Invention’s 1966’s psych-rock Freak Out! album to the orchestral Yellow Shark released a month before he died in 1993, delving into his massive catalog might seem daunting. Depending on the album you start with, your first impression of what Zappa does will be wildly different.

The discography of Frank Zappa is much like the parable of the blind men and the elephant.

Three part rock opera by frank zappa