Best Zappa album

There are some new releases out there entitled Cheap Thrills and Son of Cheap thrills that feature live performances; Love of My Life,Disco Boy,The Idiot Bastard Son,Sinister Footwear,Catholic Girls, and Joes Garage. I have never owned a live Zappa album but these 2 are a compilation of old studio stuff that really kicks ass

*way* too many zappa albums to yust pick one. (77 different offerings on amazon.com, alone) the ones that get the most play chez-sedon are *one size fits all*, *uncle meat*, *weasel's ripped my flesh*, *hot rats*, *waka-jawaka*, *apostrophe*, *the grand wazoo*, *yust another band from l.a.* the guy was a freakin' genius. francesco zappa, btw was an italina composer (14th century?) that frank found & decided to arrange, due to the name-likeness...

For non-Zappa Zappa tunes try "King Kong" by Jean Luc Ponty. Jedan Luc started playing his electric violin with Frank on "Hot Rats", I believe, and also contributed to several other titles. Like there aren't enough Zappa options out there -- we now enter the world of covers. It is a really great album, though. A peripheral must, in fact, for the Zappa collector as is all of the Captain Beefheart material. Want to get more peripheral with this tribe (Bizzare/Straight Records days)? Wild Man Fisher. The GTO's. The last band (Girls Together Outragiously) was notable for "Do Me Once And I'll Be Sad, Do Me Twice And I'll Know Better". I won't get into What was said about Suzie Creamcheese, though.

Stick to pre 75 except for Jazz from Hell (very good stuff). Apostrophe is excellent zappa pop, as is Chunga's Revenge. My favorites are Hot Rats - which is a must - Uncle Meat, and Just another band from LA. Uncle Meat has one of the most beautiful pieces of avante garde pop ever recorded: Dog Breath Variations, which still moves me every time I hear it. Just Another Band has a side recorded in concert with the two vocalists from the Turtles (Howard Kalen and ...) which is stunning in its complexity, juice and humor. "Magdalena, when you're near me like this, in the hallway, with your blouse and your tits..." After 75 he got too smooth for my taste. Oh, I forgot Ruben & the Jets, humorous but very good cover of the doowop era with original songs. And there's... oh well, buy some of the early stuff.

"One Size Fits All" Rykodisc reissue