Zappa Recommendations ?

@edgewear:

"I assume FZ would have been highly amused by the very idea that a person might consider himself too UNsophisticated to appreciate his stuff".

What I had in mind when I suggested I might be too unsophisticated was my difficulty enjoying the juxtaposition of a high level of musicianship with, to borrow your phrase, "deliberate crudeness". 

@chetatkins:

Skimmed through SU&PYG and liked enough of the tracks to add it to my "to buy" list. 

The most recent release “Zappa ‘88” is from his last US show. As is the case with most of his records, there are vocals on most tracks. The instrumental composition that Steve Vai once said was so difficult to play that the band feared playing it is called “The Black Page.” It appears on Zappa ‘88 and a few others. It is a musical masterpiece IMO. 

The only early Zappa record I dislike is Rueben And The Jets.

I think the Op could be enamored with The Illinois Enema Bandit?

After he cashiered the original Mothers, Zappa tended to go back and forth between instrumental music and his day/night job of being a latter-day version of Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts. To the best of my knowledge (though often off the top of my head):

Essentially Instrumental:

Lumpy Gravy

Waka/Jawaka

The Grand Wazoo

Orchestral Favorites

London Symphony Orchestra Vol. 1, 2, 3

Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger

Francesco Zappa

Some Vocals, Largely Instrumental

Uncle Meat

Burnt Weeny Sandwich

Weasels Ripped My Flesh

200 Motels

My favorites out of these would be Lumpy Gravy, Uncle Meat, Weasels Ripped My Flesh and Francesco Zappa. Many of the live recordings have long instrumental interludes.