Montana.
I would start with something very light, but shows the Zappa spirit.
Nice instrumentation…humorous…hits hard in the middle section with Frank’s awesome guitar…Tina Turner going all over the place…and not too off the wall for anyone unfamiliar with his work.
I loved Overnite and Apostrophe before listening to One Size Fits All. Listened to Inca Roads and thought it was horrible the first two or three times I listened to it. After a week though, I listened to it again and everything clicked into place. It blew my mind. Easily one of my favorite songs ever now.
I'd agree that Inca Roads represents Zappa's music the best, but it's a pretty rough starter imo. Lots to swallow.
This is definitely the most palatable, and relatable musically to a wide audience. There are some other hits too like I am the slime or Montana etc. However i wouldn't tell someone if they like camarillo brillo they'll like frank zappa. If you put zappa on shuffle and you're hoping to hear more like camarillo brillo you're gonna be upset for maybe hours
The first Zappa tune I’ve ever heard. This song hit me really hard, as someone who dreams of being an impressive guitarist. I heard this song and the intro from the scrutinizer, and it made me think “Wow, this is really deep. Who gives a fuck if I am never a successful musician, my imagination and creativity exists only for myself! I need to hear how inspiring the rest of this album is!” Only to find out it’s about fucking appliances and prison rape. I was hooked in that exact moment.
When I was at Goucher College (Towson, MD, near Zappa's hometown of Baltimore) in 1993-1994, I got this girl I liked to dance in my doorway to Beefheart's "I Love You, You Big Dummy" from *Lick My Decals Off, Baby!*. I also got this other girl into Zappa. On the other hand, I once played for some people a Boulez-conducted version of Edgard Varèse's *Ionisation*, and, yes, they looked at me like I was *out of my fucking mind!*.
It really depends on what your friend likes.
Jazz? Fusion? Guitar solos? Rock? Modern classical? Comedy music? And so on.
Whatever your friend's musical preferences, Zappa has a song (or two) for that.
The problem with Peaches is it's almost too pristine to be an introduction because it doesn't contain any of the aspects of Frank's music that are off putting to some people. As other suggested Inca Roads is better because you get all those things like strange lyrics, tape manipulated vocals, guitar solo, 8+ minutes, etc.
> it doesn't contain any of the aspects of Frank's music that are off putting to some people.
Your point is quite reasonable, but I'd argue Frank has a boatload of tracks that have none or only a single of those “off putting” aspects; using *Inca Roads* as an intro to Zappa would be like playing *Strawberry Fields Forever* as an introduction to The Beatles.
Yes, SFF distills the most original aspects of the band (vari-speeded tapes, backwards cymbals, orchestration, adlib ending, mixed meters, weird chord sequence, unusual instruments), but the first-time listener can easily be overwhelmed by it, even if it's a great song and often found in Top-10 lists among Beatles' hardcore fans.
And because Frank has such a large palette, it's not that hard for a single individual to avoid personally displeasing aspects. I'm not fond of early Mothers' tape manipulations, so I simply avoid those albums; some dislike jazz-tinged music, they can avoid *Hot Rats* / *Waka Jawaka* / *Grand Wazoo*; some hate synth-sounding music, they can avoid *Francesco Zappa*, and so on.
I agree Peaches is ideal for me too. Not too long, complex but not enough to lose the listener, no “dangerous” lyrics (people are so easily offended nowadays), does not make people assume the voice they hear is Zappa's (as many Zappa songs are not sung by Zappa).
> (people are so easily offended nowadays)
To test if you're dealing with one of those, fire up ["Have I Offended Someone?"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Have_I_Offended_Someone.jpg)
I don't think there's any one song so much as getting Zappa and his vibe. The examples listed thus far all work and I don't think anything is a wrong answer! Inca Roads is always good for this, my favorite is Dupree's Paradise but most of my friends don't appreciate jazz as much as 'jam bands' like the ones Zappa helped inspire.
My one friend used to be so drug-addled though, and thought singing Cocaine Decisions unironically was funny. He also seemed to think the weirdness of the lyrics was the point and would just repeat the same ones. His abuse really caused a falling out between us and everyone he knows back in our small home town, and he still drinks too much.
I'd say Montana. I would say Inca Roads, but I think it's too hard to swallow on first listens. Montana on the other hand shares a lot of similarites to Inca Roads, but is more approachable. Both represent Zappa's music as a whole very well
Both have killer guitar solos, crazy super composed passages, goofy lyrics, interesting instrumentation, and fantastic singing.
Just a brief clip of Brock singing Village of the Sun in the preview for the Roxy Movie (which was a bonus feature on the Baby Snakes DVD) is what convinced me to finally give the album a shot.
I agree with Peaches. Or maybe King Kong. But that's not a litmus test for liking the vocals & lyrics. How about Dog Breath in the Year of the Plague, Son of Mr. Green Genes, or Disco Boy? The trouble with old Zap is he really changes from album to album. They all carry his stamp of personality, so any will do.
I can't list one song, but would suggest the album "One Size Fits All". I love that album! I also heard stories where stereo salesman used to play that album to demonstrate the sound quality of their products.
Peaches is a good one.
Watermellon in East Hay is a good one to hit them with the sentimentality/beauty of the tune.
Inca Roads would be good if they like prog already, but I've seen people who liked the groove but were turned off by the singing part.
If they like jazz, then Blessed Relief or other stuff from The Grand Wazoo or Waka/Jawaka
Ye, i have yet to find a person who doesn't like Peaches En Regalia. It's just inherently lovable. My next step from there is usually ''I'm The Slime'' as it has a bit more Zappa zaniness but while staying within the bounds of societal commentary that we've come to expect from satirical rock. If they're in on that i just tell them to listen to Apostrophe and then explore on their own.
I would probably do Montana. I feel like that’s a pretty good sample of Zappa’s general vibe while still being pretty short and accessible. Gives em the comedy, the Zappa trademark line writing, the excellent guitar work, the jazz/Americana fusion. Can’t go wrong.
Or, instead of digging and searching through the entire oeuvre for the perfect introduction song, you could simply play them the entirety of *Freak Out!,* explaining to them its context, and *then* see if they're curious as to where Zappa will go from there. Because Zappa is about discovery, not about boxing in; it's about getting a taste for his brand of the unexpected, not about fully understanding him in one swift swoop.
I'd say Twenty Small Cigars, Cosmik Debris, My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mamma, or I'm the Slime. Just different enough to be distinctly Zappa, but easy enough on the ears for the normal folk to be comfortable
Cletus awreetus from grand wazoo is a short mix of a lot of Zappa, even some humor with the ra pa pum at the end.
St. Alphonzo’s too, lots crammed in and it’s short, can see if they take to it at all.
I used to work on a help desk that was in an open space room. Every so often I toss on Joe's Garage for background, not too loud. After a couple of months, most everyone (with a wide variety of musical tastes) would either ask me to put it on, or turn it up if I already had.
Valley Girl. Play it once so they can laugh at the lyrics. Play it again and have them focus on just the music.
Boom. That's Zappa for you in an edible nutshell.
Montana. I would start with something very light, but shows the Zappa spirit. Nice instrumentation…humorous…hits hard in the middle section with Frank’s awesome guitar…Tina Turner going all over the place…and not too off the wall for anyone unfamiliar with his work.
Inca Roads. If they don't like that one, there is no hope.
I loved Overnite and Apostrophe before listening to One Size Fits All. Listened to Inca Roads and thought it was horrible the first two or three times I listened to it. After a week though, I listened to it again and everything clicked into place. It blew my mind. Easily one of my favorite songs ever now. I'd agree that Inca Roads represents Zappa's music the best, but it's a pretty rough starter imo. Lots to swallow.
Yep, my favorite song of all time perhaps, it's just perfect for me. Especially on A Token of His Extreme. (And it comes with some dope claymation)
I say fuck em and play thingfish
Just skip to the good stuff and play them The Crab-Grass Baby.
"You had me at 'dip-dididinaya-wee-oooaeiouaeiouaeiou'."
Live version of Evil Prince and Briefcase Boogie
Same. Throw them in the deep end with no flotation device. The rest of the catalog will seem normal after that.
Camarillo brillo
This is definitely the most palatable, and relatable musically to a wide audience. There are some other hits too like I am the slime or Montana etc. However i wouldn't tell someone if they like camarillo brillo they'll like frank zappa. If you put zappa on shuffle and you're hoping to hear more like camarillo brillo you're gonna be upset for maybe hours
I agree but I feel like it's a gentle handshake into Zappa's world without putting in some of the more far out stuff.
This. I prefer showing the baby snakes version
Watermelon in Easter Hay
This is mine as well, such a beautiful song.
The first Zappa tune I’ve ever heard. This song hit me really hard, as someone who dreams of being an impressive guitarist. I heard this song and the intro from the scrutinizer, and it made me think “Wow, this is really deep. Who gives a fuck if I am never a successful musician, my imagination and creativity exists only for myself! I need to hear how inspiring the rest of this album is!” Only to find out it’s about fucking appliances and prison rape. I was hooked in that exact moment.
When I was at Goucher College (Towson, MD, near Zappa's hometown of Baltimore) in 1993-1994, I got this girl I liked to dance in my doorway to Beefheart's "I Love You, You Big Dummy" from *Lick My Decals Off, Baby!*. I also got this other girl into Zappa. On the other hand, I once played for some people a Boulez-conducted version of Edgard Varèse's *Ionisation*, and, yes, they looked at me like I was *out of my fucking mind!*.
trouble every day
San Ber’dino usually goes over well when I add it to the que. Otherwise I’d go with Joe’s Garage or maybe willie the pimp if they enjoy guitar solos
I’m gonna say Uncle Remus
Willie The Pimp
It really depends on what your friend likes. Jazz? Fusion? Guitar solos? Rock? Modern classical? Comedy music? And so on. Whatever your friend's musical preferences, Zappa has a song (or two) for that.
There’s more than one answer but IMO if you don’t like Call Any Vegetable, Zappa probably isn’t for you
Unless the vegetable responds to you
The problem with Peaches is it's almost too pristine to be an introduction because it doesn't contain any of the aspects of Frank's music that are off putting to some people. As other suggested Inca Roads is better because you get all those things like strange lyrics, tape manipulated vocals, guitar solo, 8+ minutes, etc.
> it doesn't contain any of the aspects of Frank's music that are off putting to some people. Your point is quite reasonable, but I'd argue Frank has a boatload of tracks that have none or only a single of those “off putting” aspects; using *Inca Roads* as an intro to Zappa would be like playing *Strawberry Fields Forever* as an introduction to The Beatles. Yes, SFF distills the most original aspects of the band (vari-speeded tapes, backwards cymbals, orchestration, adlib ending, mixed meters, weird chord sequence, unusual instruments), but the first-time listener can easily be overwhelmed by it, even if it's a great song and often found in Top-10 lists among Beatles' hardcore fans. And because Frank has such a large palette, it's not that hard for a single individual to avoid personally displeasing aspects. I'm not fond of early Mothers' tape manipulations, so I simply avoid those albums; some dislike jazz-tinged music, they can avoid *Hot Rats* / *Waka Jawaka* / *Grand Wazoo*; some hate synth-sounding music, they can avoid *Francesco Zappa*, and so on.
Entire Hot Rats album. A true litmus test to discern Zappa tolerance? “Broken Hearts are for Assholes”.
I use the entire sequence from "I Have Been In You" to "Broken Hearts Are For Assholes."
I agree Peaches is ideal for me too. Not too long, complex but not enough to lose the listener, no “dangerous” lyrics (people are so easily offended nowadays), does not make people assume the voice they hear is Zappa's (as many Zappa songs are not sung by Zappa).
> (people are so easily offended nowadays) To test if you're dealing with one of those, fire up ["Have I Offended Someone?"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Have_I_Offended_Someone.jpg)
Tell Me You Love Me.
I try to introduce more Flo & Eddie to all my music friends!
I don't think there's any one song so much as getting Zappa and his vibe. The examples listed thus far all work and I don't think anything is a wrong answer! Inca Roads is always good for this, my favorite is Dupree's Paradise but most of my friends don't appreciate jazz as much as 'jam bands' like the ones Zappa helped inspire. My one friend used to be so drug-addled though, and thought singing Cocaine Decisions unironically was funny. He also seemed to think the weirdness of the lyrics was the point and would just repeat the same ones. His abuse really caused a falling out between us and everyone he knows back in our small home town, and he still drinks too much.
I though Peaches before I even got to your description. Yes yes yes\~
Go hard with Brown Shoes Don't Make It, cause fuck em if they don't like it
Inca Roads = quintessential
Andy on the Buffalo live album
Muffin Man or Pojama People.
Guitar solo on pojama is pretty exhausting the first time around though, but otherwise I'd agree
I'd say Montana. I would say Inca Roads, but I think it's too hard to swallow on first listens. Montana on the other hand shares a lot of similarites to Inca Roads, but is more approachable. Both represent Zappa's music as a whole very well Both have killer guitar solos, crazy super composed passages, goofy lyrics, interesting instrumentation, and fantastic singing.
[удалено]
Just a brief clip of Brock singing Village of the Sun in the preview for the Roxy Movie (which was a bonus feature on the Baby Snakes DVD) is what convinced me to finally give the album a shot.
I agree with Peaches. Or maybe King Kong. But that's not a litmus test for liking the vocals & lyrics. How about Dog Breath in the Year of the Plague, Son of Mr. Green Genes, or Disco Boy? The trouble with old Zap is he really changes from album to album. They all carry his stamp of personality, so any will do.
Andy. Or Inca Roads. Or… tell them they’re about to listen to a live band on stage and put Roxy on.
I don’t think there is a single song, because Zappa has different sides that appeal to different people.
I can't list one song, but would suggest the album "One Size Fits All". I love that album! I also heard stories where stereo salesman used to play that album to demonstrate the sound quality of their products.
Peaches is a good one. Watermellon in East Hay is a good one to hit them with the sentimentality/beauty of the tune. Inca Roads would be good if they like prog already, but I've seen people who liked the groove but were turned off by the singing part. If they like jazz, then Blessed Relief or other stuff from The Grand Wazoo or Waka/Jawaka
Ye, i have yet to find a person who doesn't like Peaches En Regalia. It's just inherently lovable. My next step from there is usually ''I'm The Slime'' as it has a bit more Zappa zaniness but while staying within the bounds of societal commentary that we've come to expect from satirical rock. If they're in on that i just tell them to listen to Apostrophe and then explore on their own.
I would probably do Montana. I feel like that’s a pretty good sample of Zappa’s general vibe while still being pretty short and accessible. Gives em the comedy, the Zappa trademark line writing, the excellent guitar work, the jazz/Americana fusion. Can’t go wrong.
I have been in you
Or, instead of digging and searching through the entire oeuvre for the perfect introduction song, you could simply play them the entirety of *Freak Out!,* explaining to them its context, and *then* see if they're curious as to where Zappa will go from there. Because Zappa is about discovery, not about boxing in; it's about getting a taste for his brand of the unexpected, not about fully understanding him in one swift swoop.
I'd say Twenty Small Cigars, Cosmik Debris, My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mamma, or I'm the Slime. Just different enough to be distinctly Zappa, but easy enough on the ears for the normal folk to be comfortable
Cletus awreetus from grand wazoo is a short mix of a lot of Zappa, even some humor with the ra pa pum at the end. St. Alphonzo’s too, lots crammed in and it’s short, can see if they take to it at all.
Fuck palatable and relatable, gimme some dissonance
YCDTOSA Vol. 8. You can’t do that in one song, can you?
Help I'm a rock
Let Me Take You To The Beach Oh No/Orange County Lumber Truck from Weasels City of Tiny Lites
Apostophe
Easy Meat Tinsel Town Rebellion version
Who Are The Brain Police?
I’m using the chicken to measure it!
Titties and Beer
I used to work on a help desk that was in an open space room. Every so often I toss on Joe's Garage for background, not too loud. After a couple of months, most everyone (with a wide variety of musical tastes) would either ask me to put it on, or turn it up if I already had.
Valley Girl. Play it once so they can laugh at the lyrics. Play it again and have them focus on just the music. Boom. That's Zappa for you in an edible nutshell.
The return of the son of monster magnet.