Frank Zappa - 20thC Composer

One of America's great 20th century composers but, as evidence for the uninitiated to consider, I'd offer not Zappa's own mercurial and sometimes alienating performances, but instead...

Le Concert Impromptu & Bossini - Prophetic Attitude (1997)

Omnibus Wind Ensemble - Omnibus Wind Ensemble Play Music by Frank Zappa (1995)

Ensemble Ambrosius - The Zappa Album (2000)

Blasphemy perhaps. But if a contemporary music oriented type person asks me to prime them on Zappa, I'd as likely give them the fistful above rather than the horribly lacklustre London Symphony Orchestra Vol. 1 & 2 or the ever so slightly charmless The Perfect Stranger. The Yellow Shark was good but doesn't not offer enough of a panorama on his career.

Anyone beg to differ? Or offer other ideas for Non-FZ Zappa?

Originally posted by FMF
One of America's great 20th century composers but, as evidence for the uninitiated to consider, I'd offer not Zappa's own mercurial and sometimes alienating performances, but instead...

Le Concert Impromptu & Bossini - Prophetic Attitude (1997)

Omnibus Wind Ensemble - Omnibus Wind Ensemble Play Music by Frank Zappa (1995)

Ensemble Ambrosius - The Zappa ...[text shortened]... f a panorama on his career.

Anyone beg to differ? Or offer other ideas for Non-FZ Zappa?

I don't beg to differ, exactly, but part of the attraction to FZ, for me, is the "alienating" aspect of his performances. It's like Johnny Rotten spitting on his audience, except the medium is actual challenging of the listening/thinking faculties instead of mere contempt.

I haven't heard any non-Zappa Zappa, though, so this may expand my horizons somewhat.