Zappa?

I'll start with Joe's Garage and One Size Fits All (seemingly the most enthuastic choices), and Yellow Shark (the classical influence seems interesting.

Peter mentions "Chungas Revenge", an album that seems to mark a transition of sorts (there were many), one of my favorites. The dirty wawa blues licks on "Road Ladies" stopped my buddy in his tracks when I played it for him. He was a Jimmie Page fanatic, but suddenly he took FZ seriously as a player, something he had not considered.
You might think about trying some earlier FZ first just to see where he was coming from. Whatever you do, dont forget his early stuff, even the silliest songs are great. Also anyone notice that "Burnt Weenie Sandwich" shows up on the "Filmore" and in "200 Motels" among other albums in various forms?

Guaranteed, if you buy enough Zappa, you'll be offended and/or disappointed, he was all over the place, from do-wop, fusion, classical, jazz and in between.
My favorite is Hot Rats, terrific fusion-y without much vocals.
2nd choice is where they put two of his albums on one cd - Overnite Sensation and One Size Fits All which is in his rock with humor style.

FZ's output covers a prodigeous amount of sq. footage. Hot Rats 2, (Waka Jawaka) is about as close to Grand Wazoo as yer gonna get. Both measure real high on the spiff o meter. Like other posters have said, nearly every Zappa record has something great on it.

i was sittin here re reading the post's & listening to fz 'the legend of the illinois enema bandit'when it hit me that most new zappa fan's arent hip to all of the talent that was in fz's band's.

most people think of fz as a drug crazed mad man or just a weird hippy who made silly funny music & never realize that there were juliard trained musician's in some of his band's & other musician's that were part of the miles davis line up who later went on to form & play in some of the best band's ever like king crimson & return to forever.

a smoking hot jazz album to check out is 'jean-luc-ponty plays the music of frank zappa,king kong'if you like fusion jazz king kong will not dissapoint you.

mike.