... LP, Vinyl record album

Features George Duke on keyboards, Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, and Jack Bruce on bass – and titles include Frank's classic "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" – plus "Nanook Rubs It", "Father O'Blivion", "Cosmik Debris", "Exentrifugal Forz", "Stink Foot", and "Apostrophe". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Titles include "Wet T Shirt Nite", "Toad O Line", "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee", and "Joe's Garage". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from Frank Zappa – and a record that showed the world that he was also one hell of an arranger too! The album's got all the offbeat, tripped-out qualities that you'd expect from late 60s Zappa – but at times, it's also got this tightness that's really amazing – almost as if Frank's showing the world that he can easily do the same things as the studio wizards of LA pop – but chooses to keep most of his efforts on the wrong side of the tracks! There's plenty of larger backings at points – handled by some of the cream of the crop of the LA studio and jazz scene – but other moments are pretty darn raw, and have a gritty, almost homemade sound collage feel. LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Rat Tomato", "I Have Been In You", "Flakes", "I'm So Cute", "Jones Crusher", "Dancin Fool", "Baby Snakes", "Bobby Brown Goes Down", and "Rubber Shirt". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An early masterpiece from Frank Zappa – one of those records that looks like it's going to be a big ol' mess when you first see the cover – but which turns out to be a carefully calculated act of madness in the end! The Mothers have all their freeform freaky brilliance intact here – still some of the snide edges of the early years, but also really learning their craft as well – and stretching out under Zappa's direction into a pastiche of songs that explore the anxieties and inanities of late 60s America! Frank produced the whole thing with an approach that others wouldn't reach for years – shifting styles, instrumentation, and sound sources with effortless ease – over tracks that include "Hot Poop", "The Idiot Bastard", "Lonely Little Girl", "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance", "Harry You're A Beast", "Mom & Dad", "Who Needs The Peace Corps", and "Flower Punk". CD

A special vinyl sampler from Frank Zappa – intended to point the way towards the big run of releases that would soon come on CD under the same title! The set brings together some of the best of that enterprise – and features live performances from 1969 through 1984 – all mastered by Bernie Grundman, with sound that really made most of the Zappa bootlegs on the market obsolete! Titles include "The Florida Airport Tape", "Sharleena", "Nanook Rubs It", "The Evil Prince", "You Call That Music", "King Kong", "Dickie's Such An Asshole", "Cosmic Debris", "Montana", "The Torture Never Stops", and "Plastic People". New version remastered again by Bernie Grundman! LP, Vinyl record album

Frank Zappa live in the 70s – working with a surprisingly hip large ensemble, with all the sharp changes and unusual moments of his classic studio albums! Like some of Zappa's other concert performances, there's an approach that steps a few years back – clearly to please the group coming to hear their favorites, but in a way that also offers up a nice sharpening-up of the music too – especially given that the whole thing's happening live on stage! There's some great jazz help here – horns from The Brecker Brothers, Lou Marini, Ronnie Cuber, and Tom Malone – plus wonderful vibes from Dave Samuels and keyboards from Eddie Jobson – and even a bit of narration from Don Pardo. Titles include "I'm The Slime", "Titties & Beer", "Cruisin For Burgers", "The Illinois Enema Bandit", "Punky's Whips", "Big Leg Emma", and "Sofa". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

A mindblowing treat for anyone even remotely interested in the music of Frank Zappa – as this box set brings together 70 unreleased tracks by a group that was one of Zappa's coolest ever – the 1970 version of the Mothers, with George Duke on a variety of cool keyboards, Ian Underwood on organ and more keyboards, Aynsley Dunbar on drums, Jeff Simmons on bass, Mark Volman on percussion, and both Volman and Howard Kaylan on added vocals! The tunes are a mix of studio tracks recorded live at Trident Studios in June of 1970, plus more live material recorded at a variety of summer shows in that year, and a few more tour recordings too – all brought together to showcase a razor-sharp group of artists who were perfectly tuned to the workings of Zappa's ever-expansive creative mind at the time. The box features unusual tunes, unusual versions of familiar tunes, and lots more gems – and comes with a booklet and button too! CD

A huge package of Frank Zappa music, packed with classics, unreleased tracks, and selections from the score to the well-done documentary on Frank's life and music by Alex Winter! The first 2CDs feature all Zappa music – including some never-issued tracks pulled from Frank's vaults, mixed with other key cuts that really illustrate his genius – titles that include "The Black Page 1 (piano version)", "Call Any Vegetable (excerpts)", "Happy Together", "Scumbag", "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here", "Any Way The Wind Blows", "Motherly Love", "Mother People", "Firebird Suite Finale", "Road Ladies", "FZ On Varese", "Agency Man (studio version)", "G Spot Tornado", "Fembot In A Whet T-Shirt", "Mo's Vacation", and "Valley Girl" – plus related cuts "No Longer Umpire" by Alice Cooper, "The Captain's Fat Theresa Shoes" by The GTOs, and "Every Time I See You" by The Heartbreakers. CD3 features the whole new score for the film, including bits from the film – composed by John Frizzell with help from Nick Cimity and Davit Stal. Also includes more Zappa cuts that include "Watermelon In Easter Hay (live)", "Get Whitey", "Nap Time", "Overture", and "Envelopes (1983 original vinyl mix)". CD

One of the most mindblowing pop culture pastiches of the 60s – a record that's as absolutely mad as it is absolutely free – and proof that a whole new generation of musicians like Zappa were using the studio like an instrument itself! This is work that could have never existed away from record – as the mix of sounds, moods, and music comes together with a maddening frenzy – hardly the languid speed you'd expect from the early years of hippiedom – and instead, an inspirational stream of styles and ideas delivered with trademark Zappa dexterity and wit! The album's divided into two long passages – "Absolutely Free" and "The MOI American Pageant" – with tracks that include "Plastic People", "Amnesia Vivace", "The Duke Regains His Chops", "America Drinks & Goes Home", "Son Of Suzy Creamcheese", "Status Back Baby", and "The Duke Of Prunes". CD

A seminal moment in leftfield music – maybe the crowning achievement of Captain Beefheart, and a landmark collaboration with Frank Zappa as well! Zappa produced, and gave the group plenty of room to stretch out on this double-length set done for his Bizarre Records imprint – which allowed the Captain the kind of freedom that Frank was getting at the time – which meant there was no need for a hit, no need to tone things down, and plenty of patience for all the record's amazing instrumental twists and turns, and Beefheart's madcap sense of humor as well! The Cap sings, and plays saxes and bass clarinet – and the record's got some really incredible guitar work from Zoot Horn Rollo and Antennae Jimmy Semens – really setting the stage for countless other guitarists in years to come. Tracks include "Dachau Blues", "Hair Pie", "Moonlight On Vermont", "Sweet Sweet Bulbs", "China Pig", "My Human Gets Me Blues", and "Dali's Car". CD

The landmark album from Hampton Grease Band – a group who were every bit as weird and wonderful as contemporaries like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa – and who work here with a similar sense of wit and freeplay in their instrumentation! Given that the group originally had some blues elements in their music, there's a definite link to Beefheart – and there's a dynamism here that almost feels as if they felt like they conquered blues rock at an early age, when they were working the southern scene – then felt free to play with its elements in whatever way they wanted! Bruce Hampton's vocals are wonderful – almost as weird and skittish as sounds that would later come from the art/punk underground at the end of the decade – and titles include "Halifax", "Maria", "Evans", "Hey Old Lady & Bert's Song", and "Hendon". LP, Vinyl record album

Drums A Go Go from the Hollywood Persuaders – a groovy little group who featured a bit of work from a young Frank Zappa! The combo have a killer studio approach that takes a standard guitar/tenor 60s instrumental mode, and filters it through an early 10-track machine – invented by producer/group leader Paul Buff, and used to create lots of extra effects as the set rolls on! The style's never too trippy to lose its groove, but the tracks themselves are filled with plenty of great twists and turns – and the all-instrumental romp is made even better by the freshness of the tunes – most of which are originals by Buff. Titles include "Drums A Go Go", "Tijuana", "Thunderbird", "Forget It", "Last Night", "Rush Street", "Persuasion", "Sunset Strip", and "North Beach". CD features 5 bonus tracks – including "Drums", "Agua Caliente", "Yes I Want To Dance", "Juarez", and "Grunion Run". CD

Don't think "British rock", think "electric jazz" – as the set features some long, jamming instrumental workouts that are more in a heavy fusion mode overall! The group's a quintet – led by drummer Kiyoshi Tanaka, and featuring organ, guitar, bass, and some very cool electronics too – used in ways that touch up the tunes nicely, and bring out some spacey currents in the music, especially during some of the few mellow moments! These guys are definitely influenced by the more progressive rock sounds of the period, but never feel the temptation to vocalize at all – and titles include "Echoes", "Jimi Hendrix Mad Song", and the long "Trip To West Coast From Britain" – with segments dedicated to Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster, Frank Zappa, Uriah Heep, and the Grateful Dead. CD