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". LP, Vinyl record album

A burnt weeny sandwich from Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention – and a record that shows just how far they'd come in just a few short years! In a way, the record feels almost like a summation of all the best ideas that Frank had come up with in the studio – some serious musical compositions, mixed with pop music parody, and still a touch of that sharper wit from the initial records – yet all delivered with a dexterity that nobody would have expected from The Mothers at the start! And if anything, there's almost more care and sensitivity here at times – especially on some of the piano parts – showing that Zappa's way more than just a freak letting his flag fly – and has plenty of ears for sounds that go way beyond his scene. Titles include "WPLJ", "Igor's Boogie", "Aybe Sea", "Holiday In Berlin Full Blown", "Valarie", and "The Little House I Used To Live In". LP, Vinyl record album

Frank Zappa's got some fantastic fusion touches on this sweet little set from the 70s – thanks to keyboards and a bit of vocals from George Duke, heavy drums from Chester Thompson, and even some brief help from Johnny Guitar Watson! The set's still got a very Zappa-esque feel, but it's clear he's also letting Duke stretch his wings a bit too as there's parts of the record that almost echo the style of some of George's more far-out recordings for MPS. The balance is great – and one that makes the album a lot more soulful at points than we're used to hearing from Zappa. Titles include "Florentine Pogen", "Can't Afford No Shoes", "Inca Roads", "Po-Jama People", "Evelyn A Modified Dog", and "San Ber'Dino". 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

"Mostly" live genius from Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention – recorded at The Roxy with some studio additions – and the players include George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ruth Underwood, Walt Fowler, Ralph Humphrey and the other great players from this peak period! It's astonishing stuff – and as strong of a mix of the tightly rock-centric and exploratory/hard fusiony sides of Zappa as you could hope for – shoot, even the stage banter is priceless! Includes "Penguin In Bondage", "Pygmy Twylyte", "Village Of The Sun", "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?", "More Trouble Everyday" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" and more. LP, Vinyl record album