Thanks for the mention....

Hi, I enjoyed this video, and I admire anyone attempting to formulate a top ten from Frank's impressive discography. Well done.

Hi Bill- first time comment, l believe. Most Zappa fans will have vastly different lists, with 60 albums and so many bands/ styles to choose from. As a stoned teenager in the 80's, l liked the lyrics much more than as an adult. I'm far from politically correct, but many songs l loved as a younger person make me cringe today. I tend to play the heavily instrumental/ guitar albums most- and for what it's worth , here is my unsolicited top 15 list: 1 Hot Rats 2 Roxy & Elsewhere ( my first, and the '73-74 band is my favourite) 3 Waka/Jawaka 4 The Grand Wazoo 5 Burnt Weeny Sandwich 6 Uncle Meat 7 Freak Out 8 Zappa in New York ( especially the expanded version) 9 You are what You Is 10 Shut up and Play Your Guitar Box, tied with Guitar 11 Orchestral Favorites ( ( The expanded version ! ) 12 Sheik Yerbouti 13 Them or Us ( an odds and ends record, but some early favourites for me, and amazing solos) 14 The Yellow Shark 15 The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life- this could tie with any release by the 1988 band, my second favourite group. Thanks and as you might have noted from my spelling, greetings from BC, Canada 🇨🇦 Brucestayloose

Im a bit late but my top 15 are 1 One Size Fits All 2 Uncle Meat 3 Roxy and Elsewhere 4 Hot Rats 5 Weasles Ripped My Flesh 6 Burnt Weeny Sandwich 7 Chungas Revenge 8 Overnite Sensation 9 The Grand Wazoo 10 Apostrophe 11 Waka Jawaka 12 We're only in it for the money 13 Bongo Fury 14 Sheik Yerbouti 15 Absolutely Free

I love this. Once again very generous at 30 minutes. Very nice to see the vinyl-versions. Cal Schenkel's art-work is so cool!

Hey..Great video..and great exercise..Love Zappa…you have a great vinyl collection of his music..I just subbed your channel..look forward to checking out your videos..loved this one👍❤️glen

Another great video took me a while to finish it but here we are!! I'm putting freak out on my to buy list I have all the others except for maybe some of his live stuff thanks again great video.

My list 15 is: 1) London Symphony Orchestra 2) Boulez Conducts Zappa The Perfect Strangers 3) Civilization Phase III 4) Grand Wazoo 5) Orchestral Favorities 6) Wakka Jawaka 7) Sleep Dirty 8) Yellow Shark 9) Burn Weenie Sandwich 10) Weasels Riped My Fleah 11) Chungas Revenge 12) Ahead Of Their Time 13) Jazz From Hell 14) Absoluttaly Free 15) Hot Rats

Awesome set of albums from Frank! I really enjoyed the list and info on them! First morning where I didn’t have to shovel snow! I’m hoping for a rest! Take it easy! By the way, great Judas Priest album you picked! I saw them on that tour, it was Testament, Megadeth and Priest!

Stumbled upon your channel for the first time.. So cool you made this ranking based on other rankings, really interesting and fun to watch and I enjoyed your enthousiasm!! You got a new subscriber! ;) I'll be checking out your channel some more, seen at first glance you got a lot of Zappa going on! Stay safe & Greets from the Netherlands. Oh and on a personal note, I would have loved to see 'Just another band from LA' on this list, but hey that's how the rankings turned out.

I gagged a bit when you said Thingfish. Too funny! It is the only Zappa record I sold. Not enough music. They should have swapped swears for solos on that one .

Cool vid, thanks. Wish you were my neighbor. Enjoying the 50th Anniversary version of Overnite Sensation and looking forward to 50th Anniversary versions of Apostrophe in 2024 and One Size Fits All in 2025

Great video, Bill. You've inspired me to play some Zappa this weekend. Although I'm always inspired to play some Zappa, lol. Do you have a favorite lineup of musicians? I'd probably have to go with the Roxy & Elsewhere lineup. Take it easy and be safe moving all of that snow!

WTF: "Chunga's Revenge" is my favorite and not even included in the top 15????

@BillsBoxOfSound

2 жыл бұрын

Chunga's Revenge was part of a 4-way tie for number 16. Go figure. Thanks for watching!

@seanbrennan5192

Жыл бұрын

Lift up your dress if the answer is no!

@arman2774

Жыл бұрын

That album is considered one of Frank’s most underrated, lots of peoples’ personal favourites including me.

great video. I had an apostrophe f zapppa poster in my teenage room.. I regret it, it was magnificent.. each one has its own classification, f zappa's discography is not classifiable, I change all the time. the vinyl reissues of 2012 and after are superb. thanks to Joe travers and the dweezil…

Painkiller is a perfect album too.

Studio Tan. My all time favorite

Love the videos! Just wondered if you'd ever be tempted to do a Zappa Vinyl video (I know you did one years ago!) going over which you think are the best presses? I guess you may mainly have the early presses so may not have compared the recent versions but even so I'd really enjoy you going through some Zappa vinyl at some point. No rush! Thanks again for the videos!

@BillsBoxOfSound

2 жыл бұрын

In my reviews, I usually talk about the sound quality of tghe vinyl counterparts. Orchestral Favorites and Zappa '88 in particular. Maybe someday I'l do a deep dive; my main advice is to buy any Zappa you don't already have on vinyl because they usually are not in plentiful supply!

@bluntlaser

2 жыл бұрын

@@BillsBoxOfSound Ah cheers Bill! I only have a couple on vinyl but heard the recent vinyl reissues are pretty good so may just go for those. Its a bit of a task! Thanks again for all the videos, you got me into The Residents too!

Here's my personal top 10 favorites 10. Burnt Weeny Sandwich 9. You Are What You Is 8. The Grand Wazoo 7. Apostrophe 6. Chunga's Revenge 5. Joe's Garage 4. Zoot Allures 3. One Size Fits All 2. Hot Rats 1. Over-Nite Sensation

hello I had the large format poster apostrophe photo for years at my parents' house, in my room. The poster has disappeared. It was magnificent I bought it in Germany at a Zappa concert. I regret having lost it.

The title for #9, "Sheik Yerbouti", is pronounced -- Shake Your Booty -- like the KC and the Sunshine band's song, to make fun of the disco era. "Joe's Garage" is a 3-act play. On the vinyl album, you can read along with the story as the guitar solos play, which brings the whole concept together.

@BillsBoxOfSound

10 ай бұрын

"Sheek" and "Shake" pronounciations are ok in my book. I think both state the joke equally. Yes, Joe's Garage being a 3 act Play/Operetta is stated. Thanks for watching and commenting just the same.

i Love Bill"s box of sound!

28:28 whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat ???!! i thought that that must leave the absolute all time classic Zoot Allures - with the three most wonderful tracks he ever made on it inc The Torture Never Stops..

@stephanea5364

Жыл бұрын

Yeah Zoot Allures is his my top 3. Amazing record and sound so good. Can't believe it's not top 15 here.

@frankzappaspussy7362

Жыл бұрын

@@stephanea5364 yes.. and Hot Rats was OK - but not exceptional by Zappa standards.. many of his records i like a lot more..

Nice Crumb Jerry’s shirt

The first two Zappa albums that I bought were Apostrophe and Overnight Sensation. I bought Apostrophe in my sophomore year of high school which was 1975. I will never forget it. I used to argue with this burner {and I mean burner} over who was the best rock guitarist in the world. I stuck to my guns and said Jimmy Page. His favorites were Tony Iommi and Zappa. He was a huge Sabbath and Zappa fan. I had just picked up Physical Graffiti the day it was released and the album blew me away. I was a casual Sabbath fan and I did not own one Zappa album. But he finally got me to buy a copy of Apostrophe. That's all it took. I became an instant Zappa fan. But I never admitted that he was better than Jimmy. He was great. But no one was better than Jimmy in the early seventies. Did you ever see Zappa live Bill? I only saw him once and that was in 1988 at the Orpheum Theater. The Saturday night show. The night that he did not do Stairway To Heaven. But he did do 'Why Does It Hurt When I Pee' and 'Catholic Girls'. It was incredible. Have a great weekend B. You are truly the VC's own Zappa Ambassada~ Rob/Boston

@BillsBoxOfSound

2 жыл бұрын

Saw Zappa live 7 times between 1976 and 1988.

@suds5214

10 ай бұрын

Wow, those are the first 2 FZ albums I bought also.

Comments - inc a correction or two 1. SHIP ARRIVING - The big guitar solos on Side Two are both in the track Drowning Witch. Envelopes is the two-and-a-half minute track which had been coming and going and being adjusted since 1970. Patrick plays bass only on the solo to I Come From Nowhere [he was allegedly unable to hear the guitar at the time] 2. HELSINKI CONCERTS - My problem with that album - which no-one mentions - is - the guitar solos are remixed after the fact to give them a 1984-tour-type sound which really doesn't suit this music. Frank's choices of timbres/effects are often a problem for this listener. Compare any of the raw soundboard tapes from 1974 - Frank mainly used a cleaner tone, and certainly never came close to that compressed/slightly chorused sound that afflicts this album, and every '84 show. 3. YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS - Take a step back and it can be viewed as an important entry in Frank's occasional series of epic social-comment song-cycles - it's in the ...Money tradition, and as much an auditory/thematic product of its time as that album. But YAWYI becomes a hard album to approach if you know the history behind it - whether that's the various poor-sounding/dubiously-edited releases, or its links to Crush All Boxes/Warts and All, or the fact it was 80%-premiered on the first leg of the hard-to-enjoy summer 1980 tour. 4. WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY - Remarkable all round. As truthful a musical snapshot of late '60s America as anyone ever produced. Unusual too as the most vocal-heavy album and, surpassing Absolutely Free, the most classically-constructed suite-like, album in the catalog - and, yes, I know it wasn't conceived that way initially...But the complex history of outside censorship, FZ overdubbage, and FZ cutting bits out of songs, makes it absolutely necessary to supplement one's WOIIFTM with both the Lumpy Money CD and the Money Demos bootleg. 5, JOES GARAGE - In fact there's been plenty of comment online about the AXLE GREASE - and that's what it is. Ike Willis has been a vocal defender of the cover concept. Mostly the live guitar solos aren't spliced in so much as montaged. 6. HOT RATS - Certainly not in this writer's top ten. Yes I dutifully acquired the sessions box, and whilst it raised a few `why did he edit that out?' / `why did he replace that?' questions, it didn't change my mind about the overall project.

Zappa has so many albums that trying to put them into any sort of order, other than release order, is almost impossible. If I compiled a top 10 or 20, it would change on a daily basis. There are some albums that, for my taste, would never be on the list. Your 15 is very good and shows some of the best of Zappa.

Yeah, you;re so right Bill, comparing Ship Arriving to Late to Save a Drowning Witch and Shut Up n Play Yer Guitar is kinda inexplicable LOL! I too have watched all of those Top 10 Zappa albums etc, well what Zappa fan wouldn't? I'm in the mind to do my own Top 10 Zappa's videos, like a Top 10 Zappa albums overall, a Top 10 Studio Albums by Zappa, a Top 10 Early Years Albums by Zappa, a Top 10 Mid Years Albums by Zappa and a Top 10 Later Years Albums by Zappa, a Top 10 Comedy Albums by Zappa, a Top 10 Orchestral Albums by Zappa and a Top 10 Instrumental Albums by Zappa, a Top 10 Jazz/Blues/Doo Wop Albums by Zappa etc. I think we could find that there are many possibilities for a Top 10 Zappa series of videos just because we have been blessed by an artist that has not only produced 100's of albums, but by an artist who has also produced many albums in a many varied style or genre. I think my only problem is actually producing some videos, for one I am camera shy and for two I don't have all of the good audio/video equipment, it would all be from a phone camera or a laptop camera, also a lack of editing suites doesn't help either so making videos is a bit of an issue although not an impossibility. I think if I could create such a video as in a voice over/narrator style then that would possibly work for me but "confidence" you know, it's a bitch! Anyway Bill, enough of me, what about you? How about doing a Top 10 or a Top 20 based upon what albiuums one of us lucky viewers own, plenty of us upload pics of our collections in the Zappa groups on farcebook, I know I have (Joanna Deerfield), check my post out Bill and take a peek at what I have, it certainly ain't as much as many collectors of all things Zappa but it has only taken me just over a year to collect this lot. I did have more but I was relieved of my collection by a burglar whilst I was away on holiday in Wales for a few weeks some time ago and I have only recently been able to start to rebuild my collection up again, sadly I won't ever make it quite as impressive as it once was but c'est la vie! Here is the link to my post in Zappa Collectors on farcebook:- facebook.com/groups/837125959669201/permalink/5092065097508578/

No Uncle Meat? No Waka/Jawaka? How this Is possibile???

As a Zappa fan that has heard every album from Frank, I'd like to list my favorite 15 without ordering them from worst to best or vice versa. These albums are equally awesome in their own way and trying to rate them is kinda pointless. The 15 MUST HAVE Zappa albums are: 200 Motels Soundtrack, Hot Rats Waka/Jawaka Grand Wazoo Bongo Fury The Man From Utopia Chungas Revenge Sheik Yerbouti Zoot Alures We're Only In it For the Money You are What You Is Weasels Ripped My Flesh Lumpy Gravy Overnite Sensation Burnt Weeny Sandwich (Honorable mentions) Uncle Meat Roxy and Elsewhere Them or Us Absolutely Free Cruising With Ruben and the Jets Joes Garage Studio Tan live at Fillmore East 1970 Apostrophe One Size Fits All Baby Snakes and The Amazing Mister Bickford (soundtrack) These to me are the most enjoyable out of 62 studio albums but I didn't even scratch the surface. Zappa to me was the most interesting and mysterious musician and still is because there's still new material being released all the time from the depths of his endless vault of videos and music being released by Zappa Family Trust. Zappa was our modern day Mozart or Beethoven. People that don't like Zappa are usually not musicians and lots of them are haters of Zappa without even knowing anything about him and refuse to give him a chance. These people have very thick skulls and very hard heads. I bet y'all know someone like this..

Bongo Fury

#1 Roxy

The subject starts at about 9 minutes so skip to there. Then play it at 1.5 speed to maybe get through it. "Sheik" is pronounced "shake", that was the point. Top five: Freak Out, Just Another Band from L.A., Live at Filmore East, Ruben and the Jets, Absolutely Free.

I think Waka/Jawaka gets overshadowed by the Grand Wazoo. I believe people doing best of lists try to make a diverse list - because Zappa's catalogue is so wide - and if they find this period great, they simply choose the better one of the two. The better in their opinion, of course. I always found W/J more entertaining.

Not enough people listen to weasels and Bongo

I don't think that the Joe's Garage cover pick is intended to be black face. I always thought it was intended to be "grease face" as in tying into the whole garage theme. So I guess mechanics of the world might have cause to be offended.

"Freak Out!" All the other albums are derivative... IMHO

Bill there one album I had was Sin after sin. With Simon Phillips. The drummer you know Jeff beck. Albums. Cheers Others were rock a rolla. British steal. .stain glass. Me not a fan at all. But i know there albums.

I've known him since he was just a puppy...

Definitely not how I would order this list, especially since I prefer the Mothers work more than the late 70s work, missing Freak Out or Weasels, or my favorite Uncle Meat.

This is another question nothing to do with Frank Zappa sorry about that but the record hanging on the wall behind you looks like an Edison Record is it and is there a reason you have that record OK thanks again

@BillsBoxOfSound

2 жыл бұрын

Not an Edison record. It is a record with a silhouette of the Cleveland Ohio Skyline cut in the upper half. It was a gift from one of my daughters.

You Are What You Is is so underrated. An editing masterpiece. One of my favourites. No Uncle Meat tho. Shocking. It’s a top three lp. Joe’s Garage is a bit overrated I think. Top notch highlights but some average stuff…and too much Central Scrutinizer material, whereas I would like more music instead. Also the production is a bit muted and tame. Maybe too picky

Yeah, those are pretty much the same 15 Zappa albums I would choose as well. Except for "Hot Rats". I've never understood why people like that one? "Peaches" is amazing, of course, but the rest is just unlistenable growling over subpar blues. Something I would call shit, if made by any other artist. What would I replace it with? Hmm....."Broadway the Hard Way" perhaps? It's one of Zappa's best 80's albums, in my opinion, and severely underrated.

Why don't you get all your reference material and records you need to READY BEFORE YOU START THE VIDEO. jesus.

well don't aspire bill I would never rank f zappa's albums.😮

I must be the only guy who feels the FZ estate has disrespected most of all his greatest achievement civilization phase 3. This is not popular because it deals in microtonality and impossible black hole like bending of rhythmic fabric. I beg you to keep listening and you will eventually break through I am a lifelong Zappa devotee since 1974 and believe me nothing..I repeat nothing touches it ..from any artist. It’s a shame that even those trusted with his estate don’t get it.. Out in 93….in 2023. Still not on vinyl. It’s a disgrace

@joaopaulowdeandrade7905

3 ай бұрын

Civilization Phase III is amazing! Included on my top 15. Check my list on the coments. Congratulation to mencioned CFIII

that's cheapness. if they don't mention civilization phase 3, yellow shark or dance me this, then they know nothing about Frank Zappa. just aficionados.

@BillsBoxOfSound

2 жыл бұрын

Your list is your opinion. No judgement here, I just reported my research.

@joseantoniomartinezbombin1669

2 жыл бұрын

@@BillsBoxOfSound not talking about you. It's about those people that always talking about zappa records and never say anything about those records I mention.