Frank Zappa: ZAPPAtite - Tastiest Tracks (2LP) [HIP-O RECORDS]

Why you'll love it

This 2LP gatefold set puts ZAPPAtite on vinyl for the first time; it first came out on CD and digital in 2016. Nineteen tracks run from the Mothers' "Trouble Every Day" to "G-Spot Tornado," a starting point drawn from across his whole catalogue.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Gatefold jacket
• Stereo mix

About the album

Frank Zappa put out 62 albums in his lifetime, and the family trust has kept going since. That's a lot of shelf, and the Zappa Family Trust built ZAPPAtite as the front door: one sitting, the hits, the jazz-rock showpieces and the oddities, all chosen to send newcomers off in every direction at once.

The jazzy, sunlit instrumental "Peaches En Regalia" sits a few tracks from the rubbery funk of "I'm the Slime" and the Mothers' "Trouble Every Day," his sharp report on the 1965 Watts riots. "Valley Girl," with his daughter Moon on vocals, became his biggest hit, "Joe's Garage" and "Dancing Fool" show off his gift for a sly pop hook, and "Cosmik Debris" and "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" carry the shaggy-dog humour. Side D turns to the composer, with the Synclavier workout "G-Spot Tornado," the guitar feature "Zoot Allures" and the grand finale "Strictly Genteel."

It's the guitarist, bandleader, satirist and orchestral composer in one box, with enough loose threads to send you back for another dozen albums. Consider it a tasting menu, though we accept no responsibility for the bill.

Also at Kops: more Frank Zappa on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Zappa Records / UMe (cat# ZR20022-1), a reissue of the 2016 compilation.