Frank Zappa - Zappatite

Facts "ZAPPAtite: Frank Zappa's Tastiest Tracks" gathers a healthy helping of Zappa's best-known and best-loved compositions, from his early psychedelic rock beginnings to his avant-garde experiments, jazz-rock explorations, symphonic suites and satirical spoofs, and assembles them in an easily digestible collection that provides important access points to the visionary musician's many musical worlds.

The album is divided into three courses - appetizers, entrees and desserts - and the food theme runs through the album cover, which shows Zappa in a diner, a track list that resembles a menu and some of Zappa's favorite dishes. The 18 compositions that make up "ZAPPAtite" were compiled by Zappa's son Ahmet Zappa and the encyclopedic Zappa archivist "Vaultmaster" Joe Travers. "This is not a greatest hits album, because Frank didn't have any 'hits' per se, and it's not a 'best of' either, because that would be an impossibility to fit so much greatness on one disk," says Ahmet Zappa. "It's a veritable smorgasbord of musicality for the curious and a buffet of favorites for the fans. 'ZAPPAtite' gathers a cross-section of my favorite songs composed by my father that lean more towards the rock side of his extensive repertoire. I hope you're hungry, because this meal for your ears rocks!"

The collection opens with the one-two punch of "I'm The Slime" and "Dirty Love" from Zappa's 1973 Watershed Gold album "Over-Nite Sensation" and quickly introduces Zappa's eclecticism and insinuating tongue as the songs fuse polyrhythmic psychedelic rock and heavy funk with his signature innuendo-laden lyrics. From there, the album travels through Zappa's expansive musical universe, highlighting key songs and eras of his career. The appetizer section also includes the Grammy-nominated disco satire "Dancin' Fool" and the controversial European hit "Bobby Brown Goes Down" from Zappa's popular 1979 album "Sheik Yerbouti," as well as "Trouble Every Day" from the groundbreaking 1966 debut album "Freak Out!" by Zappa's flagship rock band The Mothers of Invention.

The entrees include one of Zappa's best-known works, the ever-popular instrumental "Peaches En Regalia" from his classic second solo album "Hot Rats" from 1969, the ubiquitous Top 40 hit "Valley Girl", on which his then 14-year-old daughter Moon Unit utters a "gag-me-with-a-spoon" patois, from the 1982 album "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch"; to the possibly autobiographical piece from a parallel dimension "Joe's Garage" from the 1979 LP of the same name; and the mischievous blues rocker "Cosmik Debris" and the humorous "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow", two standout tracks from one of Zappa's most commercial and accessible albums, 1974's "Apostrophe (')".

Desserts explores Zappa's musical virtuosity and unique live performances and includes the comedic "Titties & Beer" from the 1978 live album "Zappa In New York"; the frenetic, Synclavier-driven "G-Spot Tornado" from the 1986 album "Jazz From Hell"; the anti-drug critique "Cocaine Decisions" from 1983's "The Man From Utopia" and "Zoot Allures", the intoxicating instrumental featuring Zappa's electrifying guitar playing from 1976's "Zoot Allures". The album culminates in a performance of "Strictly Genteel" with the London Symphony Orchestra. The epic, orchestral rock piece originally served as the grand finale for Zappa's surrealist film "200 Motels" from 1971.