Name your fav classical or avantgarde instrumental Zappa album

[PeterG]

For me it's a toss up between The Perfect Stranger and Francesco Zappa....but Perfect Stranger is my fav.

[Facelift]

Either Lumpy Gravy or Jazz From Hell

[PeterG]

Also available, for Zappa newbies to listen to and pick from, are things like The Yellow Shark, the LSO albums, Ensemble Ambrosius albums, Orchestral Favorites.

Albums like Hot Rats and Burnt Weeny Sandwich, although almost totally instrumental I consider more as prog than avantgarde/classical and the shut up/guitar albums are mostly rock/jazz.

[Facelift]

Also available, for Zappa newbies to listen to and pick from, are things like The Yellow Shark, the LSO albums, Ensemble Ambrosius albums, Orchestral Favorites.

Albums like Hot Rats and Burnt Weeny Sandwich, although instrumental I consider more as prog than avantgarde/classical and the shut up/guitar albums are mostly rock/jazz.

Neither of those albums are all-instrumental, anyway.

[rcarlberg]

Yellow Shark hands down. It's also the only one Zappa was happy with.

[Mister Triscuits]

Civilization Phaze III.

[Dave (in MA)]

Yellow Shark

[PeterG]

Civilization Phaze III.

Debateable whether it can be considered instrumental as the whole thing is built around a lot of talking and Zappa himself called it an opera iirc.

[PeterG]

Neither of those albums are all-instrumental, anyway.

Yea, I know that, but you know what I mean.

[Progtopia]

Haven't heard them all but I'll go with Lumpy Gravy.

[Dave (in MA)]

Another good one might be the Strictly Genteel comp, but since I had all the source material already I never picked it up.

[polmico]

If I could make a comp of instrumental selections from Uncle Meat, Burnt Weenie and 200 Motels, then I'd have my favorite avant instrumental FZ album. That's the height of his compositional prowess for me, and UM is my favorite FZ album.

[Mister Triscuits]

Debateable whether it can be considered instrumental as the whole thing is built around a lot of talking and Zappa himself called it an opera iirc.

The talking is vastly outweighed by the music. Except for the slightly lengthier stretches of 1991 dialogue in the middle of disc 2, most of it is just brief snippets in between the "real" tracks. And if you're going to disqualify albums that include spoken word segments, you have to reject Lumpy Gravy and Yellow Shark as well.

[PeterG]

Yea, you make a good point there. At least it isn't singing!

[trurl]

If I could make a comp of instrumental selections from Uncle Meat, Burnt Weenie and 200 Motels, then I'd have my favorite avant instrumental FZ album.

I would go with that. In fact, if someone makes a good playlist for that let me know!

[Scrotum Scissor]

His greatest instrumental "art music" compositions ever, for me, are to be found on Uncle Meat. Other than that I love Lumpy Gravy, Orchestral Favorites and The Yellow Shark.

[gregory]

I think Strictly Genteel compilation is the most representative instrumental Zappa.
Of regular studio albums, I'll take Orchestral Favorites for proposed topic.

[mozo-pg]

I like a positive spin better - Hot Rats.

[syncopatico]

I like a positive spin better - Hot Rats.

Sorry to be a nitpicker, but Willie The Pimp on Hot Rats has vocals, of course.

[mozo-pg]

Sorry to be a nitpicker, but Willie The Pimp on Hot Rats has vocals, of course.

No problem. If you look at the original post it refers to classical or instrumental.

[syncopatico]

No problem. If you look at the original post it refers to classical or instrumental.

Gotcha. Willie The Pimp on Hot Rats is neither. (But the rest of the record is instrumental which i guess is what you were referring to.)

[mozo-pg]

Gotcha. Willie The Pimp on Hot Rats is neither. (But the rest of the record is instrumental which i guess is what you were referring to.)

Ah...I misunderstood - I thought of "classic" versus "classical".

[GuitarGeek]

Well, I don't have all of them, but of the ones I do have my favorite mostly or entirely instrumental Zappa albums are:
Uncle Meat
Waka/Jawaka
The Grand Wazoo
Guitar

Apart from the orchestral records, Jazz From Hell and the guitar solo records, I don't think Frank did very many all instrumental records. I think always included something on each record that could theoretically become a fluke novelty hit (a process that eventually paid off with Valley Girl).

[PeterG]

Yea classical not classic...but although with just one vocal I'd easily accept Hot Rats as instrumental for the purposes of this thread if it were classical or avantgarde, but it isn't, it's prog. For the record my fav Zappa prog album

[PeterG]

Well, I don't have all of them, but of the ones I do have my favorite mostly or entirely instrumental Zappa albums are:
Uncle Meat
Waka/Jawaka
The Grand Wazoo
Guitar

Apart from the orchestral records, Jazz From Hell and the guitar solo records, I don't think Frank did very many all instrumental records. I think always included something on each record that could theoretically become a fluke novelty hit (a process that eventually paid off with Valley Girl).

This isn't a thread baout fav Zappa albums in general or instrumentals in general:

What I wrote earlier,
"Also available, for Zappa newbies to listen to and pick from, are things like The Yellow Shark, the LSO albums, Ensemble Ambrosius albums, Orchestral Favorites.
Albums like Hot Rats and Burnt Weeny Sandwich, although almost totally instrumental I consider more as prog than avantgarde/classical and the shut up/guitar albums are mostly rock/jazz. "