Chunga's Revenge is pretty approachable, by and large. So is Freak Out!, except for Side 4. The most mass-appeal stuff he did is probably the early '80s rock, but I don't care for much of that.

I made a flow chart of Zappa albums for another board I used to post at. I can't find it now, but the gist of it was to start with either Freak Out! (psychedelic), Sheik Yerbouti (experimental cock rock), Hot Rats (jazz fusion), or Over-Nite Sensation (something kind of in between 2 and 3), and then follow your heart from there into free jazz or Third Stream or Synclavier programming, until you finally get into the completists-only stuff like Thing-Fish or Does Humor Belong in Music?

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See what I mean? I haven't even started listening and already I feel a twinge in my temples. Music should not be this difficult!

However, I'll give it a shot over the next few weeks. I'm outta town visiting in-laws for the next 10 days.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Well, first of all, I wouldn't put Newman and Waits in that category. They're both quite capable of putting a song across with real emotion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf2llVtd9pQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-ROB8kI_fw

And I agree, autobiography has nothing to do with it. Take Barry Manilow and "Mandy". It's a song about his beloved pet dying. But he sings it like he's talking about buying a roll of toilet paper. I've read posts right here about guys who have lost pets and I guarantee I could take most of them and have them sing "Mandy" while thinking about their own pet and they could put the song across in a more genuine fashion than the guy who wrote it.

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Don't take it personally.

i think the most engaging song waits ever wrote was "take it with me". it has one of the most heartbreaking, sweet sentiments i've heard put to song.

randy newman wrote the "avalon" soundtrack. there's so much sadness in that music, i always use it as a reference when people diss him. yes, he's written far too many songs that sound like his other songs...but he does know how to write great music.

Sheik Yer Booty and Hot Rats. Joe's Garage and Apostrophe'...to name a few.

Zappa plays Zappa plays Peaches...

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@audioidkid

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@audioidkid

I would go with "Who Are You" off Bone Machine for the late era, and then pretty much all of Closing Time, really.

And "Baltimore" is Randy Newman's finest song, even better than "Sail Away," "Rednecks," "Louisiana," or "Burn On."

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"martha" is a very painful song, i love it. "closing time" is a very good record, even though it is way different than tom waits' definitive years.

"Lonley" is a heartbreaking song. Closing Time was on the jukebox at the old Tuman's. I always tried to play "Lonely" at last call. I had a serious love named Rosie back then so I'd play that one too.

Waits can and has played a lot of styles. Heartattack and Vine is awesome. Those earlier records might be more one dimensional than Swordfishtrombones or Rain Dogs but the songs are still great.

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Don't take it personally.

"heart attack and vine" is a great record. i also liked "nighthawks at the diner" a lot.

Bowie is good in small doses, but he's not among the immortals.