Hot Rats


Released: October 15 1969

Tracklist

  1. Peaches En Regalia
  2. Willie the Pimp
  3. Son Of Mr. Green Genes
  4. Little Umbrellas
  5. The Gumbo Variations
  6. It Must Be A Camel

Line-up
Captain Beefheart (vocals), Sugar Cane Harris (violin), Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), John Guerin (drums), Paul Humphrey (drums), Ron Selico (drums), Max Bennett (bass), Shuggy Otis (bass), Ian Underwood (keyboards, clarinets, saxes) and of course FZ (guitar, ocave base, percussion)

Uncle Meat

Released: March 1969

Tracklist

  1. Main Title Theme
  2. The Voice Of Cheese
  3. 9 Types Of Industrial Pollution
  4. Zolar Czakl
  5. Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague
  6. The Legend Of The Golden Arches
  7. Louie Louie (live at Royal Albert Hall)
  8. The Dog Breath Variations
  9. Sleeping In A Jar
  10. Our Bizarre Relationship
  11. The Uncle Meat Variations
  12. Electric Aunt Jemima
  13. Prelude To King Kong
  14. God Bless America
  15. A Pound For A Brown On The Bus
  16. Ian Underwood Whips It Out
  17. Mr. Green Genes
  18. We Can Shoot You
  19. If We’d All Been Living In California…
  20. The Air
  21. Project X
  22. Cruising For Burgers
  23. Uncle Meat Film Excerpts I & II
  24. Tengo Na Minchia Tanta
  25. King Kong Itself
  26. King Kong II
  27. King Kong III
  28. King Kong IV
  29. King Kong V
  30. King Kong VI

Line-up
Frank Zappa (guitar, low grade vocals, percussion), Ray Collins (swell vocals), Jimmy Carl Black (drums, droll humor, poverty), Roy Estrada (electric bass, chesseburgers, Pachuco falsetto), Don (Dom De Wild) Preston (electric piano, tarot cards, brown rice), Billy (The Oozer) (Mundi drums), Bunk (Sweetpants) Gardner (piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bassoon), Ian Underwood (electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, special assistance, copyist, industrial relations & teen appeal), Artie (With the Green Mustache) (Tripp drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes, cheerful outlook & specific enquiries), Euclid James (Motorhead/Motorishi) Sherwood (pop star, frenetic tenor sax stylings, tambourine, choreography, obstinance & equipment setter-upper when he’s not hustling local groupies)

Cruising With Ruben & The Jets

Released: November 1968

Tracklist

  1. Cheap Thrills
  2. Love Of My Life
  3. How Could I Be Such A Fool
  4. Deseri
  5. I’m Not Satisfied
  6. Jerry Roll Gum Drop
  7. Anything
  8. Later That Night
  9. You Didn’t Try To Call Me
  10. Fountain Of Love
  11. “No. No. No.”
  12. Anyway The Wind Blows
  13. Stuff Up The Cracks

Line-up
Frank Zappa (low grumbles, oo-wah and lead guitar), Ray Collins (lead vocals), Roy Estrada (high weazlings, dwaedy-doop & electric bass), Jimmy Carl Black and/or Arthur Dyer Tripp III (lewd pulsating rhythm), Ian Underwood or Don Preston (redundant piano triplets), Motorhead Sherwood (baritone sax & tambourine), Bunk Gardner & Ian Underwood (tenor & alto sax) + Jay Anderson (1984 mix new string bass tracks), Arthur Barrow (1984 mix new bass tracks), Chad Wackerman (1984 mix new drum tracks)

We’re Only In It For The Money

Released: September 1968

Tracklist

  1. Are You Hung Up?
  2. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
  3. Concentration Moon
  4. Mom & Dad
  5. Telephone Conversation
  6. Bow Tie Daddy
  7. Harry You’re A Beast
  8. What’s the Ugliest Part Of Your Body?
  9. Absolutely Free
  10. Flower Punk
  11. Hot Poop
  12. Nasal Retentive Calliope Music
  13. Let’s Make The Water Turn Black
  14. The Idiot Bastard Son
  15. Lonely Little Girl
  16. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
  17. What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body? (reprise)
  18. Mother People
  19. The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny

Line-up
Frank Zappa, Billy Mundi, Bunk Gardner, Roy Estrada, Don Preston, Jimmy Carl Black, Ian Underwood, Jim Sherwood, Suzy Creamcheese

Lumpy Gravy

Released: December 1967

Tracklist

  1. The Way I See It, Barry
  2. Duodenum
  3. Oh No
  4. Bit Of Nostalgia
  5. It’s From Kansas
  6. Bored Out 90 Over
  7. Almost Chinese
  8. Switching Girls
  9. Oh No Again
  10. At The Gas Station
  11. Another Pickup
  12. I Don’t Know If I Can Go Through This Again
  13. Very Distraughtening
  14. White Ugliness
  15. Amen
  16. Just One More Time
  17. A Vicious Circle
  18. King Kong
  19. Drums Are Too Noisy
  20. Kangaroos
  21. Envelops The Bath Tub
  22. Take Your Clothes Off

Line-up
Paul Smith, Mike Lang, Lincoln Mayorga, Pete Jolly (keyboards of all sorts), Emil Richards, Gene Estes, Alan Estes, Victor Feldman (percussional insanity), Ted Nash, Jules Jacob, John Rotella, Bunk Gardner, Don Christlieb, Gene Cipriano (woodwinds), Arthur Maebe, Vincent De Rosa, Richard Parisi, Jimmy Zito, Kenneth Shroyer (french horns, trumpet, trombones), Jim Haynes, Tommy Tedesco, Tony Rizzi, Al Viola, Dennis Budimer (guitars) Bob West, John Balkin, Jimmy Bond, Lyle Ritts, Chuck Berghofer (bass) and an incredibly big truckload of violinists.

Absolutely Free

Released: April 1967

Tracklist

  1. Plastic People
  2. The Duke Of Prunes
  3. Amnesia Vivace
  4. The Duke Regains His Chops
  5. Call Any Vegetable
  6. Invocation & Ritual Dance Of the Young Pumpkin
  7. Soft-Sell Conclusion
  8. Big Leg Emma
  9. Why Don’tcha Do Me Right
  10. America Drinks
  11. Status Back Baby
  12. Uncle Bernie’s Farm
  13. Son Of Suzie Creamcheeze
  14. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It
  15. America Drinks & Goes Home

Line-up
Frank Zappa, Ray Collins, Jim Black, Roy Estrada, Billy Mundi, Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, Jim Sherwood

Freak Out!

Released: July 1966

Tracklist

  1. Hungry Freaks Daddy
  2. I Ain’t Got No Heart
  3. Who Are The Brain Police?
  4. Go Cry on Somebody Else’s Shoulder
  5. Motherly Love
  6. How Could I Be Such A Fool
  7. Wowie Zowie
  8. You Didn’t Try To Call Me
  9. Any Way The Wind Blows
  10. I’m Not Satisfied
  11. You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here
  12. Trouble Every Day
  13. Help, I’m A Rock
  14. It Can’t Happen Here
  15. The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet

Line-up
Ray Collins, Jimmy Carl Black, Roy Estrada, Elliot Ingber and many more (please do not hold it against them…)