Wow.
This guy was amazing. I don’t know how I’ve lived 29 years and never really learned anything more than his name. I picked this CD up on a whim while on vacation, and I was hooked after a single play.
While not exactly a “greatest hits” compilation (Zappa wasn’t the most commercial artist, hence the ironic title), it is an excellent sampler of 30 years and 70 albums created by one of music’s more unsung visionaries.
Early favorites of mine include “Muffin Man” (which effortlessly blends a studio recording and a live one), “Valley Girl” (which, given the subject, you’d think would come off dated, but somehow it doesn’t) and “Trouble Every Day” (a rarity for me: a 60s protest song I actually like and agree with). While I might not be buying every single thing Zappa ever recorded after this, I’m certainly going to look more into his work.