Hot Rats

@bdp24 

It is always difficult comparing Popular Musicians with Classical Composers.  In FZ case the door is open to do that because he had some aspirations in Symphonic Music.  No, he wasn’t J.S. Bach.  As you rightly note, most Composers are going to pale compared to J.S. Bach.  A more apt comparison may be the Romantics such as Brahms, Dvorak, and Grieg.  These guys had one foot in the door of popular music-most of their income came from sheet music sales from stuff that was comparatively simple—but, like Mozart, they frequently took simple song forms and ran with them, turning them into much more complicated works

To me, Bowie and Zappa are my two favorite rock musicians for the simple reason that they reinvented themselves over and over with different styles throughout their lengthy career. Each with about 40 albums! As far as the question, which are Zappa's best sounding album, you can pick any recorded after 1973. Truly a recording master, better than Bowie in that sense.

Great licks in “Imaginary Diseases”.

Mysterioso1, 

The Grand Wazoo and Waka Jawaka are both demo quality, with great dynamics, tone color, and a big open stage presentation, but musically, TGW is the better album with more great songs.  My original 1973 vinyl still sounds great.

 Zappa's  "Blessed Relief", "Twenty Small Cigars", "Grand Wazoo" and "Waka Jawaka", along with countless others, is some of the most wonderful music I've ever heard. I saw him in concert three times and was amazed that he encouraged people to vote and had a voting registration area set up as you arrived at the venue.  His testimony in front of congress concerning censorship of music is noteworthy (John Denver was with him) and a testament to what kind of a man he was.  His last work at the end of his life, "The Yellow Shark" is, IMO, a final tribute to his true genius. Those who might dismiss him for his sarcasm and sexual innuendo are missing the true measure of his musical prowess. I have to say that it was Frank Zappa's music that first led me to John Coltrane...and from there into the rich and limitless world of jazz and elsewhere.