Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out! (1966) [Reissue 1995 & 2012]

"This is the voice of your conscience, baby..." The recording debut of the Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention is a brilliantly wicked counter-strike to the flower power sensibilities prevalent at the time of it's release in 1966. Arguably rock music's first true "concept album," Zappa's aural collage mashes together chunks of psychedelic guitars, outspoken political commentary, cultural satire, and avant-garde musical sensibilities, and then hides it all under cleverly crafted pop melodies. Not diminished in the slightest by the passage of time, Freak Out! remains as vital and relevant today as it was in the 1960's. --Andrew Boscardin

The Greenwich Meridian from which all Zappa navigations begin. Originally released in 1966, it's the first Mothers of Invention record & just possibly the first rock "concept" album -- it purportedly inspired Paul McCartney to start writing SGT. PEPPER. A consciousness-raiser, now with 2 Lps on 1 CD. Just try to imagine the '60s (or the world, for that matter) without "Hungry Freaks, Daddy," "Who Are the Brain Police," or "Trouble Every Day," the latter a concert fave well into the '80s. The big finale, "Return of the Son of Monster Magnet," is also here in all its dissonant glory.