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With Understanding Comes Appreciation In one million years from now, it would not surprise me in the slightest if Allan Holdsworth were regarded as the single best guitar player to ever walk the earth. The legendary jazz/fusion axe-slinger seamlessly avoided mainstream recognition for the entirety of his career, which spanned for over 40 years, thirteen studio and three live albums. Despite his underwhelming popularity among the masses, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single guitarist or guitar enthusiast who’s unfamiliar with Holdsworth and his work. The late, genius Frank Zappa even stated at one point that Holdsworth was “The greatest guitarist in the world.” Coming a statement by such seminal figure who recruited nothing but musicians who would eventually become the cream of the industry —and equally Guitar God— speaks volumes of his ability at the instrument. Metal Fatigue is the man’s shining moment as an artist, an album that not only showcases his raw technical ability and domination over his instrument but also proves that he is far more than capable of composing a catchy tune. Born on August 6, 1946, in Bradford, Yorkshire, Holdsworth was originally taught music by his father, who was a pianist. He didn't pick up the guitar until he was 17 years old, but learned the instrument quickly. After playing in local outfits (and learning the violin), Holdsworth relocated to London, where he was taken under the wing of saxophonist Ray Warleigh. By 1972, Holdsworth had joined progressive rockers Tempest, appearing on the group's self-titled debut a year later before joining Soft Machine in December 1973 —and radically changing the latter outfit's sound to guitar-based fusion in the process. U.S. drummer Tony Williams discovered Holdsworth around this time, which led to an invite for the up-and-coming guitarist to replace John McLaughlin in Williams' Lifetime project — Holdsworth abruptly left Soft Machine in March of 1975, subsequently appearing on the Williams recordings "Believe It" and "Million Dollar Legs." But Holdsworth's union with Williams was a brief one, as the guitarist joined up with French-English prog rockers Gong for such albums as 1976's Gazeuse! (released as Expresso in the U.S.) and 1978's Expresso II, in addition to appearing on recordings by Jean-Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford, Gordon Beck, Jack Bruce, and UK.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Composed for nine instruments (2x pianos, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tam-tam and xylophone), Béla Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion certainly packs a punch. Written in 1937 and premiered in 1938 by Bartók and his second wife Ditta on piano and percussionists Fritz Schiesser and Philipp Rühig, the sonata was received very well by critics and audiences. The piece received its US premiere in 1940, with Ditta also playing one of the piano parts in New York City’s Town Hall. Since its inception, Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion is among Bartók’s most-performed works today, even with the large set-up. On the score Bartók has been very precise about how the layout of the ensemble should look and is also very specific on the percussion parts as to what kind of sticks to use and what parts of the instruments to strike. Due to Bartók’s precision, the outcome is a fully-realized and intricate chamber work. The composition considers three movements as follows: Movement I – Assai lento – Allegro Molto The slow and atmospheric opening to this movement is decorated with percussion swells that interrupt the delicate pianos. The structure is in sonata form, with this long introduction leading into an exposition section. For a majority of this movement the music is in 9/8 time which gives a slightly uncomfortable, yet beautiful feeling throughout. As the exposition bursts into action, the pianos rush off in-sync as the percussion accompanies with drum rhythms or melody affectations. There is a real ebb and flow of energy in this movement, with Bartók experimenting with rhythm and textures to create rich swells of music and also atmospheric passages. The powerful synergy between the pianos radiates into the percussion as the two sections work harmoniously through the more bombastic sections. The music is dramatic and intense and that is certainly one of the appeals of the work. As the coda section begins the pianos race off with a reprise of a fully-realized opening theme. The jaunty angular melodies come to a sudden end as the ensemble finishes on a final beat together. Movement II – Lento, ma non troppo The ternary form middle movement showcases Bartók’s famous ‘night music’ idiom which he used in many multi-movement works. The idiom is basically a technique of producing mysterious dissonances as a backdrop to lone melodies. This is exactly what happens in this movement as one piano leans on the dissonances and the other plays a simple lone melody. The percussion adds cymbal scrapes and other sounds throughout, but this movement is really about the pianos. As the dissonances grow the music swells into the climax of the movement, but quickly comes back down before rumbles of the next movement begin. Movement III – Allegro non troppo The finale bursts into action with a rondo-like dance. The pianos and xylophone take the melodic lead, as the drums take a more accompaniment role. The bombastic energy in this movement is unchallenged by the previous movements and shows Bartók’s more playful style of writing. Led by melody rather than texture, the finale is an exciting display of musicianship. With the energy presented in this movement it might be a surprise that the ending is extremely quiet and finishes with a duet between the snare drum and cymbal.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation If you are into Krautrock or guitar driven space rock, I've got a record for you: Solar Music Live by Grobschnitt. There is fantastic music to be heard here, believe me! The music from this live album is extremely strong and if ever you tend to like crying guitars sustained by an exceptional drumming, a powerful bass playing, and lots of atmospheric keyboards parts, this album is tailor-made to your ears. All the elements that make a successful prog are present: creativity, weirdness, experimentations, space jamming, beauty, ultimate musicianship, melody, long epics, and very important power. This album is sheer power, actually! Solar Music Live has to be heard as one gigantic epic as there is no musical breaks between the tracks. This is one continuous space journey and THE space odyssey of THE prog music realm. Although it shows 7 songs in the track list, it really is one song with no breaks, and it's performed live. Each song blends into the other. They gave song titles only to give some structure and by doing so, radio Dj's would be able to play parts of this album on the radio. Solar Music Live is the live performance of the Grobschnitt's incredible double album "Ballerman," at least it is the last album of that 1976 album. The band are renowned for their vivacious high theatrics and art rock pyrotechnics with fireworks, sparks, masks and costumes. This stage act fits in perfectly with the astonishing space rock of ' Solar Music . ' There's no live album in the universe like this. The band are a zany bunch of geniuses; the sound they generate together is incredible, totally original in feel and ultimately satisfying, with huge time changes, dramatic shifts in mood, and a whimsical sense of humour.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Once upon a time there was the story of the greatest irony of all-time in music, known as The Velvet Underground. A bohemian group of avant-garde artists and thinkers that no one calculated at the time, really no one. Over time, they went from being a group of enlightened artists to one of the most important and influential bands in the history of music, not by a simple change of heart or by a click, they always had it in them but nobody was ready to understand it. Today the eponymous album with the banana is surely one of the best albums of all times, without forgetting the rest of their repertoire that people have learned to discover only in a retrospective way. In short, of course The Velvet Underground are not the only example of a group or artists who only knew the success of esteem and/or commercial in a retrospective way, but it is indisputable to say that it is surely the absolute example. The Velvet Underground are above all a group of visionary and that remains one of the most significant symbols of both counter-culture and pop culture, helped by their mentor and manager Andy Warhol in person. Like The Beatles but much more underground, The Velvet Underground were one of the first bands to venture into full-scale Pop/Rock experimentation and also to merge art and music as a single entity. Whether it was the musical aspect, the attitude or the writing, The Velvet Underground also brought a higher dimension to the poetic aspect, breaking barriers and territories never explored. That's why their sounds, their innovations and their writing were absolutely unique at the time and still sound like an unequalled signature. If we take into account the first and real line-up, The Velvet Underground is of course a group composed of talents going up to the genius, we think of course of Lou Reed and John Cale who knew in solo an absolutely fabulous career, or the atypical Sterling Morrison and Moe Tucker (a female drummer and singer, an exception for the time). Not to mention the participation of the controversial German singer and model Nico. It is impossible to estimate the total influence of the band on the history of music, since not only does it occupy an incredible place in an indirect way, but it is still palpable today. All we can say is that The Velvet Underground have transformed the history of rock, as a spiritual father of experimentation, creativity, and casualness that will be felt from the beginning of the 70s to accentuate at the end of this decade. The history of the Velvet is explained by several essential elements, but first of all by the chemistry between Lou Reed and John Cale, who shared the same vision and obsessive experimental creativity. Although they came from two different worlds, they met in 1964, with Lou Reed on the one hand, an underground Pop/Rock guitarist and songwriter under the tutelage of Pickwick Records, and Cale on the other, a multi-instrumentalist graduate intellectual who was part of the Theatre of Eternal Music, known for its classical and avant-garde music. However, the meeting of two initially opposing geniuses turned into an uncommon force. Behind his dark and nihilistic persona, Lou Reed is a young writing prodigy, having offered his first song at the age of 16 before writing for insignificant bands during the 60s. Of course he is also an excellent musician, who already had his own signature ahead of time, but he is of course one of the keys to the upheaval of the Velvet in terms of the themes, the writing and the innovative poetry that we find. On the other hand, the Welshman John Cale, who initially came to study in New York, is a complement in the musical and avant-garde experience, as a great musician that very few bands had at that time.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Roxy Music debut with the eponymous album was epochal. There had never been any pop songs with such a rate of artistic sophistication. That was the trick that elevated Roxy Music from an art school project to the most adventurous rock band of the early '70s. Falling halfway between musical primitivism and art rock ambition, Roxy Music's eponymous debut remains a startling redefinition of rock's boundaries. Simultaneously embracing kitschy glamour and avant-pop, Roxy Music shimmers with seductive style and pulsates with disturbing synthetic textures. The album is defined by a twisted muse where deconstruction and reconstruction play pivotal roles in reshaping and remodeling melodies, textures, rhythms and whole genres into something altogether new. Somewhat distanced, with a lovely attitude of laissez-faire and pure fun, it never comes across as either forced or sloppy, which one might expect. What the band does so well is adhering to often pretty simple underlying structures (in a relative sense) and still come across as bravely experimenting and rule-breaking, a feat that shouldn't be underestimated. The greatness shines most brightly in the friction. Speaking of that, there's also another surface of friction here that between the more sleek and melodious songs (with pretty piano, Mellotron and easy-going guitar) and the wild, uncontrolled freak-out fests that I like best (sweaty, apocalyptic and primal efforts with icing of crazy inspiration). Brian Eno's weird electronic experimentation and keys bubbles and soars, whether in the background or up front and more often than not they have their own life, but there's a more disciplined and tame side to his work as well, showcasing a great sense of melody. Phil Manzanera's guitar delivers sweet melodies as well as atonal wailing and is always delivering with a wonderful tension. The same can be said about the sturdier sounds of Andy Mackay's saxophone work. Bryan Ferry delivers the words in a crooning, warbling, high-strung way, guaranteed to drive some people away from the band at first, but an essential part of the experience. Impressive as it is, the band will become even better on albums to come; playing tighter and a bit more interesting music, but nothing they've ever done beats this one in terms of joyful insanity. To sum it up, the album's simply a wonderful, bubbling cauldron of post-modernist inspiration. If you want to hear something that slaughters the familiar while still paying homage to it, look no further.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation While the big bang of progressive rock was only a few years old, it is astonishing how so many bands diversified their sounds and perfected them in such a short span of time. While King Crimson went more in the direction of jazz influenced rock with avant-garde composing techniques, Pink Floyd went the space rock direction, Jethro Tull into the progressive arenas of folk and others like Genesis opting for a more vocally led theatrical style, PFM whole heartedly went into the classical music direction and I have to say that although other bands like Yes and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso would also incorporate a lot of classical ideas, no other band seemed quite as dedicated to a historical classical feel that married the best aspects of early 70s progressive rock so perfectly including rocking percussion, bass and guitars, gossamer flute and piccolo, and even a touch of jazz-rock fusion with the violins and of course the huge palette of themes, complex arrangements and bursts of the energetic avant-garde with swaths of tempos and torrents of musical tones. After making such a great entry with their stunning debut album "Storia di un Minuto," the amazing Italian quintet Premiata Forneria Marconi proved that they could do even better with their second effort Per un Amico , which after more than 40 years from its release, remains as one of the most definite masterpieces in Italian prog history. Their prog sound, based on a typically Mediterranean melodic sensitiveness exquisitely seasoned with influences from early King Crimson and Genesis, remains quite the same, but it is obvious that the band has progressed as an ensemble and that the cleverness of the arrangements to shape their musical ideas has been improved. This is very melodious music with liberal use of flute, acoustic guitar, piano and violin, and with synthesizer, Mellotron and organ such an integral part of the music that you almost don't notice they're contemporary, even during the very electronic-sounding parts. If you listen to these tracks you'll realize that the band really knew how to use the flute, strings and piano to great effect. Bass and percussion are good on this album too, again melding well and supporting the other instruments. Then there are the calm, smooth Italian vocals, which only add to the enjoyment of the music. Some parts of the music are purely acoustic whilst others are very symphonic Progressive Rock. Per un Amico contains even more classical overtones and is clearly more complex than it was earlier the same year, but when for some bands that means a colder, more mathematical approach, not so with PFM. Because the music throughout the album is positively vibrant with warmth and richness, with often long, tranquil passages of excellent acoustic guitar and piano, intertwined with more orchestral passages and very often, flute. The few bits of really notable electric guitar still shows some relation and admiration to Robert Fripp, but in the next second they are as far from the man as possible with the smooth, warm tone one can expect for this kind of music. That same warmth is not only limited to the instrumental side of the album, the vocals are equally soothing and pastoral. The greatest difference, musically, must be that of the keys. Here we're served a more modern, in the words relative meaning, sound. More electronic, bordering on sharp from time to time. If you for some reason find this bothering there's no need to be alarmed: Mellotron-soaked melody will redeem that.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation In many ways I equate Herbie Hancock with the legendary Bob Dylan as far as being an enormous influence on the evolution of modern music. Dylan courageously followed his personal muse wherever she led without question or resistance, oftentimes to the consternation of his legion of followers and, in the process, forced what seemed to be conflicting genres to not only cohabitate but to compliment each other. In the early 70s Herbie realized that the burgeoning phenomenon known as funk (at that time budding in both the rock and the R&B territories) wasn't just a flash-in-the-pan craze and that, if handled properly, could be brought into the realm of 20th century jazz. Both artists suffered much critical grief from conservative traditionalists for their bold experimentations involving what were considered sacred cows yet their quests for creative fulfillment overrode any fears of exile from popular acceptance and now, in perspective, they are rightly heralded as pioneers who not only broke down barriers but opened up new territories for musicians the world over to migrate into. In the case of this, the debut album from Hancock's "Headhunters" group, it is rightly considered to be one of (if not THE) vanguard recordings that gave birth to funk/rock jazz fusion. Despite having worked with some of the greatest jazz players in history during the sixties, Herbie began to feel stymied musically and wanted to wade into uncharted waters to see what kind of ripples he could instigate. He put together a five-piece ensemble of like-minded explorers and set out to carve out a rebellious niche in the institution of progressive music. On October 13, 1973 this album hit the record store racks and, as they say, the rest is history. It appealed to fans of a wide variety of styles and, in its own humble way, made jazz music in general more palatable for millions who had always considered it to be too high-brow and, therefore, repelling because of its elitism. Not intending to be condescending in any manner, this was music even commoners could relate to.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation For the sake of new comers, first things first. Of the many legendary artists to emerge from the Krautrock movement, few anticipated the rise of modern electronic music with the same prescience as Popol Vuh —they were the first German band to employ a Moog synthesizer and their work not only anticipated the emergence of ambient, but also proved pioneering in its absorption of worldbeat textures. At much the same time Popol Vuh was formed in Munich in 1969, another group of Norwegian descent adopted the same name, an endless source of confusion in the years to follow; both were inspired by the holy book of Guatemala's Quiche Indians, and according to Mayan researchers, the title roughly translates as "meeting place." Keyboardist Florian Fricke was deeply immersed in Mayan mythology at the time he formed the group with synth player Frank Fiedler and percussionist Holger Trulzsch, and his interests were reflected in the spiritual themes of their 1970 debut, Affenstunde. A sumptuous, pastoral, mystical album that pursues on the way launched by the seminal "Einsjäger & Siebenjäger." Popol Vuh are at the summit of their career. The atmosphere is totally fascinating, perfectly controlled emotionally with very pleasant, spiritual moments. We are fare from their two first challenged "ethnic" electronic, meditative works and really more into guitars, piano and female vocals combination. The vocal melodies of the soprano Djon Yun are especially beautiful and ethereal. Daniel Fichelscher's dreamy and clean guitar playing is pretty effective and well accompanied by the serenity of Florian Fricke's piano playing. Next to the massive "Hosianna Mantra," "Seligpreisung" and "Einsjäger & Siebenjäger" this one is the fourth classic album offered by the band. I'm not sure why I like the cover so much, a country setting with trees and sheep in a field with the sky showing above. This picture gives a clue as to what kind of music is offered here. A pastoral, gentle and beautful work that is reflective as well. As Florian Fricke moved away from an early synthesizer-centered sound and embraced organic instrumentation in his quest to fuse Eastern and Western musical and spiritual traditions, Popol Vuh's rock orientation became more pronounced. That aspect derived largely from the contributions of electric guitarists Conny Veit (on Hosianna Mantra and Seligpreisung) and Daniel Fichelscher (on Seligpreisung, Einsjäger & Siebenjäger, and Das Hohelied Salomos). Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte is the band's boldest foray into rock territory. On "Das Hohelied Salomos," Fichelscher's guitar often eclipsed Fricke's piano; here, his presence is even more emphatic. That's not to say that the band has lost its equilibrium —this is another classic Popol Vuh exercise in balancing and reconciling apparent opposites. An opening pair of instrumentals sets the tone. Buoyed by hard-driving percussion, on Der Große Krieger  Fichelscher combines muscular riffage with a lightness of touch as he unleashes streams of soaring notes; Oh Wie Nah Ist der Weg Hinab  builds on an ominous Floydian groove before lilting, interwoven guitar lines lift the song to its conclusion. Elsewhere, vocals play a key role in the dynamics: pounding drums and thick layers of bluesy guitar provide a heavy foundation on Dort Ist der Weg , while the ethereal voices of Djong Yun and Renate Knaup add an expansive dimension. Their vocals also contribute a pastoral feel, especially on the folky title track and on meditative numbers like the guitar and piano mantra Haram Dei Raram Dei Haram Dei Ra  and Kyrie , on which Fricke's arpeggios blend with Ted de Jong's tamboura and Alois Gromer's sitar.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation In the years following his death in 1945, Anton Webern’s works became the Rosetta Stone of post-war Serial composers. One of his big champions was conductor Robert Craft, under whose direction Columbia Masterworks recorded Webern’s complete works between 1954 and 1956. Marni Nixon of Hollywood “ghost singer” fame brings pinpointed agility and spot-on intonation to the songs, supported by Schoenberg scholar Leonard Stein’s brilliant handling of the piano parts. Indeed, Stein’s contributions are one of the cycle’s key assets in regard to his attentive phrasing, voicing, and dynamic scaling. For this reason, his Variations Op. 27 and bracing collaborations with violinist Ralph Schaeffer in the Op. 7 Four Pieces and with cellist Emmet Sargeant in the Op. 11 Three Little Pieces still hold their own. These pioneering recordings, now more than half a century old, have been transferred to CD for the first time and available for streaming at Hi-Res. Sony Classical was pleased to announce in 2022 a new batch of reissues from the CBS/Sony and RCA Victor/BMG back catalogues. This latest installment of the popular series showcases Mozart and Chopin along with conductor Robert Craft’s pioneering Webern recordings and the global journeys of that irrepressible musical explorer Yo-Yo Ma. The works of the Austrian composer Anton Webern were to have a far greater influence on subsequent composers than that of his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, but when he died tragically in 1945 they were still virtually unknown to the musical public. That situation changed dramatically in 1957 with the release of a 4-LP box set of Webern’s complete works. High Fidelity called it “an epical undertaking, and one that has been accomplished with epical success. Robert Craft and his associates spent two years recording the music of Anton Webern. They perform it magnificently, they have had the utmost painstaking collaboration from Columbia, and the whole will remain for a very long time as one of the major monuments of modern discography.” This epoch-making project now appears for the first time on a 4-album set from Sony Classical.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation If you don't have this album/CD, get it. It could change your life. It is one of the best Jazz-Rock Fusion albums ever produced. You may have to give it time before you can hear all the nuances and understand the genius of this perfect music. I strongly suggest listening with headphones or in a quiet room. Jean-Luc Ponty is at his lyrical best as is Alan Holdsworth. The entire band manages to produce music that is incredibly high energy yet soothingly melodic. It can be taken as a whole symphonic piece or listened to in incremental detail. On both levels, I am simply amazed at the virtuosity and fun displayed on this album. Each instrumental voice lays down emotional brushstrokes on a canvas that paints a complex sound picture that is much more than the sum of the parts. Once you "get it," it will be part of your life, guaranteed. Consistently imaginative, Enigmatic Ocean  is one of Jean-Luc Ponty's finest accomplishments. The French violinist recorded his share of fusion gems during the 1970s, and this album is at the top of the list. Often aggressive but sometimes reflective and moody, this LP is as unpredictable as it is adventurous. Ponty has plenty of room to stretch out, let loose, and blow, and electric guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Daryl Stuermer contribute some inspired solos as well. Also quite impressive is the insightful and passionate drumming of Steve Smith, who went on to lead the superb fusion band Vital Information. Ponty takes one risk after another, and all of them pay off beautifully. But lets take a step or two back boys and girls before we continue... Enigmatic Ocean is not simply a solo work by virtuoso violin player Jean-Luc Ponty, the album presents a whole band full of very talented and famous musicians from the jazz-rock fusion realm, each musician being as unique and as vital as Jean-Luc is for the music that Enigmatic Ocean offers, so it's definitely a group work rather than a solo work which I'm going to talk about. First I'll talk about Allan Zavod, while not as reknown as any of the other members on board, his singular keyboard delivery is by every means one of the aspects that makes Enigmatic Ocean such an addictive and great jazz-rock record. Zavod is the responsible of creating that marvelous floating atmosphere all through the album which no other jazz-rock record features; Allan is indeed a subtle player but that's what makes his presence on the album so indispensable, Ponty didn't want an excentric keyboard player who could play extreme synth solos, he wanted someone that could pull-off a particular ambience to the whole album, while of course giving out some ocassional solos. Notable proof of Zavod's unique presence is the 12 minute suite entitled Enigmatic Ocean . Then there's Ralphe Armstrong, member of the second line-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. His playing on this album is absolutely outstanding but foremost it's very on top of the mix making him also an essential part of the music. He delivers lots of frenetic funky-tinged bass lines which resonate all through the record, specially on The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea Part 3 which features a solo by him! To complete the rhythm section Ponty brought Steve Smith, a future reknown session drummer of both pop and jazz artists. His playing is steady and is very ala classic jazz-rock, full of fast fills, but let's say he knows what to play when and why. Then comes Allan Holdsworth, the so mighty jazz fusion guitarist of many famous jazz-rock records. As he is known to do, he always standouts even if it's not he who leads the compositions. He delivers his unique tone everywhere within fast solos which are only to compete with Ponty's rapid and unstoppable violin soloing. The only member left to talk about is of course the ''owner'' of this splendid record, that is Jean-Luc Ponty, member of plenty of jazz-related artists/bands. Like Holdsworth, he's also used to standing out in each recording he is featured in even when it's not he who is the composer, but this time he is the composer! Varying from melancholic notes to the rapid-paced ones while soloing with Allan which is truly mind-blowing; he is obviously indispensable for this integral work. So Enigmatic Ocean  is indeed a group-work, each member contributing their own touch and as a result creating a fantastic and unique jazz-rock album which each member has space to standout. While Ponty is not recognised as a fusion innovator in terms of compositions, he actually plays it safe with grooves and soloing on top, the quality of these two elements is simply masterful plus it's distinguishably Ponty and you don't easily confuse it with other melodic fusion acts, and because of that it's a true masterpiece of collaboration between members. Essential to your Jazz-Rock Fusion collection and highly recommended for fans of any of the members on this corner, also Zappa fans might get a good kick out of this.

With Understanding Comes Appreciation Tony Williams' Emergency is flavored with post-bop and jazz-instrument elements, which pushed into new territory, creating dense, adventurous and unpredictable soundscapes; Miles Davis’ Silent Way is the signature of his electric era; nuanced with trumpet jazz and avant-garde, dig deep into the heart of the ethereal groove —dark, smoky, and ashen; while Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats is the album which fully fuses compositional sophistication of jazz with rock's down-and-dirty attitude. While the three above are considered the seminal pinnacles of the music style, Zappa's masterpiece is the record which more clearly fused the genres, and officially opened this then-still-sterile ground in 1969. If I had to sum up Zappa's career in one album, I think I would most likely have a heart attack first. However, this definitely has to be one of the contenders simply because it is one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time. Heck, it is my fav album of all time, to start off. Now that I've got your attention, let me share you some basic facts.