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Credit: Alamy<\/p>\n
Sun 8 March 2026 16:55, UK <\/p>\n
Frank Zappa<\/a> is one of the most challenging musicians to pin down. His role in the world of music was centred around an air of non-conformity and improvisation that eluded definition. He persistently satirised the American culture that he was ultimately part of in a career of over three decades.<\/p>\n That rebellious approach extended not only to his lyrics but also to the structure of his music itself. Zappa regularly blended rock, jazz, orchestral composition and absurdist humour, creating a body of work that refused to fit neatly into any single genre.<\/p>\n Amazingly, Zappa produced nearly all of the whopping 60-plus albums that he wrote along with his band, the Mothers of Invention. He was a completely self-taught composer, directed several of the band\u2019s music videos and even designed many of their album covers.<\/p>\n In a 1975 interview with the UK magazine Let it Rock, Zappa revealed his ten favourite ever records, in which he confessed his love for The Rolling Stones<\/a>, particularly their album Between the Buttons. It came out in 1967 and featured songs that served as the Stones\u2019 quick foray into psychedelia, departing from their usual bluesy sound.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American release \u2013 I don\u2019t like the English version so much because it contains a totally different set of tunes,\u201d Zappa said of the album, \u201cI understand that they don\u2019t like the album very much, but I thought that it was an important piece of social comment at the time. I remember seeing Brian Jones very drunk in the Speakeasy one night and telling him I like it and thought it superior to Sergeant Pepper<\/a>, whereupon he belched discreetly and turned around.\u201d<\/p>\n Zappa also admitted to an admiration for opera, particularly for the work of Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki and his The Devils of Loudon. The opera has a libretto \u2013 a written text \u2013 which was based on John Whiting\u2019s dramatisation of Aldous Huxley\u2019s non-fiction novel of the same name.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s also an extremely well-produced album, and I think it\u2019s an excellent piece of dramatic music,\u201d is why Zappa loves the album so much. He added, \u201cAnd also because Tatiana Troyanos, who plays the main nun, sounds absolutely marvellous during the enema scene. The story is about a hunch-backed nun who\u2019s possessed by the Devil and has to have an exorcism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe exorcism involves the nun being given a hot herbal enema,\u201d Zappa explained. \u201cIn live performances, the exorcism takes place behind a screen, and you hear Tatiana singing and screeching whilst an orchestra plays enema music. You also hear the Devil chuckling from inside the nun\u2019s bowel.\u201d<\/p>\n