I've listened to We're Only In it For the Money and it seemed to me more like an album geared towards political statements than towards good music. In other words, it sounded more like Zappa was focusing on making catchy songs with important lyrics rather than trying to make music. A friend wanted me to listen to Hot Rats, as he thinks its his best album, but I haven't given it a listen yet.

As for the Captain, i'm wondering whether Trout Mask Replica is really that good. I listened a few times but it really isn't that amazing. That's not tot say its bad, but when an album has adjectives such as 'masterpiece', 'genious', and 'pretty good' attached to it, I feel like it should offer more than it did. Maybe I'm not looking at it correctly though.

I find Freak Out! to be better than In it for the Money. It is along the same line, but with better and more entretaining songs.
Frank's 2 most accesible records are Hot Rats, the album that initiated jazz rock (I dont mean it is the first how could I know) containing the masterpiece Peaches En Regalia, the Zappa classic Willie the Pimp (features Beefheart) and one of the dopest jazz rock jams The Gumbo Variations.
The other record is Apostrophe, even more accesible than Hot Rats, it has the structure of a storybook, Frank is telling a hilarious story about an eskimo in his first 4 or 5 tracks, set to sensational music. The rest are other stories, about jivin gypsies and fido the talking dog, plus the phenomenal rocker with the album's title.

Other personal recomendations are:
Freak Out!
Zoot Allures
Sleep Dirt (this is an odd Zappa album, it has pretty emotional tunes, not very characteristic of him)
Overnite Sensation
Sheik Yerbouti


Peaches En Regalia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-cEkk-n8OA

(which is also my favourite videoclip)

My favorite Zappa albums are in this order:

Hot Rats
Apostrophe
Sleep Dirt
Freak Out!
Zoot Allures

as for Trout Mask Replica, it's a really difficult album. you kind of have to "get" Beefheart to really appreciate the album. (not saying I do fully, but it has grown on me.)

who the hell hates on trout mask replica.

FAST AND BULBOUS.

I forgot to talk about Beefheart.
Like Waits, Beefheart main weapon is his voice. Just like Waits, it is his voice that adds so much to the songs.
He really have some dope stuff, it might be the rawness of the production added to the eclectic instrumentation that might catch you offbeat.
I find that eclecticness pretty amusing so I enjoy it.
But yeah I never managed to listen to the whole album in one spin.

Zappa is great music and is the best thing ever to prove you are more intellegent than your friends.

Beefheart, while good, is deffinately an "every now and then" listen and in small doses at that.

But I still like both a lot, and it's sad that no one even close to their levels of innovation or musicianship is really around today.

But I still like both a lot, and it's sad that no one even close to their levels of innovation or musicianship is really around today.

The Mars Volta
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
Ephel Duath
Fantomas

if you're after a more accessable beefheart album, check out Spotlight kid/clear spot. They're more traditional songs on there, but retaining the vilet-ness we know and love. Trout Mask Replica was what got me into Beefheart, because it's so different, so abstract and obtuse. It's a very aquired taste, but if you get it it's the best shit ever.
We're only in it for the money is one of my favourite Zappa albums, it seems to be heavily focused more into creating interesting music than accessable music, and at parts sounds heavily like lumpy gravy(my fave of his albums). I dunno, if you're mainly after a fun time than Roxy and elsewhere, One size fits all and You can't do that on stage volume 2 are perhaps his most fun(tush tush). They're more funk/comedy rock, with some cool instrumental pieces.
(Lather and Joes garage get welcome mentions, also Bongo Fury because it's the mothers from my main recommendations, with Beefheart as well!)

yeah, it only has a few inaccessable songs (Electricity(which is one of his best songs) for starters), the one stat came after, strictly personal, I found harder to get into than trout mask replica.

I don't know. I'm a bit of an addict but I would say Mike Patton is a modern example. Not only with his prolific work but also with his diverse range of styles, constant experimentalism and vocal techniques. It's arguable whether he's as good as Zappa & Beefheart (I prefer his work, to be honest), but I think he's up there.

Yeah, Patton is probably the best example, but I'm still skeptical as to whether or not he has influenced as many people.

Oh yeah, and John Zorn too, but whatever, back on topic.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez is someone who I swear has the zappa musical nerve in him.

From what I heard of Patton (Faith No More, Mr Bungle and Fantomas) he's just a very experimental dude doing a lot of proyects, some which I dont dig at all.
I don't think he's ahead of his time or something. I dunno, he is very electronically based and zappa did everything live until he discovered the synclavier, but yah..

Amon Tobin, that dude is ahead of his time.