This collection can be hit or miss. I gave it five stars, but it isn't a five star cd. The five stars are there because this cd changed my life. It opened a whole new door to me, and for that I'll always be thankful for this cd. This collection may not have the same effect on you, but you never know. To those unfamiliar, yet curious about Zappa, I'm sure it must be frustrating standing in the record store staring down hundreds of Zappa albums and thinking, "My God, which one do I get?" Well, this collection(one of the first Zappa collections to come out) is a good place to start, but be forewarned: It is misleading. Trying to cram 60 albums' worth of music on one cd is an impossible task, especially from an artist who experimented with so many sounds. This compilation exists in a fantasy world where all the songs on the disc would be Frank Zappa's hit singles. As we all know, he didn't have hit singles, but if he did, these would be it. That's where it's misleading coz Zappa's music goes way beyond what you'll hear on this cd. Most of the tunes here are kept to 4 minute, humorous, catchy rock tunes that make Zappa sound like Weird Al with much better guitar playing ability. Gone are the modern classical pieces, the free jazz, the ten minute guitar solos and the crude humor. Yes folks, you won't hear it on Strictly Commercial, but Zappa said things that would make The Insane Clown Posse blush. So, I would suggest this compilation just to get a fair idea of what Zappa's about, though many compilations have been released since(ones that include the offensive stuff). So, if you like what you hear on this cd, this can open the door to the Zappa Universe(and it's a huge one) for you, and you'll be quite surprised at all the wonderful things you'll find there. Then, once you get some albums, you probably won't ever listen to this disc again, but you'll be forever thankful that you took the gamble and bought it.

It's obvious that this collection draws large amounts of heat. I think the people who issued this release knew this would happen going into it. Of course, it pretty much is impossible to sum up approximately 70 albums (containing everything like serious classical, jazz, rock, doo-wop, fusion, satire, computer music and nearly everything in between) into one album. So, can _Strictly Commercial_ be a good starting point for the people totally unfamiliar with Zappa's music? I say "Yes."

Given Zappa's irreverent and often misunderstood style of making music, many beginners wouldn't be able to handle jumping into many of Frank's studio discs (and he has MANY.) So, on this collection, you get traces of instrumental jazz, satire, hard rock, pop (well...Zappa's brand of pop, so to speak) and other goodies. However, this collection doesn't contain much of Zappa's "serious" music (i.e. lengthy instrumental classical and jazz tracks) which is probably what many people are complaining about. But, hence the name "STRICTLY COMMERCIAL." This collection wasn't meant to show off Zappa's lengthy/serious instrumental works and/or his most off-the-wall and bizarre. This was meant to show off much of what can be considered his most "accessible" work (Note: if any beginner is interested in sampling some of Zappa's classical compositions, check out _Strictly Genteel_.)

You get the bizarre, but equally appealing classical/jazz instrumental "Peaches En Regalia." This melodic number can appeal to those who like instrumental music. For hilarious humor, check out "Dancin' Fool" and "Disco Boy." Want hard rock and good guitar playing? "San Ber'dino" and "Tell Me You Love Me" should take care of that.

There's plenty more here that I didn't cover. As I've said, this collection is only meant as an "accessible" introduction for the beginner who has an interest to ease his/her way into something we'd call a large, diverse and mostly inaccessible catalog (Note: Zappa certainly has some studio albums that are fairly accessible as well.) Sure, it may not profile EVERYTHING, but, I think it's still a good effort.

I've always been interested in Frank Zappa because of songs like VALLEY GIRL but I never really knew where to start so I never bothered until I ran across this cd in a cd mail order catalog. Its a nice introduction to his music. The first page of the jewel case booklet has the song list along with the albums that each song is from listed next to them. That allowed me to explore his music further. In the jewel case booklet it is admitted that there are many more tunes from Zappa's recording output that could've easily found its way on STRICTLY COMMERCIAL. This cd makes for a good decent starting point for anyone wanting to introduce themselves to Zappa's music. It gives you probably his most well known songs but it doesn't give you his extreme or controversial songs like KEEP IT GREASY or even YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS.

Zappa's music was , obviously , not commercial friendly. I have great respect for anyone that has the nerve to stay true to their art without compromising their integrity for corporations so not only does that make me curious about Frank Zappa ; the artist it makes me curious about Frank Zappa ; the man. He was not a sell out thats for sure so the sarcastic title of this cd is perfect.


Favorite song from cd ; MUFFIN MAN originally from the album BONGO FURY. A blistering live guitar solo that would put a smile on Hendrix's face combined with the sinister bass playing and drums makes this track an absolute gem! Very inspiring instrumentals. "Goodnight , Austin , Texas where ever you are!!!"

There are few artists less suitable for a "best-of" collection than Frank Zappa: The man made ALBUMS, not hit singles which could be compiled later. Throughout his career, Zappa made a point of NOT compiling his work (His one concession being the "Mothermania" LP, which Zappa put together in 1969 to fulfill his contract with MGM/Verve, where things had turned very ugly between Zappa and the label's honchos.) Since Zappa's focus was on albums, it can be jarring to hear a track from "Freak Out," for example, colliding with a track from "Zoot Allures."

That being said, the problem I have with this particular collection--aside from the really stupid cover photo--is that it places FAR too much emphasis on "Zappa, The Funny Guy." This has led some reviewers who don't know any better to compare Zappa to "Weird Al" Yankovic (a comparison which makes me cringe.)

If you're new to Frank Zappa and you're looking for a "sampler" CD, then by all means pick up this collection. But, if you like what you hear, be sure to check out some of the other sides of Zappa's career, like the jazz-rock brilliance of "Hot Rats," the classical leanings of "London Symphony Orchestra," the many different styles of guitar playing on "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar" and its sequel, "Guitar," and Zappa's strongest political statements, such as the anti-censorship material on "Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers of Prevention."

After re-reading my comments I'm afraid that the reader might come away with a negative impression of the music itself. Let me clarify by saying that the songs on this CD are, for the most part, really great! Let me also point out that NONE of this music could ever possibly be confused for the standard fare of commercial radio, either now or in Zappa's day. Even his most "normal" stuff found here is totally unique!

If all you ever listened to by Zappa was this album, however, you would not get the full picture about what made him great. It does beg the question, if you want "commercial" music, would you turn to Zappa for that???

The fact is that there is no one album that is representative of his whole range. I would be hard-pressed to narrow it down to 7 albums, but here goes, in chronological order:

- We're Only In It For the Money - surrealist satire mocking "St. Pepper" equally ridiculing hippies and squares
- Uncle Meat - wonderful dense mix of classical, jazz, rock, and avant-guarde elements - a high point
- Hot Rats - classic jazz rock with one Captain Beefheart vocal
- 200 Motels - orchestral mixed with Flo & Eddie
- Grand Wazoo - big band with great jazz players
- Roxy & Elsewhere - great "big band" Zappa sound & great guitar
- Sheikh Yerbouti - great songs & a lot of fun
- Civilization Phase III - last completed work - orchestral and electronic mixed with surreal dialog result in a truly intense work. You must listen to this!

I have put together a "starter" list - see my profile, if you're interested.

So, in short, this CD is like dipping your toe into the pool. That's OK, but I say jump right in.