Album review: Frank Zappa, Understanding America (Zappa)

A 2CD compilation chosen and sequenced by Zappa himself before his untimely death in 1993, Understanding America offers the definitive one-stop introduction to the maverick composer's work.

The first disc is a brilliant summary of the early Mothers of Invention in their pomp, telescoping the Sixties albums Freak Out!, Absolutely Free and We're Only in It for the Money into a cogent suite before heading off to the more virtuosic and lubricious satires of the Seventies. The second disc veers towards the curmudgeonly, but is notable for the 25-minute "Porn Wars Deluxe".

Download: Brown Shoes Don't Make It; Trouble Every Day; Porn Wars Deluxe