Of all the musicians and artists who grew up in the 1950s listening to records that helped forge successful recording careers in the 1960’s, Frank Zappa’s choices were the most eclectic, leftfield and downright bizarre. So while Frank listened to R‘n’B, Blues and Rock n’ Roll, in common with many of his later contemporaries [and often with local buddy Don Van Vliet - the artist later to be known as Captain Beefheart - in-tow] he would equally find time for avant-garde jazz, modern classical and more New York doo-wop than surely was good for a young man still in his mid-teens. But every one of these styles would show up later in his own music.
01: The Robins - Riot In Cell Block No. 9 3:02 Leiber / Stoller
02: Richard Berry - Louie Louie 2:11 Berry
03: Hank Ballard and the Midnighters - Work With Me Annie 2:45 Ballard
04: Edgard Varèse - Ionisation 5:35 Varèse
05: Lightnin’ Slim - My Starter Won’t Work 2:51 West
06: Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown - Okie Dokie Stomp 2:30 Davis
07: Don & Dewey - Leavin’ It All Up To You 2:15 Harris / Terry
08: Howlin’ Wolf - I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline) 2:50 Johnson
09: The Channels - The Closer You Are 3:04 Lewis / Robinson
10: The Clovers - Your Cash Ain’t Nothing But Trash 2:56 Calhoun
11: Muddy Waters - Louisiana Blues 2:54 Waters
12: Cecil Taylor - Song 5:20 Taylor
13: Andre Williams - Bacon Fat 3:06 Williams
14: The Chips - Rubber Biscuit 2:07 Epps / Fulton / Johnson / Lincoln / Strain
15: Anton Webern - Bagatelle (opus 9) conducted by Robert Craft 1:32 Webern
16: Anton Webern - Symphony (opus 21) conducted by Robert Craft 2:32 Webern
17: Four Deuces - W-P-L-J 2:46 McDaniel / Dobard
18: The Turbans - No No Cherry 2:35 Caesar / Gray
19: Eric Dolphy - Out There 6:56 Dolphy
20: Guitar Slim - The Story Of My Life 3:00 Jones
21: Johnny “Guitar” Watson - Three Hours Past Midnight 3:23 Watson / Ling
22: Little Richard - Directly From My Heart 2:55 Penniman
23: The Cadets - Stranded In The Jungle 3:05 Smith / Johnson / Curry
24: Igor Stravinsky - Rite Of Spring (extract) conducted by Pierre Monteux 1:35 Stravinsky
25: Igor Stravinsky - Rite Of Spring (extract) conducted by Pierre Monteux 1:14 Stravinsky
26: Tony Allen - Nite Owl 2:45 Allen