The Mice, being heated by the Zippo.

Easy vote for Ys for me. I've never really connected with Hot Rats the way I have with The Grand Wazoo or the debut or even Overnite Sensation and i think Ys is just one of those albums that has a really thick foggy medieval atmosphere, atmosphere being what's lacking from Hot Rats imho.

C'mon all you Zappa fans,,,,get in here and vote for the Franskster.

^ Same.

One of the major problems with this poll business is the listening of various albums well adrift from their comfort zones.

YS is an album to listen to late at night, comfortably numb as the line goes. If you are lucky enough to have a near sound proof room then oh you lucky bugger you but a comfortable chair and a good set of phones will suffice. Unfortunately I am listening to the thing in my office. Admittedly alone so I'm not disturbing anyone else, but even so it is not the perfect environment and that has been the case with any number of poll albums. Now I confess to have only knowingly heard this fine piece of work for the first time during the preliminary rounds. Maybe I had a listen back in the day but I've never owned it. It's obviously very impressive but my appreciation is somewhat reduced by listening to it at this time of the day.

All of that is merely to state the bleeding obvious ... context is everything.

Thankfully I know enough of Hot Rats to realise it is not mid morning in the office material. At least not for me. It is again, a bloody fine piece of work but like most of Zappa it doesn't get under my skin.

Ergo, although I do prefer I admit, things that are a wee bit more melodic than YS it is too good to pass by.

micky wrote: I've found the best way to listen to YS is when flying down the Virginia Motor Speedway (I-95) at breakneck speeds with a cigarette in one hand and the other playing air keys...

Cigarette and hand on the wheel or air keying on the wheel? Or neither?  Just use your knees.

garfunkel wrote: micky wrote: I've found the best way to listen to YS is when flying down the Virginia Motor Speedway (I-95) at breakneck speeds with a cigarette in one hand and the other playing air keys... Cigarette and hand on the wheel or air keying on the wheel? Or neither?  Just use your knees.

depends... drive with the knees during the Hammond bits.. you can't do air-Hammond Organ justice with one hand

Air-Mellotron works with one hand thankfully...

micky wrote: I've found the best way to listen to YS is when flying down the Virginia Motor Speedway (I-95) at breakneck speeds with a cigarette in one hand and the other playing air keys...

Rats, no question, and both are great.