Frank Zappa was the fiercest musical mind I saw rise out of the 1960s underground, a guitarist-composer who treated rock like a mad scientist treats a laboratory. From 1965 to 1969 he led The Mothers of Invention, carving satire into vinyl with "Freak Out!" and "We're Only in It for the Money". Between 1970 and 1975 he rebuilt his bands into jazz-rock machines, touring relentlessly and releasing "Hot Rats", "Over-Nite Sensation" and "Apostrophe". Through the late 1970s and 1980s he conducted ever-shifting line-ups, blending orchestral works with biting social commentary, proving that discipline and absurdity can share the same stage.