To my shame
this is the first Zappa I've heard. I like very much and now trawling through catalogue on YouTube.
( joetotale, Thu 31 May 2012, 21:50, Reply)

You should start at the beginning and go through it to get the feel and story line
Zappa was hit and miss, but ThingFish was a masterpiece of writing and performance.

It also said words and spoke about things that made us blush as kids.
( BrokenCoccyx get your hands off macaque, Thu 31 May 2012, 21:57, Reply)

Joe's Garage...
...is probably one of the most easily accessible and it's where I personally started with my obsession.
Or if you want to chuck yourself in at the deep end go for Uncle Meat, though it's very liable to either turn you in to a rabid fan or put you off altogether.

Can't really go wrong with any of the many, many, many, many compilation albums though.

The Cheap Thrills anthology give you a good representation of material from all over his career.
(Megamoss, Fri 1 Jun 2012, 18:12, Reply)