Frank Zappa’s “Inca Roads,” Live in 1974
Frank Zappa and the Mothers perform "Inca Roads" in a 1974 TV studio — a song about ancient aliens, sung in falsetto, with some of the most absurdly difficult ensemble playing ever broadcast.
Why We Picked It
On paper this shouldn't work: a jazz-fusion epic about UFOs landing in the Andes, with constantly shifting time signatures, sung sweetly by keyboardist George Duke like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Watch Ruth Underwood on marimba. She's playing melodies most people couldn't hum at full speed, and she's doing it from memory, and she appears to be enjoying herself. Then Zappa steps forward for a guitar solo so good the band kept versions of it for later albums. Every member of this band is doing something impossible at the same time, and they make it look like a casual Tuesday.