10 Classic Rock Artists That NEVER Sold Out

There are always those handful of artists who the labels might call "difficult." Whether it's the unique way in which they assert themselves onstage or the strange manner of combining different genres, there tends to be plenty of musicians who don't actually have the most radio-friendly career trajectory. Whereas those might be considered difficult, Frank Zappa might be the one guy who has made a life's goal out of being uncommercial.

Having a particular disdain for the corporate side of the music business, Zappa never really minced words about his feelings on the mainstream, going so far as to make his first handful of '60s records an oblique satire of the supposed revolution that was taking place in the hippie movement. There's certainly some merit to having no real set genre as your genre, but even that gets a bit fuzzy when talking about Zappa's records.

Across over 60 different records throughout the span of his career, Zappa makes you feel almost any kind of emotion that could be translated out of the rock format. Though you might settle into the zany comedic effects of one song, it's not out of the blue for Zappa to also pull out a guitar solo that rips your heart right out of your chest. There's bound to be a few duds for the average listener, but Zappa's consistent inconsistency when making his crescendos of weird is something that is both worthy of being respected and incoherent all at the same time.