10 Most Influential American Acts On British Rock
8. Frank Zappa
When it comes to innovative American musicians, there's no one quite like the electronic wizard, Frank Zappa. During his career he revolutionised psychedelic rock; innovated experimental jazz; perfected the notion of the avant-garde; and even composed a number of classical arrangements. He could turn his hand to almost any genre that took his fancy.
His approach to making music was one part sincere and one part satirical. Musically he was one of the most accomplished guitar players going. But, lyrically his themes were often absurd and nonsensical. He satirised American life with songs like Bobby Brown Goes Down; and used the nursery rhyme Muffin Man, as the basis for an explosive, metal number.
During the '60s his group, The Mothers of Invention, fused early jazz rock with proto-metal, going on to influence the likes of Black Sabbath. Their debut, Freak Out! (1966) was attributed by Paul McCartney to having a huge impact on Sgt. Pepper's, which dropped a year later. You can hear his experimental influence in Pink Floyd albums, and his absurdist humour in the Mighty Boosh. British heavy metal, psychedelia and even comedy has a lot to thank Zappa for.