For whatever reason, early Mothers records were really big amongst dissidents/artistes in late 60s Eastern Europe, particularly in Czechoslovakia:
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/79169I might as well confess that I am an ex-Zappa fanatic, though I still think the first Mothers albums are great. I also think if Zappa had stopped after that point, or exercised a modicum of quality control (ie, not released 800 albums), he might be thought of more kindly, a la Captain Beefheart.