I don't believe, as other reviewers have stated, Zappa set out to make a blatenly commercial album with Overnite Sensation. This was the inevitable direction the band had been heading since 1970 (in Zappa terms that can & does mean a 6-8 album span). The songs were still indescribable as anything but Zappa compositions, still retained the fresh originality that he brought to almost everything he touched and contained more wit (and wisdom) than most of Zappa's recordings since the early Mothers of Invention records. At this stage, Zappa could afford to hire better musicians and of course better production facilities were available which tended to give this album a glossy veneer that previous albums didn't have (although Zappa always strived for the best in both production and musicianship). Overnite Sensation is definitely a great jump off point for the uninitiated, as is Sheikyerbouti or Apostrophe, but I don't necessisarily think fans of those albums are going to like Grand Wazoo or Uncle Meat. I have friends who like the unexpurgated Zappa but could care less for his instrumental and compositional recordings and I have friends that are vice versa, and I also know people (myself included)who love and appreciate his work as a whole.  What I am trying to say in a wordy way is, commericiality, when applied to Zappa's music is in the eye of the beholder. Most fans of top 40 music are not going think this commercial at all, but Zappa fans may think it so because it has more conventional song structures and such. I tend to think of later recordings such as Joe's Garage and Tinseltown Rebellion as having more commercial potential than this.