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*** Frank Zappa ***


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  • 6 months later...
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  • 2 months later...

Ryko 1995 editions of "Hot Rats" and "Uncle Meat" seem to have gone OOP.

It appears that this is related to an imminent reissuing of much of the Zappa catalog. Most of these 1995 CDs are now discounted at Amazon and DeepDiscount.com if they are still available.

Has anyone heard these new versions yet? I can't seem to find a ton of info on release dates and am trying to decide whether it's worthwhile to just pick up the old versions. My main goal is to avoid the albums that FZ butchered with redone drums and so forth (I know some of the 1995 series suffered from this).

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Ryko 1995 editions of "Hot Rats" and "Uncle Meat" seem to have gone OOP.

It appears that this is related to an imminent reissuing of much of the Zappa catalog. Most of these 1995 CDs are now discounted at Amazon and DeepDiscount.com if they are still available.

Has anyone heard these new versions yet? I can't seem to find a ton of info on release dates and am trying to decide whether it's worthwhile to just pick up the old versions. My main goal is to avoid the albums that FZ butchered with redone drums and so forth (I know some of the 1995 series suffered from this).

Imminent reissues? I very much doubt it. ZFT can barely handle issuing a couple of titles per year, them reissuing the whole FZ catalog of 70+ titles in unthinkable. Just two recent ZFT releases can conditionally qualify as reissues: MOFO (which contains the original mono mix of Freak Out!), and Lumpy / Money containing mono mix of "We're Only in it for the Money" and an a few rare versions of "Lumpy Gravy".

Many FZ titles desperately need a new reissue treatment, "Hot Rats", "Uncle Meat" and "Sheik Yerbouti" in particular.

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Ryko 1995 editions of "Hot Rats" and "Uncle Meat" seem to have gone OOP.

It appears that this is related to an imminent reissuing of much of the Zappa catalog. Most of these 1995 CDs are now discounted at Amazon and DeepDiscount.com if they are still available.

Has anyone heard these new versions yet? I can't seem to find a ton of info on release dates and am trying to decide whether it's worthwhile to just pick up the old versions. My main goal is to avoid the albums that FZ butchered with redone drums and so forth (I know some of the 1995 series suffered from this).

Imminent reissues? I very much doubt it. ZFT can barely handle issuing a couple of titles per year, them reissuing the whole FZ catalog of 70+ titles in unthinkable. Just two recent ZFT releases can conditionally qualify as reissues: MOFO (which contains the original mono mix of Freak Out!), and Lumpy / Money containing mono mix of "We're Only in it for the Money" and an a few rare versions of "Lumpy Gravy".

Many FZ titles desperately need a new reissue treatment, "Hot Rats", "Uncle Meat" and "Sheik Yerbouti" in particular.

My main source for the "imminent reissues" was this thread on a Zappa usenet list, but after doing some more digging I'm inclined to think your view is closer to reality. There are a small handful of titles at CDUniverse listing a November 17 release date, but I'm thinking I should grab what I can at the lower prices and not hold out for Gail.

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  • 2 months later...

I love the little Zappa I have and I'm always looking to get more. Here's what I have:

Freak Out!

We're Only In It for The Money

Hot Rats

Waka Jawaka

Over-Nite Sensation

Sheik Yerbouti

Joe's Garage

So what should I get next? What do folks recommend?

I'd add to Dave Garrett's suggestions:

Bongo's Fury, Zappa in New York, The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life, Make a Jazz Noise Here,

BUT ABOVE ALL

Roxy & Elsewhere

You deserve it and you'll love it.

FrankZappa08.jpg

I have had this record in heavy rotation lately. FZ seems to have been at his best with drummers that grooved hard, and Thompson and Humphrey fit the bill IMO much more than Bozzio, Colaiuta, Wackerman et al. The depth of that pocket on More Trouble Every Day and the bridge to Village of the Sun is just awesome. Plus, George Duke is just a badass.

Edited by Big Wheel
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  • 6 months later...

Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were at the top of a very short list of rock bands I listened to religiously in the 60s. IMO Zappa elevated the wah-wah pedal to an art form, and essentially invented the 3/4 rock beat. I too preferred the music over the theatrics, but he always gave me a healthy dose of brain food. Even today, I think "Twenty Small Cigars" (from Chunga's Revenge) is one of the most beautiful jazz waltzes ever written.

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I think he hit his peak in the '68 - '71 timeframe. From Uncle Meat through Fillmore East, there was a consistent level of inspired creativity. Then came his fall from the stage, and, except for little glimmers along the way, he kinda lost it. Maybe it was the hospital bills and the demands of feeding a large family...who knows. But from Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe onward, it was all downhill.

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I don't know about that. I love the underexposed band with Jean-Luc Ponty, the studio material from Lather (Studio Tan), the later chamber music (the Yellow Shark), computer music (Jazz From Hell and related tracks)...there's so many different periods after that to check out.

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And the live '74. And live on stage in Nov. '81 where he was shutting up & playing his guitar w/ Steve Vai. Ah memories.... :wub::) Burnt Weeny may be my favorite album but mercy mercy he (actually "they" but I'm talking about Frank) had sinister chops when I saw him. I also have a soft spot for the the anti-fundi sides 3 & 4 of You Are What You Is. I really needed to hear that then. Oh damn it's another Frank across the ages thread...

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I think he hit his peak in the '68 - '71 timeframe. From Uncle Meat through Fillmore East, there was a consistent level of inspired creativity. Then came his fall from the stage, and, except for little glimmers along the way, he kinda lost it. Maybe it was the hospital bills and the demands of feeding a large family...who knows. But from Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe onward, it was all downhill.

I can't agree with that. There were many pleasures and high points after 1971, including much uncompromised music of very high quality. Grand Wazoo and Waka Jawaka are to me, the absolute high points of all of Zappa's instrumental music. Bongo Fury and Zoot Allures have some outstanding blues oriented tracks, and scorching solos. Roxy and Elsewhere and One Size Fits All have some great jazz oriented playing. Make a Jazz Noise Here, from the 1988 tour, contains some of my favorite Zappa instrumental work ever. There are many excellent songs, some with pointed social and political commentary, on the albums of the 1980s.

After 1971, his output became massive and varied, and there could be parts of it that one does not like as well, often within the same album as the high points or one's favorite tracks. But there was a lot more of value than "little glimmers", to me.

Edited by Hot Ptah
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A live recording with Archie Shepp and Zappa appears on one of the volumes of Zappa's "You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore". It is all right. Shepp plays a rather inside solo over the group's steady backing. It is not all that remarkable. It is not like there was some great synthesis of the musical backgrounds of Zappa and Shepp. It's just a blowing tune.

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yr just upgrading to the mono, right!

hahahahahaha!!!!

No, it's because.... (dirty little secret)... I bought the album this past weekend, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I'd finally GET Zappa after trying numerous times. Turns out I was wrong, but I'll save that rant for another day (or FaceBook).

It's not the place I suggest starting!

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