CLASSIC 1978 BROADCAST FROM GERMANY S THEN DIVIDED CITY After falling out with his long-time manager Herb Cohen, Frank Zappa spent much of the late 1970s in a legal battle with Cohen and later with Warner Brothers too. With the majority of his own recorded material thus tied up, Zappa concentrated on touring with a small, rock-oriented band. March 1978 witnessed the release of Zappa In New York, recorded live with a 13-strong band at the Palladium in late December 1976. Demonstrating in equal measure Zappa s extraordinary ability as a composer and fearless approach to controversial topics, the record reached a respectable No. 57 on the Billboard chart. Two standout numbers from In New York, Titties & Beer and The Black Page , would be a fixture of Zappa sets by the time his 1978 European tour rolled around, as the concert featured on this two CD set can attest.

Frank Vincent Zappa was of Italian origins, his grandfather having arrived in America from Partinico, Sicily. Frank Zappa grew to be one of the most accomplished composers of the rock era, his music combining an understanding and appreciation for such contemporary classical figures as Igor Stravinsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Edgard Varèse. These influences, coupled with an affection for late '50s doo-wop, rock & roll and skillful guitar-heavy rock, dominated pop in the '70s. However, Zappa was also a keen satirist, whose reserves of scorn and parody seemed bottomless and whose wicked sense of humor and absurdity continued to delight his numerous fans - even when his lyrics crossed the broadest bounds of taste.

EXTRAORDINARY 1979 BROADCAST, HOT ON THE HEELS OF THE SHEIK YERBOUTI ALBUM Largely recorded live during 1977 and 1978, Frank Zappa s 1979 double, Sheik Yerbouti, was the first release on the musician s newly formed Zappa Records, following Frank s departure from Warner Bros Records. Featuring the Grammy nominated Dancin Fool , as well as the controversial Bobby Brown , a track banned from US airplay. Released on March 3rd 79 - at the time Zappa was touring Europe, where his audience had long outweighed his domestic fan-base - the album became his best-selling album of all during his lifetime. On March 19th, the band performed at the Parc de Penfeld, in Brest, France, for a show that was recorded for live FM Radio Broadcast, transmitted across continental Europe and synched too on many US stations. Featuring a line-up which included, Ike Willis and Warren Cuccurullo on guitars, Tommy Mars and Peter Wolf on keyboards, Ed Mann on percussion, Arthur Barrow on bass and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, the musicianship was, as always, second-to-none, and the gig a roaring success with many describing it as among the fines Zappa played during this era.

Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the '90s. His disparate influences included doo wop music and avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and complicated, modern serious music, sometimes inducing orchestras to play along.

In 1972, Frank Zappa experimented with an "electric orchestra" concept which resulted in 2 albums: Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Celebrating the 50th-anniversary of this endeavor, Waka/Wazoo documents the recording sessions with outtakes and oddities on 4 CDs. Also included is a December 1972 live show from Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco and unreleased George Duke demos.

After living for some time in New York, Frank Zappa and The Mothers returned to Los Angeles in mid-1968, and the Zappas moved into a house on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, only to move again to Woodrow Wilson Drive (Zappa's home for the rest of his life). Despite being successful in Europe, The Mothers were not doing well financially. Their first records were vocally oriented, but as Zappa wrote more instrumental jazz and classical style music for the band's concerts, audiences were confused. In early 1969 there were nine band members and Zappa was supporting the group from his publishing royalties whether they played or not. It was this ensemble who performed a stunning and legendary show at Lawrence University Chapel in Appleton, WI, on May 23rd 1969. Performed less than a month after the release of The Mothers Of Invention’s sixth studio album, the challenging and partially structureless Uncle Meat - which Rolling Stone described as "inspired monstrosity … [an] assault of glorious noise" - the concert is equally somewhat demanding.

Frank Zappa’s fall 1975 touring schedule brought him to two cities in Yugoslavia, marking the first and only time he played shows in that country. This 2 CD set combines performances from both shows, recorded live in Zagreb on November 21st and Ljubljana on November 22nd, 1975. This release showcases a rare band line-up of The Mothers, featuring Norma Bell on saxes and vocals. FZ would discontinue using The Mothers name for good after the European and Australian leg in early 1976. Re-mixed from the original 1/2” 8-track tape masters by Craig Parker Adams and mastered by John Polito, this historical set is the only multi-tracked document of this group in the Vault.

Frank Zappa's liner notes for Freak Out! name-checked an enormous breadth of musical and intellectual influences, and he seemingly attempts to cover them all on the second Mothers of Invention album, Absolutely Free. Leaping from style to style without warning, the album has a freewheeling, almost schizophrenic quality, encompassing everything from complex mutations of "Louie, Louie" to jazz improvisations and quotes from Stravinsky's Petrushka. It's made possible not only by expanded instrumentation, but also Zappa's experiments with tape manipulation and abrupt editing, culminating in an orchestrated mini-rock opera ("Brown Shoes Don't Make It") whose musical style shifts every few lines, often in accordance with the lyrical content…

Ten Takeaways From ‘Cheaper Than Cheep,’ A Frank Zappa Film Like No Other. An abandoned TV special, unearthed after 50 years, provides musical thrills while giving intimate insights into a genius at work.On June 21, 1974 Frank Zappa assembled his group The Mothers at their rehearsal hall on 5831 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, to record Cheaper Than Cheep, a TV special that would remain unseen for over 50 years. The early ’70s had seen a boom in rock music on mainstream TV, with shows including The Midnight Special, ABC’s In Concert and, in the UK, The Old Grey Whistle Test, giving groups an opportunity to reach large audiences. Albums had taken over from singles as the dominant format for the serious music fan and the pop shows of the day had been usurped by these relatively serious, longform showcases.

Cheaper Than Cheep – 1974 Unreleased Made-For-TV Concert Movie Recorded at The Mothers’ Private Rehearsal Hall in Dolby ATMOS + Soundtrack.Back in the early ‘70s, television was an integral tool for exposure of musical artists into the home. Completely decked out with his touring light show and stage setup in The Mothers’ private rehearsal hall, Frank Zappa attempted to commit to videotape material for his own TV production, ultimately with the intention to shop to major networks. Unfortunately, there were technical issues that ultimately contributed to the footage being shelved and stored in the Vault.

Classic 1988 Tour Broadcast Recording Frank Zappa s 1988 tour turned out to be his last. Many fans consider it to be FZ's best tour ever; the presence of horns, percussion and "stunt guitar" (not to mention the infamous Synclavier) gave the band a tumbrel variety lacking in the synth-dominated '84 tour, and the proliferation of secret words made each show unique. Unfortunately, the tour proved to be a turbulent experience for Zappa due to conflicts among the band members, and this ultimately cut short the existence of this lineup. One of the finest shows on the tour however took place at Barcelona s Palau Dels Esports on 17th May. This performance is now available here on CD for the first time, featuring a line-up which featured Frank Zappa (lead guitar/Synclavier/vocals), Ike Willis (rhythm guitar/vocals), Mike Keneally (stunt guitar/keyboards/vocals), Robert Martin (keyboards/Synclavier/vocals), Ed Mann (percussion/Synclavier/vocals), Scott Thunes (bass/mini-moog), Chad Wackerman (drums/electronic percussion), Walt Fowler (trumpet/flugelhorn/Synclavier), Bruce Fowler (trombone), Paul Carman (alto/soprano sax), Albert Wing (tenor sax) and Kurt McGettrick (baritone sax).

Saratoga Performing Arts Centre, N.Y. State, September 1st, 1984

Frank Zappa Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the '90s. His disparate influences included doo wop music and avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and complicated, modern serious music, sometimes inducing orchestras to play along. As if his music were not challenging enough, he overlay it with highly satirical and sometimes abstractly humorous lyrics and song titles that marked him as coming out of a provocative literary tradition that included Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and edgy comedians like Lenny Bruce.

Frank Zappa Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the '90s. His disparate influences included doo wop music and avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on jazz and complicated, modern serious music, sometimes inducing orchestras to play along. As if his music were not challenging enough, he overlay it with highly satirical and sometimes abstractly humorous lyrics and song titles that marked him as coming out of a provocative literary tradition that included Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and edgy comedians like Lenny Bruce.

Aapostrophe (‘) Turns 50! Arguably the most popular album in the Frank Zappa catalog, apostrophe (‘) has consistently been a best-seller. It was Zappa’s first Gold Record Award in the U.S., peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart. The “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” single also made the Billboard Top 100 Hits chart, peaking at #87. The success of Apostrophe(‘) brought along a new awareness for Zappa and through the years, the album has been a go-to for most when discovering his music.
For the 50th Anniversary, Zappa Records and UMe have compiled a 5-CD + Blu-ray Audio set featuring the original album newly remastered by Bernie Grundman, session outtakes from the Vault and two bonus concerts spanning the year of 1974. The Blu-ray contains the new remaster in hi-res formats, brand-new Dolby Atmos remixes by Karma Auger and Erich Gobel and FZ’s 1974 Quadraphonic mix, back in print for the first time in 50 years. The package features new historical essays by Simon Prentis & Vaultmeister Joe Travers, along with never-before-seen images from the archive of Sam Emerson, who shot the now iconic front cover photo."