2CD AND DIGITAL COLLECTION FEATURES BEST NEVER BEFORE RELEASED PERFORMANCES FROM ZAGREB AND LJUBLJANA
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 14 VIA ZAPPA RECORDS/UMe
In the fall of 1975, towards the tail end of a typically productive and prolific year that included finishing production on the One Size Fits All
album, a spring tour with Captain Beefheart (immortalized on the live album, Bongo Fury, released in October of that year), and a performance of
orchestral works, Frank Zappa and his band The Mothers played their first and only shows in Yugoslavia while in the midst of their fall tour. The
“Mothers of Invention Yugoslavian Extravaganza” as Zappa called it took place in Zagreb and Ljubljana (now the capital cities of Croatia and
Slovenia respectively) on November 21st and 22nd, 1975 with the short-lived and slightly stripped-down lineup of Andre Lewis (keyboards), Napoleon
Murphy Brock (tenor sax and lead vocals), Norma Bell (alto sax, vocals), Roy Estrada (bass) and Terry Bozzio (drums). In characteristically Zappa
fashion, The Maestro made sure to record these historical shows behind the Iron Curtain.
On October 14th, Zappa Records/UMe will release Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana, featuring the best performances of the Yugoslavian concerts sequenced
in the exact order of the show’s setlist to present the crème da la crème from each night for the first time ever. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and
Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the 27-track live album boasts nearly two and half hours of completely unreleased music and will be available
digitally (26 tracks without disc breaks) or on 2CD complete with a 32-page booklet filled with photos of the era and lineup by Gail Zappa and John
Rudiak with insightful liner notes from Travers, an interview between him and recording engineer Davy Moire who recorded the show and worked with
Zappa from 1975-78, plus a firsthand account and illustration from drummer Terry Bozzio. Beginning today, uDiscover is exclusively offering a limited
edition version of the 2CD with three photo prints by Gail Zappa and John Rudiak. Previously the only recording ever released from these concerts was
a performance of “Black Napkins” from Ljubljana included on the 1996 release, Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute; the
version of “Black Napkins” featured here is from Zagreb.
The details surrounding the concert’s recordings are unknown but somehow it was organized that the shows were semi-professionally recorded. Despite
Zappa usually touring with his Scully ½” 4-track recorder that machine was not used and instead the Zagreb and Ljubljana shows were recorded on an
obscure format of ½” 8-track. After painstakingly baking the tapes and running multiple passes, the tracks were successfully transferred and have
all been re-mixed by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow Ct. Studios and mastered by John Polito at Audio Mechanics, who both also aided in restoring the
audio as needed. One notable exception is the track “San Ber’dino” from Ljubljana which somehow wasn’t captured on the 8-track master and so
the line mix from Zappa’s Nagra tape was used.
Zappa arrived in Yugoslavia on the heels of releasing Bongo Fury, his collaborative album with Captain Beefheart released in October. While several
songs from the record were included in the setlist, such as souped-up versions of “Advance Romance,” “Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy,” and
“Muffin Man,” Zappa treated the audiences to songs from his then already expansive catalog, from “I Ain’t Got No Heart,” “How Could I Be
Such A Fool” and “I’m Not Satisfied” from The Mothers Of Invention’s 1966 debut, Freak Out!, and a three-song suite of songs from 1968’s
We’re Only In It For The Money (“Lonely Little Girl,” “Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance,” “What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?”)
to 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation standouts “Camarillo Brillo,” “I’m The Slime,” and “Dirty Love,” plus tracks from 1974’s Apostrophe
(‘) and 1975’s One Size Fits All.
One of the highlights of the album is the improvisational instrumental jams of the concert, specifically “Chunga’s Revenge” and “Zoot
Allures,” which Zappa used as a palette to experiment with soloing and bounce new riffs off the band in real time. Here we get to hear works in
progress such as the embryonic versions of “Filthy Habits,” (1979’s Sleep Dirt), “Five-Five-Five” (1981’s Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar) and
“Wind Up Workin’ In A Gas Station” (1976’s Zoot Allures). In addition to experimenting with new ideas, Zappa also used the opportunity to
preview more fully fleshed out compositions such as early versions of his signature songs, “Black Napkins” and “Zoot Allures,” which would end
up on the album of the same name the following year.
Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana is a significant piece of Zappa history as it not only captures Zappa’s sole performances in Yugoslavia, early
versions of songs that fans would come to know and love, but also this unique and rare lineup that would dissolve shortly after the shows. As Travers
writes in the liners, “Norma Bell would leave the group before 1976. Although Andre Lewis and Roy Estrada would eventually be dismissed after the
touring was over in early 1976 (making this the final Zappa band Roy would play bass in), Frank and Roy’s friendship would continue. Napoleon would
leave and eventually come back in 1984. Terry would go on to achieve iconic stature and although he would leave the group in 1978, his contribution to
Zappa’s music will live on forever as one of the most special and important drummers of FZ’s career.”
zappa.com
facebook.com/zappa
twitter.com/zappa
Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana Track Listing
2CD
Disc 1
1. “Managua” (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
2. Stink-Foot (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
3. The Poodle Lecture (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
4. Dirty Love (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
5. How Could I Be Such A Fool (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
6. I Ain’t Got No Heart (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
7. I’m Not Satisfied (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
8. Black Napkins (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
9. Advance Romance (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
10. Honey, Don’t You Want A Man Like Me? (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
11. The Illinois Enema Bandit (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
12. Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
13. Lonely Little Girl (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
14. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
15. What’s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body? (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
16. Chunga’s Revenge (Part I) (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
Disc 2
1. Chunga’s Revenge (Part II) (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
2. Terry’s Zagreb Solo (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
3. Zoot Allures (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
4. Filthy Habits (Prototype) (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
5. Camarillo Brillo (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
6. Muffin Man (Live in Zagreb, November 21, 1975)
7. I’m The Slime (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
8. San Ber’dino (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
Bonus Tracks
9. Wind Up Workin’ In A Gas Station (Prototype) (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
10. Terry’s Ljubljana Solo (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
11. Zoot Allures (Live in Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)
jimmied - 21-8-2022 at 16:49
Frank Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers Details New Releases: ‘Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana’
What! No inflatable hammer & sickle, no polar-fleece beret with a tiny red star?
Just 2 cds in a jewel case like, those of us of a certain age call, the good old days.....
I'm in, but not from the Zappa web site, their freight is
extortionate.....
And they've stopped updating the official discography page, which is now woefully out of date.....
Maybe their super administrator is on leave..... polydigm - 21-9-2022 at 04:32
Rather bizarrely this time, the standard 2CD package is the same price for me as on iTunes. All I'd save is the postage cost.
WTF??!!
GrayGhost - 30-9-2022 at 14:31
wow, that makes no sense.....
Around 24 Months ago I per-ordered a pocket knife from the US,
as per usual they insisted on being paid up front, which is pretty
standard in the US knife community.....
Thankfully when I ordered the exchange rate was a lot more favorable than it is today,
at todays rate the purchase would be totally out of the question.....
The cheeky pricks included a wee note acknowledging that this was probably the deal of the century,
as their costs had sky rocketed due to Covid China and Biden, but a deal is a deal.....Eddie RUKidding - 30-9-2022 at 23:05
Started listening to it but to me there was to much hype. Good t ohear there will be more releases but you can tell a lot from what is not being said.GrayGhost - 2-10-2022 at 06:37
Wow they sure gave Bill a hiding.....
According to the Amazonians: New estimated delivery date for: Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana [2CD]
The 27th of October, 2022 ↔ the 1st of November, 2022.....
I can hardly wait.....ursinator2.0 - 11-10-2022 at 17:59
Release date: December 16, 2022
A comprehensive 4-CD + Blu-ray Audio box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mothers Of Invention/Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo experience from 1972.
During the aftermath of being pushed off the stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England; FZ found himself recuperating for months in his home in
Laurel Canyon. Although he was confined to a wheelchair, his work ethic could not be tamed. During this time, he managed, among other things, to
assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra.” Ultimately, a 20-piece group was contracted,
along with recording sessions and an 8-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now known as the “Petit Wazoo” toured
for almost two months. After all was said and done, FZ finished the experiment with two albums in the can, Waka/Jawaka & The Grand Wazoo, plus two
tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand.
The Waka/Wazoo box set features a complete historical run-down of the entire project, featuring alternate takes of almost every composition recorded
during the album sessions, along with Vault mix session outtakes and oddities. Also included is the full final show of the 10-piece tour, recorded at
the famous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 15, 1972. The Blu-ray Audio disc features both albums with brand-new, first-time-ever
Atmos and 5.1 mixes from the original multi-tracks and the 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters. Finally, during the album recording sessions
at Paramount Studios, FZ worked with George Duke on some of Duke’s solo material. These demos were produced by Zappa, who also played guitar.
Although George would go on to re-record the compositions for his own albums, the versions with FZ have never been officially issued until now.
TRACKLISTING
CD 1
Paramount Studios Recording Session Alternates and Outtakes
1. Your Mouth (Take 1)
2. Big Swifty (Alternate Take)
3. Minimal Art (Eat That Question – Version 1, Take 2)
4. Blessed Relief (Outtake Version)
5. Think It Over (The Grand Wazoo) (Outtake Version)
6. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (Outtake Version)
7. Waka/Jawaka (Outtake Version)
CD 2
Paramount Studios Recording Session Alternates and
Outtakes, continued
1. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Take)
2. Eat That Question (Version 2, Alternate Take)
3. Big Swifty (Alternate Mix)
4. For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers)
(Alternate Mix)
5. It Just Might Be A One-Shot Deal (Alternate Mix)
6. Waka/Jawaka (Alternate Mix)
7. Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus (Alternate Mix)
8. Eat That Question (Alternate Mix)
CD 3
George Duke Demos – The Master Versions
1. For Love (I Come Your Friend)
2. Psychosomatic Dung
3. Uncle Remus (Instrumental)
4. Love
George Duke Session Outtakes
5. For Love (I Come Your Friend) (Basic Track, Take 1)
6. Psychosomatic Dung (Basic Track, Take 2)
7. Love (Basic Track, Take 1)
The Grand Wazoo – Live
8. Approximate (Live – FZ Record Plant Mix)
10-Piece/Petite Wazoo – Live / Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12-15-1972
9. Winterland ’72 Opening And Band Introductions
10. Little Dots
CD 4
10-Piece/Petite Wazoo – Live, continued
Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA – 12-15-1972
Antonio Endrix Endrizzizappateers.com
New release in december.
Release date: December 16, 2022
A comprehensive 4-CD + Blu-ray Audio box set celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mothers Of Invention/Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo experience from 1972.
During the aftermath of being pushed off the stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England; FZ found himself recuperating for months in his home in
Laurel Canyon. Although he was confined to a wheelchair, his work ethic could not be tamed. During this time, he managed, among other things, to
assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra.” Ultimately, a 20-piece group was contracted,
along with recording sessions and an 8-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now known as the “Petit Wazoo” toured
for almost two months. After all was said and done, FZ finished the experiment with two albums in the can, Waka/Jawaka & The Grand Wazoo, plus two
tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand.
The Waka/Wazoo box set features a complete historical run-down of the entire project, featuring alternate takes of almost every composition recorded
during the album sessions, along with Vault mix session outtakes and oddities. Also included is the full final show of the 10-piece tour, recorded at
the famous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 15, 1972. The Blu-ray Audio disc features both albums with brand-new, first-time-ever
Atmos and 5.1 mixes from the original multi-tracks and the 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters. Finally, during the album recording sessions
at Paramount Studios, FZ worked with George Duke on some of Duke’s solo material. These demos were produced by Zappa, who also played guitar.
Although George would go on to re-record the compositions for his own albums, the versions with FZ have never been officially issued until now. Eddie RUKidding - 12-10-2022 at 07:39
^ Looks like a good one GrayGhost - 12-10-2022 at 08:13
When the time comes, the currency exchange rate will play a role in this purchase.....GrayGhost - 14-10-2022 at 07:19
According to the Amazonians: Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana [2CD] has shipped and will be arriving: Tuesday, November 1st..... Calvin - 14-10-2022 at 20:16
I just listened to Zagreb/Ljubljana, and my review follows:
Yeah, it's pretty good.Calvin - 14-10-2022 at 20:17
If you want to hear it before it reaches you - (it's missing one track, Chunga's Revenge II) -
Excellent, cheers Cal.....polydigm - 15-10-2022 at 05:26
I just decided to buy Zagreb/Ljubljana from Amazon OZ, postage free because I'm on Prime, but it's still a criminal price compared to the actual
exchange rate, and according to them I'll be getting it by October 26th.ursinator2.0 - 18-10-2022 at 20:57
Thanks for the link. Not much of a departure from the one that was released, but still good.GrayGhost - 20-10-2022 at 06:48
My copy of Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana [2-CD] Arrived today a full eleven days ahead of the Amazonian's schedule.....
I couldn't be happier.....Plook - 26-10-2022 at 00:57
So Frank is back in the rotation now?GrayGhost - 26-10-2022 at 08:10
Absofrankinglutely, last Sunday we concluded our Queen Elizabeth II memorial weekend Zappadan (extended by royal
degree)
Wall to wall FZ for a marvelous 29 days 10 hours and 37 minutes or thereabouts.....
The little woman has been spending some quality time amongst the music,
compiling playlists of non FZ albums that used to tickle her fancy, so far so good,
although 10cc almost got the big veto.....
Some of those albums trigger some unhappy clearacil spattered memories that I'd rather forget,
including the little b@#%h from hell.....Just when you think you're out, she drags you back in.....
Dark days indeed, tunes that can suck the easily distracted mind right back to some loud poorly lit
smoke filled red walled sticky carpeted lounge bar, where all hell's about to break loose.....I'm Mandy fly meeeee.....
Crash Bang Wallop adrenaline rush or panic attack, what's it going to be.....
Talk of a Hammersmith 82 release with new bass overdubs by Scott Thunes .
Also a post Hot Rats set with Don "Sugarcane"Harris .
You heared it here second!Calvin - 7-1-2023 at 17:30
I'm going to wait....I just emailed Zappa/UMG and they told me "production delays" and it won't ship for another 2 weeks. I always thought a proper
business model would be to have the product ready when you say it's going to ship. But they have done this a lot and I guess they think that it's the
proper thing to do.BBP - 8-1-2023 at 12:48
It'll be ready in about 10 years or so.ursinator2.0 - 10-1-2023 at 19:17
I have almost zero interest in the Mudd Club release. It's pretty much the complete opposite of how I feel about the Wazoo era.jimmied - 5-2-2023 at 19:55
Someone sent an unsolicited flac copy to me this morning, one day prior to its official release. polydigm - 5-3-2023 at 00:24
Mine's due to arrive on the seventeenth. I gave in after checking out that COTL solo and then hearing the pod cast, which raised some interesting
points and the 21% discount Jimmie pointed out above was the final tipping point.ursinator2.0 - 18-4-2024 at 19:28
extortionate.....
