Frank Zappa - The Old Masters, Box III

Frank Zappa - The Old Masters, Box III

1. Waka/Jawaka
2. The Grand Wazoo
3. Over-Nite Sensation
4. Apostrophe (')
5. Roxy and Elsewhere [2-LP]
6. One Size Fits All
7. Bongo Fury
8. Zoot Allures

Barking Pumpkin BPR 9999, December 1987

What a legendary era of FZ (and George Duke!), kicking off with Waka/Jawaka's "Big Swifty," a monster tune with one of the most idiosyncratic FZ melodies ever put to tape, and finishing up on Zoot Allures with Terry Bozzio and a song about Disco doody. Sums up the mid-70's, I guess. FZ was still mostly punching upward with his politically lyric savagery, and growing by leaps and bounds as a guitarist, mile after mile from Blessed Relief to Black Napkins. And but also, there's Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe, two of Zappa's most enduring albums, Roxy, his most legendary live recording (which is saying a lot for a guy who recorded everything), and One Size Fits All, the greatest album ever recorded by a Greek-Arab Sicilian-American guitar player from Baltimore. It's true!

Eight stunning albums in just 4 short years (1972-76), featuring some of the most remarkable talent to record with FZ: Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty, Sal Marquez, Jeff Simmons, Jack Bruce, Tony Duran and "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, Chester Thompson, Ruth Underwood!, Bruce and Tom Fowler, Ralph Humphrey, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Denny Walley, Aynsley Dunbar, Don Preston, Ricky Lancelotti, the freaking Ikettes, and Captain Beefheart. All digitally remastered for the first time on wax by FZ in 1987.

Now, the eons are closing on the three FZ Old Masters box sets. There's still the Old Masters Sampler, which I'll post soon. You should certainly check out the current crop of 2012 Zappa remasters, especially the all-analog 180g vinyl editions. They are spectacular. Then you should compare them to these and the other two boxes I've posted because Music is The Best.


24/96 LP transfer, V0 mp3 download
FZ-OldMastersBox3[RPM2020].zip 648.64 MB

24/96 LP transfer, 24/96 FLAC download
FZ-OldMastersBox3[RPM2020][FLAC].zip 6.48 GB

Frank Zappa - The Old Masters, Box II

Frank Zappa - The Old Masters, Box II

1. Uncle Meat [2-LP]
2. Hot Rats
3. Burnt Weeny Sandwich
4. Weasels Ripped My Flesh
5. Chunga's Revenge
6. Fillmore East, 1971
7. Just Another Band From L.A.
8. Mystery Disc

Barking Pumpkin BPR 8888, November 1986

You should certainly check out the current crop of 2012 Zappa remasters on CD and 180g vinyl. Then you should compare them to these. I'll post Box 3 eventually.


24/96 LP transfer, V0 mp3 download
FZ-OldMastersBox2[RPM2018].zip 712.15 MB

24/96 LP transfer, 24/96 FLAC download
FZ-OldMastersBox2[RPM2018][FLAC].zip 7.06 GB

Frank Zappa - The Old Masters, Box I

Frank Zappa - The Old Masters, Box I

1. Freak Out! [2-LP]
2. Absolutely Free
3. We're Only In It For The Money [remix]
4. Lumpy Gravy
5. Cruising With Reuben And The Jets [remix]
6. Mystery Disc

Barking Pumpkin BPR 7777, April 1985

Two years ago I posted my 1966 mono Freak Out! so I thought it would be a good time to delve a little deeper into the highly ambient domain of FZ mixes and masters. Here we have Frank's 1985 7-LP box of "Old Masters" including the first five Mothers albums and a Mystery Disc of, at the time, previously unreleased early material. While some albums contain their original mixes, Money and Reuben infamously have new 80's bass and drums overdubs and other chicanery. It is all quite fascinating.


You should certainly check out the current crop of 2012 Zappa remasters on CD and 180g vinyl. Then you should compare them to these. I'll post Boxes 2 and 3 eventually.


24/96 LP transfer, V0 mp3 download
FZ-OldMastersBox1[RPM2016].zip 471.0 MB

24/96 LP transfer, 24/96 FLAC download
FZ-OldMastersBox1[RPM2016][FLAC].zip 4.30 GB

The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out! [MONO]

The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out! [MONO]

Yes indeed, here we are, another mono release from 1966. This is, of course, one of my most prized albums, especially since I found it for $6.75 at Red Light Vintage on Broadway over a decade ago. I love this album backwards and forwards. I have too many copies of Freak Out! (three Verve LPs, mono LP, Barking Pumpkin cassette, two different Ryko CDs, Japanese LP-replica CD, two different Zappa Records CDs, new UMe CD, new Zappa Records 180-g LP reissue), many of which are aurally redundant, and still have yet to track down a single-LP edition, 8-track, Old Masters LP, or a white label. Who could imagine?

You're probably wondering why this mono version is here, and so am I. It has never been reissued, even though it contains different mixes (obviously) and several different edits (the end of You Didn't Try To Call Me, the count-in to Trouble Every Day). Did FZ do the mono mix? Mono single edits of a couple songs are on the MOFO box set, which is worth every penny. Every home should have one.

All compositions by Frank Zappa except where noted

1. Hungry Freaks, Daddy 3:27
2. I Ain't Got No Heart 2:33
3. Who Are The Brain Police? 3:33
4. Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder (FZ/Collins) 3:39
5. Motherly Love 2:43
6. How Could I Be Such A Fool 2:11
7. Wowie Zowie 2:51
8. You Didn't Try To Call Me 3:16
9. Any Way The Wind Blows 2:54
10. I'm Not Satisfied 2:38
11. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here 3:38
12. Trouble Every Day 5:49
13. Help, I'm A Rock 4:43
14. It Can't Happen Here 3:55
15. The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet 12:16

Recorded at Sunset-Highland Studios of T.T.G.
March 9-12, 1966

Produced by: Tom Wilson

The Mothers of Invention:
Frank Zappa—Musical director, guitar & vocals
Ray Collins—Lead vocalist, harmonica, tambourine, finger cymbals, bobby pin & tweezers
Jim Black—Drums (also sings in some foreign language)
Roy Estrada—Bass & guitarron; boy soprano
Elliot Ingber—Alternate lead & rhythm guitar with clear white light

THE MOTHERS' AUXILIARY
Gene Estes—percussion
Eugene Di Novi—piano
Neil Le Vang—guitar
John Rotella—clarinet, sax
Kurt Reher—cello
Raymond Kelley—cello
Paul Bergstrom—cello
Emmet Sargeant—cello
Joseph Saxon—cello
Edwin V. Beach—cello
Arthur Maebe—French horn, tuba
George Price—French horn
John Johnson—tuba?
Carol Kaye—12-string guitar
Virgil Evans—trumpet
David Wells—trombone
Kenneth Watson—percussion
Plas Johnson—sax, flute
Roy Caton—copyist
Carl Franzoni—voice
Vito—voice
Kim Fowley—(Featured on hypophone)
Benjamin Barrett—contractor
David Anderle
+
Motorhead Sherwood—noises
Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John)—piano
Paul Butterfield
Les McCann—piano
Danny Hutton
Cory Wells
Mike Clarke
P.F. Sloane
Bobby Beausoleil—vocals
Terry Gilliam ?
Jeannie Vassoir—(the voice of Cheese)

Verve Records ‎– V-5005-2, 1966

24/96 LP transfer, mono V0 mp3 download
FZ-FreakOut[mono][RPM2014].zip 58.2 MB

24/96 LP transfer, mono 24/96 FLAC download
FZ-FreakOut[mono][RPM2014][FLAC].zip 575.0 MB