Patrick Underwood

Frank Zappa - Zappa In New York (1976) {2CD Rykodisc RCD 10524/25 rel 1995}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 704 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 242 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 444 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 1995 Rykodisc / The Zappa Family Trust | RCD 10524/25 (LP March 3rd 1978)
Rock / Experimental Rock / Jazz Rock

Official Release #23. Zappa in New York was recorded in December 1976 at the Palladium and originally intended for release in 1977. It was held up due to arguments between Frank Zappa and his then-record label, Warner Bros. When the two-LP set finally appeared in March 1978, Warner had deleted "Punky's Whips," a song about drummer Terry Bozzio's attraction to Punky Meadows of Angel. When Zappa reacquired the album and released it as a double CD in 1991, he restored "Punky's Whips" and added four bonus tracks.

Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Beat The Boots, Vol II (1992) {Rhino R2 71017~023 rec 1968-1978}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.07 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 899 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 312 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968-78, 1992 Rhino / FOO-EEE | R2 71017~023
Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock

This is the second (and final) bootleg-gone-legit box that was actually sanctioned by Frank Zappa. But rather than go to the expense and time to use better sources – which the artist presumably had access to – he simply ripped off the illicit recordings that had been doing the same to him for decades. And voila, Beat the Boots was born. Zappa enlisted Rhino Records to manufacture and distribute the anthologies – which were packaged to appear as if the contents were being sold in a low budget cardboard box. However once inside Beat the Boots!, Vol. 2 (1992), consumers were treated to a full LP jacket-sized 40-page memorabilia scrapbook, a black felt beret and a red pin/badge bearing the hammer-in-fist artwork emblazoned on it.

Frank Zappa - Sleep Dirt (1979) {1995 Ryko Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 257 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 32 Mb
© 1995 Rykodisc / The Zappa Family Trust | RCD 10527
Rock / Experimental Rock

Always a prolific, restless artist, Frank Zappa was constantly recording. The songs on his 1979 release SLEEP DIRT, which stem from as early as 1974, were originally intended for release on a planned four-platter package, but when the record company balked, they were eventually issued separately. Drawing on the talents of such stalwart accompanists as George Duke, Ruth Underwood, and Terry Bozzio, SLEEP DIRT is an intricate, multi-textured record. Initially all instrumental, the CD version was released with soprano vocalist Thana Harris on three tracks.

SLEEP DIRT opens with "Filthy Habits," a minor-key, somewhat Spanish-sounding workout. The stately, keyboard-dominated "Flambay" follows, with tinkling marimbas and lyrical bass work, sequing into "Spider of Destiny." These are not so much songs as compositions, mini-operas composed of distinct, often skewed melodic runs. "Time is Money" features the distinctive jazzy, intricate excursions that characterize much of Zappa's "serious" work, but the title track is a surprisingly gentle acoustic number featuring FZ's lovely guitar playing. With its five songs sprawling unhurriedly; this is serious stuff, despite punning titles like "Regyptian Strut" and "The Ocean is the Ultimate Solution."