Frank Zappa Zoot Allures

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.

By 1981, Frank Zappa’s Halloween shows in New York were already legendary – a rock and roll bacchanalia of jaw-dropping musicianship, costume-clad revelry, spontaneous theatrical hijinks and of course a heavy dose of Zappa’s signature virtuosic guitar workouts. Eagerly anticipated every year, fans never knew exactly what was in store but knew it would be of epic proportions and one-of-a-kind experience that only Zappa and his skilled group of musicians could provide. When Zappa returned to The Palladium in NYC in 1981 for a five-show four-night run from October 29 to November 1, the nearly-annual tradition was even more anticipated than usual as the 1980 concerts were cut short due to Zappa falling ill. Curiously there was no fall tour the previous year and thus no Halloween shows.

Frank Zappa - A Token of His Extreme (1974) {DVD9 NTSC, Eagle Rock EV306159 rel 2013}
DVD9 -> 5.87 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | LinearPCM, 2 ch | ~ 90m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 68 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2013 Zappa Family Trust / Eagle Rock | EV306159
Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock

EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT and the Zappa Family Trust are pleased to announce the first official release of A TOKEN OF HIS EXTREME, an original program created by FRANK ZAPPA for TV. Recorded on August 27, 1974 at KCET in Hollywood, A TOKEN OF HIS EXTREME features Frank Zappa with five incredibly talented band members for this extravaganza of live music. Never before available for commercial release A Token of His Extreme isn’t the Holy Grail Frank Zappa release, but it’s one of them.

Frank Zappa - Halloween 81 (2020) {6CD Set, Zappa Records ZR 20034}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.82 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 0.98 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 103 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1981, 2020 Zappa Records / UMe | ZR 20034
Rock / Experimental Rock / Avant-Garde / Art Rock / Jazz Rock

By 1981, Frank Zappa’s Halloween shows in New York were already legendary – a rock and roll bacchanalia of jaw-dropping musicianship, costume-clad revelry, spontaneous theatrical hijinks and of course a heavy dose of Zappa’s signature virtuosic guitar workouts. Eagerly anticipated every year, fans never knew exactly what was in store but knew it would be of epic proportions and one-of-a-kind experience that only Zappa and his skilled group of musicians could provide. When Zappa returned to The Palladium in NYC in 1981 for a five-show four-night run from October 29 to November 1, the nearly-annual tradition was even more anticipated than usual as the 1980 concerts were cut short due to Zappa falling ill. Curiously there was no fall tour the previous year and thus no Halloween shows.

Frank Zappa - Philly '76 (2009) {2CD Set, Vaulternative Records VR20091 rec 1976}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 898 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 322 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 49 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 2009 Vaulternative Records / ZFT | VR 20091
Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock

Official Release #86. Another in the ongoing series of releases drawn from Frank Zappa's extensive archives of live recordings, Philly '76 contains a concert held at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on October 29, 1976. This period in Zappa's career is otherwise documented by the album Zoot Allures, which actually was released on that day, and by Zappa in New York, drawn from shows recorded two months later. But the lineup of Zappa's band is not exactly the same as that on either of those albums. The core unit is identical, with Ray White on rhythm guitar, former Roxy Music member Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin, Patrick O'Hearn on bass, and Terry Bozzio on drums.

Frank Zappa - The Best Of Frank Zappa (2004) {Rykodisc}
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© 2004 Rykodisc | RCD 10588
Rock / Experimental Rock / Jazz Rock

Released on October 30 2004, this is another compilation by Rykodisc, with almost the same (but with less) tracks as on Strictly Commercial. This collection of Frank Zappa tracks from Rykodisc is a hodgepodge of previously released material. Among the 15 tracks are the obvious choices of "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow," "Dancin' Fool," "Dirty Love," and his daughter Moon Unit's novelty hit "Valley Girl."

Frank Zappa - Joe's Menage (2008)
EAC rip | FLAC + CUE + LOG -> 295Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104Mb
Vaulternative Records | ZPCD94

Joe's Menage was recorded in concert at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA on November 1, 1975. This is all previously unreleased material.

Frank Zappa - Does Humor Belong In Music? (1986) {1995 Ryko Remaster Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 441 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 147 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 366 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995 Rykodisc / The Zappa Family Trust | RCD 10548
Rock / Experimental Rock / Avant-Garde

As Frank Zappa was focusing more on his computer and orchestral music in 1985-1986, he put together an album and a video of live material from his then-last tour from 1984. Does Humor Belong in Music? was released in January 1986, in Europe and Japan only. In 1995, Ryko issued it for the first time in the U.S. (a reissue for the rest of the world) with a thorough remix, new cover artwork, and a different edit of "Let's Move to Cleveland" (adding one extra minute). Asking the title question is answering it, at least when Zappa is concerned. It expresses a way for him to get back at music critics who despised his stage antics and scatological humor in the early '80s – from a man who was trying to affirm himself as a "serious" composer.