Zappa Lumpy Gravy

A fascinating collection of mostly instrumental live and studio material recorded by the original Mothers of Invention, complete with horn section, from 1967-1969, Weasels Ripped My Flesh segues unpredictably between arty experimentation and traditional song structures…

Frank Zappa - Everything Is Healing Nicely (1999)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 303 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 155 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 35 Mb
© 1999 The Zappa Family Trust | UMRK 03
Classical / Avant-Garde

Late in his life, Frank Zappa hooked up with the small German avant-garde orchestra the Ensemble Modern for what are said to have been the most enjoyable encounters with an orchestra he had in his career. The combination resulted in the last album Zappa released during his life, The Yellow Shark. This album, issued seven years later by the Zappa Family Trust, chronicles some more of the sessions. "These are recordings from Frank Zappa's rehearsals with the Ensemble Modern in preparation for The Yellow Shark, writes Todd Yvega, who also served as a recordist on the project.

Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Hot Rats (1969) + Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1969) {2012 UMe Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 589 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 202 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb
© 2012 UMe / ZFT | ZR 3841 / ZR 3842
Rock / Experimental Rock

Aside from the experimental side project Lumpy Gravy, Hot Rats was the first album Frank Zappa recorded as a solo artist sans the Mothers, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood. Other than another side project – the doo wop tribute Cruising With Ruben and the Jets – Hot Rats was also the first time Zappa focused his efforts in one general area, namely jazz-rock. The result is a classic of the genre.

Grandmothers - A Mother Of An Anthology (1993) {One Way Records} [rel. Frank Zappa]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 437 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 185 Mb | Artwork
© 1993 One Way Records | 0W 28880 | 5% repair rar
Rock / Experimental Rock / Prog Rock / Fusion

In the early '80s a loose aggregate of musicians – many of whom were former Mothers Of Invention (MOI) – began performing as the Grandmothers. The band centred on the talents of seminal Frank Zappa sidemen Jimmy Carl Black (percussion/vocals/Indian of the group), Bunk Gardner (sax/trumpet/flute) and Don Preston (keyboards). At various points prior to this union the trio were joined by a laundry list of relatively unknowns as well as other Mothers such as Denny Walley (guitar), Elliot Ingber (guitar), Ray Collins (vocals) and Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood (bass) as well as ex-Love member Tjay Cantrelli (sax/flute) plus (should one wish to further the Zappa affiliations) both Tom Leavey and Andy Cahan (drums) from Flo & Eddie's band . This 21-track compilation includes recordings made primarily in the early '70s from a number of MOI alumni and their respective collaborators.

Aside from the experimental side project Lumpy Gravy, Hot Rats was the first album Frank Zappa recorded as a solo artist sans the Mothers, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood. Other than another side project – the doo wop tribute Cruising With Ruben and the Jets – Hot Rats was also the first time Zappa focused his efforts in one general area, namely jazz-rock…

The material on this album originally was intended to be part of a four-record set called Läther, prepared for release in 1977. Then Frank Zappa got into a disagreement with his record company, Warner Bros., and Läther was split up into several different releases as part of a contractual agreement. The results were dumped on the market during 1978 and 1979, while Zappa moved on to his own record label…

Frank Zappa - Make A Jazz Noise Here (1991) {2CD Rykodisc RCD 10555/56 rel 1995}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 919 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 324 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 228 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991, 1995 Rykodisc / The Zappa Family Trust | RCD 10555/56
Rock / Experimental Rock / Jazz Rock / Art Rock

Official Release #57. The third and final live album put together from recordings of Frank Zappa's 1988 concerts, the two-CD set Make a Jazz Noise Here focuses on the composer's instrumental pieces – which are not necessarily jazzy, by the way. As for the three vocal tracks included ("Stinkfoot," "Stevie's Spanking," and "Advance Romance"), they all feature interesting solos. The set presents old favorites, like the medley "Let's Make the Water Turn Black"/"Harry, You're a Beast," "King Kong," and "The Black Page." They are well-performed, but considering the number of versions of each of them available on other recordings, they hardly constitute the main interest of this album.

Frank Zappa - Orchestral Favorites (2019) {3CD Set, 40th Anniversary Edition}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Official Digital Download -> 942 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 368 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2019 Zappa Records
Rock / Experimental Rock / Jazz Rock / Modern Composition

Three-disc deluxe edition includes original album remastered from master tapes plus recording of previously unreleased two-hour concert, extensive liner notes and newly created cover art. When Frank Zappa’s Orchestral Favorites was eventually released in 1979 as part of fulfilling his contract with his contentious former label, the album was dumped into the world along with several other titles without the legendary musician’s permission or quality control. It did not include liner notes or credits and the artwork and audio wasn’t approved by Zappa who publicly criticized it as not being up to his standards. As a result of not receiving any promotion, it was quickly relegated to the bargain bin shortly after its release.

A fascinating collection of mostly instrumental live and studio material recorded by the original Mothers of Invention, complete with horn section, from 1967-1969, Weasels Ripped My Flesh segues unpredictably between arty experimentation and traditional song structures. Highlights of the former category include the classical avant-garde elements of "Didja Get Any Onya," which blends odd rhythmic accents and time signatures with dissonance and wordless vocal noises; these pop up again in "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask" and "Toads of the Short Forest." The latter and "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" also show Frank Zappa's willingness to embrace the avant-garde jazz of the period. Yet, interspersed are straightforward tunes like a cover of Little Richard's "Directly From My Heart to You," with great violin from Don "Sugarcane" Harris…

Frank Zappa - QuAUDIOPHILIAc (2004) [DVD-A] {ZFT}
DVD-9 (iso+.mds) -> 6.10 Gb | 5.1 MLP 24/96 / 5.1 DTS 24/96 / 2.0 LPCM 24/96
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 81 Mb
© 2004 ZFT / DTS Entertainment | 69286-01125-9-9
Rock / Experimental Rock

DVD-Audio may not be your preferred format, but here's a release that actually needs its special capabilities. There have been a number of high-profile albums that have been remixed to take advantage of Surround Sound, a case of retooling the recordings to take advantage of a new consumer format. Music consumers who began their music purchases during the digital era may not be aware that an attempt was made at "more than stereo" recordings back in the '70s, utilizing a four-channel system known as quadraphonic.