20 Years of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

20 Years Of Frank Zappa

These informations come from Hot Wacks Quarterly, 1983, Vol. 4, No. 1, Issue 13. Hot Wacks is an underground magazine that has been in circulation since 1980, featuring reviews of bootleg music releases. Reviews include information such as source, quality, track listing and packaging. It is commonly referred to as the 'Bootleg Bible' by bootleg collectors:

Many sources and styles and hundreds of musicians complement this 12 record package – the most ambitious and the last of the Mud Shark series. Twelve albums, each with its own number, title and personality were packaged in a one-inch box with a 16-page guide booklet (except 25, the “Silver Edition”, but more on that later). This package is the largest underground multi-record set made to date.

The initial pressing was 1000 copies, but as most of you may already know, over half of them (565) were confiscated in Mud Shark´s bust. The limited, numbered Silver Edition had each LP packaged individually in its own silver jacket. Rumor has it that the special packages were to be presented to dealers who sold large quantities of the box. They disappeared without trace although sources indicate they were not confiscated, just lost or tucked away in the depths of the packaging plant. Perhaps they will surface one day.

The Basic Primer Z to A (MZ 4801)

A1 Return of Your Mama B1 Titties & Beer A2 Keep it Greasey B2 What Kind of Group Do You Think We Are? A3 Village of the Sun B3 All the Way Down to the Tonsils A4 I Do a Bunch of Other Things B4 Rollo B5 Saint Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast B6 Zappa's Lecture

This LP and the 12th album are the “border” LPs in that they surround the set´s inner material – the material that goes in sequence. The pattern on this record was to go from the newer material to the older material.

Side 1 opens with a ripping version of Yo Mama originally slated for release in the 3-LP set of 1979 (see Warts And All) and was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon. Keep It Greasy and Village Of The Sun which follow came from an excellent soundboard tape (see Project/Object), the smooth Ike Willis´ vocal on the latter combined with the funky fills and a superb sound on FZ´s guitar segues into a short fill off the Uncle Meat Demo which flows into a short piece from the Interview Show (1976).

Side 2 starts off with Titties & Beer, with the extra verse, and What Kind Of Group Do You Think We Are? (a made-up title) both from Detroit 19´76. On the former you can hear Patrick´s fretless precision jump out at you and on the latter some special guest appearances by Flo & Eddie and Ralph Armstrong but this track is cut off abruptly. Next is All The Way Down To The Tonsils (another made-up title) from The Uncle Meat Demo LP, Rollo And Alphonzo´s from the New Year´s Eve 1972 show in D.C. A short piece of tape from the 1963 Mt. St. Mary´s show concludes side 2.

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

The Soundtracks (MZ 4802)

A1 The Way the Air Smells B1 The World's Greatest Sinner A2 Run Home Slow B2 This Won't Take Long A3 Your Eyes B3 What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening? A4 Rance Muhammitz in a Steaming Briefcase B4 People Think That Groupies Are Such Dirty Girls

The title of this LP explains all – the LP concentrates on the musical portions of the two older soundtracks. Side one is mostly Run Home Slow from a tape of a TV broadcast. The music is good, well written early pieces which later transformed into some well-known classics, most recognizable is the Duke Of Prunes. This movie´s score is surrounded by two audience recordings from the Baby Snakes film. These are unbearable to listen to.

Side 2 features The World´s Greatest Sinner (1961) from a rare dub that came directly from the film. This music is inserted between two musical and dialogue selections from 200 Motels.

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

The Cucamonga Era (MZ 4803)

A1 The Masters: Breaktime B1 The Penguins: Memories of El Monte A2 Baby Ray & the Ferns: How's Your Bird B2 The Hollywood Persuaders: Grunion Run A3 Baby Ray & the Ferns: The World's Greatest B3 The Hollywood Persuaders: Tijuana Surf Sinner B4 Mr. Clean: Mr. Clean A4 Ned & Nelda: Hey Nelda B5 Mr. Clean: Jessie Lee A5 Ned & Nelda: Surf Along B6 The Rotations: Heavies A6 The Heartbreakers: Every Time I See You B7 The Hollywood Persuaders: Drums a-Go-Go A7 Bob Guy: Dear Jeepers B8 The Hollywood Persuaders: Hot Water A8 Bob Guy: Letters from Jeepers B9 Brian Lord & the Midnighters: Not Another One A9 Brian Lord & the Midnighters: The Big Surfer B10 The Masters: Sixteen Tons

This LP contains most of the known pre-Mothers releases of which many were recorded in Cucamonga in a studio, Studio Z. once owned by Paul Buff and later sold to Zappa. Break Time , recorded by the Masters, Frank´s first record, leads off side one and is followed by How´s Your Bird? and World´s Greatest Sinner, by Baby Ray & The Ferns. Hey Nelda and Surf Along by Ned & Nelda follow next, then the Heartbreaker´s record Everytime I See You. The side concludes with Dear Jeepers by Bob Guy, written by FZ, and The Big Surfer by Brian Lord & The Midnighters.

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

Side two features eight sides of the Original Sound label and two flip sides, beginning with the co-written Memories Of El Monte by the Penguins. This is followed by Grunion Run and Tijuana Surf (Hollywood Persuaders). Mr. Clean and Jessie Lee (Mr. Clean), Heavies (Rotation), Drums-A-Go-Go and Hot Water (Hollywood Persuaders) and two flip sides on which FZ´s involvement is doubtful – Not Another One (Midnighters) and Sixteen Tons (Masters).

Gas Mask (MZ 4804)

A1 Eye of Agamotto B1 The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbeque A2 My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama B2 Hungry Freaks, Daddy A3 Clap & Vomit [audience participation] B3 The Return of the Son of the Hunchback Duke B4 The Story of "A Pound for a Brown on the Bus"

This is the first full entry of the Mothers of Invention. What happened to 1965 to 1968? I would guess a lack of good quality tapes from this era, so the order begins here. A sub-standard dub of the Appleton, Wisconsin, 1969 show was used. Side one opens with The Eye Of Agamoto, followed by the first live performance of My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama and concludes with something loosely titled Clap & Vomit. There are some untitled selections on this side.

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

Side two begins with the EriC Dolphy Memorial Barbecue and goes into Hungry Freaks Daddy followed by The Return Of The Hunchback Duke. The set concludes with The Story Of A Pound For A Brown On The Bus, which is actually from The Royal Albert Hall 1969 concert but is not noted that way in the set.

Hotel Dixie (MZ 4805)

A1 Sharleena B1 The Duke (Little House I Used to Live in / Penis A2 The Air Dimension / Mudshark Variations) A3 Dog Breath B2 Would You Like a Snack? / Holiday in Berlin A4 Mother People (with lyrics! - not listed) A5 You Didn't Try to Call Me B3 Instrumental [including Inca Roads and Easy Meat A6 King Kong themes) A7 Mom & Dad B4 Cruisin' for Burgers

The fifth LP in the set is from a down-the-line soundboard tape of the 11/14/70 Fillmore East shows. Side one begins with Sharlena, followed by The Air, You Didn´t Try To Call Me, Mother People (no mention of this title on the covers), a very short King Kong and ends with Concentration Moon; Mom & Dad.

Side two features a 20-minute version of The Duke (again). This version is different from the 1969 version. The tune has turned into a full-blown major piece of the times, but in years to come each small piece within the song

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“ would be a monster all on its own. Included in this extravaganza are: Little House I Used To Live In, The Mud Shark (with early Penis Dimension), Holiday In Berlin (with text not included in Burnt Weeny Sandwich or 200 Motels version), the into a slow building up of two-chord pattern used in Inca Roads, a nice solo by FZ, further into chords of Easy Meat which builds up to Cruisin´ For Burgers whereupon this side and the fifth LP in the set come to a close.

Grand Wazoo Orchestra (MZ 4806)

A1 New Brown Clouds B1 Think It Over A2 Big Swifty B2 Approximate A3 For Calvin (and His Next Two Hitch-Hikers)

The sixth LP in the set is the first performance of the Grand Wazoo Orchestra. It has a non-stop structure (the audience response to each selection has been edited out) which makes each side sound like a long piece. Only about half of the actual concert is on this record – the producer had intended to finish the concert on a record within the next scheduled set or on his own single LP. Side one includes The New Brown Clouds, Big Swifty and For Calvin.

Side two consists of Think It Over and Approximate. Some of the long horn solos have been cut down a bit. Made from a fairly clear third generation audience recording. 6

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

Show And Tell (MZ 4807)

A1 RDNZL B1 How Could I Be Such a Fool? A2 Farther Oblivion (listed as Cucamonga) B2 I Ain't Got No Heart A3 Zappa Reads the News B3 I'm Not Satisfied A4 Chester's Gorilla (last part of Inca Roads?) B4 Packard Goose A5 That's Right, Let's Boogie B5 Black Napkins A6 A Few Minutes with Norma Bell

The first track Redunzel features a nice solo by Jean-Luc Ponty. It is taken from 8/21/73 at a cold outdoor concert in Sweden and is from a TV tape as are the next two songs Cucamonga and Cucamonga Again. The next piece Cover-ups is from an Arkansas radio Interview. Its sloppy editing and use of speeding up and slowing the tape give this 1974 post-Nixon rap some real belly loughs – each time Ford or Nixon is mentioned the tape slows down. The next track Chester´s Gorilla is from the Felt Forum 10/30/74 and is a guitar solo by FZ, is followed by That´s Right Let´s Boogie ( a made-up title), also from the Forum, featuring some pre-Zoot Allures electricity – another session with FZ on guitar. The side ends with the stage being cleaned up from a routine that has just taken place – FZ brings out Detroit saxophonist for A Few Minutes With Norma Bell (another made-up title) from the 10/31/75 Felt Forum concert.

All of side two is from a latter concert. The tracks are How Could I Be Such A Fool?, I Ain´t Got No Heart and I´m Not Satisfied. These 60´s updates are followed by probably the most sensitive and moving of any piece in 7

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“ the entire set – Packard Goose; Black Napkins – where FZ sets out to rid himself of “his own personal demon”. In a serious voice, often moving and dramatic, FZ narrates over the top of Black Napkins. Some of the text, includes, “…The only way we are going to make it through life without going completely crazy is to find someone or something that you can say FUCK YOU to!” The audience goes completely crazy.

The Night Of The Iron Sausage (MZ 4808)

A1 Lonely Little Girl B1 Envelopes A2 Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance B2 Disco Boy A3 What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? B3 I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth A4 Chunga's Revenge B4 Wild Love

The eights album again uses the Halloween 1975 show and opens with a very good Napi Brock vocal on Lonely Little Girl which leads into Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance which features the superfast funky keys of Andre Lewis. This is followed by What´s The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?. The side concludes with some fine sax solos by Nappy Brock and Norma Bell on Chunga´s Revenge – really smokes! Some hot Norma Bell vocalizing.

Side two takes the band to Hartford, Ct. (10/31/77). Opening is Envelopes which features Hartford´s own Tommy Mars “who has changed his name because all Italians like to change their name”. The next piece, seldom 8

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“ heard live, is Disco Boy. Following is I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth which contains a serious tape drop-out that is quickly remedied. The side concludes with a nice version of Wild Love.

Warts And All I (MZ 4809)

A1 Dead Girls of London B1 Magic Fingers A2 Suicide Chump B2 [Little] Rubber Girl A3 Streets & Roads B3 Peaches en Regalia A4 Thirteen

This LP packed most of the punch (as did part II) for the entire package when it was first made available. Since then several of the tunes within have been released on the Tinseltown and Shut Up albums. Still others have not been released and probably never will be. This LP gets its title from the three-album set that FZ had ready to go in 1979 but shelved for the release of the rapidly flowing studio takes and concepts of Joe´s Garage. The tapes for this LP are in mono as they came from a reel-to-real that wasn´t supposed to get out – it did, but unfortunately, put on a TDK-AD and the heads of one of the machines between the second and third generation dubs were badly out of line. Still this was not enough to bury the possibility of including these fourth generation dubs into the set.

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

Side 1 begins with a live version of Dead Girls Of London, followed by Suicide Chump (alternate take) and Streets And Roads which went to the Shut Up box. The side concludes with 13 which features L. Shankar on violin (unreleased). Side two begins with Magic Fingers which is followed by the unreleased Rubber Girl, a variation on the Ms. Pinky theme. The side concludes with Peaches which is the same track as Peaches 3 on the Tinseltown LP. The sources for this LP are the Palladium, N.Y., 10/31/78 and Hammersmith Odeon, London 2/79.

Warts And All II (MZ 4810)

A1 Ms. X B1 Dance Contest A2 For the Young Sophisticate B2 Persona Non Grata A3 More Streets & Roads B3 The Drive Shaft A4 Sy Borg B4 The Deathless Horsie

Side one begins with For The Young Sophisticate (same track as on Tinseltown LP) into More Streets And Roads (later titled Shut Up `N Play Yer Guitar Some More in the Shut Up box). These instrumentals are updated take-offs on the Inca Roads solos. Cyborg, in stereo, is the only track on the Warts LPs that is not freom that set. This track is from the 10/28/78 show at the Palladium.

Side two opens with the Dance Contest which shows up on Tinseltown in a much shortened form. This is followed by Duck Duck Goose; Down In De Dew still unreleased. The Drive Shaft, a section of Little House I 10

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

Used To Live In, features a rare Patrick O´Hearn vocal, in a tune about gay hangouts around the Times Square section of New York, and is still unreleased. The LP concludes with The Deathless Horsie which went into the Shut Up set.

Soup And Old Clothes (MZ 4811)

A1 Nite Owl B1 Debra Kadabra A2 Penis Dimension B2 Stranded in the Jungle A3 In Memoriam: Hieronymus Bosch B3 Hard Cheese (?) A4 The 12 Inches B4 The Tolkien Tapes A5 Florentine Pogen B5 Room Service (partial, listed as Do the Funky Room Service)

This LP is a collection of songs, guest appearances and tracks that couldn´t fit anywhere else in the set. The quality of the tapes used range from very good to poor in no special placement. Side one opens with a cover version of the old Tony Allen classic Nite Owl from Nassau, N.Y., 5/9/80. Next is more from 200 Motels, mostly dialogue (with Keith Moon), gut featuring an opening on Penis Dimension not used in the soundtrack. It is a continuation of the track used on MZ 4802, side 2. This is followed by a barely salvageable outtake from We´re Only In It For The Money called in Memorium: Hieronymus Bosch – the Mothers doing to music what Bosch did to art, an even comparison. The sound is from a Swedish TV broadcast. Even after much labor, there is hardly anything there to listen to but it can be done. The next track is called The Twelve Inches and is a story

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

(with a punchline) narrated by Tom Waits and put to music by the Mothers, from a Boston `74 show. The side ends with an excellent audience recording from Copenhagen 3/5/79 of Florentine Pogen.

Side two starts with a contribution from Captain Beefheart as the producer didn´t want to leave him out. The cut is taken from Boston 4/27/75. Next up is a cover version of the Cadets classic of Stranded In The Jungle with Ray White and Bianca doing it up with FZ at the Felt Forum 10/30/76. The next piece is Hard Cheese; The Tolkien Tapes (a made-up title) – madness in the radio station as Flo & Eddie, FZ, Dick Barber and Aynsley give interviewer Dave Dixon a few gray hairs. The LP concludes with a tribute to George Duke from Boston 4/27/75 called Do The Funky Room Service (another made-up title).

Advanced Study: World Pop Domination (MZ 4812)

A1 Collage One B1 Love of My Life A2 The Bust B2 You Are What You Is A3 Dinah-Moe Humm B3 Catholic Girls A4 Camarillo Brillo B4 Fine Girl A5 Get a Little II B5 Treacherous Cretins A6 You Didn't Try to Call Me A7 Laid Back

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

The first track Collage One is from Mt. St. Mary´s 1963. This is from a tape that Frank may have played on the radio in the early 70´s thus better copies must exist then the noisy one used here. Then why hasn´t some independent producer or Frank himself made it available on wax? The next track The Bust is from the Uncle Meat Demo LP. It takes place at a studio where a police officer comes to stop the noise and he is candidly being taped while he pleads with the band to cool it so he doesn´t have to bust them. It´s no wonder it was never used – not without getting the cop´s OK – so it finds a home here. Next FZ pulls the string on a toy, talking police car that precedes the Hartford 10/17/77 performances of Dinah Mo Humm and Camarillo Brillo. No set could ever be complete without these two clean, funky recordings. The next track is Get A Little II (a made-up title)which is basically tape effects from the Uncle Meat Demo. Following that is You Didn´t Try To Call Me from Rotterdam 5/24/80 (radio broadcast).Frank, Ike and Ray blend well in this super clean recording. The last piece on side one is another made-up title Laid Back, an incredibly smooth narration by FZ, while Zoot Allures plays in the background. The narrative is about people who are laid back and how to become that way.

Side two begins with two cuts from the Rotterdam broadcast mentioned above – Love Of My Life and You Are What You Is. This is followed by Catholic Girls from Munich 3/31/80. The next cut Fine Girl is the same as the cut on the Tinseltown LP. It was taken from the Crush All Boxes LP as aired on the radio and used because it sounded so good and hadn´t been done live before. The last song is the instrumental Treacherous Cretins from Copenhagen 3/5/79. The solos and sound are both excellent and are a perfect ending for over 506 minutes of listening pleasure.

20 Years Of Frank Zappa „Silver Edition“

Mud Shark is:

Formed October 1979 Closed: May 1981 Current Address

Founded by Studebacher Hoch Specialty Bootleg releases of Frank Zappa material.

Bootlegs published on the Mud Shark label:

 MZ3601 Necessity Is (Dec/79) 2500 pressed  MZ3601 Rustic Protrusion (June/80) 2000 pressed: 1500 on black vinyl; 400 on blue vinyl; 100 on red vinyl  MZ3602 Easy Meat (March/80) 2800 pressed  MZ3603 Conceptual Continuity (July/80) 3200 pressed  MZ 3604 Project/Object (July/80) 3200 pressed  MZ 3605 Could This Be ... Joe's Garage, Acts IV & V (Oct/80) 2000 pressed  MZ 3606 Fred Zappelin (Dec/80) 2000 pressed  MZ 3607 A Token Of His Extreme (Jan/81) 2500 pressed: 2000 on black vinyl; 500 on green vinyl  MZ4801-4812 20 Years Of Frank Zappa (April/81) 1000 pressed