It wouldn't be Halloween without a little Frank Zappa...and this year, Zappa Records and UMe are delivering once again with a frightfully entertaining new box set.  October 2 will see the release of Halloween 81, following up the previous releases of Halloween 73 and 77.  The 6-CD box set boasts 78 previously unreleased live tracks from three concerts for more than seven hours of listening.

The bandleader's New York Halloween shows were among his most anticipated as he blended his signature musical virtuosity with a heavily tongue-in-cheek dose of seasonal revelry.  The 1981 stand at the late, lamented Palladium - a once-luxurious 1927 movie palace sadly demolished in 1998 to make room for new dormitories at New York University - was particularly special to Zappa's fans as he had curtailed the 1980 shows earlier than expected as a result of illness.  (Not to mention that there was no fall tour, and no Halloween show, in 1979.)

Halloween '81 would be even more special, however.  Zappa had arranged for the midnight concert in front of the 3,000-capacity crowd to be recorded for both radio and television (the latter on a new channel called MTV) - reportedly the first live simulcast in cable television history.  The early show at 8 pm was filmed, too, and multimedia auteur Zappa would put that footage to good use, too, on his home video releases of The Torture Never Stops (1982) and The Dub Room Special (1983) and on the audio releases of The Dub Room Special, One Shot Deal, and the You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore series.  This new box set, however, marks the first time audio from the concerts has been released in its entirety.

For the shows, Zappa was joined by his new band consisting of three new players - Scott Thunes on bass, Chad Wackerman, on drums and Robert Martin on keyboards - plus veterans Ray White on guitar, Ed Mann on percussion and Tommy Mars on keys.  Steve Vai, affectionally referred to by Zappa as the "Little Italian Virtuoso," appeared on his second tour as a band member.  This unit had only been on the road for a month but played with the tightness of a seasoned troupe as they ran through Zappa's intricate melodies both new and old.  The tour supported the September 1981 release of You Are What You Is, and a number of that double album's songs were featured including its title track, "Teen-Age Wind," "Doreen," "I'm A Beautiful Guy," "Mudd Club," "Dumb All Over," "Suicide Chump," and the Halloween-apropos, double entendre-laden "Goblin Girl."

The 6-CD collection is housed in a costume box with a Count Frankula mask as well as a red and black cape, natch.  The set has been produced by Ahmet Zappa and Vaultmeister Joe Travers, while the concerts have been newly remixed from the original 2-inch, 24-track analog masters by Craig Parker Adams.  A 40-page booklet documents the event via liner notes by touring band member Robert Martin, Joe Travers, and super-fan Gary Titone, plus rare photos taken by John Livzey.

A 1-CD "highlights" disc titled Halloween 81: Highlights From The Palladium, New York City will also be released.  It offers performances from all three concerts plus an exclusive performance of "Strictly Genteel" from November 1 which is not included on the box set.  It's not yet clear whether the track was excised from the box for timing or other reasons.  The standard jewel-case release has new liner notes by Joe Travers.

These ended up as the final shows Zappa ever played at the Palladium and as his penultimate Halloween concerts.  He would revive the tradition just once more at Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum in 1984.  Halloween 81 captures Zappa and his musical cohorts in peak form.  Both the 6-CD and 1-CD iterations arrive from Zappa Records/UMe on October 2 and can be pre-ordered at the links below.

Frank Zappa, Halloween 81 (Zappa Records/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: 10/31/81 - 8pm Show 1

1. Chunga's Revenge
2. "The Finest Night Of The Year"
3. You Are What You Is - Take 1
4. You Are What You Is - Take 2
5. Mudd Club
6. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
7. Dumb All Over
8. Heavenly Bank Account
9. Suicide Chump
10. Jumbo Go Away
11. Envelopes
12. Drowning Witch
13. What's New In Baltimore?
14. Moggio
15. We're Turning Again
16. Alien Orifice

CD 2: 10/31/81 - 8pm Show 1 (continued)

1. Teen-age Prostitute
2. Flakes
3. Broken Hearts Are For Assholes
4. The Blue Light
5. Tinsel Town Rebellion
6. Yo Mama
7. Bobby Brown Goes Down
8. City Of Tiny Lites
9. "We're Not Gonna Stand For It!"
10. Strictly Genteel
11. Dancin' Fool
12. Whipping Post

CD 3: 10/31/81 - 12am Show 2

1. Black Napkins
2. "A Historical Event"
3. Montana
4. Easy Meat
5. Society Pages
6. I'm A Beautiful Guy
7. Beauty Knows No Pain
8. Charlie's Enormous Mouth
9. Fine Girl
10. Teen-age Wind
11. Harder Than Your Husband
12. Bamboozled By Love
13. Sinister Footwear II
14. Stevie's Spanking
15. Commercial Break

CD 4: 10/31/81 - 12am Show 2 (continued)

1. Cocaine Decisions
2. Nig Biz
3. Doreen
4. Goblin Girl
5. The Black Page #2
6. Tryin' To Grow A Chin
7. Strictly Genteel
8. The Torture Never Stops
9. "The Real Show Keeps Going"
10. Joe's Garage
11. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
12. The Illinois Enema Bandit
13. "The Halloween Tradition"
14. King Kong
15. Auld Lang Syne

CD 5: 11/01/81

1. Zoot Allures
2. "The Last Of Our Halloween Shows"
3. I'm The Slime
4. Pound For A Brown
5. Dave & Al
6. Cosmik Debris
7. Montana
8. Easy Meat
9. Dumb All Over
10. Heavenly Bank Account
11. Suicide Chump
12. Jumbo Go Away
13. Envelopes
14. Drowning Witch

CD 6: 11/01/81 (continued)

1. What's New In Baltimore?
2. Moggio
3. We're Turning Again
4. Alien Orifice
5. Teen-age Prostitute
6. Sinister Footwear II
7. Stevie's Spanking
8. Cocaine Decisions
9. Nig Biz
10. Goblin Girl
11. The Black Page #2
12. Whipping Post
13. Broken Hearts Are For Assholes
14. The Torture Never Stops

Frank Zappa, Halloween 81: Highlights From The Palladium, New York City (Zappa Records/UMe, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Chunga's Revenge (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 1)
2. "The Finest Night Of The Year" (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 1)
3. I'm The Slime (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81)
4. Montana (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 2)
5. Easy Meat (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81)
6. Joe's Garage (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 2)
7. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 2)
8. Sinister Footwear II (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 2)
9. Stevie's Spanking (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81)
10. Goblin Girl (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81)
11. The Black Page #2 (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81)
12. Strictly Genteel (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81) (Exclusive Bonus Track)
13. Whipping Post (Live at the Palladium - 11/1/81)
14. The Torture Never Stops (Live at the Palladium - 10/31/81 - Show 2)​