In the pantheon of jazz-rock, Frank Zappa's 1969 LP Hot Rats is surely near the pinnacle.  The primarily instrumental album recorded by Zappa, multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, and the top tier of L.A.'s session musicians melded the compositional and improvisational sophistication of jazz with Zappa's gritty, searing, and blues-drenched electric rock style.  Recorded to 16 tracks at a time when the technology was still in its infancy, Hot Rats pushed the boundaries of production.  Elements of Hot Rats were touched upon by Zappa in numerous future projects, but a proper sequel was never released.  What wasn't known until recently, however, is that Zappa recorded one.  On June 30, Zappa Records and UMe will release Funky Nothingness, recorded in the year following the release of Hot Rats and building upon its sound with many of the same musicians including Underwood, violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris, and Wrecking Crew bassist Max Bennett.  The five-piece group was completed by drummer Aynsley Dunbar whom Zappa had recently met (and who would play a key role in future projects).  Funky Nothingness will arrive in multiple formats including a 3-CD deluxe edition and different color variants of a 2-LP set.

As on Hot Rats, the tracks on Funky Nothingness are mostly instrumental, bringing a jazz fusion sensibility to Zappa's love of rhythm and blues.  The bandleader selected his favorite takes from the February-March 1970 sessions at Los Angeles' Record Plant and mixed them, but left them on the shelf as he pursued other musical avenues.  By that summer, he was recording Chunga's Revenge with The Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman and embracing vocal music and comedy-rock.

"Vaultmeister" Joe Travers and Ahmet Zappa compiled the 11-track album from the finished selections that Frank had produced, mixed, and worked on over the years; the pair named it Funky Nothingness after a bluesy composition that he had recorded in 1967 at the end of an Uncle Meat session.  FZ knew it was a special cut; at one point, it was set to open an early version of Chunga's Revenge.  While "Funky Nothingness" was recorded earlier than the rest of the material, there's evidence that Zappa had considered it to join the 1970 sessions; he had placed it on a reel with the later tracks.

A couple of the session recordings crept out over the decades including the 12-minute version of "Sharleena" which closed out the posthumously-released 1996 compilation Lost Episodes.  But this release is the first time the tracks have been collected in a cohesive manner.  Joe Travers reveals in the press release, "Funky Nothingness, as an album, is special in that it features at least three written compositions, two cover versions, and multiple instrumental jam-oriented segments, all previously unreleased.  It's very rare to find that amount of music from one set of sessions that has gone unheard for such a long period of time."

The 3-CD edition has the 11-track sequence on Disc One (encompassing both original FZ mixes and new ones by Craig Parker Adams), while the second and third discs offer outtakes, alternate edits, unedited masters from the era (including the full-length "Transylvania Boogie," "The Clap" and "Chunga's Revenge"), plus numerous improvisations and more.  The 28-page booklet includes photos from the sessions by photographer John Williams as well as track-by-track notes from Travers.  The 25-song collection, mastered by John Polito, boasts 23 previously unreleased tracks.  It will also be available digitally for streaming and download, in both standard and high-resolution audio (96kHz/24-bit).  In a move that might prove controversial, the double LP will consist solely of Zappa's original mixes.  It will be available on 180-gram black vinyl at all stores and on clear violet vinyl at Zappa's webstore, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl.  Funky Nothingness has been pressed at Optimal, with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

The previously unreleased track "Work with Me Annie/Annie Had a Baby," a medley of two 1954 hits by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, is streaming now as a preview of the full album.  It features vocals by "Sugarcane" Harris who first found musical prominence as one-half of R&B duo Don and Dewey.  Zappa took full advantage of Harris' presence during the sessions and revisited the classic tunes he had long loved.   The violinist also sings the lead (and solos on his instrument) on "Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild."  FZ's extended version of Lightnin' Slim's "I'm a Rolling Stone" later provided the basis of "Stink-Foot" from 1974's Apostrophe (') when Zappa wiped everything but the drum, violin, and bass, and built a new composition around them.  Each CD has a unique take of "Chunga's Revenge," the song which titled the de facto follow-up to Hot Rats issued in October 1970.  Funky Nothingness offers the complete "The Clap," which was truncated for that LP.

The multitrack masters for these recordings were found on a variety of formats. It appears Zappa recorded on a 1" 8-track recorder, a 2" 16-track recorder, and a 2" 24-track recorder. Travers shares in the press release, "If indeed the 24-track existed in March 1970, that would place it even earlier in FZ's orbit than at first assumed. It's a head-scratcher for sure, but it does make sense as Frank was embracing audio technology as soon as it became available.  The amount of post-production and overdubs are on the minimal side, but what we do find demonstrates Zappa's ever-present ability to experiment with effects and tape manipulation, producing signature sounds akin to much of Zappa's '60s studio album output...."

Funky Nothingness, or "Hot Rats '70," arrives from Zappa Records and UMe on June 30.  You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  Amazon links are not yet active but we will update as soon as they go live.

Frank Zappa, Funky Nothingness (Zappa/UMe, 2023)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa.com / uDiscoverMusic.com
2LP Standard Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa.com / uDiscoverMusic.com
2LP Colored Vinyl with exclusive guitar pick: Zappa.com / uDiscoverMusic.com / SoundofVinyl.com

CD 1: Funky Nothingness - The Album

1. Funky Nothingness
2. Tommy/Vincent Duo I
3. Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild
4. I'm A Rollin' Stone
5. Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)
6. Basement Jam
7. Work With Me Annie / Annie Had A Baby
8. Tommy/Vincent Duo II
9. Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)
10. Khaki Sack
11. Twinkle Tits

CD 2: Zappa/Hot Rats '70 Session Masters and Bonus Nothingness

1. Chunga's Revenge (Take 5)
2. Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild (Take 4)
3. Transylvania Boogie (Unedited Master)
4. Sharleena (Unedited Master)
5. Work With Me Annie/Annie Had A Baby (Alternate Edit)
6. Twinkle Tits (Take 1, False Start)
7. Twinkle Tits (Take 2)

CD 3: Zappa/Hot Rats '70 Session Masters and Bonus Nothingness

1. The Clap (Unedited Master-Part I)
2. The Clap (Unedited Master-Part II)
3. Tommy/Vincent Duo (Unedited Master)
4. Chunga's Revenge (Take 8)
5. Halos and Arrows
6. Moldred
7. Fast Funky Nothingness

2LP Edition:

Side A

1. Funky Nothingness
2. Tommy/Vincent Duo I
3. Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild
4. I'm A Rollin' Stone

Side B

1. Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)
2. Basement Jam

Side C

1. Work With Me Annie / Annie Had A Baby
2. Tommy/Vincent Duo II
3. Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)

Side D

1. Khaki Sack
2. Twinkle Tits