Hot on the heels of the recent box set celebrating Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's 1968 concert at the Whisky a Go Go, Zappa Records and UMe are turning the clocks forward to revisit the composer-guitarist-bandleader's most commercially successful LP.  On September 13, the labels will mark the 50th anniversary of Apostrophe ('), originally released in March 1974, with a 5CD/1Blu-ray Super Deluxe Edition as well as vinyl and digital editions.

1973's Over-Nite Sensation gave Zappa his highest chart placement on the Billboard 200 chart since 1968, poising him for the commercial breakthrough that was Apostrophe (').  His first record to be certified Gold in the U.S., it reached No. 10 on the chart, bolstered, in part, by the single "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" (which itself cracked the Hot 100).  For the album, Zappa sharpened his satire on such track as "Uncle Remus" and "Cosmik Debris" (a favorite on the Dr. Demento radio show) while keeping the music mostly compact and accessible. He had assembled the tracks from years of "modular" recording, with the finished album showcasing the contributions of such players as George Duke, John Guerin, Jean-Luc Ponty, Jim Gordon, Ian Underwood, Ruth Underwood, Aynsley Dunbar, Don "Sugarcane" Harris, and others, including (possibly) Jack Bruce.  The Ikettes contributed vocals.

The 50th anniversary Super Deluxe Edition boasts 75 tracks in total. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and "Vaultmeister" Joe Travers, this new, expanded collection opens with Bernie Grundman's new 2024 remaster of the original album and continues with session outtakes and alternates, some of which have been newly mixed and restored by Craig Parker Adams and mastered by John Polito, as well as odds and ends such as the "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" single edit and a TV commercial for the album.

Live recordings from 1974 round out the set: one set recorded at an unidentified venue in Colorado Springs, Colo. (likely the Civic Auditorium on March 21), and the other from Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, on November 20, 1974. Seven of these tracks were first released on The Crux of the Biscuit in 2016 while others are previously unreleased.  Though sound quality of the live performances is variable, these shows offer variations of songs that remain unique in Zappa's live discography.

The Blu-ray contains the original album as newly remixed in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound by Karma Auger and Erich Gobel at Studio1LA, the same team responsible for the Dolby Atmos and surround mixes of 2022's Waka/Wazoo and 2023's Over-Nite Sensation releases, respectively.  The Blu-ray also includes Zappa's original, long out-of-print four-channel Quadraphonic mix (available for the first time since 1974) as well as the hi-res stereo 2024 remaster at both 24-bit/192kHz and 24-bit/96kHz. The Super Deluxe Edition box comes with a 52-page booklet and unseen photos from the archives of Sam Emerson, the photographer who shot the original cover, in addition to liner notes and new essays by British journalist Simon Prentis and, as always, Joe Travers.

The previously unissued, newly-mixed "Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)" is streaming now, featuring George Duke's isolated piano tracks and Zappa and The Ikettes' vocals.   Two vinyl releases will accompany the Super Deluxe set: a 2LP + 7-inch single edition with both 180-gram LPs pressed on white vinyl with yellow-snow splatter, as cut from the original analog tape by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in 2024. The 7-inch of "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" replicates the original 1974 single b/w "Cosmik Debris," but it's pressed on cosmic glow in the dark with yellow-snow splatter vinyl. The 1LP edition features the original album's nine tracks on 180-gram audiophile Gold Nugget vinyl. The 2LP + 7-inch edition is available exclusively at Zappa.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl.  Finally, the Super Deluxe Edition will be released to digital services in both hi-res 24-bit/96kHz and standard-res 16-bit/44.1kHz options. A standalone Dolby Atmos mix of the 1974 album's nine tracks will also be available on all Atmos-supporting hi-res streaming services.

Before Apostrophe ('), however, fans might want to check out one more Zappa release. On July 19, Frank Zappa For President, a compilation originally released in 2016 showcasing the artist's political side - he actually explored running for the nation's highest office in 1991 - will receive its first wide vinyl release as pressed on (what else?) red, white, and blue splatter vinyl.  The compilation brought together various compositions played by Zappa on the Synclavier plus other politically-themed Vault tracks.  The 2-LP set has three sides of music and one side silkscreened with an image of Zappa.  It will also be released exclusively in a Mystery Vinyl Edition via Zappa.com, uDiscover Music and Sound of Vinyl. Limited to 3,000 units worldwide, fans will randomly receive the double platter on red vinyl, white vinyl, or blue vinyl, each capped at 1,000 units.

Apostrophe (') returns on September 13.  You'll find the pre-order links and track listings below!  We'll update with Amazon links as soon as they go live.

Frank Zappa, Apostrophe ('): 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (Zappa/UMe, 2024)

5CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa.com
2LP + 7-inch (Expanded Album + Single): Zappa.com
1LP (Metallic Gold Original Album): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa.com

CD 1

The Original Album (Discreet LP DS 2175, 1974)

1. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
2. Nanook Rubs It
3. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast
4. Father O'Blivion
5. Cosmik Debris
6. Excentrifugal Forz
7. Apostrophe'
8. Uncle Remus
9. Stink-Foot

Album Session Bonus Tracks

10. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow (Basic Tracks / Alternate Take)
11. Nanook Rubs It (Basic Tracks / Outtake)
12. Nanook Rubs It (Session Outtake)
13. Cosmik Debris (Basic Tracks - Take 3)
14. Excentrifugal Forz (Mix Outtake)
15. Apostrophe (Mix Outtake)
16. Uncle Remus (Mix Outtake)
17. Apostrophe' (Unedited Master / 2024 Mix)
18. Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)

CD 2

Bonus Concert 1 - Colorado Springs, CO 1974

1. Show Start / Band Intros
2. Village Of The Sun
3. Echidna's Arf (Of You)
4. Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?
5. Babbette
6. Approximate
7. Cosmik Debris
8. Pygmy Twylyte
9. The Idiot Bastard Son
10. Cheepnis
11. Montana
12. Dupree's Paradise Intro

CD 3

Bonus Concert 1 - Colorado Springs, CO 1974 (continued)

1. Dupree's Paradise
2. Is There Anything Good Inside You?
3. Florentine Pogen
4. Kung Fu
5. Penguin In Bondage
6. T'Mershi Duween
7. The Dog Breath Variations
8. Uncle Meat
9. RDNZL
10. Medley: King Kong / Chunga's Revenge / Son Of Mr. Green Genes

CD 4

Early 1974 Bonus Live Track

1. Inca Roads - Salt Lake City, Utah - 3-18-74 - Terrace Ballroom

Bonus Concert 2 - Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974

2. Tush Tush Tush (A Token Of My Extreme)
3. Stink-Foot
4. RDNZL
5. Village Of The Sun
6. Echidna's Arf (Of You)
7. Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?
8. Penguin In Bondage
9. T'Mershi Duween
10. The Dog Breath Variations
11. Uncle Meat
12. Building A Girl

CD 5

Bonus Concert 2 - Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974 (continued)

1. Dinah-Moe Humm
2. Camarillo Brillo
3. Pygmy Twylyte
4. Room Service
5. Tush Tush Tush (End Vamp)
6. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
7. Nanook Rubs It
8. Alfonso's Pancake Breakfast
9. Father O'Blivion

Bonus Tracks

10. Apostrophe TV Ad
11. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow - Single Edit (Discreet single DSS 1312, 1974)
12. Goteborg GTR
13. Approximate

Blu-ray Audio Disc

Apostrophe (') - The Album

Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / Dolby TrueHD 1974 Quadraphonic / 24-bit/192kHz Stereo / 24-bit/96kHz Stereo

1. Don't Eat The Yellow Snow
2. Nanook Rubs It
3. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast
4. Father O'Blivion
5. Cosmik Debris
6. Excentrifugal Forz
7. Apostrophe'
8. Uncle Remus
9. Stink-Foot

Frank Zappa, Frank Zappa for President (Zappa/UMe ZR 20021 2016 - reissued 2024)

LP1

Side 1

1. Overture To "Uncle Sam"

Side 2

1. Brown Shoes Don't Make It (Remix)
2. Amnerika (Vocal Version)
3. "If I Was President"

LP2

Side 3

1. When The Lie's So Big
2. Medieval Ensemble
3. America The Beautiful

Side 4

• No Music - Silk Screen Image of FZ & American Flag