All has been quiet on the Frank Zappa front since the release last fall of the 50th anniversary super deluxe edition of his album Apostrophe ('). That lull ended today, though, with the announcement of a multi-format release filled with audio and video goodies. Cheaper Than Cheep arrives May 9 as an online exclusive release available at Zappa.com, uDiscoverMusic.com, and Sound of Vinyl, presenting audio and video from a long-lost television special that's been housed in the Zappa archives for
Strictly commercial? Not quite. Though Frank Zappa earned his first top ten record and first Gold record with apostrophe (') - the same LP that spun off his first single to make the Billboard Hot 100 - it would be difficult to argue that the singer-songwriter-bandleader had dramatically altered his art in an effort to hit the charts. Sure, the material was a bit more focused and the album rather tight at 32 minutes in length. Yeah, the cover artwork, with its instantly recognizable,
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Louis Armstrong, Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong (Verve/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This 13-song sampler draws on Satchmo's 1951-1967 recordings for the Decca, Verve, Kapp, and ABC-Paramount labels and includes many of his most beloved songs as
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
Frank Zappa didn't open his first set on the evening of July 23, 1968 at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go with a power chord or a blues beat. Instead, the band - Ray Collins (vocals, percussion), Ian Underwood (alto sax), Bunk Gardner (tenor sax, flute), Don Preston (keyboards, gong), Motorhead Sherwood (baritone sax, percussion), Roy Estrada (bass, vocals), Art Tripp (drum set, percussion), and Jimmy Carl Black (drum set, percussion) - opened with a clattering improvisation that was sure to separate
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Joni Mitchell, The Asylum Albums 1976-1980 (Rhino/Asylum) 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) arrives on 5 CDs, 6 LPs, and digital formats, completing the Asylum period of Mitchell's extraordinary career. Whereas
Fans of the early days of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention have good reason to, well, freak out! On June 21, Zappa Records and UMe are heading back to those heady days on the Sunset Strip for Whisky A Go Go, 1968, a new collection available on three CDs or five 180-gram black vinyl LPs as well as in 2LP "highlights" form. The complete release will also be available digitally in high-resolution. Even in the relatively early days of his recording career, Frank Zappa was thinking
Continuing our look through this year's Record Store Day list, here is a glance at twenty-one releases from the Universal family of labels. All descriptions are taken from the labels. If you are interested in any of these titles, they will be available at your local record store on April 20. Head over to recordstoreday.com for a list of participating retailers. U.K. readers, please visit recordstoreday.co.uk and Canadian readers, please visit recordstoredaycanada.ca. The Beatles, "I Saw
Had Frank Zappa gone commercial? Surely the artist who proudly embraced the slogan "No Commercial Potential" hadn't sold out to the masses. Yet, with 1973's Over-Nite Sensation, the composer-guitarist-bandleader found himself in a particularly purple patch that resulted in two consecutive Gold albums and four straight top 40 entries on the Billboard 200. The title of Over-Nite Sensation was, of course, sarcastic; the record was Zappa's seventeenth overall and twelfth with The Mothers of
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the many titles available today in the final "big week" of the holiday release season. We are an Amazon affiliate and earn on qualifying purchases. We're kicking things off with our two Christmas releases from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music! While Amazon's orders are unfortunately delayed, both of these titles are shipping now from Real Gone's webstore! Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops, The Ultimate Pops
The title of Frank Zappa's 1973 album Over-Nite Sensation was, expectedly, dripping with sarcasm; the album was the prolific composer-bandleader's seventeenth overall release. But the "sensation" part was spot-on. The LP became Zappa's first of two U.S. gold-certified releases and an ideal entry point into his musical world. On November 3, Zappa Records and UMe celebrate the 50th anniversary of this landmark record in a variety of formats including a 4CD/1Blu-ray super deluxe edition, 2LP and
Frank Zappa's 1969 LP Hot Rats remains among the late composer-bandleader's most accessible albums. Blending bluesy electric rock with jazz, it makes a fine introduction to his sometimes-daunting discography. But those looking for more might not have known exactly where to start. Certain elements of the Hot Rats sound would crop up in the maestro's future discography, but a proper sequel was never released. It's only been recently revealed, however, that one was recorded...more or less.
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Frank Zappa, Funky Nothingness (Zappa/UMe) 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 UMe and Zappa Records have taken another deep dive into the vaults for Funky Nothingness. Recorded in the year following the
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
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, The Songs of Bacharach and Costello (UMe) 4CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ElvisCostello.com 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP with Lithograph: ElvisCostello.com Elvis Costello is looking back at his 25 years of music with the late Burt Bacharach on this lavish new
Finally, a Zappa album that's safe for the whole family! Frank Zappa's pair of 1972 releases, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo, stand as two of the most impressive and unusual in his sprawling catalogue. Forced to abandon live performing as a result of a crazed "fan" charging the stage and heaving him into an orchestra pit, the composer-bandleader spent nearly a year recovering from injuries to his face, head, ribs, arm, and leg. A wheelchair and a leg brace couldn't stop Zappa's prodigious
Following in the footsteps of last year's Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana, Zappa Records and UMe have rescued another two concerts from the late artist's storied Vault. On March 3, the labels will release the 3-CD set Zappa '80: Mudd Club/Munich, boasting two very different shows: one from New York's tiny, 240-capacity Mudd Club, and other from Munich's 12,000-seat Olympiahalle arena. Both shows feature the short-lived lineup of Zappa, vocalist Ike Willis and Ray White, bassist Arthur Barrow,
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2022's cream of the catalogue music crop - those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. Despite the
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the week's most notable new titles! As next week will see very few releases, this will be our final Release Round-Up of 2022...regular daily coverage will continue, though! See you in the new year! Frank Zappa, Waka/Wazoo (Zappa/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com / Zappa Online Store) UMe and Zappa Records are chronicling Frank Zappa's 1972 in a new 4CD/1BD box set. The original
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. This week, it's a stuffed Halloween sack full of sweet rarities from INXS and Madonna, remixes of Frank Zappa and Bing Crosby, two completely unreleased 50-year-old albums and a brand-new spin on a Stephen Sondheim classic - and that's only half of it! INXS, Shabooh Shoobah (40th Anniversary
On the evening of December 10, 1971, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention had just encored with a performance of The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at London's Rainbow Theatre when a so-called fan jumped onto the stage and pushed the bandleader some twelve feet into the orchestra pit. With injuries to his face, head, ribs, arm, and leg, Zappa was lucky to survive. He was forced into a near-yearlong period of convalescence in a wheelchair and leg brace, but he didn't stop creating or
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! Frank Zappa, Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana (Zappa/UMe) (Zappa Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana captures The Mothers' first and only concerts in Yugoslavia. Zappa referred to the dates as "The Mothers of Invention Yugoslavian Extravaganza," and the performances lived up to that mighty moniker. The shows were staged in Zagreb and
Earlier this year, Zappa Records and UME released Zappa/Erie, a 6-CD box documenting Frank Zappa and The Mothers' shows in the Erie, Pennsylvania area circa 1974-1976. An upcoming release due October 14 is a bit slimmer - just two CDs - but no less interesting as it chronicles Zappa and the band's visit to an even more far-flung locale in the fall of 1975. Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana captures The Mothers' first and only concerts in Yugoslavia. He referred to the dates as "The Mothers of
Though Heroes and Villains is the title of Grapefruit's new 3-CD anthology chronicling The Sound of Los Angeles 1965-68, that famous Beach Boys song isn't among its 90 selections. Not that Brian Wilson and co. are absent; the compilation instead presents another SMiLE tune, "Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)" as part of its portrait of a place and time in music history when it truly seemed anything was possible. U.K.-based compiler David Wells persuasively makes the case here that L.A.
The Frank Zappa archive has opened wide in recent years; the past twelve months alone have seen such diverse releases as The Mothers 1971, the 50th anniversary edition of 200 Motels, and Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show. The latest addition to the canon (or Official Release Series No. 122, for those keeping count) has recently arrived from Zappa Records and UMe. Zappa/Erie premieres three full shows from the Erie, Pennsylvania area (including Edinboro, some eighteen miles outside of Erie) plus a
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next Page »