Zappa in New York is a double live album by Frank Zappa released on his own DiscReet Records label, distributed by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in December 1976 at a series of concerts at the Palladium in New York City.
Quick Facts Zappa in New York, Live album by Frank Zappa ...
Zappa in New York |
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Released | March 3, 1978 |
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Recorded | December 26–29, 1976 |
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Venue | Palladium, NYC |
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Genre | |
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Length | 70:04 (1977 unedited version) 59:47 (1978 edited version) 101:53 (1991 CD / digital version) 99:42 (2019 40th Anniversary 3LP) 301:33 (2019 40th Anniversary 5CD) |
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Label | DiscReet |
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Producer | Frank Zappa |
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![40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b2/Zappa_In_New_York_40.jpeg/220px-Zappa_In_New_York_40.jpeg) 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition |
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The album was scheduled for release in mid-1977, but it was not generally available until March 1978. The album reached #57 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.
Though it was on his own label, Zappa did not authorize the 1977 or 1978 releases of this album[2] and Warner did no promotion. At the same time Zappa gave interviews which described his legal problems with Warner and former manager Herb Cohen. The 1991 CD re-release was the first time the album was issued with Zappa's authorization.[3]
The album features a variety of rock and jazz-rock tracks. "Sofa" had appeared in a different arrangement on a previous Zappa record and "Big Leg Emma" was a non-album B-side from 1967, while the other songs were entirely new. Backing musicians include a full horn section, containing members of the Saturday Night Live band, including Lou Marini and Tom Malone, as well as the Brecker Brothers. In addition, Don Pardo was invited by Zappa to the Palladium concerts, and he provides introductory narrations to "Punky's Whips" and "The Illinois Enema Bandit." After the December 1976 live performances Zappa spent time in the studio in early 1977 adding a significant number of overdubs, including additional percussion parts from Ruth Underwood, John Bergamo, and Ed Mann.
Zappa's DiscReet Records label was distributed by Warner Bros. Records. Zappa delivered four new individual albums to Warner for release on DiscReet in March 1977 to complete his contract.[4] According to the contract Warner was required to pay Zappa $60,000 per album ($240,000 total) and release the recordings in the United States within six weeks. However, Warner failed to follow through on these terms.[5]
The four individual albums delivered in March 1977 were Zappa In New York, Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt and Orchestral Favorites. Since Zappa In New York was configured as two LP set, the complete four album collection actually contains a total of five full length LPs.
Warner later scheduled the release of Zappa in New York on DiscReet in mid-1977. A "Dateline Burbank" ad in the June 30, 1977 issue of Rolling Stone magazine described the release of the album as "imminent".[6] A few uncensored and full length copies appeared by late 1977 but the album was quickly pulled from stores. Warner was forced to withdraw it by November due to legal action. Zappa objected to the release at this time. He also claimed that Warner first began to manufacture the album only when they heard he had negotiated to release the recordings with a competing company.[7][8] The full eleven song uncensored 1977 version of the album has never been officially re-issued.
Much of the material from these four individual albums was also edited by Zappa into a four-LP box set called Läther. Zappa announced this album in a mid September 1977 interview where he described it as his "current album".[9] Zappa negotiated a distribution deal with Phonogram Inc. to release Läther as the first release on the Zappa Records label. The album was scheduled for a Halloween October 31, 1977 release date. But Warner claimed ownership of the material and threatened legal action, preventing the release of Läther and forcing Zappa to shelve the project.
Before re-issuing Zappa in New York in March 1978, Warner Bros. Records removed one of the longest songs, "Punky's Whips". The remaining songs were re-sequenced by moving "Big Leg Emma" from side two to side one. "Titties & Beer" was also edited to remove references to Punky Meadows, a member of the American glam rock band Angel. This cut more than 11 minutes from the album and reduced the playing time of side one to a mere ten minutes. The censorship and editing were done by Warner in violation of Zappa's contract.
Several of the songs on this album were also included on the shelved album Läther, which finally released officially in 1996. These songs are "The Illinois Enema Bandit", "The Black Page #1", "Big Leg Emma", "Titties and Beer”, “Punky's Whips", "The Purple Lagoon" and "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" (under the title "Läther".)
Zappa re-issued Zappa in New York as a double CD album in 1991 with the addition of four bonus tracks ("Cruisin' for Burgers", "Punky's Whips", "I'm the Slime", "The Torture Never Stops"). The CD reissue was remixed to feature guitar overdubs that were recorded in 1976 but not included in previous releases. The CD reissue contained an alternate recording of "Punky's Whips" and the full-length recording of "Titties & Beer". On this version, Pardo also delivers a verse of "I'm the Slime" (he did the same for Zappa's 1976 Saturday Night Live appearance).
For the 40th anniversary in 2019 there were two re-issues - a three-LP set and a five-CD deluxe box. The three-LP set combines the 1978 two-LP release with a bonus LP of vault material. The five-CD set was packaged in an embossed tin box shaped to look like a NYC street manhole cover. The five-CD box claims to contain the original uncensored 1977 vinyl version with eleven songs, however it only does so if one counts the bonus material, as "Chrissy Puked Twice" contains the entirety of what became "Titties & Beer,"[10] and what is labeled the "Unused Version" of "Punky's Whips" on disc 5 is the version that was supposed to be released in 1977.[11] This material forms part of more than three hours of bonus live performances from the four nights at the Palladium; also included is a replica of a Palladium show ticket.[12]
Original 1977 LP version
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Side 1Title |
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1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:22 |
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2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:50 |
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3. | "Punky's Whips" | 10:51 |
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Total length: | 20:03 |
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Side 3Title |
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1. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:15 |
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2. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:31 |
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Total length: | 16:46 |
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Side 4Title |
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1. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 16:57 |
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Total length: | 16:57 |
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Edited 1978 LP version
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Side 1Title |
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1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:01 |
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2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:50 |
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3. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
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Total length: | 11:08 |
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Side 2Title |
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1. | "Sofa" | 3:15 |
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2. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:40 |
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3. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
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4. | "Black Page #2" | 5:25 |
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Total length: | 14:26 |
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Side 3Title |
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1. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:15 |
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2. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:31 |
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Total length: | 16:46 |
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Side 4Title |
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1. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 16:57 |
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Total length: | 16:57 |
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1991 2CD version
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Disc 1Title |
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1. | "Titties & Beer" | 7:36 |
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2. | "Cruisin' for Burgers" | 9:12 |
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3. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:32 |
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4. | "Punky's Whips" | 10:51 |
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5. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:12 |
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6. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:41 |
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Total length: | 48:04 |
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Disc 2Title |
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1. | "I'm the Slime" | 4:24 |
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2. | "Pound for a Brown" | 3:41 |
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3. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:51 |
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4. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 3:50 |
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5. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
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6. | "Sofa" | 2:56 |
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7. | "Black Page #2" | 5:36 |
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8. | "The Torture Never Stops" | 12:35 |
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9. | "The Purple Lagoon/Approximate" | 16:40 |
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Total length: | 53:50 |
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2019 40th Anniversary vinyl pressing
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Side 1Title |
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1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:01 |
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2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:31 |
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3. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
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Total length: | 10:49 |
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Side 2Title |
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1. | "Sofa" | 3:16 |
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2. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:34 |
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3. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
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4. | "Black Page #2" | 5:42 |
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Total length: | 14:38 |
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Side 3Title |
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1. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:16 |
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2. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:41 |
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Total length: | 16:57 |
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Side 4Title |
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1. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 16:57 |
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Total length: | 16:57 |
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Side 5Title |
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1. | "Black Napkins" | 10:56 |
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2. | "Cruisin’ For Burgers (1977 Mix)" | 9:08 |
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Total length: | 20:04 |
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Side 6Title |
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1. | "The Black Page #2 (Piano Version)" | 3:14 |
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2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth (Alternate Version)" | 3:55 |
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3. | "Punky's Whips (Unused Version)" (same version from original 1977 vinyl) | 10:55 |
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4. | "The Black Page #1 (Piano Version)" | 2:13 |
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Total length: | 20:17 |
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2019 40th Anniversary 5CD box set
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Disc 1 - (claims to be the 1977 version, but actually an edited 10 song version)Title |
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1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:01 |
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2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:31 |
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3. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
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4. | "Sofa" | 3:16 |
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5. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:34 |
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6. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
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7. | "Black Page #2" | 5:32 |
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8. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:16 |
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9. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:41 |
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10. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 17:12 |
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Total length: | 59:26 |
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Disc 2 - Bonus Concert PerformancesTitle |
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1. | ""The Most Important Musical Event of 1976"" | 3:23 |
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2. | "Peaches en Regalia" | 3:04 |
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3. | "The Torture Never Stops" | 11:27 |
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4. | "The Black Page #2" | 5:15 |
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5. | "Punky’s Whips Intro" | 1:25 |
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6. | "Punky’s Whips" | 11:35 |
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7. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 4:03 |
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8. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:12 |
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9. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 15:41 |
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10. | ""Two for the Price of One"" | 1:51 |
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11. | "Penis Dimension" | 3:08 |
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12. | "Montana" | 8:04 |
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Total length: | 73:08 |
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Disc 3 - Bonus Concert PerformancesTitle |
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1. | "America Drinks" | 4:52 |
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2. | ""Irate Phone Calls"" | 1:37 |
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3. | "Sofa #2" | 3:04 |
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4. | ""The Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For"" | 0:58 |
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5. | "I'm the Slime" | 5:38 |
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6. | "Pound for a Brown" | 4:50 |
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7. | "Terry's Solo" | 2:47 |
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8. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 3:53 |
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9. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:19 |
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10. | ""Jazz Buffs and Buff-etts"" | 1:51 |
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11. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 17:00 |
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12. | "Find Her Finer" | 5:22 |
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13. | "The Origin of Manx" | 1:48 |
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14. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:37 |
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15. | "Chrissy Puked Twice" | 6:40 |
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16. | "Cruisin’ For Burgers" | 9:56 |
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Total length: | 74:12 |
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Disc 4 - Bonus Concert PerformancesTitle |
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1. | "The Purple Lagoon/Any Kind of Pain" | 4:25 |
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2. | ""The Greatest New Undiscovered Group in America"" | 2:18 |
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3. | "Black Napkins" | 28:33 |
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4. | "Dinah-Moe Humm" | 6:18 |
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5. | "Finale" | 4:40 |
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Total length: | 46:14 |
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Disc 5 - Bonus Vault ContentTitle |
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1. | "The Black Page #2 (Piano Version)" | 3:16 |
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2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth (Alternate Version)" | 3:55 |
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3. | "Chrissy Puked Twice" | 8:16 |
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4. | "Cruisin’ for Burgers (1977 Mix)" | 9:02 |
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5. | "Black Napkins" | 10:53 |
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6. | "Punky’s Whips (Unused Version)" | 10:58 |
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7. | "The Black Page #1 (Piano Version)" | 2:13 |
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Total length: | 48:33 |
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Musicians
- Frank Zappa – conductor, lead guitar, vocals, producer; guitar overdubs
- Ray White – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Eddie Jobson – keyboards, violin, vocals
- Patrick O'Hearn – bass guitar, vocals
- Terry Bozzio – drums, vocals
- Ruth Underwood – percussion, synthesizer, and various humanly impossible overdubs
- Lou Marini – alto sax, flute
- Mike Brecker – tenor sax, flute
- Ronnie Cuber – baritone sax, clarinet
- Randy Brecker – trumpet
- Tom Malone – trombone, trumpet, piccolo
- Don Pardo – sophisticated narration
- David Samuels – timpani, vibes
- John Bergamo – percussion overdubs
- Ed Mann – percussion overdubs
- Lou Anne Neill – osmotic harp overdub
Production staff
- Frank Zappa – production
- Bob Liftin – NYC live remote engineer
- Davey Moire – NYC live concert mix, studio engineer (overdubs)
- Rick Smith – studio engineer (overdubs)
- John Williams – package design
- Dweezil Zappa – cover photo
- Gail Zappa – other photos
More information Chart (1978), Peak position ...
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Sippel, John. "Zappa Zaps WB". Billboard, 5 November 1977. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
John D'Agostino, "Zäppa (pronounced Zappa)", San Diego Reader, 15 September 1977, p26