Funky Nothingness

Funky Nothingness is an album by Frank Zappa, released on June 30, 2023. It is a 3CD set that primarily contains unreleased songs written and recorded in 1970, shortly after sessions concluded for the album Hot Rats.^[1][2]

Funky Nothingness
Compilation album by Frank Zappa
Released	June 30, 2023
Recorded	February–March 1970
Studio	Record Plant, Los Angeles, California, Frank Zappa's basement, Los Angeles, California
Length	210:54 (3CD) 74:58 (2LP)
Label	Zappa Records
Producer	Ahmet Zappa Joe Travers
Frank Zappa chronology
Zappa '80 Mudd Club/Munich (2023) Funky Nothingness (2023) Whisky a Go Go 1968 (2024)

Background

After the first incarnation of the Mothers of Invention disbanded, Frank Zappa embarked on a solo career and created the predominantly instrumental and jazz oriented Hot Rats, which would become one of his most acclaimed works. The album, rather than having a core group of musicians, utilized various session players from track to track. From these sessions, Zappa assembled a core group to record new material in February and March of 1970. The group consisted of Ian Underwood, Max Bennett and Don "Sugarcane" Harris, as well as newcomer Aynsley Dunbar, who had recently relocated to Los Angeles and moved in with Zappa.^[1]

Much of the tracks on Funky Nothingness were recorded by the five-piece group at the newly opened Record Plant studio, some of which appearing in edited forms on other Zappa albums produced around the same time. A longer version of "Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)" was released on the DVD-Audio album Quaudiophiliac (2004), under the title "Chunga's Basement". Much shorter edits of "Transylvania Boogie" and "The Clap" appeared as the first and eighth tracks on Chunga's Revenge (1970). "Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)" appeared on the posthumous compilation The Lost Episodes (1996). The title track originates from 1967, at the end of a recording session for Uncle Meat. It features the original Mothers' bassist, and James "Motorhead" Sherwood on rhythm guitar.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Frank Zappa except where noted.

CD1: Funky Nothingness – The Album

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Funky Nothingness"		1:49
2.	"Tommy/Vincent Duo I"		0:45
3.	"Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild"		2:46
4.	"I'm a Rollin' Stone"	Jerry West, Otis Hicks	12:20
5.	"Chunga's Revenge" (Basement Version)		9:22
6.	"Basement Jam"		6:27
7.	"Work with Me Annie / Annie Had a Baby"	Henry Ballard, Jerry West / Henry Glover, Sydney Nathan	2:48
8.	"Tommy/Vincent Duo II"		6:42
9.	"Sharleena" (1970 Record Plant Mix)		12:15
10.	"Khaki Sack"		8:09
11.	"Twinkle Tits"		11:35
Total length:			74:58

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Chunga's Revenge" (Take 5)		16:16
2.	"Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild" (Take 4)		3:16
3.	"Transylvania Boogie" (Unedited Master)		18:13
4.	"Sharleena" (Unedited Master)		14:56
5.	"Work with Me Annie/Annie Had a Baby" (alternate edit)	Henry Ballard, Jerry West / Henry Glover, Sydney Nathan	4:29
6.	"Twinkle Tits" (Take 1, False Start)		0:48
7.	"Twinkle Tits" (Take 2)		13:00
Total length:			70:58

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

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Clap" (Unedited Master – Part I)	11:28
2.	"The Clap" (Unedited Master – Part II)	4:38
3.	"Tommy/Vincent Duo" (Unedited Master)	21:53
4.	"Chunga's Revenge" (Take 8)	19:48
5.	"Halos and Arrows"	3:03
6.	"Moldred"	3:22
7.	"Fast Funky Nothingness"	0:46
Total length:		64:58

2LP vinyl

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Funky Nothingness"		1:49
2.	"Tommy/Vincent Duo I"		0:45
3.	"Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild"		2:46
4.	"I'm a Rollin' Stone"	Jerry West, Otis Hicks	12:20
Total length:			17:40

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Chunga's Revenge" (Basement Version)	9:22
2.	"Basement Jam"	6:27
Total length:		15:49

Side C

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Work with Me Annie / Annie Had a Baby"	Henry Ballard, Jerry West / Henry Glover, Sydney Nathan	2:48
2.	"Tommy/Vincent Duo II"		6:42
3.	"Sharleena" (1970 Record Plant Mix)		12:15
Total length:			21:45

Side D

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Khaki Sack"	8:09
2.	"Twinkle Tits"	11:35
Total length:		19:44

Personnel

• Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals, percussion
• Aynley Dunbar – drums (1–2 to 2–7, 3–3, 3–4)
• Max Bennett – electric bass, acoustic bass (1–3 to 1–7, 1–9 to 2–7, 3–4)
• Ian Underwood – keyboards, saxophone, rhythm guitar (1–3 to 1–7, 1–9 to 2–7, 3–4)
• Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violin, organ, vocals (1–3 to 1–7, 1–9 to 2–7, 3–4)
• James "Motorhead" Sherwood – rhythm guitar (1–1)
• Roy Estrada – bass (1–1)

Charts

Chart performance for Funky Nothingness

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[4]	36
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[5]	174
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6]	35
French Albums (SNEP)[7]	171
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8]	15
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[9]	21
Scottish Albums (OCC)[10]	29
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[11]	4

References

1. "Frank Zappa's Incredibly Rare Recordings, Believed to Have Been Planned for a Potential Sequel to His Iconic Hot Rats Album, Have Been Unearthed from the Vault and Compiled as New Collection, Funky Nothingness". June 30, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
2. "Frank Zappa : Funky Nothingness". Aquarium Drunkard. July 17, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
3. Reed, Ryan (June 30, 2023). "Frank Zappa's Funky Nothingness Is Full of Meandering, Revelatory Jams". Spin.
4. "Ultratop.be – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
5. "Ultratop.be – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
6. "Dutchcharts.nl – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
7. "Lescharts.com – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
8. "Offiziellecharts.de – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
9. "Swisscharts.com – Frank Zappa – Funky Nothingness". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
10. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
11. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2023.