London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. I | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 9, 1983 | |||
Recorded | January 12–14, 1983 | |||
Studio | Twickenham Film Studios (London) | |||
Genre | 20th-century classical | |||
Length | 51:55 | |||
Label | Barking Pumpkin | |||
Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 17, 1987 | |||
Recorded | January 12–14, 1983 | |||
Studio | Twickenham Film Studios (London) | |||
Genre | 20th-century classical | |||
Length | 43:37 | |||
Label | Barking Pumpkin | |||
Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
London Symphony Orchestra is a pair of albums by Frank Zappa, featuring his original symphonic compositions conducted by Kent Nagano. They were recorded at the same sessions in January 1983, and originally released as London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. I in 1983, London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II, in 1987, and later combined and reissued on a Rykodisc CD as London Symphony Orchestra Vol. I & II in 1995.
Volume I features the London Symphony Orchestra performing four instrumental compositions — "Sad Jane", "Pedro's Dowry", "Envelopes", and "Mo 'n Herb's Vacation" — from sessions recorded in January 1983. The album was Zappa's second to employ a full-scale symphony orchestra, following 200 Motels (1971) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. However, Zappa had previously formed a number of ad hac orchestras to record his classical music (e.g. Lumpy Gravy 1967, Studio Tan 1978, Orchestral Favorites 1979) and big band music (e.g. The Grand Wazoo 1972).
The album was recorded using a digital 24-track Sony PCM-3324 tape recorder. It was one of the earliest digital multitrack recordings of an orchestra. By recording the orchestra with many microphones very close to the instruments the album sounds more detailed than possible with previous stereo recording techniques. Extensive use of editing was employed to fix musical mistakes.
The original vinyl LP recordings were tweaked in the studio to hide out-of-tune and wrong notes as well as to add in a sheen of reverb to further obscure parts. These audio "enhancements" were removed when the recordings were remixed for the compact disc re-issue in 1995. This version of the album was combined with London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II (1987), and re-released on a Rykodisc CD as London Symphony Orchestra Vol. I & II.
All tracks written, composed and arranged by Frank Zappa.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sad Jane" | 10:05 |
2. | "Pedro's Dowry" | 10:26 |
3. | "Envelopes" | 4:11 |
Total length: | 24:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
4. | "Mo 'n Herb's Vacation
| 27:11 |
Total length: | 27:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sad Jane" | 9:53 |
2. | "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation I" | 4:50 |
3. | "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation II" | 10:04 |
4. | "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation III" | 12:52 |
5. | "Bogus Pomp" | 24:32 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Bogus Pomp" | 24:32 |
Total length: | 24:32 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
2. | "Bob in Dacron" | 12:12 |
3. | "Strictly Genteel" | 6:53 |
Total length: | 19:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Bob in Dacron, First Movement" | 5:36 |
2. | "Bob in Dacron, Second Movement" | 6:34 |
3. | "Sad Jane, First Movement" | 4:46 |
4. | "Sad Jane, Second Movement" | 5:04 |
5. | "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation, First Movement" | 4:47 |
6. | "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation, Second Movement" | 10:04 |
7. | "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation, Third Movement" | 12:50 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Envelopes" | 4:06 |
2. | "Pedro's Dowry" | 10:25 |
3. | "Bogus Pomp" | 24:34 |
4. | "Strictly Genteel" | 6:56 |
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.
Joe's Garage is a three-part rock opera released by American musician Frank Zappa in September and November 1979. Originally released as two separate albums on Zappa Records, the project was later remastered and reissued as a triple album box set, Joe's Garage, Acts I, II & III, in 1987. The story is told by a character identified as the "Central Scrutinizer" narrating the story of Joe, an average adolescent male, from Canoga Park, Los Angeles, who forms a garage rock band, has unsatisfying relationships with women, gives all of his money to a government-assisted and insincere religion, explores sexual activities with appliances, and is imprisoned. After being released from prison into a dystopian society in which music itself has been criminalized, he lapses into insanity.
Uncle Meat is the sixth album by the Mothers of Invention, and seventh overall by Frank Zappa, released as a double album in 1969. Uncle Meat was originally developed as a part of No Commercial Potential, a project which spawned three other albums sharing a conceptual connection: We're Only in It for the Money, Lumpy Gravy and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets.
Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa, released in October 1969. It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original lineup of the Mothers of Invention. Five of the six songs are instrumental, while "Willie the Pimp" features vocals by Captain Beefheart. In his original sleeve notes, Zappa described the album as "a movie for your ears".
Lumpy Gravy is a 1968 solo album by Frank Zappa, written by Zappa and performed by a group of session players he dubbed the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Zappa conducted the orchestra but did not perform on the album. It is his fourth album overall: his previous releases had been under the name of his group, the Mothers of Invention.
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in May 1982 and digitally remastered in 1991. It features five tracks composed by Zappa, and one song, "Valley Girl", co-written with his then-14 year old daughter Moon Zappa, who provided the spoken monologue mocking Valley girls, including phrases like "Gag me with a spoon!".
Just Another Band from L.A. is a live album by The Mothers, released in 1972. It was recorded live on August 7, 1971, in Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles. A notable inclusion on this album is "Billy the Mountain", Frank Zappa's long, narrative parody of rock operas, which were gaining popularity at that time.
Thing-Fish is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, originally released as a triple album box set on Barking Pumpkin Records in 1984. It was billed as a cast recording for a proposed musical of the same name, which was ultimately not produced by Zappa, but later performed partially in 2003, ten years after his death.
One Size Fits All is the fourteenth album by the Mothers of Invention, and the twentieth overall album by Frank Zappa, released in June 1975. The album reached #26 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart in the United States in August 1975.
Zoot Allures is the 22nd album by the American rock musician Frank Zappa, released in October 1976 and his only release on the Warner Bros. Records label. Due to a lawsuit with his former manager Herb Cohen, Zappa's recording contract was temporarily reassigned from DiscReet Records to Warner Bros.
Läther is the sixty-fifth official album by Frank Zappa. It was released posthumously as a three-CD set on Rykodisc in 1996. The album's title is derived from bits of comic dialog that link the songs. Zappa also explained that the name is a joke, based on "common bastardized pronunciation of Germanic syllables by the Swiss."
Orchestral Favorites is an album by Frank Zappa, released in May 1979 on his own DiscReet Records label. The album is entirely instrumental and features music performed by the 37-piece Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. It reached No .168 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Hamburg State Opera.
Arthur Dyer Tripp III is an American retired musician who is best known for his work as a percussionist with the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention during the 1960s and Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band during the 1970s. Thereafter, Tripp retired from music. He attended an accredited chiropractic college in Los Angeles from 1980 through 1983, graduating with his Doctor of Chiropractic degree and later practising in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Edward L. Mann was an American musician best known for his mallet percussion performances onstage with Frank Zappa's ensemble from 1977 to 1988, and his appearances on over 30 of Zappa's albums, both studio recordings and with Zappa's band live. Mann also released a number of CDs as a bandleader and composer.
The Old Masters is a box set series by Frank Zappa, released in three volumes on Barking Pumpkin Records from April 1985 to December 1987, consisting of studio and live albums by Zappa and The Mothers of Invention originally released from 1966 to 1976 on other labels, as well as "Mystery Discs" which contained previously unreleased material. The graphics on all three sets was airbrush illustrated by Larry Grossman. 200 Motels was not included in the series, as it was the only Zappa/Mothers album for which Zappa was unable to secure the rights.
"Peaches en Regalia" is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by Frank Zappa. It was initially released on Zappa's album Hot Rats in 1969 and has been recorded many times since.
Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood was an American rock musician notable for being a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention, providing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects. He appeared on all the albums of the original Mothers line-up and the 'posthumous' releases Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh, as well as certain subsequent Zappa albums. He also appeared in the films 200 Motels, Video from Hell and Uncle Meat.
Ahead of Their Time is a live album by The Mothers of Invention. It was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall, London, England, on October 25, 1968, and released in 1993 on CD by Barking Pumpkin. It was reissued on Rykodisc in 1995.
Allan Zavod was an Australian pianist, composer, jazz musician and occasional conductor whose career was mainly in America.