The Old Masters | ||||
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Box set seriesby | ||||
Released | Box One - April 1985 Box Two - November 1986 Box Three - December 1987 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Label | Barking Pumpkin | |||
Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
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The Old Masters Box II | ||||
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The Old Masters Box III | ||||
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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 (not including the photo inserts) 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. [1]
The box sets contained new masters mixed and edited by Zappa in his Utility Muffin Research Kitchen home studio,prepared for the compact disc format. The albums were remixed and reedited,and are substantially different from their original releases.
The series was well received by critics,although some criticism was aimed at Zappa's alterations,most notably the decision to rerecord the rhythm sections of the albums We're Only in It for the Money and Cruising with Ruben &the Jets ,which provoked a lawsuit over unpaid royalties.
In the 1980s,Frank Zappa had regained the rights to the albums he had released on other labels. He decided to reissue them as part of a series of three box sets for collectors. Zappa found the quality of the original masters to be unsatisfactory for release,and decided to prepare new masters,remixing and reediting the original tapes. [2] In the case of the albums We're Only in It for the Money and Cruising with Ruben &the Jets ,Zappa decided to rerecord the rhythm tracks,overdubbing newly recorded performances by bassist Arthur Barrow and drummer Chad Wackerman. [2] [3] Barrow stated of the remixing,"I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand,as a musician,I'm always happy to be employed and doing sessions is always fun. But on the other hand,I did try to talk Frank out of it the best I could." [2] Zappa told Barrow that he did not like the original performances,by bassist Roy Estrada and drummer Jimmy Carl Black. [2]
During this period,Zappa also prepared a remix of the second version of his 1967 album Lumpy Gravy ,featuring similar overdubs by Barrow and Wackerman. [4] An excerpt from the remix was included in an Old Masters promotional sampler intended for radio station managers,but the remix was not released at the time;it appeared on Lumpy Money in 2008. [5]
Zappa stated in regards to the remixing of the albums,"The master tapes for Ruben and the Jets were in better shape,but since I liked the results on We're Only in it For the Money,I decided to do it on Ruben too. But those are the only two albums on which the original performances were replaced. I thought the important thing was the material itself." [3] After the remixing was announced,a $13 million lawsuit was filed against Zappa by Jimmy Carl Black,Bunk Gardner and Don Preston,who were later joined by Ray Collins,Art Tripp and Motorhead Sherwood,increasing the claim to $16.4 million,stating that they had received no royalties from Zappa since 1969. [3]
Zappa told interviewers that the oxide was falling off the tapes,and that he had to replace the drum and bass performances. Barrow disputed this,stating "how could the oxide be falling off the tape on one track and not on other tracks? But it's Frank's album. It's his music. He can certainly do what he likes with it. But I think it would be nice for those of us that like the original version to put that out also [...] As for Ruben &The Jets,I kinda think that's bad too. Because one of the coolest things about that album originally was the tape loops for the drums. It sounded like a machine,it was a great sound." [2]
In addition to the new masters,Zappa prepared a "Mystery Disc" for two of the box sets, [6] but not for the third Old Masters box. Additionally,the third box did not include the albums Zappa in New York , Sleep Dirt , Studio Tan ,and Orchestral Favorites , [7] which Zappa had prepared after Warner Bros. Records had rejected his intended release, Läther . Zappa in New York,Sleep Dirt,Studio Tan and Orchestral Favorites were subsequently released on compact disc by Barking Pumpkin, [7] and Läther was released by Rykodisc in 1996.
All of the albums included in this set were subsequently issued on compact disc,in editions that used the masters which appeared on these boxes; [7] [8] [9] the "Mystery Discs" were subsequently combined into a single release, Mystery Disc ,released by Rykodisc in 1998. On this release,the tracks "Big Leg Emma" and "Why Don't You Do Me Right?" were excluded,as they had previously appeared on the compact disc edition of Absolutely Free .
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic Box I | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Allmusic Box II | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Allmusic Box III | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The individual box sets were well received. Allmusic reviewer William Ruhlmann gave each box 4.5 out of 5 stars. [7] [8] [9] However,the remixing of the albums received some criticism from fans. [3]
We're Only in It for the Money is the third album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention,released on March 4,1968,by Verve Records. As with the band's first two efforts,it is a concept album,and satirizes left- and right-wing politics,particularly the hippie subculture,as well as the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was conceived as part of a project called No Commercial Potential,which produced three other albums:Lumpy Gravy,Cruising with Ruben &the Jets,and Uncle Meat.
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.
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.
Cruising with Ruben &the Jets is the fourth album by the Mothers of Invention,and fifth overall by Frank Zappa,released under the alias Ruben and the Jets. Released on December 2,1968 on Bizarre and Verve Records with distribution by MGM Records,it is a concept album,influenced by 1950s doo-wop and rock and roll. The album's concept deals with a fictitious Chicano doo-wop band called Ruben &the Jets,represented by the cover illustration by Cal Schenkel,which depicts the Mothers of Invention as anthropomorphic dogs. It was conceived as part of a project called No Commercial Potential,which produced three other albums:Lumpy Gravy,We're Only in It for the Money and Uncle Meat.
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!".
Mothermania (1969),subtitled The Best of the Mothers,is a compilation album by the Mothers of Invention. While the songs were previously released on Freak Out!,Absolutely Free and We're Only in It for the Money,it contains unique mixes or edits made specifically for this compilation.
Sleep Dirt is an album by Frank Zappa,released in January 1979 on his own DiscReet Records label,distributed by Warner Bros. Records. It reached No. 175 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore,Vol. 3 is a double disc live album by Frank Zappa,spanning from December 10,1971,to December 23,1984. It was released in 1989.
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore,Vol. 5 is a double compact disc collection of live recordings by Frank Zappa. Disc one comprises performances by the original Mothers of Invention,spanning the period from 1965 to 1969. "My Guitar" had been previously released as a single in 1969. Disc two comprises performances from the summer 1982 tour of Europe. It was released in 1992 under the label Rykodisc. The last track on this collection ends with Zappa's anger at some audience members tossing cigarettes on stage;after a warning to stop was not obeyed,the disc ends with Zappa stating,"Houselights! The concert's over!"
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."
Xenochrony is a studio-based musical technique developed at an unknown date,but possibly as early as the early 1960s,by Frank Zappa,who used it on several albums. Xenochrony is executed by extracting a guitar solo or other musical part from its original context and placing it into a completely different song,to create an unexpected but pleasing effect. He said that this was the only way to achieve some rhythms.
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.
Studio Tan is an album by American musician Frank Zappa,released in September 1978 on his own DiscReet Records label,distribued by Warner Bros Records. It reached No. 147 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.
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.
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.
The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his career,and as early as 1958,into the mid-1970s. Zappa had been working on these tracks in the years before his death in 1993.
Tinsel Town Rebellion is a double live album released by Frank Zappa in May 1981. The album was conceived by Zappa after he scrapped the planned albums Warts and All and Crush All Boxes,and contains tracks that were intended for those albums.
The Lumpy Money Project/Object is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. Released posthumously on January 23,2009 as Official Release #85,it compiles the releases Lumpy Gravy and We're Only in It for the Money with previously unreleased material,with the overall package serving as an audio documentary of the production of the two albums,which share conceptual continuity themes. It is project/object #2 in a series of 40th Anniversary FZ Audio Documentaries,following MOFO (2006).
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.
Bunk Gardner is an American musician who most notably played for the original version of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention until the group disbanded in 1969. He plays woodwinds and tenor sax.