As for the prices, well what can yer do? It seems one can’t order the CD of Guitar in Australia anymore for less than A$60-70; back in ‘88 I paid A$32 for a vinyl version of both it (sans the extra tracks) and YAWYI (albeit they were Barking Pumpkin pressings). Ended up getting the CD of YAWYI a few weeks ago for around A$20. Worse still, perhaps, was the original EMI vinyl pressing of Thing-Fish (not one of my favourites), which was A$56 back in 1985. Got the CD for A$26 a few weeks back. FZ has always been pricey in OZ.

As for possible releases, yes – where is The Rage and the Fury?

Also, why isn’t there a release of his November (17?) show at the NY Ritz in 1981? Surely it must be better than what we eventually got on Halloween!

Also, has anybody else heard the alternative version of Civilisation Phase III with that big Gershwinesque track and the ending when it fades out on the woman singing?

Really can’t figure out why NO FZ songs are on (to my knowledge) ANY musical based games.

Though I would stick with the ‘making of’ format which would concentrate on producing a whole new album mix with outtakes/concert fragments of that band’s line up AND/OR the complete show, if available, for example Roxy or Bongo Fury (along with various releases of other shows, if available).

But to increase production on these fuckers, I’d release one from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s per year. Along with one concert/studio album bits (Crush All Boxes) thing.

All releases would come with codes to download exclusive unreleased material, including build reels, dialogue, Menagesque concert fragments, ‘nuggets’, overdubbs and photos. Surely, at the very least, there’s plenty of that fly on the wall type talk stuff lying around to be given out.

Something like “The History and Collected Improvisitions” would be potentially chalk full of alternate mixes, edits and dialogue which would be unusable in any other context. The idea being to give away the garbage, not sell it. The fans would appreciate such gifts.

1. Dance Me This
2. Rage & Fury
3. Resolver & Brutality
4. The Valdez Score and related Synclavier pieces
5. Either a full ‘73 show with Ponty or a YCDTOSA ‘73 best-of
6. An “odds-n-sods” disc with Bognor Regis, Junior Mintz Boogie, etc.

All releases would be available as downloads and limited edition CDs. Dance Me This and Rage & Fury would be released by Rhino in retail stores with much advertising/publicity/interviews.

I would overhaul Barfko-Swill completely, starting with major discounts on old stock: $40 for a shirt made in ‘85? No way! I’d sell it for $3 with the purchase of a new release. All posthumous releases would be made available as reasonably-priced downloads.

I don’t think that I would release any more full-concerts. I would dig throught the vault for more proto-versions of songs, improvs, audience participation one-offs, etc. We don’t need another Poodle Lecture. Hell, I don’t think that we ever really needed the first one.

Was it Marc Ziegenhagen who transcribed piano reductions of some of FZ’s orchestral pieces? I would have those transcriptions performed and released. And I would try to get the Cleveland Orchestra to perform Sinister Footwear in its entirety.

I guess that I would focus more on FZ’s “serious music” in general, be it orchestral or Synclavier.

That said, for a very long time now, Gail’s and Joe Traver’s choices of releases have frankly baffled me. Why “The Rage and the Fury” and “Dance Me This” (prepared by Frank before he died) haven’t been released (where there is an actual fanbase demand for it), while a number of compilations (Joe’s Domage, Corsage, Xmasage) are released, really makes one shake one’s head.

There are ‘hundreds of releases’, according to GZ and JT. That’s a hell of a lot of gravy, Balint.

Obviously neither GZ or JT have a finger on the pulse of the fanbase – this is painfully obvious from their inconsistent choices of posthumous releases. While bits and pieces of what they release are equal to Zappa’s brilliance – just how many run of mill versions of “Stink-foot”, “Poodle Lecture” and “Honey Don’t You Want A Man Like Me?” does the fanbase really need anyway?

I’ve often wondered what series of releases would be released if a bona fide Zappa fan were to make the choices instead.

Paul, Matt, Balint, Barry?

For the most part, Paul, we are in perfect agreement, except for the number of worthwhile releasable shows in the UMRK vault. You suggest that there might be enough for the ZFT to sell outright to Warner Brothers. I’m of the view that there are not as many worthwhile shows in the vault as one might think. Just examine the posthumous releases so far.

Yes, but if Zappa Records DID go tits up, they could still sell the masters for the posthumous releases so far. I mean:

WHOOO COULD IMAGINE, there’d be Civlization aaat HMV…

WHOOO COULD IMAGINE, the Corsaga in a bargin bin?

(4 forra dollar…)

Then there’s The Rage and the Fury + Dance Me This, which were prepared by Frank before he died (the latter even has an accompanying video). And speaking of video, imagine the rerelease of 200 Motels (w/The True Story), Uncle Meat and The Amazing Mr. Bickford.

That, alongside a rerereprint of (the now out of print) catalogue with Rykolike availability, is more than enough incentive to kill this redunzelconomics situation.

So I guess there’s a wisdom in keeping a levelhead and not pining for any Roxyesque ecstasy, but we still must appreciate the smaller things. Remember that golden age in the mid-90’s when Zappa cds flooded the market at reasonable prices and you could jam out to it at the Chrome Dinnette? that’s more or less all I hope for in the demise of BARF-korporated…

Anyway: we (or our grandchildren) will see, because no others can release any stuff than the ZFT, so any speculation is just a way to spend time.