Up there George Duke Eats that question with the ZPZ – some more Echidnas and Inca Roads are to be found. And speaking of questions…
…here are a few answers from Gail Zappa – to the 50 questions, if you remember. I’ve shortened, selected and edited them a little bit for your more full enjoyment – read the original answers only at your own risk!
Audio releases
Live Releases from 1973 and/or 1974 time period?
Help is on the way. This new year.
…would you consider to release a concert with the 1973 band featuring Jean-Luc Ponty?
yes.
Is there any chance of a future release of a concert with the Flo and Eddy band?
Yes! And most likely this coming year.
I love the ’88 band, and would be thrilled to see a complete concert from that ensemble released.
Joe says “right on”.
I would like to know when will be release The Rage and the Fury?
Sorry. I do not actually know at this time. All I can say for sure is that I do want to release it with video documentation and sometime near the end of the year – any year.
How about some high-resolution 24/96 downloads, maybe from a site like HDTracks.
You just might get your wish.
Will we ever see vinyl reissues of the mono versions of the early Mothers albums??
Cross your fingers – mine are. And watch the skies . . .
Will there be new music with synclavier and orchestral music?
We are working on the package now for a new Synclavier album that FZ made – discovered by the Vaultmeister while lurking.
How much new (i.e. not previously released) studio music by FZ is in the vaults, and can we expect further live releases in 2011?
We haven’t really gotten too much into studio recordings because we usually have to bake the tapes. Also, the things that we are most familiar with mostly relate to audio-documentarian projects. Certainly there are far more live recordings but then again, this was FZ’s favorite way to create new albums – use the live recordings as the basic tracks.
1. When are you planning to release:
a) The Rage and the Fury? – Undecided
b) Dance Me This? – 2011
2. Will there be 40th anniversary editions of
a) Uncle Meat? – more than likely we can do an audio-documentary
b) Burnt Weeny Sandwich? – there is more material for this possibility
c) Weasels Ripped My Flesh? – we definitely hope to remaster
5) Can you release a database of the contents of the vault? I can see no reason to spend the energy and other resources that and it would take to do that at this time- and it would be incomplete.
9) How about a live release from Europe 1982? That is possible and has been discussed.
10) How about a live release from Europe 1978? Done! Hammersmith Odeon. Still, potentially more.
11) Can we get more Petite and Grand Wazoo releases? Yes on Petite. 2011.
12) Can we get a complete video of the Thomas Nordegg footage from 1982? Interesting that you ask that. We have some ideas for that.
We hope to present Mothermania on 180 gram vinyl and CD in the near future.
Are there plans for multichannel-format releases like Quaudiophiliac/Halloween and is there a release date for THE ROXY Blu-Ray?
Would that we could! My favorite would be to release FZ’s Yellow Shark 6 channel Surround mix.
Video releases
Any chance of getting 200 Motels on dvd before I croak?
We do not own 200 MOTELS but then again, neither does Tony Palmer and that fact does not seem to have deterred from his self-appointed rounds. Ah well. We can only hope! We do have a deal in place that should MGM decide that they want the deluxe version with all the bells and whistles they can ask us to help them out. But again, they do not have to do that.
Roxy
Here is what we know so far: First of all there is no synch and there are 3 fairly consistent camera angles and on that is pretty random. Everything visual that we have found so far has been transferred into HD. All audio elements (stereo mixes and multi-track masters) now live in the digital world. What we need now is a director/editor (and/or both) and a budget to produce the whole of it. There is an astronomical amount of work to be done – conforming, synching, surround mix, general clean up and organizational stuff. All we have here is FZ’s stereo mix, but that’s it. Now we just need time and money. That and a few other value judgments based on what FZ actually saw are the reasons why he never made it a priority. The good news is we have a slightly different system of values and see it as a worthy artifact to keep pushing up the hill of possibility.
Interesting that you ask about Video From Hell. I will think about that.
If you so kind, I would like to know who filmed the performance with the band in Madrid ´88 that I attended; Frank himself confirmed that had a three-quarter inch tape format of the footage.
Off the top of my head it was done by the broadcaster. And it is in the Vault. And it is a subject for discussion between myself and Joe from time to time. And the rights rest with us.
I’ve heard that the video for A Zappa Affair (Berkeley ’84, symphony and puppet show) is in the possession of either the choreographer or the ‘puppet-master.’ I was lucky enough to see both of those events, you were there, too.
Any chance that video will be made available at some point. It is certainly worth hunting it down if you do not already have it in the vault.
Yes I was there. It was illegally taped. FZ was furious.No one should have this but us.At this moment I do not know what we have in the Vault. I will check with Joe. Meanwhile I welcome any investigating on our behalf. If it seems reasonable to do so it might be a nice archival release.
As for video footage: we are working on an archival project which really is FZ playing Guitar.
Other:
I wonder if Gail is planning to write her autobiography?
Yes. Working on it now.
I imagine that you have most of Frank’s guitars. Have you considered exhibiting them?
I have considered an exhibition of some sort but not specifically geared to his guitars.
Thanks for the edits. Makes for fun bathroom reading. I am pleased to hear GZ is working on an auto biography I can place in that empy spot on the shelf next to George W. Bush “Decision Points” (currently amazon.com no. 1 seller).
I think all the easy-to-release stuff will be easy released in the time she says, more skeptical about Roxy and other stuff, but 73 shows, and the new synclavier album will be good, while waiting.
new things to come cheers mrs gail zappa ………………and DZ cheers
iam looking forward to see a lot a new things and such from the ZFT.
Still looking for a limited eddition all original Knitting Diva Zappa Kit.
cheers the village idiot .
Eat that question – maybe FZ’s coolest keyboard riff, and a treat to hear again with the one and only George Duke!
I had the pleasure of attending both LA shows with Duke. His keytar was on fire! The Saturday night show had the best energy and the bigger crowd. The first night they introduced him, he said hello, and went right into “Uncle Remus”. The 2nd night he sauntered on stage, took his time, and told a story (with his own musical accompaniment!) of his first audition with Frank (same tale as he tells in the FZ documentary the name of which I forget right now) and how they wrote this song together. Then he broke into the more relaxed opening of “Uncle Remus” as appears on his “…Aura…” album. Crowed went wild and I heard all these different people say to their companions “This is my favorite song…”
RDNZL has never sounded better and Pygmy Twylyte was a monster! I must admit that after hearing the 3 songs above, and Inca Roads, and Echidna’s Arf I found songs like “Dinah-Moe…” and “Titties…” annoying where usually they amused me. The musical strength of the other pieces made the comedy pieces somehow seem even lesser. This was new for me, as for years I had been a patient listener to both “Bobby Brown” and “Eat That Question”. And of course ETQ was electrifying. Even the moments without Duke proved that the band was intensely competent. But I must admit I can’t imagine ZPZ without Scheila. Playing sax and keys at once? Starting the show with a 3 minute sax solo in “Gumbo Variations”? Singing “Pygmy…”? – just amazing. And Ben’s not only a great guy (met him on the plane from LA to London’s Roundhouse) but has a voice that lends itself to the suite from Apostrophe and so much else. OK, basta! Enough talk from me.
[quote comment=”16750″]Eat that question – maybe FZ’s coolest keyboard riff, and a treat to hear again with the one and only George Duke![/quote]
Well, I have the sense it was written on guitar and lately re-arranged on electric piano by George and FZ for the intro… if you play the riff on the guitar it’s a really easy but tasty pentatonic, à la advance romance, or willie the pimp, or muffin man, or most of the san berdino riffs, and cosmik debris, and bamboozled by love, pygmy twyilite… on guitar they look very the same 🙂
[quote comment=”16893″][quote comment=”16750″]Eat that question – maybe FZ’s coolest keyboard riff, and a treat to hear again with the one and only George Duke![/quote]
Well, I have the sense it was written on guitar and lately re-arranged on electric piano by George and FZ for the intro… if you play the riff on the guitar it’s a really easy but tasty pentatonic, à la advance romance, or willie the pimp, or muffin man, or most of the san berdino riffs, and cosmik debris, and bamboozled by love, pygmy twyilite… on guitar they look very the same :)[/quote]
Sounds very cool on keys all the same!
Biography – will there be an English translation?
Baking discs – huh? That is trotted out as if it is really difficult. It’s not. Takes about 8 hours to bake a 2″ reel @ around 50C, then leave it overnight to reach room temp., then digitize. Translate this reference as she isn’t interested in Frank’s studio tapes. I am.
Roxy – that is the most coherent and reasonable explanation of the Roxy situation I have ever heard.
“discs”?
You know I meant tapes.