Freak Out! Turns Forty

Quoth the zappa.com newsletter:

In commemoration of the FOURtieth Anniversary of a World That Contains Freak Out! we are so very pleased to present the FZ Audiography and Documentary Evidence (for the first time this century) of those certain recording sessions that occurred in Los Angeles between March and April of 1966. Who Could Imagine??? Well, we all know the answer to that question. This exciting and Deluxe, Limited Edition contains FOUR historically magnificent discs for your Audio Gratification. And a Gorgeous booklet – with the original art and lots of special surprises – and your name too.

Yes you heard right: four discs.

33 thoughts on “Freak Out! Turns Forty”

  1. I’m SO delighted to have the first opportunity to comment on this latest discografical gambit of the ZFT…did someone say, “pre-order”?

    …phlush with sime cash as a result of the recent success of ZpZ, they might might actually be able to pull this one off…only thyme will tell.

  2. …three discs of “The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet” in audiophile-quality sound? Sign me up now (and charge my card as you see fit)!!!

  3. … the newsletter continued:

    ——
    Read on.

    And yes, directly from the Vault to you, this is your once in a lifetime opportunity to have your name included in the List of Lists – as a person of interest who contributed in a material way to make this music possible. With all due respect to AAAFNRAA, this is a limited offer and you must act quickly or forever hold your peace. (No, we did not say to withhold Peace!) This is Exclusive to Barfko-Swill.

    Shortly after you receive this email with all of this stunning information you will be able to go to Zappa.com and see that the Pre-Order is for real. And we also want to assure those of you who are possibly frightened of something that costs as much as Ms Pinky in these days of (speaking of) highly inflated gas prices and unseasonably rising global tensions and air temperatures that there will also be available a Very Wonderful Two Disc FZ Audio Documentary Release that might well turn up in greater convenience in your favorite record store (Is there such a Beast Anymore?). But for those of you without FEAR, who crave the Origin of the Species in all its Tactile and Audiophile MAGNIFICENCE, you know what to do. And we thank you for allowing us the pleasure of you r audience for FZ.

    We feel it is our duty . . .

    xxx,

    the Barfies
    ——

  4. Where, oh, where in the mazes and dungeons of zappa.com is located this once in a lifetime opportunity?? It’s easier to find the Minotaur before…

  5. You have to click the banner on top of the Barfko Swill store — here’s a direct link. Took me while to figure that out myself!

    Placed the order, got the confirmation email shortly thereafter:

    ——
    Dear [MyName],

    Thank you for ordering from the Official FZ AudioDocumentary Pre-Order store. Your order number is 9133xxx.

    This record will ship in the vicinity of 21 September. If you ordered Express delivery on your order, you will receive your package two days after shipping. If you ordered Standard, your package will arrive 7-10 business days after the ship date. If you specified international delivery (if available), your package will arrive 2-4 weeks from the ship date.

    The nature of pre-order sales prohibits order modifications and cancellations. All pre-order sales are final.
    ——

    “the vicinity of 21 September” – now that is priceless, you gotta admit!

  6. I freaked out.
    I freaked out.
    I knew it was comin’ but
    I freaked out.
    I freaked out.
    I freaked out.
    4ty years is a long time to be like that, but
    I freaked out.

  7. well, I bit and they hooked me.we’ll see if this is truely “special” or if I’m just another sucker…(one born evey minute.) After all, it’s only another “Mystery Charge” on my credit card…with the apparently impending Apocolypsco (disco) (courtesy of globle warming ExxonMobile, BP/Shell and George W. Bush,) I only hope it arrives before the 2nd Coming…

  8. I can’t really afford to risk 70 bucks, plus a similar amount for international shipping, when I don’t know what the product contains (beyond having my name in very small print somewhere at the end of the liner notes- big deal). I assume it’s mostly out takes and rehearsals from the Freak Out era plus the finished album itself. Do I really want three hours of out takes? After all, there’s a good reason why they were out takes in the first place! And given Travers’ and Dweezil’s track record on recent releases, I’m not confident that it will add up to very much. Is this just another cruddy marketing ploy to get us to buy the same stuff all over again?

  9. This might be great but before they get my money I’d like a few (conceptual continuity) clues. Eg 4 discs of what?

  10. Incessant naysayer again…

    read the lines and between them…they never really do say it even contains the original 4 album sides, do they? Can they release those? I thought those sides, along with all the other back catalog stuff, are owned by someone else, NOT zft. It’s all so confusing…

  11. I believe the deal struck with Ryko was that ownership of the back catalogue reverted to the ZFT after some time period – which is expired. Gail owns the back catalogue now…
    So even the ‘commercial – heavy rotation – stuff will soon be OOP, unless she finds a distributor.
    She will…
    AFA this set goes, I’ll wait and see.
    I’m with the folks who said ‘they’re outtakes for a reason’. And the ‘thrill’ of seeing my name in print on a Zappa recording wore out with OZ.
    Give us Rage & Fury!

  12. I for one am hyped, so is it going to be available in the stores or is it an e-mail exclusive. Speaking Zappa-speak may make for a great ‘authentication’ of Zappa releases/ Zappa’s intention but it is a lot like the doublespeak of an Irish conman.
    If anyone can make sense out of the blurb, is it to be in stores, would you?

  13. PAUL, yes it will be in stores but apparently as a 2 disc set rather than the exclusive pay now get it around sept 21 4 disc set. at least that’s what i got out of it.

  14. Vaultmeister Joe says the Freak Out box completely kicks ass…I’m seriously thinking of ordering on his recommendation. Also says Trance-Fusion is still scheduled for this year, but we’ve heard that before!

  15. “Vaultmeister Joe says the Freak Out box completely kicks ass…”

    …c’mon – do you realy expect him to say less? George Bush says he is winning in Iraq, for cripesakes.

    I’ll be looking forward to a review by a somewhat less connected-to-the-project type person…maybe even a hint of just what those four discs contain.

  16. So if you buy it now online, you will get the 4cds or is that if you buy it online in general, I’ve gotten no reply from ZFT and the website is far too unclear about it.

  17. The deal seems to be that the 4-disc offering will only be available through online purchase (with the added bonus of your name in the booklet, if you’re fast enough); and a trimmed down 2-disc version *might* find its way into regular meatspace outlets. It’s fun trying to read between barfie lines, eh?

  18. All I know is Joe’s never lied to me yet, and he’s the only one at the ZFT who answers my questions (although the answer is frequently “I don’t know, ask Gail.”).

  19. Joe is a straight ahead guy. You can count on him to deliver the goods, as long as Gail is on his side. Keep in mind that everything has to go through her first. Trust me, Joe is just as much of a fanatic as we are to get stuff out. It’s a matter of logistics, funding and timing. Gail has the right to present Frank’s product as she sees fit to apply to the ‘conceptual continuity’ as well as AAATFNRAA. But we all know we would snap up a “Dick’s Picks” type of package in a heartbeat. In the meantime, let’s support these kinds of projects. We’re getting closer to what we’ve wanted from ZFT with Imaginary Diseases and this box.

  20. Hey!! Thanks for all the kind words and your support!

    Did I say the new improved Freak Out box will totally kick ass? Well, yeah, I guess I did. I may have been exaggerating, though. What I really meant to say was it might kick ass. Then again, it might only partially kick ass. Actually, I think it will really suck shit.

    Send Gail your credit card info and shipping address and we just might send one to you, so you can make your own judgment. I’m telling you, though, this is going to make some previous ZFT blunders look like masterpieces. Dicks Picks, my ass…

    You want Roxy? Fuck you!!

  21. Yep, there sure are some real asshole zappa fans out there. Only a true asshole zappa fan would go up on a site like this & say that it was me. Do you guys really think I would post comments like that? Do you really think GZ would ever allow something like that from the ZFT? Yeah, I’d really have some job security saying stuff like that. You guys really continue to prove yourselves. Always remember, GZ calls the shots, not me. I help but never have the final word. If you have issues, why not impersonate her……..

  22. Some brief Comments:
    I first met Joe in his NYC debut with Z. What I’ve learned over time is not only is Joe a great Musician and Vaultmeister but that he wears the Public Personna hat for his talents with class. As Paul Schaefer would say “The Consummate Professional”. For Each and every real asshole Zappa fan out there, as you search inside your desires for what you want Frank Zappa To Mean To you or if you are not satisfied for any reason whatsover with your Zappa needs i can only hoep that you pause and realize what impact Frank Zappa has made on your life and give respect. If you really feel a need to be a certified asshole why not have the balls to put your won name on it.

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