Marking Frank Zappa’s classic 1978 album Zappa In New York, Zappa Records and UMe have announced a suite of 40th anniversary releases, including Deluxe 5 CD Box Set, Expanded 3 LP on 180-gram audiophile grade vinyl, and digital format. The re-release was oversaw by the Zappa Family Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Vaultmeister Joe Travers.
“The 5-disc collection, which is housed in a limited-edition metal tin shaped like a NYC street manhole cover and complete with a replica ticket from one of the shows, consists of the main album in its original mix, newly remastered by Bob Ludwig in 2018 and available for the first time since its debut. The four additional discs are loaded with relevant Vault nuggets and more than three hours of unreleased live performances from the NYC Palladium concerts, representing every composition played during the concerts and the best alternate performances of every tune Zappa picked for the original album, all newly mixed in 2018.”
Fans with discerning ears will be glad to know that all the tracks were mastered from the original two-inch 24-track multi-track master tapes and transferred at 96kHz 24-bit wavs. Furthermore, Frank Zappa 40th Anniversary Zappa In New York includes expanded packaging, featuring previously unseen live photos captured by Gail Zappa alongside extensive liner notes by band members Ray White and Ruth Underwood, who also did the solo piano version of The Black Page newly recorded for this special edition.
Plus there is an insightful essay by Joe Travers with Australian writer Jen Jewel Brown. The 3 LP set, on the other hand, is pressed at Pallas in Germany and boasts an all-analog mastering of the original album mix not available since the first issued. Moreover, it also features an additional LP of select bonus content from The Vault. Finally, the digital release marks the debut of the original mix.
Hmmm, why do I have a feeling that a true fan will want to have them all? Like seriously, each version has its own goodness of Frank Zappa. Personally, for nostalgic sake and era correctness, I’d go for the 3LP set. Just saying… Anyways… Frank Zappa 40th Anniversary Zappa In New York is available for pre-order starting today, with the the 3LP going for $39 and the 5CD set going for $95. Both 3LP and 5CD are also available with a T-shirt package that goes for $62 and $118, respectively.
For complete tracking listing, you can hit up the official press release HERE.
Images: Frank Zappa.
