Archivist Joe Travers has been combing through the tapes for material that could be released, and Dweezil is marshaling a remix program to put both previously released and new discoveries in state-of-the-art surround sound for a parallel release program.
The latter will be introduced with Quadropheliac, essentially an audio documentary being made from unreleased tapes on which the elder Zappa experimented with surround-type recording in the mid-'70s. At this point the material will be released only as hard-copy CDs, not as digital downloads—the Zappas believe the technology is too limited to do the music justice.
Quaudiophiliac
Frank Zappa
Label Digital Sound
CDU Part# 6764466
Catalog# 1125
#Media 1
Street Date Sep 14, 2004
Frank Zappa: "QuAUDIOPHILIAc"
TRACK INFORMATION:
1.ADITIONAL ALBUM INFORMATION:
Genre: Rock
Label: DTS Entertainment
5.1 Producer: Dweezil Zappa
5.1 Mixed by: Frank Zappa & Dweezil Zappa
UPC: 692860112599OVERVIEW:
Description:
Audio Options: 5.1 MLP for DVD-Audio Players; 5.1 DTS for DTS-Capable systems; 2.0 PCM for all DVD-Video players
Artist Background:
GZ: "Not a hunch, not a rumor. We have announced a DVD-Audio release. It is scheduled for a street date of 14 September on DTS label. It is surround sound and is made up of tracks originally mixed/recorded by FZ during the 70's. It is essentially an audio documentary of ideas by FZ about quad and 4 channel mixes and multichannel recordings. Dweezil tweezed these items into a full on program now entitled QuAUDIOPHILIAc. Obviously, it will not translate on ordinary radio."
Title: Frank Zappa : QuAUDIOPHILIAc—DVD-Audio
Artist: Frank Zappa
Region: N/A
Sound: 24 Bit 96 khz
Screen Format:Tracklisting :
Naval Aviation in Art?
Lumpy Gravy
RoIlo
Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay
Wild Love
Ship Ahoy
Chunga Basement
Venusion Time Bandits
Waka/Jawaka
Basement Music #2Frank Zappa famously remixed much of his early 1970's material Quadrophonically, with the usual breathtaking sonic quality that he became world-famous for. QuAUDIOPHILIAc is the Holy Grail from these sessions for Zappa fans and completists around the world, presenting previously unreleased tracks alongside re-mixed and re-edited material from the huge FZ back-catalogue, from Lumpy Gravy and Chunga's Revenge to Sheik Yerbouti, Joe's Garage and Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar—all in spectacular Quadrophonic Surround!
QuAUDIOPHILIAc
Dweezil (5 September birthday) Zappa along with FZ, produced this Fabulous Surround Sound release scheduled for 14 September street date on DTS label.DVD-AUDIO
QuAUDIOPHILIAc
Frank ZappaLabel: DTS Entertainment
Genre: Rock
Product No.: CDTS 1125
Availability: Back Ordered
Format: DVD Audio" . . . Some people are wise and some people are otherwise. My father, Frank Zappa, was certainly both. He was a composer who arranged tones textures and rhythms in a way that was certainly unique as we all know, but he was also uniquely inspired by sound itself. This audio protein wafer that you are now clutching contains scientific proof that nuggets do exist . . . To make a long story short, this disc is an audio documentary of Frank Zappa's multichannel recordings and mixes from 1970 to 1978. I did not sequence it chronologically. Instead, I chose to create an interludicrous journey that we could all experience together. There are a few modern elements that I have added to make tidy segues like the one where I superimposed an old quote of Frank discussing the record business over a never heard until now alternate arrangement of 'Easter Hay.' But otherwise, what you hear is what Frank was thinking about more than 30 years ago. It's clear he was way ahead of the curve."—Dweezil, from the album's liner notes
Track Listings
1. Naval Aviation in Art?
2. Lumpy Gravy
3. Rollo
4. Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay
5. Wild Love
6. Ship Ahoy
7. Chunga Basement
8. Venusian Time Bandits
9. Waka/Jawaka
10. Basement Music #2
DTS Entertainment Releases Frank Zappa's "QuAUDIOPHILIAc," Featuring Zappa's Multi-Channel Surround Mixes Circa 1970-1978
After 30 Years, Technology Catches Up With Multi-Channel Pioneer
DTS (Digital Theater Systems, Inc.) (Nasdaq: DTSI) entertainment label, DTS Entertainment (DTSE,) announces the release of QuAUDIOPHILIAc by Frank Zappa. The DVD-Audio disc is an audiophile documentary featuring various multi-channel recordings and mixes produced by the Composer throughout the 1970s.
These vintage mixes were culled from the Vault by Zappa Family Vaultmeister Joe Travers. At UMRK, Dweezil Zappa then constructed the sequence and produced the program now known as QuAUDIOPHILIAc for release. QuAUDIOPHILIAc debuts previously unreleased performances, both live and from the studio, of compositions such as "Rollo" and "Venusian Time Bandits," and features experimental multi-channel recordings from Zappa's basement, as early as 1970. The DVD-A includes tracks from Sheik Yerbouti, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar and Orchestral Favorites superbly mixed in surround. QuAUDIOPHILIAc is licensed in cooperation with the Zappa Family Trust and FZ's Barking Pumpkin label (www.zappa.com). DTS Entertainment previously released the first Zappa DVD-Audio release, Halloween, in 2003.
"From his quadrophonic releases in the early '70s, through the multi-channel theatrical mix of his 1979 film Baby Snakes, Frank Zappa was a passionate advocate for surround sound," said Jeff Skillen, Vice President of DTS Entertainment. "We are proud and excited to continue our relationship with the Zappa family, and to bring these incredible, ground-breaking recordings to the world. We hope that the release of QuAUDIOPHILIAc will help raise awareness of the greatness, staying power and relevance of Frank Zappa's music, as well as give the public a thrilling new surround music experience."
The QuAUDIOPHILIAc surround sound DVD-Audio disc includes:
- 10 recordings exclusively mixed and issued in surround, including:
- Selections from 1975 UCLA Royce Hall Concerts
- Mesmerizing live/studio hybrid musical inventions by Zappa
- High resolution DTS 96/24 surround and stereo mixes for all DVD-Video players
- Special "Surround Pioneer" presentation from the 2003 SurroundPro Awards ceremony, including video of Frank Zappa discussing advanced surround playback
- On-screen notes by Dweezil Zappa
- Complete visual discography and special photo gallery
- And a special bonus: Frank Zappa's visionary 1983 Music Industry Proposal for downloadable music (pre-dating the online phenomenon by 20-plus years)
"Frank surrounded himself in music whenever and wherever possible. He was always pushing the envelope of what was possible given his available tools and inventive concepts gleaned from years of experimenting with all manner of the recording experience—from the type of microphone and its placement to the waveform of the mix itself. For him, anything was possible subject only to the budget and this idea extended well beyond the studio. The only place where this restriction could not deter him was in his imagination," said Gail Zappa. "Having said that, Dweezil is no slouch in the studio either."
"I am continuously intrigued by Frank's music and the way he composed and recorded it. Having the opportunity to hear some of my favorite songs that were formerly in stereo but now in surround is really exciting," said Dweezil Zappa. As he explains in the liner notes, QuAUDIOPHILIAc is "an interludicrous journey that we could all experience together."
Official FZ Biography: Frank Zappa, American Composer, fl. 1940-1993
Frank Zappa was a Composer, Musician, Guitarist, Record Producer, Filmmaker, Author, Bandleader, Philosopher, Social Commentator and Observer, Patriot, Humorist, Satirist, Dadaist, Absurdist. He did not write the Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin.
- Naval Aviation In Art? 1:34 (*1979)
- Lumpy Gravy 1:05
- Rollo 6:00
- Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay 2:15
- Wild Love 4:07 (*1979)
- Ship Ahoy 5:47 (*1981)
- Chunga Basement 11:48
- Venusian Time Bandits 1:54
- Waka/Jawaka 13:23 (*1972 & 2004)
- Basement Music #2 2:43
TOTAL TIME: 50:37
Produced by Frank Zappa & Dweezil Zappa
Frank Zappa—Multi-Channel Project
Frank ZappaAvailability: Usually ships in 1 day
I have it in my hands now, but won't get to listen to it until tomorrow night. The liner notes say it was recorded between 1970 and 1978. The first three tracks are from the Orchestral Favorites shows at UCLA in 1975. One of the tracks (Ship Ahoy) was recorded at the Osaka show in 1976. Only one song (Wild Love) has vocals. The earliest track from 1970 is the first attempt at Chunga's Revenge (then titled "Dweezil" according to the liner notes.
I've been working with quad since '68 but there hasn't been a way to get it on a disc. All the stuff that's made it possible for you to get quad on a disc is quite recent. I mean I've had quad recordings . . . the Albert Hall concert that we did. I recorded that in quad which will eventually come out.
[18/19 September 1975, Royce Hall, UCLA
4 Channel mix by FZ 23 May 1978
with Joe Chicarelli at The Village Recorder.]
The next thing we're gonna do is an excerpt from an old album, a defunct album. This record isn't even available any more, poor thing. This is a part of Lumpy Gravy. But it's one of the parts of Lumpy Gravy that nobody likes. The original title of this thing was "Sink Trap", which is that thing that goes in the sink to keep the hair out . . . The concert-master on that date was a gentleman named Sid Sharp. And he played the violin solo that was on this piece . . . so we changed the name of the piece to "The Sid Sharp Special" henceforth. But tonight it's going to be "The John Wittenberg Special", and he's gonna honk out the violin part of it.
| Orchestral Favorites 40th Anniversary (2019) | Previously Released Parts | Approximate correspondence with the original Lumpy Gravy version |
|---|---|---|
| 3.3. Lumpy Gravy (Exract)/Improvisations | ||
| 0:00-0:54 | Lumpy Gravy (Quaudiophiliac) 0:01-0:54 | Lumpy Gravy Part 2 (Envelops The Bath Tub) 12:06-12:41 |
| 0:54-2:04 | ||
| 2:04-2:16 | Easy Meat (Tinsel Town Rebellion) 2:58-3:10 | |
| 2:16-7:01 | ||
| 3.4. Evening At The Hermitage | ||
| 0:00-2:05 | Hermitage (One Shot Deal) 0:00-2:00 | |
| 2:05-3:01 |
[18/19 September 1975, Royce Hall, UCLA
4 Channel mix by FZ] 24 May 1978
[with Joe Chicarelli at The Village Recorder.]
4 Channel mix by FZ 10 May 1978 with Joe Chicarelli at The Village Recorder
Musicians: FZ, Tommy Mars (Keyboards), Ed Mann (Percussion)
4 Channel mix by FZ 10 May 1978 with Joe Chicarelli at The Village Recorder.
Live 4 tk recording 3 February 1976, Osaka, Japan.
(2 stereo mics were used, one in the audience & one over the drumkit.) 4 Channel mix by FZ 15 May 1978 with Joe Chicarelli at The Village Recorder.
Recording by FZ 1 March 1970 with Dick Kunc, the basement, UMRK.
Live to 4 tracks, miked in Quad.
Musicians: FZ (Guitar), Ian Underwood (Keyboards), Max Bennett (Bass), Aynsley Dunbar (Drums)
We found a lot of things that were quite interesting—there's a box that has a drawing on the back of it, and it's from 1970. There's a drawing of the room, and where the instruments are placed, and it's written on the box that it's a surround sound recording. So in 1970 Frank was thinking about surround sound, and he drew the picture so he could recreate the imaging later on.
unreleased live recording, 1974.
4 Channel mix by FZ 30 April 1978 with Joe Chicarelli at The Village Recorder
Musicians: FZ (Guitar), George Duke (Keyboards), Tom Fowler (Bass), Chester Thompson (Drums)
4 Channel Quad mix by FZ 1972 with Kerry McNabb
My history of working with guitar synthesizers goes back to a guitar-following device called the EWE, which stands for Electro Wagnerian Emancipator. There's only one of them; it was designed for me by Bob Easton at 360 Systems. If you played a single note, all 12 notes of the chromatic scale would be ringing, and you could make a decision as to which of those 12 to leave on and which to leave off—and thereby select a chord that would follow parallel to whatever you played on the guitar. It worked; the only problem was the timbre of the synthesizer sound that came out was, I would say, fairly unattractive—a real square wave sound. That is now gathering dust in the warehouse. I tried to use it on "Big Swifty" from Waka/Jawaka—Hot Rats, but it didn't end up on the final track.
I think he got mixed up and was thinking of "Waka/Jawaka" (the early mix heard on Quadiophiliac), not "Big Swifty," and that he used the same device on ["Pumped & Waxed"] .
4 Channel mix by FZ (from basement recording) 30 April 1978 with Joe Chicarelli at Village Recorder
Musicians: FZ
Research, compilation and maintenance by Román García Albertos