Ragbag of the Weird

These are some very non-standard releases that don't fit anywhere else. Enjoy.

If you want really weird stuff, we have a page on Polish flexi-disc postcards for you. Maybe they're bootlegs, maybe they're not; so far, it hasn't felt safe to place them either here or in the bootleg lists.

Planet of Blood / Space Boy Acetate

alt.fan.frank-zappa poster, summer 2002:

anyone know anything about this?
have access to the single sided acetate.
presumably recorded in 1963 ... never used in the movie QUEEN OF BLOOD.

From Greg Russo's Cosmik Debris, pages 35-36:

The film QUEEN OF BLOOD required a vocal track, so writer/director Curtis Harrington tapped Frank and Del Kacher for the orchestration and additional instrumentation on the song "Space Boy". Produced by George Edwards, QUEEN OF BLOOD was about an expedition to Venus and Mars in the year 1990, and it starred Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hopper, John Saxon and Judi Meredith. "Space Boy" was written by Florence Marly (playing the title character) and utilized her vocals, and Ackerman and Cole provided its sound effects. It was not used in the film, as Leonard Moran supplied the entire soundtrack.

AFRTS Fillmore East

A real morale booster, this. Avo Raup explains:

This AFRTS release has selections from the Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention LP Fillmore East, June 1971 on one side, and tracks fromthe Jo Mama album J is for Jump on the other side. This release dates from approximately 1971, around the time the original albums were released.

AFRTS Weasels Ripped My Flesh

Unique Material: none
Matrix number: P-12132/P-12133

The AFRTS is the American Forces Radio & Television Service.

1: Oh No to Weasels
2: Prelude
3: Dwarf Nebula
4: Toads


(Thanks Larry Epke)

AFRTS Chunga's Revenge

Unique material: none
Matrix number: P-12317/P-12318

The AFRTS is the American Forces Radio & Television Service, and their RL 23-1 release has half of Chunga's Revenge on it:

1. Tell Me You Love Me (02:31)
2. Transylvania Boogie (04:57)
3. Chunga's Revenge (07:32)
4. 20 Small Cigars (02:15)

Side 2 is from Steve Davis's Music:

5. Destination Altitude (03:48)
6. Poor Child on the Street (06:50)
3. Please Come Back Home (03:17)
4. La Lune Blanche (05:18)

It is packaged in a blank brown paper sleeve. The label is white, surrounded by a stylized US flag, has an AFRTS logo (different from the one on Waka/Jawaka) and track list. "AMERICAN FORCES RADIO AND TELEVISION SERVICE"; "U.S. PROPERTY - USE OR REPRODUCTION FOR PRIVATE OR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES PROHIBITED".

(On the label, after each track title, there is listed a track time (as above) and a second timing number. These second numbers are small - :06, :07, :11 and :16 on side 1 and :05, :41, :10 and :26 on side 2, respectively. What they are is not known. They are not the gap lengths between the tracks.)

Informant: Christof Haßlinger

AFRTS Waka/Jawaka

Unique material: none
Matrix number: P-13451/P-13452

The AFRTS is the American Forces Radio & Television Service, and their RL 15-3 release has half of Waka/Jawaka on it. Side 1 is from the Kinks' Everybody's in Showbiz:

1. Look a Little on the Sunny Side (02:47)
2. Here Comes Yet Another Day (03:53)
3. Sitting in My Hotel (03:20)
4. You Don't Know My Name (02:34)
5. Banana Boat Song (01:07)
6. Top of the Pops (04:32)

Side 2 is Zappa:

1. Big Swifty (Part 2) (07:58)
2. Waka/Jawaka (11:18)

It is packaged in a blank brown paper sleeve. The label has a US flag, AFRTS logo (different from the one on Chunga's Revenge), track and personell list. "AMERICAN FORCES RADIO AND TELEVISION SERVICE"; "U.S. PROPERTY - USE OR REPRODUCTION FOR PRIVATE OR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES PROHIBITED".

(On the label, after each track title, there is listed a track time (as above) and a second timing number. These second numbers are small - :04, :05, :02, :11, :00 and :03 on side 1 and :17 and :00 on side 2, respectively. What they are is not known. They are not the gap lengths between the tracks.)

Informant: Christof Haßlinger

AFRTS Bongo Fury

Unique material: none
Matrix number: P-15643/15644

The AFRTS is the American Forces Radio & Television Service, and their RL 20-6 release has half of Bongo Fury on it. Side 1 is Zappa:

1. Sam with the Showing Scalp Flat Top (2:50) (:03)
2. Cucamonga (2:24) (:17 or :35)
3. Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead (3:04) (:00)
4. Muffin Man (5:36) (:04)
5. 200 Years Old (4:32) (:28)

Side 2 is Todd Rundgren.

Informant: Isamu Shimizu

AFRTS Zoot Allures

Unique material: none
Matrix number: P-16475/16476

The AFRTS is the American Forces Radio & Television Service, and their RL 20-6 release has half of Zoot Allures on it. Side 1 is Zappa:

1. Wind Up Workin' in a Gas Station (2:28) (:04)
2. Black Napkin Instr. (4:18) (:00)
3. Friendly Little Finger Instr. (4:19) (:00)
4. Zoot Allures Instr (4:15) (:21)

Side 2 is the Allman Brothers Band.

Informant: Isamu Shimizu

What's It All About?

Unique material: probably interview material

  • MA 1755 (program #418), 1978 or 1979: Zappa / Dolly Parton
  • MA 1157, 1978 or 1979: Zappa / Firefall
  • MA 1824, 1978 or 1979: Zappa / David Bowie #1
  • MA 2903, 1978 or 1979: Zappa / David Bowie #1

This seems to be a 7" US Radio promo, in a series of singles featuring various artists, with 5 minutes of music by and interviews of each ("anti-drug spots"). There were four different versions with Zappa on the A-side: one with Dolly Parton on the B-side, one with Firefall, and two different versions with David Bowie.

What's It All About? has also been described as "A brief interview with Zappa for public service religious broadcast", and "Produced by Presbyterian Church public service broadcasting", which may sound very odd. From JWB:

It's not odd, really. I have a copy of it (on cassette), and it's a radio commercial. It's a short interview with Zappa about "freedom". It was made by the Presbyterian Church for religious public radio.

(American public radio is different from regular American radio. They don't play commercials because it's publicly funded by citizens or by the church, but they do play public service announcements and other little things ... like these "What's It All About?" things that feature celebrities. There are 30 regular radio stations for every 1 public station.)

The Nova Convention

Unique material: Zappa reads "The Talking Asshole" from William Burroughs's book The Naked Lunch.

1. Terry Southern: Vignette of Idealistic Life in South Texas (01:25)
2. William Burroughs: Keynote Commentary & Roosevelt After Inauguration (05:52)
3. John Giorno: Eating the Sky (13:30)
4. Patti Smith: Poem for Jim Morrison & Bumblebee (11:45)
5. William S Burroughs: Benway (03:40)
6. Philip Glass: Building (excerpt from Einstein on the Beach) (03:04)
7. Brion Gysin: Kick That Habit, Junk Is No Good Baby, Somebody Special & Blue Baboon (07:06)
8. Frank Zappa: The Talking Asshole (05:25)
9. William Burroughs: from The Gay Gun - This Is Kim Carson / Just Like the Collapse of Any Currency / The Whole Tamale (13:27)
10. William Burroughs: What the Nova Convention Is About (02:35)
11. Ed Sanders: Hymn to Aphrodite from Sappho (08:50)
12. John Cage: Writing for the Second Time Through Finnegans Wake (14:15)
13. Anne Waldman: Plutonium Ode & Skin Meat Bones (06:35)
14. Laurie Anderson & Julia Heyward: Song from America on the Move (12:50)
15. Allen Ginsberg & Peter Orlovsky: Punk Rock & Old Pond (13:00)
16. Conversations: William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Timothy Leary, Les Levine & Robert Anton Wilson (07:10)

American Dentistry Association Public-Service 33-RPM 7"

From Parrothead:

An oddball item in every sense of the word! This little 45-sized record is from 1982, and it's a public service campaign put out by the American Dentistry Association! Guess who does a spot? MR FRANK ZAPPA! His spot is titled "Keep Your Teeth". Other celebs include Arte Johnson, Bonnie Franklin, Nipsey Russell, Steve Allen, Henny Youngman, Linda Lavin ... so you see how this is an unusual little item!

Additional informants: Steve Roche

Dr Demento Radio Show February 16/17 1985

From Talps:

Both LPs ... come in plain black jackets ... 

1. Frank Zappa: Don't Eat the Yellow Snow / Nanook Rubs It
2. Hank Thompson: Squaws Along the Yukon
3. Larry Verne: Mr Custer
4. Rappin' Duke: Rappin' Duke
5. Stan Freberg: The Yellow Rose of Texas
6. Story of the WC [anonymous]
7. Bobby Pickett & Peter Ferrara: Stardrek
8. Joe Liggins: The Honeydripper
9. Roy Brown: Good Rockin' Tonight
10. Roy Brown: Rockin' at Midnight 
11. Rick Dees: Get Nekked
12. Fred Schneider & the Shake Society: Monster
13. Mrs Miller: Downtown
14. George Smilovici: I'm Tuff
15. Ray Stevens: Gitarzan
16. The Dentist [from THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Original Cast Recording] 
17. Sheriff John: Don't Be Afraid of the Doctor
18. Allan Sherman: The Painless Dentist Song
19. Bill Cosby: The Dentist (original 1977 version)
20. Dinah Washington: Long John Blues
21. Frank Zappa: Baby, Take Your Teeth Out

TOP FIVE COUNTDOWN: 

22. [#5] MacLean & MacLean: Little Toot
23. [#4] Napoleon XIV: They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!
24. [#3] "Weird Al" Yankovic: Eat It [Jackson/Yankovic]
25. [#2] Julie Brown: Earth Girls Are Easy
26. [#1] Barnes & Barnes: Fish Heads

Blood on the Canvas

Unique material: see transcript

In 1986, Zappa teamed up with performer Eric Bogosian to make a tape called Blood on the Canvas, which the Museum of Modern Art in LA somehow was involved in making and/or distributing, if it was ever distributed.

From Biffy the Elephant Shrew:

It's not really a musical comedy in the usual sense, but a sort of radio play with some music. "Massaggio Galore" was, I believe, originally written for this. Zappa went sour on the project somewhere along the line and prevented it from getting much distribution.

From "The Moog":

It's a hilarious radio drama about performance art and the people who make it. A must to hear. Zappa produces and does some music (synclavier stuff).

Bill Flynn provides this interview segment - it's film director Rick Linklater interviewing Eric Bogosian:

RICK LINKLATER: In 1986, you worked with another hero of mine on a radio piece, Blood on the Canvas. How was it working with Frank Zappa?

ERIC BOGOSIAN: It was great working with him. It was strange, like I had never met my real parents or something, and then one day, I'm sitting with this person and going, "Oh, he's got eyes like me, he's got hair like me, I'm related to this guy." It was like that psychically, you know. I'd forgotten that before there was Richard Pryor, before there was Richard Foreman or Richard anybody, Frank Zappa had shaped my nascent teenage mind with a certain brand of cynicism and a certain sense of humor. Basically in the Sixties, it was MAD Magazine and Frank Zappa that told me the way I was going to think about the world.

RICK LINKLATER: There was a certain Dadaist kind of notion, just music, performance, and poking fun at everything.

ERIC BOGOSIAN: I suddenly said, "Wow, I'm at the source, you know." At the time, he was very involved with the Dead Kennedys thing because they had gotten censored. So he wanted to make a tape that basically had to be censored. In fact, no one ever played it on the radio. It was censored in every radio station except for Boston. We had a deal with the Museum of Modern Art in LA that they could only make 10,000 copies. So these 10,000 copies were made and that was it. It was very extreme. It has these little bits of music in it, and these funny characters that talk about all these innuendo sexual experiences.

Bill adds:

Okay, I am confused. I had been told years ago by the Museum of Modern Arts in LA that the tape was not available - not because it had "sold out" but because they could not release it. A brief discussion with Gerry Fialka at 818-PUMPKIN back in 1987 led me to believe that it was Bogosian holding up the release of the tape on advice of his manager who thought the tape would hurt Bogosian's career.

The Bob Stone says:

The version I heard involved a dispute over royalty participation, with Eric wanting more than Frank was willing to concede for his participation.

And Bill Lantz says:

It never aired as far as I know. Interesting that Bogosian said Boston aired it "uncensored".

"Masters of Rock Guitar"?

Unique material: none

From Patrick David Neve:

For you reissue completists: It might be old news but I haven't seen it mentioned here before. "9 Types of Industrial Pollution" is included in a Rhino-published cassette/booklet on how-to-play-rocks-greatest-solos kinda package. I forget the name of it ... "Masters of Rock Guitar"? Anyways, the whole solo is tabbed out and notated. Pretty cool looking, but $15 is a bit steep for me to shell out for one tab.

The Guitar World According to Frank Zappa

cover scan by Knut SkogstadUnique material: A guitar solo called "A Solo from Heidelberg", and longer versions of two tracks from the Guitar album: "But Who Was Fulcanelli" & "For Duane" - plus, seemingly, an excerpt from an otherwise unreleased remix of "Revised Music for Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra" with Wackerman drum overdubs! 

In 1987, Guitar World magazine issued a cassette called The Guitar World According to Frank Zappa (A Special Guitar World Audio Presentation), containing (some rare) guitar-based Zappa recordings. It was made avaialble through the magazine or from Barfko-Swill. When it was released, some of the recordings were otherwise unavailable. Some still are.

1. Sleep Dirt (03:17)
2. Friendly Little Finger (04:17)
3. Excerpt from "Revised Music for Guitar and Low-Budget Orchestra" (02:21)
4. Things That Look Like Meat (06:06)

5. Down in de Dew (02:54)
6. A Solo from Heidelberg (05:26)
7. A Solo from Cologne (05:11)
8. A Solo from Atlanta (04:05)

Track 4 is a shorter version than on Guitar, but tracks 7-8 are longer versions of "But Who Was Fulcanelli?" (02:48) & "For Duane" (03:24) on Guitar. Track 6 has never been released anywhere else. It's from the song "Yo' Mama", 24-Feb-1978, Eppelheim (a suburb of Heidelberg).

Track 3 seems to be an excerpt from an otherwise unreleased remix, with Wackerman drum overdubs! This may not have been quite confirmed yet, but all the evidence points in this direction. From Corey:

I just compared the Läther CD version of this track (presumably identical to the original Studio Tan vinyl) with the '91 Barking Pumpkin Studio Tan CD and found no discernable difference in the drum tracks (or anything else). Is it possible that this is an error on Frank's part and he was thinking of another track (that is "Regyptian Strut") or was an overdubbed version made and then rejected (as with the aborted Lumpy Gravy remix) in favor of the original version? If the latter, which appears on the excerpt on the Guitar World cassette?

From Knut Skogstad:

The drum tracks on Studio Tan (LP version) and on Läther are the same. I have never heard Studio Tan on CD. But the drum tracks on the LP and Läther versions are different from the Guitar World version.

From Michael Gula:

I feel certain that the released [Studio Tan] versions of "Low Budget" do not feature Wackerman overdubs, regardless of the number of drum overdubs there may be.

(There's a similar case with Lumpy Gravy, where a remix with drum overdubs was left unreleased. An excerpt of that came out on the Old Masters Box 1 Sampler.)

Further details: On the cassette release, Zappa stated that "Down in de Dew" and the solo from Heidelberg were going to be on the Guitar album. He lied. (And there is an edit-job segue between tracks 2 and 3 that you don't get elsewhere :) And sensationally enough, you can read the full liner notes for this release right here!

(This material has been bootlegged on the bootlegs Guitar Hernia and Solo on Guitar.)

US Radio LP: King Biscuit Flower Hour

Unique material: The concert in the Olympiahalle, Munich, 3-Jul-1980

This was pressed for use as a complete radio show, with adverts and programme introductions. It was not available to the public (but even if it were, you would wanna listen to it :). It became the source of a much copied bootleg called King Biscuit Flower Hour, which has the following track list:

1. Intro (01:05)
2. Honda Commercial (01:59)
3. "And Now ..." (00:05)
4. Chunga's Revenge (04:46)
5. Mudd Club (03:11)
6. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing (02:46)
7. Joe's Garage (02:13)
8. "We'll Be Back ..." (00:41)
9. The Legend of the Golden Arches (A Pound for a Brown on the Bus) [vinyl only?]

10. "And Now, More ..." (00:05)
11. Cosmik Debris (03:07)
12. Keep It Greasey (01:50)
13. Pick Me, I'm Clean (04:44)
14. The Illinois Enema Bandit (08:39)
15. "Frank Zappa will be back ..." (00:06)

16. "And Now We Return ..." (00:05)
17. You Didn't Try to Call Me (03:15)
18. I Ain't Got No Heart (01:56)
19. Love of My Life (01:50)
20. City of Tiny Lites (08:57)
21. [unknown jam] (02:47)
22. "We'll be back ..." (00:06)

23. Interview #1 (02:30)
24. Interview #2 (01:10)
25. Interview #3 (01:07)
26. Interview #4 (00:59)
27. Interview #5 (01:25)
28. Interview #6 (02:05)
[2x. Latex Solar Beef Solo]
29. Petroleum (02:40) [Robert Charlebois]

Tracks 3, 8, 10, 15-16 & 22 are short announcer spots cutting to and from radio commercials. The only commercial actually on the record is track 2. It is said to be funny. Track 9 may or may not be included - it may be a bonus track on some bootleg versions. Track 21 is an unknown (bootleg bonus?) track. Tracks 23-28 are mostly in promotion of the BABY SNAKES movie. Somewhere among the interview lurks a "Latex Solar Beef" solo. Track 29 may or may not have been on the original radio album - it is on the bootleg, and it's a track from the album Swing, Charlebois, Swing by Robert Charlebois (RCA KDL 6436). There are stubborn rumours that Zappa plays guitar on that track. Here's a whiff of how it goes:

I don't wanna play cowboys & Indians at the forum
Like a rock & roll bum,

But I wanna RIDE & FLY
Under a BLUE-JEAN SKY
DON'T ASK ME WHY!

JUST GIMME, GIMME SOME
PETROLEUM!
JUST GIMME, GIMME, GIMME, GIMME SOME (gimme oil, gimme oil, gimme oil) ...

In December 1991, Record Collector magazine #148 valued the original radio LP to one hundred and sixty pounds. But hold on to your hats - in issue 479 of Goldmine magazine, December 4 1998, a copy was advertised for the 995 (NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE) $US!

Informants: anonymous, Mikael Agardsson

Dr Demento Radio Tribute

Unique material: perhaps some interview material.

From "Parrothead":

Wind up your radios ... the Doctor is IN! Shortly after Zappa's untimely death, Dr. Demento spotlighted Zappa with a two-hour retrospective. It includes tons of Frank's music and interviews with Frank as well. These radio shows are hard to come by and "NOT FOR SALE FOR LICENSED BROADCAST USE ONLY" is printed on CDs. I can't recall Dr Demento EVER devoting an entire show to spotlighting an artist before this one.

It must have been a double CD, and came with a "cue sheet". Rhino Records, who put out Dr Demento's 20th Annivarsary Collection, offer this description of Dr Demento:

Barry Hansen is a regular visitor to the Rhino offices; as one of the foremost collectors of vintage vinyl, he's an invaluable resource for Rhino, helping compile many of our blues, R&B, and jazz collections. But put a top hat on his head and a bicycle horn in his hand and he morphs into alter ego Dr. Demento, beloved by millions of radio listeners as the best friend the novelty record ever had.

The good Doctor's demented history goes back to the broadcast booth of Pasadena, California's KPPC-FM in 1970. His madcap musical museum quickly grew to become the highest-rated show in its time-slot in Los Angeles. By the mid-1970s, radio syndication had spread dementia from coast to coast, and now The Dr. Demento Show can be heard on scores of stations across the country.

Happy Mother's Day [choccolate, not playable]

"Happy Mother's Day" "The Frank Zappa Catalog is available on Rykodisc" 

From time to time, there have been campaigns from collectors to get this piece of choccolate listed in the Weirdo Discography. It's weird enough all right, but it's hardly a record! But from January 1999, I'm giving up and listing it anyway. From Mikael Agardsson:

Happy Mother's Day (Rykodisc VRCD FZ 96) is an unusual promo - a choccolate CD release by Rykodisc in 1996! Very hard to find today; perhaps most copies have been eaten? :) (I'm not gonna eat mine, it's far too valuable! Besides, choccolate probably doesn't taste all that good after four years.) The choccolate is wrapped in foil and was delivered in a regular CD case.

"RYKO"

Presentati da Valentino Maggione

Unique material: none
Zappa material: "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy"

1. The Ventures: Squaw Man
2. If: Far Beyond
3. Shirley Bassey: Diamonds Are Forever
4. Reg King & BB Blunder: Little Boy
5. Frank Zappa: Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

6. Bobby Russel: Saturday Morning Confusion
7. Louis Armstrong: All Time in the World
8. Johnny Rivers: Sea Cruise
9. War: Get Down
10. Allan Taylor: Song for Cathy

Mikael Agardsson reports that he has read about this as a 7-inch single with ten songs on it. That is weird.

Additional Informants

  • Robert Cloos
  • rcz3
  • Mikael Agardsson

home - vinyl vs CDs - weirdo discography - bootlegs - misc - hot lynx - e-mail us at zappa dot patio at gmail dot com 2006-04-22 19:02

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