Zappa.com

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I'm getting larger as I walk away.

There's no smiley face ... I'm trying to guess that you're joking ...

Just in case: I do not keep recalculating the number. Each rough number I came up with applies to a different category and my guiding principle is how I would introduce FZ's works to someone just beginning their interest in Zappa. I am definitely not trying to say there are really only 42 FZ albums worth having.

There are about 82 truly distinct albums that have been officially released so far, from my personal point of view, a subset of which are about 61 that FZ produced himself, released mostly before but some after he died, and the remaining releases being basically archival projects from the ZFT. There're always exceptions, for example, you could argue EIHN in one group or the other.

I am not saying that the list of 42 albums I mentioned are his only true oeuvre, but they are the ones that I originally, way back when they first came out, really had the most respect for. It's the list I would recommend working through first and not in order chronologically either.

As I grew into my interest in FZ's music I was initially very hungry for albums with all new compositions. Towards the end of his living career I was getting a bit jaded in that department, but after he died I was willing to accept and grew to enjoy all the YCDTOSAs and the compilations like BBYNHIYL & MAJNH. Those latter two particularly are very enjoyable and have some unique gems on them. My least favourite albums to date remain both his multi guitar solo extravaganzas and that's given that he still remains my favourite guitarist of all time.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

Capt. Kiirk, I loved your song. Truly intestinal. Keep up the good work.

The only special thing about the threesome is the cardboard wrapping - the CDs themselves are the ordinary 1995 Ryko editions. Which reminds me of FZ's comments about "cardboard fetishists" - and I know I'm one...

But LSO could count as at least three releases - both mixing and sequencing of the Ryko 2CD are radically different. And then there's the early single CD... This is hard!

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We make a special art in an environment hostile to dreamers. Frank Zappa, 1971

Last year I bought me both, the three individual SUNPYG LPs, and the Box set LPs. I only listened to the individual LPs before. These days I listened to he boxset only to find all three vinyls heavily bended on the edge. They still played right with great sound (all mint dustless grooves and overall state), though...

Any recipies for unbending LPs? Place under a heavy weight?

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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true Art and Science. - Albert Einstein

I'm really hoping that no-one here is thinking I might be having an implicit go at anyone who wants to collect everything down to the minutest detail of FZ's output. I'm a little bit of a collector myself and my wife and I often watch an aussie TV show about collectors as sometimes I find other people's collections interesting. My interest in FZ is mainly from the perspective of a composer, arranger and producer. I have my own hobby music studio at home. Between my main focus of studying maths and my hobby of playing guitar and composing and recording music there is very little time left over to just listen to music, let alone keep any kind of collection.

When I have time to listen it's mainly FZ and I'm mostly listening from the point of view of a student of music. I often check out the various vinyl collector threads here and I certainly wouldn't dream of scoffing at any one who takes their collection seriously. I hate the term "Die Hard", I'm bit of a fanatic myself in a variety of ways, and the only fanatic here that I despise is the fan-who's-up-his-arse that keeps telling everyone else how to think.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

This is a scan of the original ad from which I ordered my set. It was on the paper sleeves of "Tinseltown Rebellion", released in 1981. As can be seen, LPs and cassettes are both available as individual options.
I also own 2 different releases of the LP Box set (released later), which is where your cassette box would have come from.

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Stay with me flagrantly and we'll have ecstasy for all eternity.

Gail sez vinyl is a'comin of the back catalog. What's it all mean? In collaboration with Ryko, who retains the rights to the catalog, or did Gail really manage to buy it back? Time will tell.

Is this another greedy record company's last ditch attempt to make you buy these old records all over again?

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We make a special art in an environment hostile to dreamers. Frank Zappa, 1971

Since Warner Bros acquired Ryko, it looks like Ryko will no longer have anything to do with FZ product. Any future products/formats/reissues/etc will most likely come from Warner Bros (hopefully with the blessings/input/cooperation of ZFT).

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Good writing is clear writing.

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I'm getting larger as I walk away.

*shrug* I don't really pay much attention to how many there are. I just know 1. He was prolific 2. And I have all of them.

And yes, get EIHN. I had to listen to it twice, but it grew on me.

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You gotta give the people something good to read, on a Sunday

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I'm getting larger as I walk away.

Yes...both sleeves were the same.
The box was released in 1982 in the UK. (I'd be interested to know if your set says where it was made. My box set is EMI.)

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Stay with me flagrantly and we'll have ecstasy for all eternity.

Anyway, this doesn't prevent me from being at least a little curious as to how we'll end up at #100 by next Christmas. That's potentially huge.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

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I'm getting larger as I walk away.

just check my ttr sleeves, 1 box was checked


my mind drifts back to those [can't afford no 30 bucks for 3 albums in one shot] days

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ha, slime, I wish I also had a few weird pieces of vintage U.S. correspondence that I could keep, which go as far back as to the early 80s.

Great Pumpko heads!

I remember (doot-doot) the SUAPYG set well. When I ordered them, instead of cutting up my album sleeve, I sent a hand-written note (using 2 colours of ink). Canada Post was threatening to go on strike, so since Paris, Ontario is a 30 minute drive from here, I included my phone number and offered to drive down and pick them up. Canada Post did go on strike, and, surprise!, I got a phone call inviting me to pick up the albums. So...I got my copies way ahead of the rest of Ontario!

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Stay with me flagrantly and we'll have ecstasy for all eternity.

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I'm getting larger as I walk away.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

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Stay with me flagrantly and we'll have ecstasy for all eternity.

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Here's a letter that led to a major step in my music education back in 1979.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.