For nearly a decade, composer/rock guitarist/musical genius Frank Zappa and his band would descend upon New York City for their annual Halloween concert. A yearly tradition beginning in 1974, Zappa skipped the concert in 1982 even though he had recently scored his biggest commercial hit with the song "Valley Girl." Despite the decision not to tour, Zappa did not disappoint fans that looked forward to their yearly Halloween pilgrimage to New York City. Instead, he premiered a 90-minute documentary titled Frank Zappa's Dub Room Special at New York's legendary Ritz Theater.

The documentary features two concerts—Zappa's 1981 Halloween show at New York's Palladium and the other from KCET Studios in December 1974 for the TV special "A Token Of His Extreme." Paired with performances of Zappa classics such as "Stinkfoot," "Cosmik Debris," "Montana" and "Flakes" is the animation of Bruce Bickford who collaborated with Zappa on his previous documentary, "Baby Snakes."

Originally released on VHS and Beta in 1982, The Dub Room Special! has been a tough find for Zappa fans. Now it is available for the first-time ever on DVD. Featuring audio remixed in stereo, this highly sought-after collectors item was worth the wait.

Includes footage from:

KCET, LA, CA, August 27, 1974 (from A Token Of His Extreme)
Bruce Bickford's Clay Animation (c. 1974)
The Palladium, NYC, NY, October 31, 1981
Stadio Communale La Favorita, Palermo, Italy, July 14, 1982
Interview with Richard Hart, August, 1982
Compact Video, LA, CA, August, 1982
Valley Girl Documentary (only DVD)

The Music:

Dog Breath (August 27, 1974)
Uncle Meat (August 27, 1974)
Room Service (August 27, 1974)
Nig Biz (October 31, 1981; late show)
Approximate (August 27, 1974)
Cosmik Debris (August 27, 1974)
Cocaine Decisions (October 31, 1981; late show)
Montana (August 27, 1974)
Tengo Na Minchia Tanta (July 14, 1982)
Florentine Pogen (August 27, 1974)
Stevie's Spanking (October 31, 1981; late show)
Stink-Foot (August 27, 1974)
Flakes (October 31, 1981; early show)
Inca Roads (August 27, 1974)
Easy Meat (October 31, 1981; late show)

Format: DVD 9 Dual Layer - 4:3 Screen Format - NTSC - Region 1 and 4 encoded - American English - PCM Stereo
Total Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

Musicians:

1974:

FZ—guitar, percussion, vocals
Napoleon Murphy Brock—sax, vocals
George Duke—keyboards, finger cymbals, tambourine, vocals
Ruth Underwood—percussion
Tom Fowler—bass
Chester Thompson—drums

1981-82:

FZ—lead guitar, vocals
Ray White—guitar, vocals
Steve Vai—stunt guitar, vocals
Tommy Mars—keyboards, vocals
Robert Martin—keyboards, vocals
Ed Mann—percussion, vocals
Scott Thunes—bass, vocals
Chad Wackerman—drums

Cast (as themselves, more or less in order of appearance):

FZ
Craig Latta
Tim Clark
Warren Cuccurullo (from Baby Snakes on a TV screen)
Phyllis Altenhaus (from Uncle Meat on a TV screen)
Ruth Underwood
Napoleon Murphy Brock
George Duke
Tom Fowler
Chester Thompson
Bruce Bickford
Thomas Nordegg
Mort Libov
Richard Hart
Ed Mann
Ray White
Chad Wackerman
Robert Martin
Scott Thunes
Tommy Mars
Kim Thompson
Steve Vai
Massimo Bassoli
John Smothers
Charles "Smitty" Schmidt
Marty Perellis as the gorilla
Ron Menzies
Stumuk (from Uncle Meat on a TV screen)