Tracks
- No Not Now
- Valley Girl
- I Come From Nowhere
- Drowning Witch
- Envelopes
- Teen-age Prostitute
Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
May 3rd 1982
Official Release #35
Originally Released: May 3, 1982
Label: Zappa Records
Catalog Number: ZR 3865
Produced by: FZ
Music Performed by:
Frank Zappa / Lead Guitar, Vocals
Steve Vai / Impossible Guitar Parts
Ray White / Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Tommy Mars / Keyboards
Bobby Martin / Keyboards, Sax & Vocals
Ed Mann / Percussion
Scott Thunes / Bass*
Arthur Barrow / Bass*
Patrick O’Hearn / Bass*
Chad Wackerman / Drums
Roy Estrada / Vocals
Ike Willis / Vocals
Bob Harris / Vocals
Lisa Popeil / Vocal on “Teen-age Prostitute”
Moon Zappa / Vocal on “Valley Girl”*
Scott Thunes plays on “Drowning Witch”/“Envelopes”/“Teen-age Prostitute” and “Valley Girl.”
Arthur Barrow plays on “No Not Now”and the first part of “I Come From Nowhere.”
Patrick O’Hearn plays on the guitar solo in “I Come From Nowhere.”
Frank Zappa / Producer
UMRK Mobile & UMRK / Recording
Bob Stone / Digital Remastering 1991
Bob Stone & Stephen Marcussen / Digital EQ at Precision Mastering
John Vince / Graphics
Roger Price / Cover Illustration
From DROODLES Published by Price/Stern/Sloan Publishers Inc., Los Angeles, CA ©1953, renewed 1981 by Roger Price
John Livzey / Original Photo 1982
Mollye Moore / 1991 Photos
Gail Zappa / Art Direction 1991
“The present-day composer refuses to die.” -Edgard Varèse
All Selections Composed, Arranged & Produced by Frank Zappa
All compositions controlled worldwide by the Zappa Family Trust.dba Munchkin Music (except for the monologue in “Valley Girl” which was improvised by MOON)
This Buyways Wrap Up Copy Was Personally Written By FRANK ZAPPA Whose Unique Humor We Hope You Enjoy:
MARKETING OVERVIEW
Dateline Los Angeles California, 1982 . . . Zappa delivers yet another album for Barking Pumpkin, creating no excitement whatsoever in a Reaganomically, reactionary seven-ninety-eight sort of freeze-dried aesthetic decision made by accountants from New Jersey kind of industry. Zappa opened no appearance at the Abrams Convention nor did 3,000 screaming teenagers give him a standing ovation. In the tradition of Aerosmith and Van Halen, which this album is not, excitement does not exist, nor will it mysteriously appear, since who cares if there's another Zappa album anyway.
Advertising
Because of the incredible lack of interest in this sort of thing, there will maybe be some time-buys or maybe there won’t be some time-buys . . . who knows . . . nobody wants to spend any money on that kind of crap anyway.
TRADE
2-3 weeks after release, the absence of any full-page advertising in Billboard will highlight the futility of making any advertising claims whatsoever about any album that is not in the current tradition of Formula—poot—kiss—the—hiney—hole—of—some—guy—who—gets—your—record—on—the—radio—if-it—sounds—like—Styx—to—a—half—deaf—donkey.
R&R
A teaser campaign will not be run nor will it be walked for any tune in this album since who can afford it anymore?
MUSIC
There's only 6 songs on the album, and you probably won’t enjoy any of them, so if anybody says listen to: No Not Now, Valley Girl, I Come From Nowhere, Drowning Witch, Envelopes and Teenage Prostitute, just tell them that you're not into that sort of thing and make them go away.
DEMOGRAPHICS
In line with Van Halen, Aerosmith and Loverboy, you can look for tonnage among the 14-21-year-old audience, with a slight lean toward the males. Since this album is not in line with any of the above- mentioned artists, there seems to be no reason to release it in todays America, but maybe somebody made a mistake.
SINGLE RELEASE
Because of getting any of Zappa's stuff on the radio in America, now that programmers have chosen to go with concepts prevalent in the industry 20 years ago, the release of a single would seem to be a waste of money . . . and that's all we really care about (it's the thing that sort of sets us apart from the Communists).
Selling Points
• Zappa has some kind of following somewhere and maybe they will buy it . . . who knows.
• Because they do not follow the same demographics as Loverboy and Van Halen, expect no support on the West Coast.
• The band is going on the road in Europe May thru August . . . this won't help much in the States.
• A pre-release mailing didn't work the last time, so there probably won't be one this time.
© 1982, 1995 The Zappa Family Trust
Zappa delivers yet another album for Barking Pumpkin, creating no excitement whatsoever in a Reaganomically, reactionary seven-ninety-eight sort of freeze-dried aesthetic decision made by accountants from New Jersey kind of industry. Zappa opened no appearance at the Abrams Convention nor did 3,000 screaming teenagers give him a standing ovation. In the tradition of Aerosmith and Van Halen, which this album is not, excitement does not exist, nor will it mysteriously appear, since who cares if there's another Zappa album anyway.