The Zappa Family Trust will kick off a comprehensive campaign to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the late Frank Zappa’s albums next month. “Lumpy Money,” a three-CD “audio documentary” due out Nov. 25, is the first offering in the series — and, according to Zappa’s widow Gail, the most unique.
“These two records happen to be Frank’s masterworks,” Zappa tells Billboard.com, “so this is the most ambitious of all the (40th anniversary) projects. The challenge is how to educate the audience to understand what ‘Lumpy Gravy’ and ‘We’re Only in It for the Money’ are, and what they’re part of.
Um… okay…
Read all about Lumpy Money here.
Update: related Vanity Fair interview with GZ
Nice. I’m all for this.
At last a good quality version of the instrumental Lumpy Gravy! Regardless of the quality of the bonus material if the original albums sound as good as Freak Out! was on mofo project/object, I can’t wait. Also really glad, they are releasing them under the real names unlike Mofo. (Hopefully they’ll revisit Absolutely Free sometime too).
Can’t wait to see where this goes.
Scratch that about being under the proper names. :/
From the Billboard text:
“The “Lumpy Money” package will feature two separate mixes of each album, done by Frank himself. It will include feature the first official release of the instrumental, Igor Stravinsky-influenced orchestral “ballet” version of “Lumpy Gravy” that Zappa recorded in 1967 for Capitol Records but decided to revamp, adding rock musicians and eventually releasing it on MGM/Verve four months after “We’re Only in it For the Money” in 1968.”
I presume we will get basically the Lumpy Gravy as we all know it + the instrumental version, and WOIFTM the original version + the 80s overdubbed version 🙁
Yes, but will we get a beer to go with it?
damn. missed it.
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Vanity Fair Interview with Gail about Lumpy Money:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2008/10/21/gail-zappa-on-franks-new-reissue-lumpy-money.html
Maybe I’m being overly antagonistic, but did anyone else find Gail’s last line about Zappa’s music a little funny in the wake of all the lawsuits and copyright issues? It seems she meant to say “people of your generation (who I employ),” which changes the overall impact of the statement.
That said, much thanks to the ZFT for the new release. Can’t wait to send them more money.
This sounds great – a release date and track-listing are all I need at this point.
Are you going to celebrate the fact Gail hired a PR Agency to communicate or are you going to continue to whine?
whine??? me want beer!
Wow, I really have to stop reading anything that GZ writes or says. She is such a pompous windbag. It was “heartbreaking” to have to use FZ’s sidemen in ZPZ? I wonder how Bozzio and Vai would respond to that sentiment.
Could she have been anymore condescending to the reporter? You sound like you’re 12? 12 is close to 33? What a snob, especially when spewing her self-important drivel about how victimized and special her generation/demographic was. Spare me, please.
I will buy Lumpy Money, as it sounds like a fantastic project. I’ll just have to remind myself not to read the GZ liner notes.
As long as Lumpy Gravy includes both the Capitol and the Verve versions, I am all for this release, Barry. The Capitol version has always been my favorite of the two. As for We’re Only In It For The Money, I hope they don’t go too overboard with background music, and overdubbed tracks as they did with MOFO (very distracting and barely audible at times, in my opinion). Interviews regarding FZ’s musical process in the creation of these early works would most definitely be a plus.
“The challenge is how to educate the audience to understand what ‘Lumpy Gravy’ and ‘We’re Only in It for the Money’ are, and what they’re part of. ”
Anybody else find that a bit patronising? I think with all the versions and mixes floating around, plus different live versions and discussion from FZ himself as fans we haven’t all been floundering for the last 40 years.
Really these look like fantastic releases but really Gail should keep her mouth shut.
[quote comment=”2714″]Vanity Fair Interview with Gail about Lumpy Money:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2008/10/21/gail-zappa-on-franks-new-reissue-lumpy-money.html
Maybe I’m being overly antagonistic, but did anyone else find Gail’s last line about Zappa’s music a little funny in the wake of all the lawsuits and copyright issues? It seems she meant to say “people of your generation (who I employ),” which changes the overall impact of the statement.
That said, much thanks to the ZFT for the new release. Can’t wait to send them more money.[/quote]
You heard it in Vanity Fair first, folks, in Gail’s own words:
Now we all know why Dweezil doesn’t stand up to his mother, Barry. In a word: emasculated.
[quote post=”567″]Maybe I’m being overly antagonistic, but did anyone else find Gail’s last line about Zappa’s music a little funny in the wake of all the lawsuits and copyright issues? It seems she meant to say “people of your generation (who I employ),” which changes the overall impact of the statement. [/quote]
Um, yes, and you’re not being too antagonistic at all! This one critiques itself. Since when does alive and well mean “can only be played by like a certain half a dozen people?” Incidentally, I thought the ZPZ tour was much more enjoyable (song variety, versatility of ensemble, energy, etc.) with Vai, Nap and Bozz than with Ray White. Does anyone else feel the same way?
I hate her guts! It might just be the beer talking, though.
[quote post=”567″]Now we all know why Dweezil doesn’t stand up to his mother, Barry. In a word: emasculated.[/quote]
Bingo!
Hurumph, “if it cant be played by your own generation”- then the widow must have sued all the cover bands into oblivion!
It’s just like Sloatman to take some really great news, something that the fan base would absolutely love, and has been asking for for awhile and shat all over it.
Compression? wasnt there a blog topic about this? It’s ironic, given the massive compression inherent in some of the Ryko masters (“Chunga’s Revenge”?)
Anyhow, great news. it’s about time we have an audio upgrade of the Capitol ‘Gravy’ bootleg.
So what else is there to work with:
-The Money demos
-The 80’s mix of both albums
-Apostolic talking sessions
-perhaps the complete lumps of things that were sampled
-“Lonely Little Girl/Clothes Off” single?
more than 50 minutes on a cd???
Who knows, I might even buy this one…
Yes, Gail’s statements in the last paragraph of the Vanity Fair piece seem somewhat inconsistent in terms of her actions in stopping anyone other than Dweezil playing FZ’s music live. And I expect a lot of alumni will feel insulted by her comments.
The lump money release is probably worthwhile for the Capitol version of Lumpy Gravy alone (depends on what price the ZFT ask!), but I keep hoping for releases of FZ music that we haven’t heard before rather than re-issues and re-packaging.
beer
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2008/10/21/gail-zappa-on-franks-new-reissue-lumpy-money.html
Urghhh.. what a horrid person.
should have called it:
We’re only in it for the Gravy
[quote comment=”2730″]should have called it:
We’re only in it for the…[/quote]
BEER!!!
Keep in mind that Gail lives in California, which seems to do odd things to a person’s mind. As the South Park boys have pointed out, southern Californians have a “smug” problem that’s even worse than the smog.
Still, this sounds like a great release.
3 discs, huh? I would’ve liked a fourth disc of GZ interviewing/ AGRUING with Pamela….. if she’s still alive.
Paul Sempschi says:
“…Compression? wasnt there a blog topic about this? It’s ironic, given the massive compression inherent in some of the Ryko masters (”Chunga’s Revenge”?) …”
You are confusing data compression and dynamic compression.
M.
Why doesn’t Gail release the Roxy DVD aswell? C’MON GAIL!
[quote comment=”2734″]3 discs, huh? I would’ve liked a fourth disc of GZ interviewing/ AGRUING with Pamela….. if she’s still alive.[/quote]
Hey, vince, just wait for the 40th anniversary of Zoot Allures: we can all look forward to a fourth disc full of interviews of Gail discussing her participation in the recording of The Torture Never Stops — along with another 70 or so minutes of backtracks of her moaning and groaning, special overdubs, and an insight into her creative process as part of this Zappa masterwork. I really can’t wait. Can you, Barry? Release date: 2016. Oh well, just another eight years. Ho hum. Perhaps then, and only then, when the Zappa Family Trust has re-issued everything fucking possible, they might, and I’m saying, just might release the near mythical Roxy DVD (if the DVD format is even in use at that time anymore…)
beer, beer, beer
ROXY I want! Lumpy-Money I’ll buy. But why (as always) can’t we get more info on both of these much-anticipated releases??
oh man, I don’t feel so good
70 minutes of gail moaning and groaning???
Frank indicated that a “special friend” was involved.
Norma Jean Bell, anyone?
Joe’s Menage.
IS Pamela alive?
[quote post=”567″]It was “heartbreaking” to have to use FZ’s sidemen in ZPZ? I wonder how Bozzio and Vai would respond to that sentiment.[/quote]
Ok, wonder about that. Then go back, be married to someone for some decades without seeing him most of the time, watch him adored my thousands and thousands of people, then have him taken away by something as stupid as prostrate cancer and see his music performed by the people he played with *without him*. And then come back and tell again that you wouldn’t have some feelings of sadness.
[quote post=”567″]Could she have been anymore condescending to the reporter? [/quote]
In my eye that isn’t necessarily condescending. Stating someones feeling is never condescending. Maybe you have too often felt condescent by someone older than you. And, yes, please stop reading what GZ says or writes. Easy, isn’t it?
[quote post=”567″]Ok, wonder about that. Then go back, be married to someone for some decades without seeing him most of the time, watch him adored my thousands and thousands of people, then have him taken away by something as stupid as prostrate cancer and see his music performed by the people he played with *without him*. And then come back and tell again that you wouldn’t have some feelings of sadness.[/quote]
I appreciate her point of view but put yourself in the alumni’s position: go on the road with scant pay (this applies especially for the early lineups), worked to death while your efforts go under appreciated, have your solos co-opted and copywritten by your bandleader, questionable royalties for performances and compositions that you inspired or helped develop- and through the frustration of being ripped off, you somehow justify it by thinking that your bandleader is a genius who created the environment to produce such beautiful music. Though perhaps his revisionism re:The Mothers of Invention was a bit much…
So now the nutcase widow, who stirred enough shit while her husband was alive, not only has inherited the money that you helped make but is now in charge of music that you helped create. And what does she do? Berates and sues the alumni efforts (a lot of Mothers’ lively-hoods) as well as the fans who support and appreciate them and their music.
Point of fact, she has nothing to do with the creation of said music. In fact, she has taken steps to constrict and block the release and performance of quality material. Due to such ineffective business and production standards, I would consider her largelly parasitic to the Project and completely unnecessary.
[quote post=”567″]Though perhaps his revisionism re:The Mothers of Invention was a bit much…[/quote]
Hurrah!Well said sir! “Perhaps” indeed!
Oi Gail! You can’t quantify a la “most unique”; is either unique or it ain’t.
[quote comment=”2745″]70 minutes of gail moaning and groaning???
Frank indicated that a “special friend” was involved.
Norma Jean Bell, anyone?
Joe’s Menage.[/quote]
Check this link out, jane23:
http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Zoot/torch.html
“The sound effects to ‘The Torture Nver Stops’ were an evening’s work. We did most of it in the bedroom of my house. There were two chicks there – one was my wife – plus myself. I think they enjoyed it very much. We got four hours on tape and then cut it down to just under ten minutes. My friend opens up with a the first grunt and it carries on from there. Er, I don’t think it’s worth telling you precisely what went on… you wouldn’t be allowed to publish it”
that’s FOUR cd’s worth!
[quote comment=”2750″]http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Zoot/torch.html
We got four hours on tape[/quote]
…or perhaps EIGHT, if a corsage-eh?
To Paul Sempschy:
You are completely right. She should have never sued the people and to restrict a staging of FZs music does not reduce the ZFTs income or soil his image. What I mean is, we should also see a psychological p.o.v. of the whole matter.
As to the alumni: Not one of them tried or succeded in putting out music that comes near FZs output, not in sheer mass, not overall musicality, not as a concept in music, a.s.f. Brilliant as they may be as musicians, I think – and Vai and Keneally always pointed out how thankful they were for the “FZ”-experience without any grudge as far as I felt – I think they were told how much they were to be paid in advance and content with that. In the hindsight there is always more done by oneself and less doing by others, isn’t it?
But that’s not the whole point either, I think. Perhaps we all are leaving out the effects of the mirror neurons. If the alumni would have asked face to face for allowance to perform, I think they would have gotten a permission …
Just watch how fast everybody is jumping at the other’s throat when a posting is not to your neighbors thrill. We wouldn’t do that face to face. Same with cars. The cursings and rantings are unbelievable. We behave like apes, excuse me, Cheeta.
[quote comment=”2754″]What I mean is, we should also see a psychological p.o.v. of the whole matter.[/quote]
I respectfully disagree. ZFT proclaims to be a business — therefor one would expect it to be run as such. Psychological issues, then, should be kept indoors, perhaps with the help of a glass of Chardonay or two and the kind listening ear of a friend/therapist. However, it should never interfere with your business logic. If it does: your business needs a reality check.
[quote comment=”2754″]As to the alumni: Not one of them tried or succeded in putting out music that comes near FZs output, not in sheer mass, not overall musicality, not as a concept in music[/quote]
Here’s the equation: FZ + alumni = 1 + 1 = 3.
A musical chemistry that resulted in “the whole” being bigger than its parts. That “whole” tended to then be copyrighted by FZ typically — truth be told. To deny or play down the major impact these alumni had on subsequent FZ albums is therefor a false rewrite of FZ history. FZ “fed” on them as much as they “fed” on him. Once he decided to get rid of any and all of this pesky “human intervention”, his musical output, I’m sorry to say, took a turn to the sterile: the SynClavier. This is of course my futile opinion… feel free to express your disagreement.
[quote comment=”2754″]Just watch how fast everybody is jumping at the other’s throat when a posting is not to your neighbors thrill. We wouldn’t do that face to face. We behave like apes, excuse me, Cheeta.[/quote]
Interesting… do you think GZ would’ve told KUR categorically to shut up and shut down if she would’ve had to tell it to my face directly? Perhaps. Instead she chose the sock puppet lawyer route. Mind you: I for one, have never “jumped at one’s throat” for having another point of view.
Waiter! A HUGE beer for Barry!
[quote post=”567″]his musical output, I’m sorry to say, took a turn to the sterile: the SynClavier.[/quote]
To Barry (and let’s leave out the Beer-ordering crowd here): For me that’s the best part of his music. But never mind, the next best is “Moggio” for example: Live and Vai and whoever …
I am keeping in mind that you ain’t scratchy.
[quote post=”567″]… your business needs a reality check.[/quote] Right. For me the business here is the interaction between ZFT and all the guys here that keep complaining and ranting. If you don’t want it, don’t buy it.
And bring the guy who’s about to order his next beer, he might hurt his throat.
Sounds an excellent release, I just hope she realises that zappa fans are worldwide and that in europe wont have to pay an arm and a leg for the release.
not that i agree or disagree but, this is the first time i ever heard that frank considered LG & OM his “master works”. thought that was an interesting comment on GZ’s part. anybody else?
I am just sick of this Gail-Bashing.
If you get annoyed by anything Mrs. Zappa says, just don’t read it.
If you don’t like the material she releases, don’t buy it.
She could just as well have decided never to release anything FZ made anymore, inwhich case we would have missed out on a huge amount of extremely interesting discs.
The ZFT has no obligations to release anything, they could just keep everything for themselves to enjoy.
Personally I am extremely happy with every one of the releases since FZ’s death, and I can’t wait for more to be released. They are made with love and KNOWLEGDE of the music. And furthermore I don’t believe the prices are as high as anyone here constantly keeps claiming. (And here, too, can be said: if you don’t like them enough for their pricce, just don’t buy them.)
And even if you don’t like anything Gail does: she has every right do do with the music as she likes. And as far as I am concerned the music couldn’t be in better hands.
Thanks, Gail. Please continue with loads of beautiful releases for many decades to come!
[quote comment=”3313″]I am just sick of this Gail-Bashing.
If you get annoyed by anything Mrs. Zappa says, just don’t read it.
If you don’t like the material she releases, don’t buy it.
She could just as well have decided never to release anything FZ made anymore, inwhich case we would have missed out on a huge amount of extremely interesting discs.
The ZFT has no obligations to release anything, they could just keep everything for themselves to enjoy.
Personally I am extremely happy with every one of the releases since FZ’s death, and I can’t wait for more to be released. They are made with love and KNOWLEGDE of the music. And furthermore I don’t believe the prices are as high as anyone here constantly keeps claiming. (And here, too, can be said: if you don’t like them enough for their pricce, just don’t buy them.)
And even if you don’t like anything Gail does: she has every right do do with the music as she likes. And as far as I am concerned the music couldn’t be in better hands.
Thanks, Gail. Please continue with loads of beautiful releases for many decades to come![/quote]
Rah-Rah-Rah! Give us that ole ZFT cheer!
Give us a Z. Give us an F. Give us a T. Yo, Gail.
Now seriously, how much ass kissing can one person take without speaking up? Do you expect something special under the Xmas tree from Gail and Company this year for wanking on their egos so well here at KUR, ton? Haven’t you learned anything from listening to all that Zappa? C’mon, please, to me it isn’t so!
[quote post=”567″]Do you expect something special under the Xmas tree from Gail and Company this year for wanking on their egos so well here at KUR, ton? [/quote]
Of course!! And it is going to be something very special which all you Bashers will not be getting!!
Here’s what I want under the xmas tree;
1. A double DVD of ‘We Don’t Mess Arround’ + The Paris Summer ’80 show.
2. A double DVD of ‘200 Motels’ + ‘The Making of..’
3. A CD of some Fall 80 shows that haven’t been released.
4.THE ROXY FRIGGIN’ DVD!
Somehow I think I’ll be disappointed!
Jamez, you won’t believe it : I agree. My way.
1. In classical music ( FZ is also part of that) CDs will disappear, anyway the major labels will not be ready anymore to publish new ones.
The good news: minor labels wil keep publishing good music.
2. In pop etc, exactly the same ( with the exception of The Stars For One Month- keep that money rollin in) : minor labels will keep doing : publishing courageous efforts to make music.
There are two solutions left:
– go to concerts. that’s music, musicians playing. The good ones will survive. The undertalented will disappear.
– home entertainment. That’s DVDs.
I am vvery eager to download this cd.