Frank Zappa‘s 1979 album Orchestral Favorites is re-examined for its 40th anniversary and will be reissued as a double vinyl or expanded 3CD deluxe in August.
The instrumental album was actually recorded at UCLA’s Royce Hall in September 1975 and features music performed by the 37-piece Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. It was originally issued by Warners without Zappa’s permission and without liner notes, credits and artwork approval.
40 years on, the Zappa Family Trust have found the original tapes (along with the ‘tone reel’ that allows proper set-up of the master tapes) and created new hi-res transfers that have been remastered by Bob Ludwig. This new remaster features on a new single-disc vinyl version and and expanded 3CD deluxe.
As well as the original album, the triple CD package includes the entire evening performance from 18 September 1975 (the original album was derived from recording sessions in the afternoon) spread across the two additional discs, complete with Zappa’s song introductions and stories. These are brand new 2019 mixes by Craig Parker Adams from the original two-inch 24-track masters.
This reissue is produced by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers and features a newly created cover and extensive sleeve notes from Joe Travers and former Zappa bandmate Terry Bozzio. The vinyl LP will be pressed at Furnace MFG on 180g ‘audiophile grade’ black vinyl.
While this album has been reissued a few times (Zappa himself reworked it for CD in ’91), we are assured that the archive research in terms of digging out tapes and finding the tone reel has resulted in the best-sounding version to date.
Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers, the new edition of Orchestral Favorites will feature not only the original album but the entire evening performance from 18 September 1975, spread across two additional discs. Extensive searches in the Vault uncovered the elusive master tone reel, which crucially contains the alignment tones that help set up the playback of the master tapes. Zappa reportedly did not provide this reel when he delivered the album.
Listeners will be transported back to September 1975, when Zappa scheduled the Royce Hall event in between trying out new band members and preparing for a tour. “Frank supervised everything,” recalls Travers in the liner notes, “hired sound and lights, mixed the front of house sound at times, conducted the orchestra on occasion, and played guitar with them.
“The programme repertoire consisted of complex and challenging music that originates from all time frames of FZ’s career. Older themes that predate the original Mothers Of Invention, to brand new pieces hot off the pen, mixed in with some good ol’ FZ directed improvisation.”
Zappa reworked Orchestral Favorites for the CD format in 1991, and it has been reissued several times since his death. But the matching of the new master to the project tone reel means that the album can now be presented as he intended.
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And, as you are still here, here some more...
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I couldn't find my previous comment where I shared a new Zappa mix with you. Perhaps it's already been read & deleted. I'm now writing a second time to inform you that I did some tweaking to the original file, added a song and thus, changed the title as well. If you remain interested, here is a new link to the updated mix, artwork included:
ResponderExcluir-
https://www95.zippyshare.com/v/BktxqVKt/file.html
All I ask is that you create your own link as mine will only be active for 1 or 2 weeks. Happy new year to you.
CORRECTION: This is the new link
ResponderExcluirhttps://www56.zippyshare.com/v/PNddToCw/file.html
Sorry for the confusion. I'm an old man.