Frank Zappa's Landmark 1974 Album 'Apostrophe (')' Box Set Coming

07-13-2024 4:46 PM EDT

(UMe) As the calendar turned to 1974, Frank Zappa was riding high. His revised rethink of The Mothers collective had begat the stone-cold classic known as September 1973's Over-Nite Sensation, the album generally acknowledged by both the cognoscenti and the layman as the gateway listening experience that invited the world writ large into the ever-expanding Zappaverse. Over-Nite Sensation also served as a direct bridge to Zappa's follow-up solo release, March 1974's Apostrophe (').

In turn, Apostrophe (') also became Zappa's most successful venture to date-strictly commercially speaking, that is. Apostrophe (') was Zappa's first Gold-selling record in the United States, ultimately peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart. The forever prescient and perpetually catchy single "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" made its own splash on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, duly marking its territory at #87. Key apostrophe (') favorites-such as the seething indictment of flim-flam gurus and phony psychics in "Cosmik Debris," the ongoing exploration of racial inequality in "Uncle Remus," and the examination of the unending olfactory horrors of "Stink-Foot"-further solidified Zappa's hold on the public consciousness and subconsciousness alike. A half-century on Apostrophe (') remains a consistent go-to release in the extensive Zappa catalog, not to mention being one of its top-tier bestsellers.

In proper celebration of 50 years of Apostrophe ('), a newly expanded 50th anniversary edition will be released on September 13 via Zappa Records/UMe in a variety of formats, including a six-disc (5CD/1Blu-ray Audio) Super Deluxe Edition that features 75 tracks in total. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, this new, expanded collection titled Apostrophe ('): 50th Anniversary Edition, sports the 2024 remaster of the original album by Bernie Grundman, along with scores of additional session outtakes from The Vault, alternate takes, and 2024 mixes remixed and restored by Craig Parker Adams and remastered by John Polito. Also included are two historical live concert recordings from 1974 - one show captured at an unidentified venue in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the other recorded at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, on November 20, 1974. Seven of these tracks were first released on the 40th celebration, the now out-of-print collection, The Crux of the Biscuit, in 2016.

The Blu-ray contains the core album newly remixed in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound by Karma Auger and Erich Gobel at Studio1LA, the same team behind the acclaimed Dolby Atmos and surround mixes of 2022's Waka/Wazoo and 2023's Over-Nite Sensation releases, respectively, plus it includes Zappa's original 4-channel Quadraphonic mix (available again for the first time since 1974) as well as the hi-res stereo 2024 remaster at both 24-bit/192kHz and 24-bit/96kHz. The lavish Super Deluxe Edition box comes complete with a 52-page booklet and unseen photos from the archives of Sam Emerson, the man who shot the now-iconic close-up cover image of Zappa, in addition to liner notes and new essays by noted British journalist Simon Prentis and, as always, Vaultmeister Travers.

Beginning today, fans can hear a previously unreleased take of "Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)." This newly mixed version is culled from the original 16-track master, featuring isolated piano and tack piano tracks by George Duke along with a spotlighting of FZ and The Ikettes' vocal master tracks. It's but one of the multiple versions of this classic Zappa/Duke joint composition that appears in the Super Deluxe Edition box set.

Listen to "Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)" below: