Frank Zappa and his 11-piece band played the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY on March 25, 1988. They fittingly closed the show with a celebratory America The Beautiful. The band then headed to Europe for a run of shows, during which the ensemble would implode, failing to make it back for further US shows. At the time, no one realised that Nassau Coliseum show would be Zappa's last on home turf.
Now, that final show will be released as a new live album, Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show via Zappa Records/UMC on June 18. The first posthumous archival release from the ‘88 touring band, the album features 29 unreleased performances including two additional performances from the same tour: Zappa’s wild interpretations of the Allman Brothers Band’s Whipping Post from the March 16 show in Providence, R.I. and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven from the March 23 Towson, Md. show. The record is also notable for containing the first official release of the much talked about The Beatles Medley.
The show also includes I Ain't Got No Heart, which has been streamed and you can listen to below. Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show will be released digitally, on 2 CD or as a 4LP 180-gram vinyl box which will be available on both black vinyl or as a limited edition 180g purple vinyl variant, exclusively via the official Frank Zappa online store or uDiscover. You can view artwork and tracklisting below.
Fully authorised by the Zappa Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the recordings have been newly mixed by Craig Parker Adams in 2020 from the 48-track digital master tapes. The shows were recorded using two Sony 3324 DASH PCM 24 track tape recorders synced together using a Lynx Time Code Module, thus providing 48 track recording capabilities. The album is rounded out with detailed liner notes by Travers and Zappa ’88 drummer Chad Wackerman, who celebrated his 28th birthday on stage and is serenaded by Zappa and the crowd, as well as photos from the tour by Peder Andersson.
Frank Zappa: Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show
2CD/DIGITAL
DISC 1
1. “We Are Doing Voter Registration Here”
2. The Black Page (New Age Version)
3. I Ain’t Got No Heart
4. Love Of My Life
5. Inca Roads
6. Sharleena
7. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
8. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
9. Dickie’s Such An Asshole
10. When The Lie’s So Big
11. Jesus Thinks You’re A Jerk
12. Sofa #1
13. One Man, One Vote
14. Happy Birthday, Chad!
15. Packard Goose Pt. 1
16. Royal March From “L’Histoire Du Soldat”
17. Theme From The Bartok Piano Concerto #3
18. Packard Goose Pt. II
19. The Torture Never Stops Pt. I
20. Theme From “Bonanza”
DISC 2
1. Lonesome Cowboy Burt
2. The Torture Never Stops Pt. II
3. City Of Tiny Lites
4. Pound For A Brown
5. The Beatles Medley
6. Peaches En Regalia
7. Stairway To Heaven
8. I Am The Walrus
9. Whipping Post
10. Bolero
11. America The Beautiful
4LP VINYL
LP1
SIDE 1
1. “We Are Doing Voter Registration Here”
2. The Black Page (New Age Version)
3. I Ain’t Got No Heart
4. Love Of My Life
SIDE 2
1. Inca Roads
2. Sharleena
3. Who Needs The Peace Corps?
4. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
LP2
SIDE 3
1. Dickie’s Such An Asshole
2. When The Lie’s So Big
3. Jesus Thinks You’re A Jerk
4. Sofa #1
5. One Man, One Vote
LP2
SIDE 4
1. Happy Birthday, Chad!
2. Packard Goose Pt. I
3. Royal March From “L’Histoire Du Soldat”
4. Theme From The Bartok Piano Concerto #3
5. Packard Goose Pt. II
6. The Torture Never Stops Pt. I
7. Theme From “Bonanza”
8. Lonesome Cowboy Burt
LP3
SIDE 5
1. The Torture Never Stops Pt. II
2. City Of Tiny Lites
3. Pound For A Brown PT. I
LP3
SIDE 6
1. Pound For A Brown PT. II
2. The Beatles Medley (Lennon/McCartney)
3. Peaches En Regalia
LP4
SIDE 7
1. Stairway To Heaven
2. I Am The Walrus
LP4
SIDE 8
1. Whipping Post
2. Bolero
3. America The Beautiful
