Frank Zappa’s unfettered musical genius never concerned itself with being understood. And so, like a stopped clock that’s right twice a day, Zappa – more through luck than judgement – managed to make a few commercial albums in an eye-wateringly vast back catalogue.
Apostrophe (’), with its segueing snow-themed first side which has become an alternative Christmas staple for progressively-minded families, is top of that list. It even reached the Billboard Top 10 in 1974, with Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow landing him an actual hit on the US pop charts (he only managed three in total across his distinguished career).
The curators of the Zappa archive have come up with a cornucopia of rare or previously unreleased material for the 50th anniversary edition. CD buyers will be able to enjoy 75 tracks; vinyl collectors get 66. Most fascinating among them are the outtakes, featuring a swinging version of Nanook Rubs It, which breaks down after 43 seconds, or a cooking take of the title track with an extended nine-minute jam.
Most impressive of all are the alternative monitor mixes of Uncle Remus with just George Duke’s bluesy piano, and The Ikettes’ stunning gospel accompaniment to Zappa’s fine vocal performance. Shorn of everything that was layered on later, a song that addresses civil rights and racism is suddenly a whole lot more moving.
Additionally, there are previously unheard live excursions, with a version of Dupree’s Paradise that clocks in at just under half an hour being the biggest curio, recorded in Columbia Springs in March 1974.
The Columbia recordings and those from Dayton, Ohio from November are not wildly divergent from Roxy & Elsewhere, the 1974 live album that apparently inspired Phil Collins to hire Chester Thompson as Genesis’ live drummer.
With 2014’s Roxy By Proxy and 2018’s The Roxy Performances adding to that already extensive pool of live recordings, how essential these are will largely depend on how big a fan the listener is.
Apostrophe (’) 50th anniversary edition is on sale now via Zappa Records / UMe.