Frank Zappa - Orchestral Favorites (40th Anniversary Edition) (3 CD) tbr August 15th 2019

I don't get it either! I remember having asked once the salesperson at the Best Buy store I used to visit occasionally in Burlington VT, where they'd carry many of the titles (>sigh<) at $12, if they expected the items to be restocked soon, and she said plainly, after checking up her screen - not with any aggressive or irritated tone - no, never...

 

That's not what I'm seeing on the Amazon page. I see super high prices from rip off vendors.

 

How strange is THAT?!?!?!
Just looked at it again, and it's $10.99....
Is this some sort of 'west-coast'-only price???

https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Dirt-Frank-Zappa/dp/B008I34ZL6/

 

That's a page for Sleep Dirt. We're talking about Studio Tan.

 

Get if before it's too late. I bought it a couple of months ago.

 

Its just Peccary which is a different mix to the old cd, not sure about any of you but I listen to that track once every 10 years, maybe. I bought most of the 2012 "upgrades", but skipped ST, SD, TTR and YAWYI. I should grab SD at least.

 

I think the Ryko "Studio Tan" sounds great. The "Greggery Peccary" remix is not technically bad, whether you like it or not depends on your personal preference. It's very much unlike the "Sleep Dirt" or "Ruben & The Jets" remixes, so no out of place overdubs or massive reverb. Actually, the whole disc sounds pretty dry to my ears: it's definitely not one of those dreaded items that used to plague Zappa's cd catalogue. Some copies have glitches on "RDNZL" but mine hasn't.

At any rate, you can get the enterely of "Studio Tan" on "Läther", including the original mix of "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary".

 

Yeah, that’s what kept me from bothering with the 2012 Studio Tan reissue. Of course, now that I can’t have it, I want it.

Plus, I have pbthal’s hi-res vinyl rip, which sounds pretty great.

 

Revised Music is available on streaming sites, Spotify and Apple at least.

 

Studio Tan and Sleep dirt 2012 are absolute must buys as also the tracks that are the same mixes sound so much better on the universal than on the ryko.

 

I prefer this. . .

 

Yes. On some days...

 

On some days a perfect stranger has a flaregun.

 

The basic track for Lemme take you to the beach was recorded then (according to
FZ chronology: 1965-1969 )

but nothing on QuAUDIOPHILIAc
QuAUDIOPHILIAc
but that one highly overlaps with Orchestral Favorites

 

I love "Greggery Peccary"! (And "Billy The Mountain" too, but G.P. more because of the brilliant orchestral segments.)

If anyone enjoys the first two “Studio Tan” CD’s, that’s great, but I think they’re horrible.

They left parts out of the middle of “Greggery Peccary” and without them the bass line sounds weird at that spot.

The first CD has a manufacturing flaw toward the end of the song and it sounds like the record skips.

The second CD has that flaw plus a flaw during the guitar solo in “RDNZL”.
It sounds like someone turns the volume control all the way down for a split second.

And on top of all that, the entire album has better sound quality with the original mix.

I own the 2012 CD and “Lather”, so it doesn’t matter for me,
but I wanted to give "Studio Tan" out at Xmastime. It’s such a colorful album, including the cover.

 

^^ I think the confusion among those who don't own "Quaudiophiliac" (me included) is that one track is from the "Chunga's Revenge" sessions but featuring musicians who had also appeared on "Hot Rats".

...Quaudiophiliac...

As normally against history revisionism as I am, I do wish that someday, someone in charge will come along and erase all those wild, incomprehensible posthumous album titles likely spawned by the brains of Gail Zappa...

 

Pretty sure that album was entirely Dweezil’s pet project.

 

RE: Studio Tan

Good grief, that's an album that I haven't thought about (or listened to) in a l-o-n-g time!

Riccardo Fassi Tankio Band - Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa

I bought loads of these Zappa-related releases years ago. Can't say I go out of my way to listen to many/any of them these days.

Hmmm! That's a puzzling recommendation, and I'm struggling to see the link to Studio Tan. Here is the discogs entry:

The Norwegian Radio Orchestra*, Thomas Søndergård - Heiner Goebbels & Frank Zappa - Perfect Strangers

The Goebbels composition should appeal to fans of Civilization Phaze III, while the Zappa tracks recall the Ensemble Modern's recordings, as well as the Zappa/Boulez album Perfect Stranger.

[Thread diversion.]

For those not familiar, there are actually several large-ish boxes for Boulez:

Pierre Boulez - The Complete Columbia Album Collection [Sony Classical] (67 CDs)

Boulez - 20th Century [DG] (44 CDs)

Pierre Boulez - Oeuvres Completes - Complete Works [DG] (13 CDs)

several composer boxes (around 13 CDs each) on DG

The 20th Century box contains only material written in the 20th century (including by Boulez himself). There is quite a bit of overlap with the Sony box, but it is the Sony renditions which are considered superior (certainly my preference). Sadly, the box is OOP, but those with an interest in the works of Varese, Webern, Berg, etc. should seek it out. It is a toss up between Boulez's and Riccardo Chailly's versions of the Varese material as to which is best, and hardcore types will want both!

As much as I like Zappa's music, he was not the second coming of Stravinsky, as a listen to a box like the Sony Boulez one makes clear.

Sadly, it seems par for the course with Sony Classical. There is a giant classical music box set thread on the Forum, and it is a recurring topic. It seems bonkers for them to go to all the trouble of creating large boxes, with expansive booklets, etc. and then delete them within a relatively short period of time. They have re-packaged their 20-odd CD Stravinsky material several times, so there is a finite chance that the Boulez recordings will re-appear at some time together (as has happened for Bersnstein). They have kept many of the recordings in print, as you point out, just not in the giant box, which is a shame. I value my copy.

[End diversion.]

 

[

That boxset should also be considered:

Pierre Boulez: The Complete Erato Recordings

When it comes down to contemporary composer, Frank is only a part of the big scheme. Open up and see what’s up there, definitely worth it! The Complete Varese double CD by Chailly is a good start.

 

Yes, but the title sounds "Gail speak" to me.

 

The Boulez Erato box is a great set. I bought it a few years ago. Thanks to FZ's musical tastes I got turned onto Bartok, Ligeti, Takemitsu, Penderecki, Berg, Schoenberg and many others. And I don't care what Zappa said, I love the Symphonies of Gustav Mahler. Frank said they were too consonant but who cares! They are amazing works that can be listened to for a lifetime.

 

Could be. A closer look gives her a credit for “packagement.”

 

Ugh! I meant to include that one in my list! Senior moment!!