Zappa in New York
Zappa in New York is a double live album by Frank Zappa (and his 23rd album overall), released internationally in March 1978. It was recorded in December 1976 at a series of concerts at the Palladium in New York City.
Zappa in New York | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Live album by | ||||
Released | March 3, 1978 (US edited version) | |||
Recorded | December 26–29, 1976, Palladium, NYC | |||
Genre | Jazz fusion, comedy rock, hard rock, progressive rock | |||
Length | 70:04 101:53 (CD Version) | |||
Label | DiscReet | |||
Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Overview
Zappa in New York was released in the UK by Zappa's DiscReet Records label in 1977, then quickly withdrawn. A second version was re-released internationally in March 1978 with changes ordered by DiscReet's distributor, Warner Bros. Records. The 1978 edition reached #57 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.
Music
Immediately following the 1976 concerts, Zappa spent time in the studio adding a significant number of overdubs to the live recordings. Several of these recordings were originally intended for the shelved album Läther, including "The Illinois Enema Bandit", "The Black Page #1", "Big Leg Emma", "Punky's Whips", "The Purple Lagoon" and "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth."
The album features members of the Saturday Night Live band, including Lou Marini and Tom Malone, as well as the Brecker Brothers. In addition, Don Pardo was invited by Zappa to the Palladium concert, and he provides introductory narrations to "Punky's Whips" and "The Illinois Enema Bandit". On the CD version, Pardo also delivers a verse of "I'm the Slime" (he did the same for Zappa's 1976 Saturday Night Live appearance).
Release history
Zappa in New York was first released in early 1977 with Zappa's original track listing. A small number of LP copies reached stores in England before the album was quickly withdrawn. In 1978, some original cassette copies also appeared in the United States, though, apparently by mistake. Before re-issuing the album in March 1978, Warner Bros. Records removed one of the longest songs, "Punky's Whips". This reduced the playing time of side one to a mere ten minutes, moving "Big Leg Emma" from side 2 to the end of side 1; "Titties & Beer" was also edited to remove references to the song "Punky's Whips". The changes made to the album without Zappa's consent violated his contract, which gave him total artistic control over album content.
When Zappa's distribution agreement with Warner Bros. ended in 1982, all release rights reverted to him. Zappa re-issued Zappa in New York as a double CD album in 1991 with the addition of four bonus tracks ("Cruisin' for Burgers", "Punky's Whips", "I'm the Slime", "The Torture Never Stops"). The CD reissue was remixed to feature guitar overdubs that were recorded at the time of the album's original issue but not included on the 1978 LP. The CD reissue also contained an alternate recording of "Punky's Whips" and the full-length unedited recording of "Titties & Beer".
In 2019, the Zappa Family Trust commemorated the 40th anniversary of the release of New York with two releases - a 3LP set combining the 1978 LP release with a bonus LP of vault material, and a 5CD deluxe box set packaged in a tin shaped to look like a NYC street manhole cover and containing the 1978 LP mix, three CDs of performances from the four nights at the Palladium, and a fifth disc of vault material (including a song left off the LP due to time constraints), plus a replica of a Palladium show ticket.[2]
Track listing
Withdrawn original 1977 vinyl pressing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Titties & Beer" | 6:28 |
2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:50 |
3. | "Punky's Whips" | 10:51 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sofa" | 3:15 |
2. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:40 |
3. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
4. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
5. | "Black Page #2" | 5:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:15 |
2. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 16:57 |
Released edited 1978 second vinyl pressing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:31 |
2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:50 |
3. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sofa" | 3:15 |
2. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:40 |
3. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
4. | "Black Page #2" | 5:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:15 |
2. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 16:57 |
1991 2CD version
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Titties & Beer" | 7:36 |
2. | "Cruisin' for Burgers" | 9:12 |
3. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:32 |
4. | "Punky's Whips" | 10:51 |
5. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:12 |
6. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:41 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I'm the Slime" | 4:24 |
2. | "Pound for a Brown" | 3:41 |
3. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:51 |
4. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 3:50 |
5. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
6. | "Sofa" | 2:56 |
7. | "Black Page #2" | 5:36 |
8. | "The Torture Never Stops" | 12:35 |
9. | "The Purple Lagoon/Approximate" | 16:40 |
2019 40th Anniversary vinyl pressing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:01 |
2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:31 |
3. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sofa" | 3:16 |
2. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:34 |
3. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
4. | "Black Page #2" | 5:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:16 |
2. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:41 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 16:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Black Napkins" | 10:56 |
2. | "Cruisin’ For Burgers (1977 Mix)" | 9:08 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Black Page #2 (Piano Version)" | 3:14 |
2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth (Alternate Version)" | 3:55 |
3. | "Punky's Whips (Unused Version)" | 10:55 |
4. | "The Black Page #1 (Piano Version)" | 2:13 |
2019 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 5CD box set
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Titties & Beer" | 5:01 |
2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 3:31 |
3. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:17 |
4. | "Sofa" | 3:16 |
5. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:34 |
6. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 4:06 |
7. | "Black Page #2" | 5:32 |
8. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:16 |
9. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 12:41 |
10. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 17:12 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | ""The Most Important Musical Event of 1976"" | 3:23 |
2. | "Peaches en Regalia" | 3:04 |
3. | "The Torture Never Stops" | 11:27 |
4. | "The Black Page #2" | 5:15 |
5. | "Punky’s Whips Intro" | 1:25 |
6. | "Punky’s Whips" | 11:35 |
7. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth" | 4:03 |
8. | "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" | 4:12 |
9. | "The Illinois Enema Bandit" | 15:41 |
10. | ""Two for the Price of One"" | 1:51 |
11. | "Penis Dimension" | 3:08 |
12. | "Montana" | 8:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "America Drinks" | 4:52 |
2. | ""Irate Phone Calls"" | 1:37 |
3. | "Sofa #2" | 3:04 |
4. | ""The Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For"" | 0:58 |
5. | "I'm the Slime" | 5:38 |
6. | "Pound for a Brown" | 4:50 |
7. | "Terry's Solo" | 2:47 |
8. | "The Black Page Drum Solo/Black Page #1" | 3:53 |
9. | "Big Leg Emma" | 2:19 |
10. | ""Jazz Buffs and Buff-etts"" | 1:51 |
11. | "The Purple Lagoon" | 17:00 |
12. | "Find Her Finer" | 5:22 |
13. | "The Origin of Manx" | 1:48 |
14. | "Manx Needs Women" | 1:37 |
15. | "Chrissy Puked Twice" | 6:40 |
16. | "Cruisin’ For Burgers" | 9:56 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Purple Lagoon/Any Kind of Pain" | 4:25 |
2. | ""The Greatest New Undiscovered Group in America"" | 2:18 |
3. | "Black Napkins" | 28:33 |
4. | "Dinah-Moe Humm" | 6:18 |
5. | "Finale" | 4:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Black Page #2 (Piano Version)" | 3:16 |
2. | "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth (Alternate Version)" | 3:55 |
3. | "Chrissy Puked Twice" | 8:16 |
4. | "Cruisin’ for Burgers (1977 Mix)" | 9:02 |
5. | "Black Napkins" | 10:53 |
6. | "Punky’s Whips (Unused Version)" | 10:58 |
7. | "The Black Page #1 (Piano Version)" | 2:13 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Frank Zappa – conductor, lead guitar, vocals, producer; guitar overdubs
- Ray White – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Eddie Jobson – keyboards, violin, vocals
- Patrick O'Hearn – bass guitar, vocals
- Terry Bozzio – drums, vocals
- Ruth Underwood – percussion, synthesizer, and various humanly impossible overdubs
- Lou Marini – alto sax, flute
- Mike Brecker – tenor sax, flute
- Ronnie Cuber – baritone sax, clarinet
- Randy Brecker – trumpet
- Tom Malone – trombone, trumpet, piccolo
- Don Pardo – sophisticated narration
- David Samuels – timpani, vibes
- John Bergamo – percussion overdubs
- Ed Mann – percussion overdubs
- Lou Anne Neill – osmotic harp overdub
Production staff
- Frank Zappa – production
- Bob Liftin – NYC live remote engineer
- Davey Moire – NYC live concert mix, studio engineer (overdubs)
- Rick Smith – studio engineer (overdubs)
- John Williams – package design
- Dweezil Zappa – cover photo
- Gail Zappa – other photos
Charts
Album – Billboard (United States)
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1978 | Billboard 200 | 57[3] |
References
- Ruhlmann, William. "Frank Zappa: Zappa in New York". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- "Frank Zappa's Beloved Live Double Album 'Zappa In New York' Celebrated With Suite Of 40th Anniversary Releases". Zappa.com. January 24, 2019.
- "Charts and Awards for Zappa in New York". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-22.