Frank Zappa - 1994 "Apocrypha" [4 CD Box]

Apocrypha (Thirty Years of Frank Zappa) (4-CD box)

• Various live
• Various studio

Length: 62:10+61:31+71:56+66:35 = 4:22:12
Sound quality: Various, often from vinyl
Label: Great Dane Records GDR9405/ABCD (Italy 1994)
Bar code: 8 013013 940524

Musicians: Various
This is a very popular bootleg box with luxurious packaging: a book-style box with a leather appearance (although not at all made of leather). The front has a photo of Zappa's moustache, and says "APOCRYPHA", "FZ" and "Thirty Years Of Frank Zappa". The back cover shows Zappa walking down the street with his UHER portable tape recorder, wearing a bulbous derby (from the same session as the inside photo in the Strictly Commercial package). A paper insert is glued under the disc trays to discs 3 and 4, which extends out to boast the track listing. The package contains a large (40-page) colour booklet with dozens of pictures and a very long and confusing 1988 interview. Liner notes appear on the far right on every right-hand page - in the style of the Stage series, "complete with misinformation" (the band line-up details are especially abominable: they are not complete, and they falsely state that the Bob Harris from 1971 and the Bob Harris from 1980 were the same person). The front of the booklet has a mid-'70s Zappa picking his nose with his middle finger; the back has an old Zappa pulling down one of his eyelids, looking rather sickly. Some copies have had errata & corrigenda inserts.
The discs are an attractive black, and bear 1) the moustache photo from the front cover, 2) the legend "Apocrypha" as it appears on the front cover, 3) the disc number in silver with the beige letters FZ slapped on top, and 4) the legend "The Live Experience" which appears around the rim of all Great Dane releases.

Disc 1

1. Lost in a Whirlpool (02:45) [The Lost Episodes version]
2. Do it in C (01:45) ["The Black-Outs" plus "Ronnie Sings?" - The Lost Episodes versions]
3. Any Way the Wind Blows (02:28) [The Lost Episodes version]
4. Fountain of Love (02:18) [Collins/Zappa] [The Lost Episodes version]
5. Deseri (01:51) [Collins/Buff]
6. The Story of Electricity (02:22) [Power Trio from Saints & Sinners / Bossa Nova Pervertamento] [Mystery Disc version]
7. Metal Man Has Won His Wings (02:59) [Mystery Disc version]
8. I Was a Teenage Maltshop / Status Back Baby / Ned the Mumbler / Ned Has a Brainstorm (06:25)
9. Whiskey Gone Behind the Sun (01:19) ["Louisiana Blues" by McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morganfield] [Mystery Disc version]
10. [Party Scene from] MONDO HOLLYWOOD (01:54) [Mystery Disc version]
11. Sandwich Song (01:43)
12. How Could I Be Such a Fool? (01:58) [longer edit of the Mystery Disc version]
13. Agency Man (05:43) [Mystery Disc version]
14. Randomonium (01:30)
15. My Head (00:45) [mislisted as outtake dialogue from Lumpy Gravy]
16. In Memoriam: Hieronymus Bosch (05:02)
17. In the Sky (02:00) ["Oh, in the Sky"]
18. Remington Electric Razor (00:57)
19. Directly from My Heart to You (05:46) [Penniman]
20. Twinkle Tits (10:09)

A lot of these tracks (1-4, 6-7, 10, 12-13 and 15) have been officially released on The Lost Episodes, Stage #5 and Mystery Disc. The sound quality is always a lot better on the official releases, but here are some other differences:

• Tracks 1-2 are slightly slower/lower here - about one half step down.
• Track 4 has a slightly longer fade-out here, "but the sound is so fantastically better on The Lost Episodes that it's not even funny".
• Track 12 is a different, shorter edit on Mystery Disc:

BIFFY: I always miss hearing the part from the radio broadcast where Zappa pops in to say "Missed the beat that time, didn't he?"
SPLAT: Well, there will always be Apocrypha. :) About the first 15 times I heard that, it really annoyed me; like, "C'mon Frank, could you please not cut up this nice tune, just once?" It's funny, though. It'll be good to have both versions.

As for the other tracks:

• Track 5 is a real oldie from 1962 (officially released on the Grandmothers' album Looking Up Granny's Dress)
• Tracks 8-12 taken from I Was a Teenage Maltshop and Confidential
• Parts of track 8 released on the Mystery Disc (called "I Was a Teenage Maltshop" and "The Birth of Captain Beefheart")
• Track 9 has been officially released (in a shorter edit) on the Mystery Disc (as "Original Mothers at the Broadside (Pomona)"); the song they're playing is "Louisiana Blues" by McKinley Morganfield, known as Muddy Waters
• A small fragment of track 11 has been officially released on the Mystery Disc, as "Original Mothers Rehearsal"
• Track 14 is an alternate take of "Dwarf Nebula" from Weasels Ripped My Flesh, recorded at Apostolic Studios, New York
• Track 16 is a live improvisation from a New York TV show called The Bitter End in 1967 (Hieronymus Bosch was a 15th/16th-century painter from the Netherlands, who painted monstrous images)
• Track 17, a Ruben-esque tune sung by Roy Estrada, is a BBC TV recording from 1968
• Track 18 appears to be a Remington electric razor commerical, and is featured on the Remington Electric Razor bootleg
• Tracks 19-20 are live at the Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, 07-Mar-1970, taken from the bootleg Frank Zappa & Hot Rats at the Olympic

Disc 2

1. Magic Fingers (02:47)
2. Studebaker Hoch (05:58) [excerpt from "Billy the Mountain"]
3. Interview (02:59) ["What's the Name of Your Group?"]
4. RDNZL (04:18) [longer edit of the Lost Episodes version]
5. Inca Roads (03:46) [Lost Episodes version]
6. T'Mershi Duween (02:20)
7. Stink-Foot (03:59)
8. Down in de Dew (02:54) [Läther version]
9. The Purple Lagoon / Approximate (03:59)
10. Saint Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast / Rollo (04:03)
11. Black Napkins (04:34)
12. [A Solo from] Heidelberg (03:52)
13. The Squirm (06:03) [to be released on Trance-Fusion in the future, as "Bowling on Charen"]
14. Dong Work for Yuda (02:57)
15. Moe's Vacation / The Black Page #2 (07:07)

On the paper insert, "Down in the Dew" is listed as "Duck Duck Goose", but in the liner notes, "Down in the Dew" and "Duck Duck Goose" are BOTH listed, pushing the track numbers ahead a number. Only "Down in the Dew" appears, however. Track 8 has been officially released on Läther. As for the other tracks:

• Track 1 is from 1970, maybe from Butte, Montana - it can also be found on Beyond the Fringe of Audience Comprehension.
• Track 2 is a 1971 excerpt from "Billy the Mountain", the same as on Randomonium and Cuccurrullo Brullo Brillo). It's a live recording, but there has been speculation that there are some overdubs on it.
• Track 3 is taken from the Remington Electric Razor bootleg; it's an out-take from 200 Motels, really called "What's the Name of Your Group?". It includes the intro to "German Lunch" on Stage #5, which followed immediately after it on the original bootleg, Remington Electric Razor.
• Tracks 4 and 5 have been officially released on The Lost Episodes, but in shorter edits: "RDNZL" is 04:11 here (22 seconds longer than on The Lost Episodes), and the fade-out in "Inca Roads" is a couple of seconds longer, too, "but the sound is so fantastically better on The Lost Episodes that it's not even funny". "RDNZL", though, includes a bit of guitar soloing by Zappa here, which may be interesting to hear.
• Track 6 live at the War Memorial Gym, Vancouver, 01-Oct-1975.
• Track 7 is a KCET-TV recording from 6/7-Aug-1974 (broadcast in December), which first appeared on the bootleg A Token of His Extreme (better sound here).
• Tracks 9-10 from the Saturday Night Live TV show: track 9 from 11-Dec-1976 (with comedian John Belushi) and track 10 from 21-Oct-1978.
• Track 11 is a version with the Mike Douglas band (from a 1976 TV show) backing Frank Zappa.
• Track 12 has been officially released on The Guitar World According to Frank Zappa, as "A Solo from Heidelberg" (Eppelheim 24-Feb-1978); it's from the song "Yo' Mama".
• Track 13 taken from the Zurkon Music bootleg (Halloween 1977, The Palladium, New York): it will be officially released on the guitar-solo album Trance-Fusion some time in the future, as "Bowling on Charen"
• Tracks 14 and 15 taken from the Remington Electric Razor bootleg. Track 14 (source unknown, February 1977) is surrounded by additional dialogue on Remington Electric Razor, which has been edited out here. The first 4:08 of track 15 is "Moe's Vacation" (an early version of "Moe & Herb's Vacation" in a basic arrangement), the rest is "The Black Page #2". It is from Poughkeepsie 21-Sep-1978.

Disc 3

1. Suicide Chump (09:14)
2. Nite Owl (02:14) [Tony Allen]
3. Heavy Duty Judy (04:41) [with vocals]
4. Pick Me, I'm Clean (03:31)
5. Teenage Wind (03:06)
6. Harder Than Your Husband (02:33)
7. Bamboozled by Love (03:06)
8. Falling in Love is a Stupid Habit (01:46)
9. This is My Story (01:21) [Forrest/Levy]
10. Whipping Post (06:27) [Allman]
11. Clownz on Velvet (05:54)
12. Frogs with Dirty Little Lips (02:08) [Frank/Ahmet Zappa]
13. In France (03:55)
14. Broken Hearts are for Assholes (05:54)
15. Texas Medley (09:05) [Lennon/McCartney/Zappa]: Norweigian Jim ["Norweigian Wood"] / Louisiana Hooker with Herpes ["Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"] / Texas Motel ["Strawberry Fields Forever"]
16. I Am the Walrus (03:43) [Lennon/McCartney]
17. America the Beautiful (03:16) [traditional]

• Track 1 is live at Stonybrook, New York, 15-Oct-1978.
• Track 2 is taken from the bootleg Remington Electric Razor. It's from the late show in Santa Monica on 11-Dec-1980 - a soundboard recording.
• Track 3 is a soundboard recording from the second show in Pittsburgh 13-Nov-1980 (from Good Grief!). It has "vocals", in the sense that Ike and Ray sing "Heavy Duty Judy" in the very beginning over the riff.
• Tracks 4-8 are taken from the Crush All Boxes version in the Mystery Box.
• Tracks 9-11 are from The Ritz in New York, 17-Nov-1981, as on the bootleg Assault on New York - The Toxic Shock Trilogy (Part III: Clownz on Velvet). Al DiMeola guests on track 11. "This Is My Story" was originally recorded by Gene & Eunice, with Johnny's Combo (Johnny was Johnny Otis, inspiration for Zappa's moustache) on the Alladin label (3282), 17-Feb-1955, and peaked at #8 on the R&B chart 21-May-1955.
• Track 12 is a 1981 studio version (taken from the Demos bootleg).
• Track 13 is from Hollywood 22-Jul-1984, with George Duke and Jonny "Guitar" Watson guesting. It's the same performance as on the bootleg All You Need is Glove, but from a different source tape. Whereas the All You Need is Glove version is a soundboard A+, this sounds miserable, and also has a minute or so of "banter" before the song starts.
• Track 14 is live in Santa Monica, 11-Dec-1981 (early show). Someone throws food on stage; Zappa stops the song and makes him eat it.
• Tracks 15-16 are live in Springfield 13-Mar-1988, with the medley lyrics changed to ridicule the disgraced TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart.
• Track 17 is live in Burlington 12-Mar-1988.

Disc 4

1. The World's Greatest Sinner (11:58)
2. Sink Trap [listed as "Gypsy Airs"] (01:51)
3. Some Ballet Music (06:33)
4. The Jelly (02:13) [last part of the CD version of "Didja Get Any Onya?" from Weasels Ripped My Flesh, plus a couple of extra seconds]
5. Revenge of the Knick-Knack People (06:25) [extended version]
6. Spontaneous Minimalist Composition (02:01)
7. Sinister Footwear (26:08)
8. The Black Page #1 (02:05)
9. While You Were Art #1 (07:19)

• Track 1 is an excerpt from the film THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER that Zappa scored in 1961. The film music was played by the Pomona Valley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fred E. Graff, and the parts of Satan (the narrator) and Clarence "God" Hilliard were played by Paul Frees and Timothy A. Carey, respectively. It's taken from the Serious Music bootleg.
• Track 2 is taken from the Zut Alors bootleg. The piece was originally recorded in 1967 for an unreleased single, which was planned for release on Capitol Records together with the all-orchestral original version of Lumpy Gravy, which was only released on 8-track. However, this recording is probably from the 1975 concert at the UCLA Royce Hall (the same concert as on Orchestral Favorites) instead.
• Track 3 taken from the bootleg The Ark (Boston, 08-Jul-1969).
• Track 4 is the last part of the CD version of "Didja Get Any Onya?" from Weasels Ripped My Flesh - a spring 1969 recording, exact date and location unknown. It appears on We Are the Mothers & This Is What We Sound Like!, which is both an unreleased album and a bootleg). It has a few seconds at the end that are not on the Weasels CD. 
• Track 5 has been officially released (in a shorter edit) on Läther, as a bonus track. This longer version is taken from the Serious Music bootleg.
• Tracks 6 and 7 were recorded at the "A Zappa Affair" concert at the Zellerbach Auditorium at UC Berkeley, 16-Jun-1984, played by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano. This is the only time "Sinister Footwear" has been performed in its entirety, and Zappa was most unhappy with the results. The ballet consisted of giant puppets with dancers inside them. It's taken from the bootleg Serious Music, and the Serious Music entry has a list of the titles of the 21 parts of the piece.
• Track 8 is a 1986 synclavier version taken from something like an 8" flexi disc issued with Keyboard Magazine.
• Track 9 is a 1985 synclavier version which has somehow found its way here.

Note that although much of Apocrypha has been officially released on The Lost Episodes and the Mystery Disc, the versions on Apocrypha are often slightly longer.