Zappa Records/UMe
Zappa Records/UMeA new and expansive Frank Zappa box set has been assembled that’s as unique and hilarious as the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s music.
Halloween 77 features audio of all six concerts that the influential musician played during his 1977 Halloween residency at New York City’s Palladium — and it even comes packaged with a retro-style plastic Zappa Halloween mask and costume.
The collection, which will be released on October 20, features a massive 158 high-quality 24-bit audio tracks housed in an USB drive that, in keeping with the Halloween theme, resembles a fun-size candy bar.
The box set also includes a 28-page digital booklet offering rare photos, liner notes penned by Zappa vault curator Joe Travers, and recollections from various band members and other associates of Frank.
Zappa’s 1977 Halloween engagement ran from October 28 through the 31st, and included two shows on the 28th and the 29th. Four of the gigs were filmed, and the footage was used in the 1979 Zappa film Baby Snakes. Frank’s band at the time included future King Crimson guitarist/singer Adrian Belew and future Missing Persons drummer Terry Bozzio.
“This box set was a very special experience for me to work on,” says Frank’s son Ahmet Zappa. “I wanted to make sure we honored these legendary shows, so it was important to me that this box set felt of the era.”
He adds, “It was a blast working with our partners to create the late ’70s-inspired Frank Zappa mask and costume and the candy-shaped USB stick filled with tons of Zappa goodness.”
An abridged, three-CD version of Halloween 77 also will be available, while the individual shows will be released as digital downloads. Check out the box set’s full track list at Zappa.com.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.