The Lost Episodes
| The Lost Episodes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by Frank Zappa | ||||
| Released | February 27, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1958–1992 | |||
| Genre | Experimental rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, hard rock | |||
| Length | 71:14 | |||
| Label | Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
| Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Guardian | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[3] |
The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles (with the exception of "I Don't Want to Get Drafted") previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his career, and as early as 1958, into the mid-1970s. Zappa had been working on these tracks in the years before his death in 1993. This is official release #64.
Album content
The album is also notable for its five tracks which feature Captain Beefheart (known in early recordings by his birth name, Don Vliet, and later Don Van Vliet): "Lost in a Whirlpool", a blues parody from around 1958–59 in which Beefheart sings of being flushed down the toilet; "Tiger Roach", a rhythm and blues track from around three years later; "I'm a Band Leader" from 1969, a spoken word piece written by Zappa and read by Beefheart; "Alley Cat", a blues number in which Zappa plays guitar with two members of Beefheart's Magic Band, and "The Grand Wazoo", a spoken word piece recorded in 1969, to which Zappa added a Synclavier track in 1992 . Dan Glaister, writing in The Guardian, judged the first to be "a passable Bessie Smith cover", adding, "while "Alley Cat" could be a missing track from Clear Spot."
Elsewhere on the disc are included a number of alternate, earlier versions of compositions which were later released on Zappa's studio albums. The Lost Episodes' version of "Any Way the Wind Blows", for instance, was recorded in Cucamonga in around 1963—three years before its appearance on Freak Out! (1966). And the version of "Fountain of Love" here was recorded around the same time, but not released until Cruising with Ruben & the Jets (1968). Several outtakes include the original versions of: "Inca Roads" and "RDNZL", along with a version of Wino Man featuring Ricky Lancelotti on lead vocals. The final track is the original version of Sharleena from the aborted 2nd Hot Rats LP recordings in 1970; featuring Sugarcane Harris on lead vocal.
Track listing
All songs written, composed and arranged by Frank Zappa except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Blackouts" | 0:22 |
| 2. | "Lost in a Whirlpool" (Don Van Vliet, Zappa) | 2:46 |
| 3. | "Ronnie Sings?" | 1:05 |
| 4. | "Kenny's Booger Story" | 0:33 |
| 5. | "Ronnie's Booger Story" | 1:16 |
| 6. | "Mount St. Mary's Concert Excerpt" | 2:28 |
| 7. | "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Tiger Roach" (Van Vliet, Zappa) | 2:20 |
| 9. | "Run Home Slow Theme" | 1:25 |
| 10. | "Fountain of Love" (Zappa, Ray Collins) | 2:08 |
| 11. | "Run Home Cues, #2" | 0:28 |
| 12. | "Any Way the Wind Blows" | 2:14 |
| 13. | "Run Home Cues, #3" | 0:11 |
| 14. | "Charva" | 1:59 |
| 15. | "The Dick Kunc Story" | 0:46 |
| 16. | "Wedding Dress Song" (Trad., arr. Zappa) | 1:14 |
| 17. | "Handsome Cabin Boy" (Trad., arr. Zappa) | 1:21 |
| 18. | "Cops & Buns" | 2:36 |
| 19. | "The Big Squeeze" | 0:43 |
| 20. | "I'm a Band Leader" | 1:14 |
| 21. | "Alley Cat" (Van Vliet, Zappa) | 2:47 |
| 22. | "The Grand Wazoo" | 2:12 |
| 23. | "Wonderful Wino" (Zappa, Jeff Simmons) | 2:47 |
| 24. | "Kung Fu" | 1:06 |
| 25. | "RDNZL" | 3:49 |
| 26. | "Basement Music #1" | 3:46 |
| 27. | "Inca Roads" | 3:42 |
| 28. | "Lil' Clanton Shuffle" | 4:47 |
| 29. | "I Don't Wanna Get Drafted" | 3:24 |
| 30. | "Sharleena" | 11:54 |
Personnel
- Frank Zappa – synthesizer, guitar, percussion, piano, celeste, drums, bass guitar, kazoo, vocals, background vocals, synclavier
- Dale Bozzio – vocals
- Terry Bozzio – vocals
- Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) – vocals
- Ray Collins – vocals
- Ricky Lancelotti – vocals
- Ray White – vocals
- Kenny Williams – vocals
- Ronnie Williams – vocals
- Ronny Williams – vocals
- Ike Willis – vocals
- Elliot Ingber – slide guitar
- Elwood Madeo, Jr. – guitar
- Bobby Zappa – guitar, rhythm guitar
- George Duke – keyboards
- Tommy Mars – keyboards, vocals
- Don Preston – keyboards
- Danny Helferin – piano
- Terry Wimberly – piano
- Arthur Barrow – bass, bass guitar
- Max Bennett – bass, bass guitar
- Erroneous (aka Alex Dmochowski) – bass, bass guitar
- Roy Estrada – bass, bass guitar
- Tom Fowler – bass guitar
- Jimmy Carl Black – drums
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
- Aynsley Dunbar – drums
- John French – drums
- John Guerin – drums
- Ralph Humphrey – drums
- Chester Thompson – drums
- Tony Rodriguez – alto sax
- Chuck Foster – trumpet
- Sal Marquez – trumpet
- Bruce Fowler – trombone
- Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violin, vocals, electric violin
- Jean-Luc Ponty – violin
- Art Tripp – marimba, background vocals, vibraphone
- Ian Underwood – percussion, keyboards, saxophone, woodwind, fender rhodes
- Ruth Underwood – percussion
Production
- Frank Zappa – arranger, producer, engineer
- Paul Buff – engineer
- Gary Kellgren – engineer
- Kerry McNabb – engineer
- Bob Stone – engineer, remixing
- Spencer Chrislu – remixing
- Gabor Csupo – artwork
- Steven Jurgensmeyer – design
- Hal Wilson – photography
- Rip Rense – liner notes
References
- ↑ Unterberger, R. "Lost Episodes - Frank Zappa | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ↑ Glaister, D. "The Captain Beefheart Radar Station - The Lost Episodes". beefheart.com. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ↑ Woodard, Josef (8 March 1996). "The Lost Episodes Review | Music Reviews and News | EW.com". ew.com. Retrieved 17 June 2013.