Wiki
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Release Date
27 February 1996
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Length
30 tracks
The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles (with the exception of "I Don't Want to Get Drafted" and "Any Way the Wind Blows") 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.
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
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