‘ZAPPA ’75: ZAGREB/LJUBLJANA’: FRANK ZAPPA AND RARE, SHORT-LIVED LINEUP OF THE MOTHERS LIVE IN YUGOLSAVIA 1975

THE BAJA POST
NEWSROOM
SOURCE: PRN NEWSWIRE

In the fall of 1975, towards the tail end of a typically productive and prolific year that included finishing production on the One Size Fits All album, a spring tour with Captain Beefheart (immortalized on the live album, Bongo Fury, released in October of that year), and a performance of orchestral works, Frank Zappa and his band The Mothers played their first and only shows in Yugoslavia while in the midst of their fall tour.

The “Mothers of Invention Yugoslavian Extravaganza” as Zappa called it took place in Zagreb and Ljubljana (now the capital cities of Croatia and Slovenia respectively) on November 21^st and 22^nd, 1975 with the short-lived and slightly stripped-down lineup of Andre Lewis (keyboards), Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor sax and lead vocals), Norma Bell (alto sax, vocals), Roy Estrada (bass) and Terry Bozzio (drums). In characteristically Zappa fashion, The Maestro made sure to record these historical shows behind the Iron Curtain.  

On October 14^th, Zappa Records/UMe will release Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana, featuring the best performances of the Yugoslavian concerts sequenced in the exact order of the show’s setlist to present the crème da la crème from each night for the first time ever. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the 27-track live album boasts nearly two and half hours of completely unreleased music and will be available digitally (26 tracks without disc breaks) or on 2CD complete with a 32-page booklet.

The booklet will be filled with photos of the era and lineup by Gail Zappa and John Rudiak with insightful liner notes from Travers, an interview between him and recording engineer Davy Moire who recorded the show and worked with Zappa from 1975-78, plus a firsthand account and illustration from drummer Terry Bozzio. Beginning today, uDiscover is exclusively offering a limited edition version of the 2CD with three photo prints by Gail Zappa and John Rudiak.

Previously the only recording ever released from these concerts was a performance of “Black Napkins” from Ljubljana included on the 1996 release, Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute; the version of “Black Napkins” featured here is from Zagreb.

Pre-order Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana here: https://Zappa.lnk.to/ZagrebLjubljanaPR