The official version of Läther was released posthumously inwards September 1996. It remains debated whether Zappa had conceived the cloth every bit a four-LP ready from the beginning, or only when approaching Phonogram; In the liner notes to the 1996 release, however, Gail Zappa states that "As originally conceived past times Frank, Läther was ever a 4-record box set." Along amongst most of Zappa's material, a "mini-LP" CD edition was also released past times Rykodisc inwards Japan, amongst the artwork reformatted to resemble the packaging of a vinyl album. In Dec 2012, the album was reissued amongst unlike packaging that meliorate reflected the intended album cover.
The recordings for the album were originally delivered to Warner Bros. inwards 1977. Contractual obligations stipulated that Zappa deliver iv albums for release on DiscReet Records, which eventually resulted inwards much of the cloth on Läther existence released on iv separate albums: Zappa inwards New York (1977), Studio Tan (1978), Sleep Dirt (1979), together with Orchestral Favorites (1979), only the firstly of which was produced amongst Zappa's oversight. Zappa had planned to include much of the cloth from these albums every bit a quadruple box ready entitled "Läther", but Warner Bros. refused to release it inwards this format. However, bootlegs of the original recording had existed for decades before the album's official release every bit a lawsuit of Frank Zappa broadcasting it over the radio inwards 1977 together with encouraging listeners to brand tape recordings of it.
Gail Zappa has confirmed that the 2-track masters for the planned original album were located acre producing the 1996 version. While the official CD version of Läther released is reportedly identical to the test-pressings for the original quadruple album, iv bonus tracks were added to the 1996 release together with the championship of the song, "One More Time for the World" was changed to "The Ocean is the Ultimate Solution", the championship nether which the same vocal appears on the album Sleep Dirt. The album does non include "Baby Snakes", a vocal which was originally planned for the album. H5N1 version of the vocal served every bit the championship of the cinema from the same era.
Zappa managed to acquire an understanding amongst Phonogram Inc. to release Läther inwards its original configuration, together with examination pressings were made targeted at a Halloween 1977 release, but Warner Bros. prevented the release past times claiming rights over the material. Zappa responded past times appearing on the Pasadena, California radio station KROQ, allowing them to broadcast Läther together with encouraging listeners to brand their ain tape recordings. After Warner Bros. censored Zappa inwards New York to take references to Angel guitarist Punky Meadows, together with demanding iv additional albums, a lawsuit betwixt Zappa together with Warner Bros. followed, during which no Zappa cloth was released for to a greater extent than than a year. Eventually, Warner Bros. issued Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt together with Orchestral Favorites. The original encompass artwork had featured a photograph of Zappa inwards blackface together with asset a mop; this photograph was eventually used every bit the encompass for Joe's Garage, Act I.
In the jump of 1977, Frank delivered the master copy tapes for a four-record boxed ready called Läther (pronounced “leather,” due to the umlauts over the A) to Warner Bros., who hence decided non to pay the amount they contractually owed him, oafishly thinking that he’d frivolously thrown the bundle together but to speed along his remaining album requirements, thereby freeing himself from his recording contract. He retrieved the tapes together with offered the ready to EMI instead. Warner, currently existence sued past times Frank (who wanted the rights to his one-time albums, plus damages for years of bad bookkeeping together with deficient royalties), threatened EMI amongst a lawsuit, scaring them out of negotiations. Frank hence tried Mercury/Phonogram, who was to press together with distribute the ready every bit the firstly release on Zappa Records; but afterward it had gone through the test-pressing stage together with had fifty-fifty been assigned a catalogue number, they all of a precipitous refused to distribute it, every bit someone in that place had noticed its “offensive lyrics.”
He resorted to splitting the ready into iv separate LPs, leaving out all linking transitions, adding a few songs together with omitting others. He delivered the firstly Läther-ette, Zappa inwards New York, amongst packaging together with liner notes that were preserved when Warner lastly released the album on DiscReet. Shortly afterward providing that alive double-disc, he handed over the other 3 all at once, fulfilling his contractual obligations anyway. Whether he planned to plough inwards his packaging designs upon existence paid for these three, submitted designs that were ignored past times Warner, or was close out of the procedure every bit before long every bit they had the actual tapes, the albums were ultimately issued amongst sequencing together with artwork that he hadn’t approved.
Before Warner could start out these staggered releases, Frank played the orignal Läther inwards its entirety on KROQ-FM (Burbank-Pasedena, California), encouraging listeners to tape it off the radio. The conflicting study that the iv separate albums came first, together with were rearranged into Läther afterward Frank learned that Warner wouldn’t pay fairly, is false, according to Gail Zappa’s booklet notes inwards the CD set: “As originally conceived past times Frank, Läther was ever a 4-record box set.” The triple-CD bundle was released inwards 1996 on Rykodisc. Four bonus songs were added, extending the length to nearly 3 hours. Included were a 1993 remix of “Regyptian Strut” (spelled without the hyphen this time, every bit on Sleep Dirt); Frank’s opening together with closing comments on the radio at the fourth dimension of his broadcast; a slice called “Leather Goods,” which was made upwardly of unused Lumpy Gravy dialogue, around Gravy-reminiscent instrumental music, together with the original firstly of “Duck Duck Goose” (which included Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed together with Confused” riff before the “Whole Lotta Love” ane heard on Läther proper, every bit good every bit 2 solo breaks, tributing Jimmy Page’s inwards “Whole Lotta Love” together with “Heartbreaker”); “Revenge of the Knick-Knack People,” heard during around of the non-stage segments inwards the Baby Snakes movie; together with the instrumental “Time Is Money” (included on Sleep Dirt but non Läther itself).
Gary Panter, an creative mortal best known for his operate inwards Raw Comix, was responsible for the illustrations on the covers of Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt together with Orchestral Favorites. Frank hadn’t chosen Gary’s work; ane of the titles wasn’t his, either. “I powerfulness betoken out that [Sleep Dirt is] non the refer of the album,” he told Record Review inwards the jump of 1979. “That’s but a farther violation of the original contract. The original championship of that album, every bit delivered to them, was Hot Rats III. I presume that’s but around other snide seek to undermine the merchandising of it. If you lot saw an album sitting inwards the rack amongst the championship Sleep Dirt on it, you lot in all likelihood wouldn’t live likewise intrigued past times it. And based on the chore they did amongst the encompass of Studio Tan, they made [all of the packaging] every bit unappealing every bit possible.”
The total saga of Läther (pronounced leather) is tangled plenty to give a migraine to all but committed Zappaphiles. Basically, what you lot necessitate to know is that this projection was originally conceived of every bit a four-record box set. When tape fellowship politics prevented its release inwards that format, much of the cloth was spread over the albums Live inwards New York, Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan, together with Orchestral Favorites. This three-CD ready presents the album every bit it was originally conceived, amongst the add-on of iv bonus tracks at the end. It mixes previously available material, alternate mixes, together with edits, together with previously unissued stuff, though only the most serious Zappa fans volition stimulate got a practiced traveling pocket on precisely what has appeared where (the liner notes are surprisingly unexact inwards this regard). And the music? It's nigh similar a résumé of Zappa's pocketbook of tricks: Uncle Meat-like experimentation, intricate jazz-rock, direct difficult rock, orchestral composition, together with comedy. Some of those comedy tracks became around of his most notorious routines, similar "Punky's Whips" together with "Titties 'n Beer," which amounted to avant- stone for drunkard frat boys together with pot smoking, underachieving junior high schoolhouse students. The juvenile humor, hamfisted parody of difficult stone clichés, together with the shaggy-dog opera of the 20-minute "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" are outshone past times the lengthy, to a greater extent than experimental instrumental passages. It's interesting, but exhausting to wade through all at once, together with the avant-garde/composerly cuts are non every bit particular every bit his before operate inwards this vein inwards the piece of cake '60s together with early on '70s. That agency that this volition appeal far to a greater extent than to the Zappa cultist than the full general listener, though the Zappa cult -- which has been craving Läther inwards its original format for years -- is a pretty broad fan base of operations inwards together with of itself. [In 2005, Rykodisc made available the Japanese Mini LP replica version...which is a chip foreign since Läther was never officially released on LP.]
Track listing
All tracks written past times Frank Zappa.
Disc one
1. "Re-Gyptian Strut" Appears on the album Sleep Dirt (1979). 4:36
2. "Naval Aviation inwards Art?" Appears on the album Orchestral Favorites (1979). 1:32
3. "A Little Green Rosetta" Previously unreleased. 2:48
4. "Duck Duck Goose" Previously unreleased. 3:01
5. "Down inwards De Dew" Previously unreleased (Outtake from The Grand Wazoo/Waka Jawaka sessions). 2:57
6. "For the Young Sophisticate" Previously unreleased (Overnite Sensation Outtake). 3:14
7. "Tryin' to Grow a Chin" Previously unreleased. 3:26
8. "Broken Hearts Are for Assholes" Previously unreleased. 4:40
9. "The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit" Appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978). 12:41
10. "Lemme Take You to the Beach" Appears on the album Studio Tan (1978). 2:46
11. "Revised Music for Guitar & Low Budget Orchestra" Appears on the album Studio Tan (1978). 7:36
12. "RDNZL" Appears on the album Studio Tan (1978). 8:14
Disc two
1. "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?" Different edit of the version that appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978). The ZINY version is a unmarried performance acre the "Lather" version is a combination of 2 unlike performances. 4:56
2. "The Black Page Part 1" H5N1 longer stimulate got appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978) amongst a drum solo included. 1:57
3. "Big Leg Emma" Appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978). 2:11
4. "Punky's Whips" Appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978) amongst a unlike mix together with alternate guitar solo. 11:06
5. "Flambé" H5N1 longer version appears on the album Sleep Dirt (1979) nether the championship "Flam Bay". 2:05
6. "The Purple Lagoon" Appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978). 16:20
7. "Pedro's Dowry" Appears on the album Orchestral Favorites (1979). 7:45
8. "Läther" Appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978) nether the championship "I Promise Not to Come inwards Your Mouth". 3:50
9. "Spider of Destiny" H5N1 longer version appears on the album Sleep Dirt (1979). 2:40
10. "The Duke of Orchestral Prunes" Appears on the album Orchestral Favorites (1979). 4:21
Disc three
No. Title Original release Length
1. "Filthy Habits" H5N1 longer version appears on the album Sleep Dirt (1979). Outtake from Zoot Allures (1976). 7:12
2. "Titties & Beer" Appears on the album Zappa inwards New York (1978). 5:23
3. "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution" (Originally entitled "One More Time for the World") H5N1 longer version appears on the album Sleep Dirt (1979). 8:31
4. "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary" Appears on the album Studio Tan (1978). 21:00
Personnel:
Disc One, Track 1
Frank Zappa – percussion
George Duke – keyboards
Bruce Fowler – all brass
James "Bird Legs" Youman – bass
Ruth Underwood – percussion
Chester Thompson – drums
Disc One, Track 2; Disc Two, Track vii & 10
Frank Zappa – guitar
Dave Parlato – bass
Terry Bozzio – drums
Emil Richards – percussion
Orchestra conducted past times Michael Zearott
Disc One, Track 3 (part One)
Frank Zappa – vocal
George Duke – keyboards
Disc One, Track 3 (Part Two)
Frank Zappa – Pb guitar
Andre Lewis – keyboards
Roy Estrada – bass
Terry Bozzio - drums
Disc One, Track 4, vii & 8; Disc Three Track 6
Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals
Ray White – guitar, vocals
Eddie Jobson – violin, keyboards
Patrick O'Hearn – bass
Terry Bozzio – drums, vocals
Disc One, Track 5
Frank Zappa – all guitars, bass
Jim Gordon – drums
Disc One, Track 6
Frank Zappa – Pb guitar, vocals
George Duke – keyboards
Tom Fowler – bass
Paul Humphrey – drums
Ricky Lancelotti – vocals
Disc One, Track 9; Disc Two, Track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8; Disc Three, Track 2
Frank Zappa – Pb guitar, vocals
Ray White – beat guitar, vocals
Eddie Jobson – violin, keyboards, vocals
Patrick O'Hearn – bass, vocals
Terry Bozzio – drums, vocals
Ruth Underwood – percussion, synthesizer
David Samuels – timpani, vibes
Randy Brecker – trumpet
Mike Brecker – tenor sax, flute
Lou Marini – alto sax, flute
Ronnie Cuber – baritone sax, clarinet
Tom Malone – trombone, trumpet, piccolo
Don Pardo – sophisticated narration
Disc One, Track 10
Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals
Davey Moire – vocals
Eddie Jobson – keyboards, yodeling
Max Bennett – bass
Paul Humphrey – drums
Don Brewer – bongos
Disc One, Track 11; Disc Three, Track 4
Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals
George Duke – keyboards
Bruce Fowler – trombone
Tom Fowler – bass
Chester Thompson – drums
Disc One, Track 12; Disc Three, Track 8
Frank Zappa – guitar
George Duke – keyboards
James "Bird Legs" Youman – bass
Ruth Underwood – percussion
Chester Thompson – drums
Disc Two, Track v & 9
Frank Zappa – guitar
George Duke – keyboards
Patrick O'Hearn – bass
Ruth Underwood – percussion
Chester Thompson – drums
Disc Three, Track 1
Frank Zappa – guitar, keyboards
Dave Parlato – bass
Terry Bozzio – drums
Disc Three, Track 3
Frank Zappa – guitar, synthesizer
Patrick O'Hearn – bass
Terry Bozzio – drums
Disc Three, Track 5
Frank Zappa – percussion
George Duke – keyboards
Bruce Fowler – all brass
James "Bird Legs" Youman – bass
Ruth Underwood – percussion
Republic of Chad Wackerman – drum overdubs
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