New Release: Celebrating 50 Years of Frank Zappa’s Landmark Album “Apostrophe (‘)”
On September 13th, 2024, Zappa Records/UMe will release the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of “Apostrophe (‘)”. This expanded edition offers an in-depth exploration of Zappa’s groundbreaking 1974 album, featuring over 50 unreleased and rare tracks, making it a must-have for any serious collector.
“Apostrophe (‘)” was Frank Zappa’s first Gold-selling album in the United States, peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album’s most famous single, “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow,” became a hit, reaching #87 on the Billboard Hot 100. With its searing social commentary and unique sound, “Apostrophe (‘)” remains a standout in Zappa’s extensive catalog.
Super Deluxe Edition Details
The new 50th Anniversary Edition features a comprehensive 75-track, six-disc set, including five CDs and a Blu-ray audio disc. Fans will be treated to outtakes, alternate edits, 2024 mixes, and unedited bonus vault masters. Notably, the set includes two previously unreleased shows recorded in Colorado Springs and Dayton, Ohio, along with the original quad mix and new surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes of the core album.
The Blu-ray disc offers a remixed version of the original album in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound, along with Zappa’s original 4-channel Quadraphonic mix, available for the first time since 1974. The high-resolution stereo 2024 remaster is available at both 24-bit/192kHz and 24-bit/96kHz.
For vinyl fans, the release includes two special editions: a 2LP color vinyl set and a 1LP Gold Nugget color variant. The 2LP + 7-inch single edition features 180-gram audiophile LPs on white vinyl with yellow-snow splatter and a reproduction of the original 1974 single on glow-in-the-dark vinyl. This edition is available exclusively at Zappa.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl.
Pre-Order and Early Listening
You can listen to a previously unreleased take of “Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)” and pre-order the “Apostrophe (‘) 50th Anniversary Edition” here.
This new mix, featuring isolated piano and vocals by George Duke and The Ikettes, is just one of the many treasures in the set.
The 50th Anniversary Edition is produced by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers, the Zappa Vaultmeister. The set includes a 52-page booklet with unseen photos from Sam Emerson’s archives, detailed liner notes by British journalist Simon Prentis, and essays by Travers. Fans will also appreciate the historical live recordings, which showcase the dynamic range and evolution of Zappa’s performances throughout 1974.
As Joe Travers, Zappa Vaultmeister, eloquently puts it, “With Apostrophe (‘), Zappa continued to carve out his own genre in music. Nobody sounded like Frank Zappa. This album brought his unique sound to the masses in a way that nobody, including Frank, would expect.”
In addition to the “Apostrophe (‘) 50th Anniversary Edition,” Zappa Records will release “Frank Zappa For President” on vinyl for the first time on July 19th. Originally released in 2016, this compilation showcases Zappa’s political side, featuring unreleased compositions performed on the Synclavier. This special release will be available on 180-gram black 2LP vinyl, with a silk-screened FZ image on side 4. A limited edition Mystery Vinyl Edition will also be available, offering red, white, or blue vinyl, each limited to 1,000 units worldwide. Pre-order here.
FRANK ZAPPA: APOSTROPHE (’) 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS
Tracklists
5CD + 1BLU-RAY AUDIO SUPER DELUXE EDITION
CD 1
Apostrophe (’) – The Original Album – 2024 Remaster + Album Session Bonus Tracks
The Original Album
1. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
2. Nanook Rubs It
3. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast
4. Father O’Blivion
5. Cosmik Debris
6. Excentrifugal Forz
7. Apostrophe’
8. Uncle Remus
9. Stink-Foot
Album Session Bonus Tracks
10. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow (Basic Tracks / Alternate Take)
11. Nanook Rubs It (Basic Tracks / Outtake)
12. Nanook Rubs It (Session Outtake)
13. Cosmik Debris (Basic Tracks – Take 3)
14. Excentrifugal Forz (Mix Outtake)
15. Apostrophe (Mix Outtake)
16. Uncle Remus (Mix Outtake)
17. Apostrophe’ (Unedited Master / 2024 Mix)
18. Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)
CD 2
Bonus Concert 1 – Colorado Springs, CO 1974
1. Show Start / Band Intros
2. Village Of The Sun
3. Echidna’s Arf (Of You)
4. Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?
5. Babbette
6. Approximate
7. Cosmik Debris
8. Pygmy Twylyte
9. The Idiot Bastard Son
10. Cheepnis
11. Montana
12. Dupree’s Paradise Intro
CD 3
Bonus Concert 1 – Colorado Springs, CO 1974
Continued
1. Dupree’s Paradise
2. Is There Anything Good Inside You?
3. Florentine Pogen
4. Kung Fu
5. Penguin In Bondage
6. T’Mershi Duween
7. The Dog Breath Variations
8. Uncle Meat
9. RDNZL
10. Medley: King Kong / Chunga’s Revenge / Son Of Mr. Green Genes
CD 4
Early 1974 Bonus Live Track + Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974
Early 1974 Bonus Live Track
1. Inca Roads – Salt Lake City, Utah – 3-18-74 – Terrace Ballroom
Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974
2. Tush Tush Tush (A Token Of My Extreme)
3. Stink-Foot
4. RDNZL
5. Village Of The Sun
6. Echidna’s Arf (Of You)
7. Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?
8. Penguin In Bondage
9. T’Mershi Duween
10. The Dog Breath Variations
11. Uncle Meat
12. Building A Girl
CD 5
Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974 (Continued) + Bonus Tracks
Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974
Continued
1. Dinah-Moe Humm
2. Camarillo Brillo
3. Pygmy Twylyte
4. Room Service
5. Tush Tush Tush (End Vamp)
6. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
7. Nanook Rubs It
8. St. Alfonso’s Pancake Breakfast
9. Father O’Blivion
Bonus Tracks
10. Apostrophe TV Ad
11. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow – Single Edit
12. Goteborg GTR
13. Approximate
BLU-RAY AUDIO
Apostrophe (’) – The Album
Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / Dolby TrueHD 1974 Quadraphonic / 24-bit/192kHz Stereo / 24-bit/96kHz Stereo
1. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
2. Nanook Rubs It
3. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast
4. Father O’Blivion
5. Cosmik Debris
6. Excentrifugal Forz
7. Apostrophe’
8. Uncle Remus
9. Stink-Foot
2LP + 7-INCH – VINYL EDITION
LP One – Side 1
1. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
2. Nanook Rubs It
3. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast
4. Father O’Blivion
5. Cosmik Debris
LP One – Side 2
1. Excentrifugal Forz
2. Apostrophe’
3. Uncle Remus
4. Stink-Foot
LP Two – Side 3
1. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow (Basic Tracks / Alternate Take)
2. Nanook Rubs It (Session Outtake)
3. Excentrifugal Force (Mix Outtake)
4. Apostrophe’ (Unedited Master / 2024 Mix)
3. Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)
4. …the poodle bites…
LP Two – Side 4
1. Cosmik Debris (Live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 3-21-74)
3. Approximate – Bale (Live in Basel, Switzerland, 10-1-74)
4. Goteborg GTR (Live in Gothenburg, Sweden, 9-25-74)
3. Apostrophe TV Ad
7-Inch – Side 1
1. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
1LP – VINYL EDITION
Side 1
1. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
2. Nanook Rubs It
3. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast
4. Father O’Blivion
5. Cosmik Debris
Side 2
1. Excentrifugal Forz
2. Apostrophe
3. Uncle Remus
4. Stink-Foot
FRANK ZAPPA FOR PRESIDENT TRACKLISTING
LP1
Side 1
1. Overture To “Uncle Sam”
Side 2
1. Brown Shoes Don’t Make (Remix)
2. Amnerika (Vocal Version)
3. “If I Was President”
LP2
Side 3
1. When The Lie’s So Big
2. Medieval Ensemble
3. America The Beautiful
Side 4
No Music – Silk Screen Image of FZ & American Flag
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
