Lumpy Gravy

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Album History
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Lumpy Gravy
Released May 1968
See also:
IINK, Patio, KUR
The Old Masters, Box I
Lumpy Money
Lumpy Gravy & Elsewhere

Players

The ABNUCEALS EMUUKHA electric SYMPHONY orchestra & CHORUS
with maybe even some members of the mothers of invention
PIANO, CELESTE, ELECTRIC HARPSICHORD: Paul Smith, Mike Lang, Lincoln Mayorga, Pete Jolly
DRUMS: Johnny Guerin, Frankie Capp, Shelly Manne
PERCUSSION (Gongs, Bells, Vibes, Marimba, Timpani, Timbales & assorted insanity): Emil Richards, Gene Estes, Alan Estes, Victor Feldman, Kenneth Watson (uncredited), Thomas Poole (uncredited)
WOODWINDS (Flute, Bass Flute, Piccolo, Oboe, English Horn, Eb Clarinet, Bb Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Alto Sax, Bass Sax, Bassoon & Contrabassoon): Ted Nash, Jules Jacob, John Rotella, Bunk Gardner, Don Christlieb, Gene Cipriano
FRENCH HORNS: Arthur Maebe, Vincent De Rosa, Richard Perissi, Arthur E. Briegleb (uncredited), David A. Duke (uncredited), George F. Price (uncredited)
TRUMPET: Jimmy Zito
TROMBONE: Kenneth Shroyer, Lew McCreary (uncredited)
GUITARS: Jim Haynes (prob. James Helms), Tommy Tedesco, Tony Rizzi, Al Viola, Dennis Budimir
BASS: Bob West, John Balkin, Jimmy Bond, Lyle Ritz, Chuck Berghofer
STRINGS: Sid Sharp-violin; Alexander Koltun-violin; Tibor Zelig-violin; Ralph Schaeffer-violin; Bernard Kundell-violin; William Kurasch-violin; James Getzoff-violin; Arnold Belnick-violin; Leonard Malarsky-violin; Harold Ayres-violin; Jerome J. Reisler-violin; Phillip Goldberg-viola; Leonard Selic-viola; Harry Hyams-viola; Joseph DiFiore-viola; Jerome A. Kessler-cello; Raymond J. Kelley-cello; Joseph Saxon-cello; Jesse Ehrlich-cello; Harold G. Bemko-cello
CHORUS: Louie The Turkey, Ronnie Williams, Dick Barber "Foon The Younger", Roy Estrada, Spider, Motorhead, J.K. & Tony, Gilly and the girls from Apostolic (Maxine, Becky), All Night John, The Other John, Cal, Pumpkin, Larry Fanoga, Monica, Jimmy Carl Black (the Indian of the group)
ALSO: Sammy, Harold, Charlie, Bruce, and the rest of the guys from Atlanta

Tracks

LP

Side One

  1. Lumpy Gravy - Part I (15:45)

Side Two

  1. Lumpy Gravy - Part II (15:56)


1986 CD,
coupled with We're Only In It For The Money
Current CD

Lumpy Gravy Part One (15:51)

  1. The Way I See It, Barry (0:06)
  2. Duodenum (1:32)
  3. Oh No (2:03)
  4. Bit Of Nostalgia (1:35)
  5. It's From Kansas (0:29)
  6. Bored Out 90 Over (0:32)
  7. Almost Chinese (0:25)
  8. Switching Girls (0:29)
  9. Oh No Again (1:12)
  10. At The Gas Station (2:41)
  11. Another Pickup (0:53)
  12. I Don't Know If I Can Go Through This Again (3:52)

Lumpy Gravy Part Two (15:51)

  1. Very Distraughtening (1:34)
  2. White Ugliness (2:21)
  3. Amen (1:33)
  4. Just One More Time (0:58)
  5. A Vicious Circle (1:12)
  6. King Kong (0:42)
  7. Drums Are Too Noisy (0:58)
  8. Kangaroos (0:57)
  9. Envelops The Bath Tub (3:42)
  10. Take Your Clothes Off (1:52)

Release Notes

Orchestra recorded: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, February 13 & March 14-16, 1967.
People inside the piano recorded: Apostolic Studios, NYC, October, 1967.
Produced by Frank Zappa.
Original sessions produced by Nick Venet.
Engineered by: Joe, Rex, Pete, Jim, Bob, Gary & Dick Kunc.
Liner put together by Cal Schenkel.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Sid Sharp conductor, Bob Ross arranger, Smiling Jack, Ben Barrett contractor, Normal Max, my pumpkin, Hurby, John Judnich

Liner Notes

Background Information

Zappa formed the one-off Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra & Chorus to record Lumpy Gravy.

The Chorus was a speaking cast, its members' dialogue taking the place of any sung lyrics. They were recorded conversing with their heads inside a Steinway grand piano during several sessions at Apostolic Studios in New York. The dialogues were improvised, but they followed Zappa’s general thematic guidelines.

Zappa amassed several hours of recorded conversations to edit into Lumpy Gravy; some snippets were heard on following albums, and the original recordings were featured on Civilization Phaze III, which continued the plot from where it left off on Lumpy Gravy, using both old characters from the original sessions and freshly recorded voices.

The album features three Mothers: Bunk Gardner plays woodwinds and brass, while Roy Estrada and Jim “Motorhead” Sherwood, sometimes using the voice of his alter-ego, Larry Fanoga are listed as members of the Chorus. Other parts are played by studio staff members, Louie The Turkey from the Garrick Theater audience and Spider Barbour of Chrysalis, another group recording at Apostolic at the time.

Completed in 1967, this featured the earliest commercial appearance of Frank’s symphonic music. Some of the material was recorded with a fifty-piece Los Angeles orchestra.

The album was commissioned by Nik Venet of Capitol Records. It had been assumed that Zappa was contractually free to compose and conduct, since MGM had only signed him as a musician and vocalist along with the rest of The Mothers. MGM disagreed, threatened to sue, and finally bought the master tapes. As Capitol’s engineers had reworked Zappa's original edit he had to reconstruct the album, assisted by Gary Kellgren at Mayfair Studios in New York City. This caused the release of the album to be delayed for over a year.

In a 1974 interview for Melody Maker Zappa revealed that the name originally came from a television commercial for Loma Linda Gravy mix. Loma Linda is a town just south of San Bernardino.

The front-cover photo features Zappa wearing a shirt that advertises Pipco - a Santa Barbara pipe company. The original Verve Records release had FZ's name shown as "Francis Vincent Zappa", which is incorrect. The Old Masters, Box I release of the album had the original cover artwork, but corrected FZ's first name.

Conceptual Continuity

Alternate Artwork

Capitol Version

Versions

ZFT # Version # # discs Format Catalog # Release
(YYYY-MM-DD) 		Barcode
(EAN-13) 		Artwork Comment
3 0.1
Original
"Orchestral"
Stereo
w/ Intro A[1] 		1 LP Capitol
STAO-2719 		Unreleased None   Demo acetate available as a bootleg in Lumpy Gravy & Elsewhere.
Not Sure,
Original
"Orchestral"
Stereo
w/ Intro A or B 		1 4T Capitol/Muntz
4CL-2719 		1967 None   Withdrawn due to a legal dispute between MGM and Capitol. Very few copies reported to exist.
1.1a
Original
Stereo 		1 LP MGM Verve
V6-8741 		1968-05-13 None   US edition.
1 LP MGM Verve
SVLP 9223 		1968-10[2] None   UK edition.
1 LP MGM Verve/Polydor
2317 046 		1972-06[2] None   UK 2nd edition.
1.2
Original
Mono 		1 LP MGM Verve
V-8741 		1968-05? None   US edition.
1 LP MGM Verve
VLP 9223 		1968-10[2] None   UK edition.
1.1b
Remaster Stereo
sounds worse
according
to the
Zappa Patio 		1 LP Barking Pumpkin
BPR 7777-4 		1985-04-19     Included in The Old Masters, Box I set.
1 CD Rykodisc
RCD 40024 		1986 0144314002425?
0014431002427?
(not printed) 		  US edition, AAD, coupled with We're Only In It For The Money. Matrix # 818 PUMPKIN RYK-CD40024 SOI01
1 CD Zappa
CDZAP 13 		1988-12? 5016583601324   UK edition, coupled with We're Only In It For The Money.
1 CD VideoArts
VACK 5023 		1994-10-26 4988112405264   Japanese edition, coupled with We're Only In It For The Money.
1.1c
Remaster Stereo
sounds best
according
to the
Zappa Patio 		1 CD Rykodisc
RCD 10504 		1995-04-18 0014431050428   US edition. made from original edited master and other raw mix segments (for better sonics). 1993.
Matrix # IFPI L501 IFPI 8702 DISCTRONICS RCD 10504 01
1 CD VideoArts
VACK 5105 		1995-09-25 4988112406995   Japanese edition
1 CD VideoArts
VACK 5240 		1997-02-28 4988112408401   Japanese edition
1 CD VideoArts
VACK 1205 		2001-09-21 4988112412613   Japanese edition, mini-album papersleeve
1 CD Rykodisc
RCD 10593 		2005-07-19 0014431059322   = VideoArts VACK 1205, the barcode is a sticker, the Ryko reference is not printed
1 CD VideoArts
VACK 1329 		2008-06-18 4988112417724   Japanese edition,
mini-album papersleeve.
0.2
Original
"Orchestral"
Mono
w/ Intro B[1] 		1 CD Zappa
ZR 20008 (CD1) 		2009-01-21 n/a   US edition, included in Lumpy Money.
Matrix # CD1: IFPI 4150 ZR200081 2A 01 V IFPI L245
2
Important
Remix 		1 CD Zappa
ZR 20008 (CD2) 		2009-01-21 n/a   US edition, included in Lumpy Money.
Matrix # CD2: IFPI 4121 ZR200082 2A 01 V IFPI L245
1.1c
Remaster Stereo
sounds best
according
to the
Zappa Patio 		1 CD Zappa/UMe
ZR 3836 		2012-07-31 0824302383629   US edition, manufactured and distributed by UMe[3].
Source: 1993 1630 Digital Master. Digitally Re-Edited by Frank Zappa circa 1993.
1 CD Zappa/UMG Intl
0238362 		2012-07-31 0824302383629   EU edition = Zappa/UMe ZR 3836, manufactured in Germany.
1 CD Zappa/Universal Music Japan
UICY-75352 		2012-11-28 4988005737519   Japanese edition, audiophile SHM-CD, mini-album papersleeve with an obi strip and liner notes in Japanese.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Intro A is a cut from King Kong in Foamy Soaky. Intro B is a cut from How Did That Get In Here?.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Martin C. Strong, 2004, The Great Rock Discography, p. 1720.
  3. ↑ Email announcement by the ZFT on July 31st, 2012.

See Also

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