The Roxy Performances is a box set by Frank Zappa. It was released as a 7-CD boxset on February 2, 2018.[1] The collection contains four full shows, a rehearsal, a recording session at Bolic Sound, a sound check, and a previously unreleased version of "The Idiot Bastard Son" titled "That Arrogant Dick Nixon".[2]
| The Roxy Performances | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Box set by | ||||
| Released | February 2, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 477:09 | |||
| Label | Zappa Records | |||
| Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
| ||||
In addition to previously unreleased material, the box set contains material that was released, in different edits and/or mixes, on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974), Roxy by Proxy (2014), and Roxy – The Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015).[3]
Track listing (digital version)
editAll tracks are written by Frank Zappa, except at noted
| No. | Title | Release notes[4] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunday Show 1 Start" | same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 4:59 |
| 2. | "Cosmik Debris" | same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 11:33 |
| 3. | ""We're Makin' a Movie"" | first part of dialog included in Roxy the Movie (2015) | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Pygmy Twylyte" | previously unreleased | 9:08 |
| 5. | "The Idiot Bastard Son" | previously unreleased; basic tracks used for "That Arrogant Dick Nixon" | 2:19 |
| 6. | "Cheepnis" | previously unreleased | 3:44 |
| 7. | "Hollywood Perverts" | previously unreleased | 1:07 |
| 8. | "Penguin in Bondage" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 5:54 |
| 9. | "T'Mershi Duween" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 1:56 |
| 10. | "The Dog Breath Variations" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 1:44 |
| 11. | "Uncle Meat" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014); parts of same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 2:29 |
| 12. | "RDNZL" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014); parts of same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 5:14 |
| 13. | "Montana" | parts of same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 (1991) | 7:49 |
| 14. | "Dupree's Paradise" | parts of same performance at beginning of "Let's Move to Cleveland – Solos (1984)" on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 (1991); same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) | 16:12 |
| 15. | "Dickie's Such an Asshole" (encore) | part of same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore Sampler (1988) | 10:17 |
| Total length: | 87:42 | ||
| No. | Title | Release notes[5] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunday Show 2 Start" | previously unreleased | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Inca Roads" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie (2015) | 8:27 |
| 3. | "Village of the Sun" | same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974), with overdubs recorded at Bolic Sound, Inglewood, CA, and Paramount Recording Studios, Los Angeles | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Echidna's Arf (of You)" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" | parts of same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974), Roxy by Proxy (2014), Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 13:22 |
| 6. | "Slime Intro" | previously unreleased | 0:59 |
| 7. | "I'm the Slime" | same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (1988) and Roxy the Movie (2015) | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Big Swifty" | same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (1988) and Roxy the Movie (2015) | 9:01 |
| 9. | "Tango No. 1 Intro" | parts of the spoken intro on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 4:14 |
| 10. | "Be-Bop Tango (of the Old Jazzmen's Church)" | previously unreleased | 18:12 |
| 11. | "Medley: King Kong/Chunga's Revenge/Son of Mr. Green Genes" (encore) | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2015) | 9:46 |
| Total length: | 80:04 | ||
| No. | Title | Release notes[6] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monday Show 1 Start" | previously unreleased | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Montana" | parts of the same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 (1991); same performance on "Montana" & "Dupree's Paradise" Roxy – Hollywood, CA 1973 video (zappa.com) (2007) | 6:57 |
| 3. | "Dupree's Paradise" | first audio release; same performance on "Montana" & "Dupree's Paradise" Roxy – Hollywood, CA 1973 video (zappa.com) (2007) | 21:26 |
| 4. | "Cosmik Intro" | previously unreleased | 1:05 |
| 5. | "Cosmik Debris" | previously unreleased | 8:05 |
| 6. | "Bondage Intro" | spoken intro of the same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974); same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 1:45 |
| 7. | "Penguin in Bondage" | parts of same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 6:54 |
| 8. | "T'Mershi Duween" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 1:52 |
| 9. | "The Dog Breath Variations" | previously unreleased | 1:48 |
| 10. | "Uncle Meat" | previously unreleased | 2:29 |
| 11. | "RDNZL" | same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 4:59 |
| 12. | "Audience Participation – RDNZL" | same spoken performance (minus the "Pygmy Twylyte" intro at the end) on Roxy the Movie (2015) | 3:08 |
| 13. | "Pygmy Twylyte" | previously unreleased | 4:05 |
| 14. | "The Idiot Bastard Son" | previously unreleased | 2:21 |
| 15. | "Cheepnis" | same performance (different mix) as Roxy by Proxy (2014) | 4:49 |
| 16. | "Dickie's Such an Asshole" (encore) | part of same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (1988); same performance (spoken intro edited) on Roxy the Movie (2015) | 10:21 |
| Total length: | 87:36 | ||
| No. | Title | Release notes[7] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monday Show 2 Start" | previously unreleased | 5:13 |
| 2. | "Penguin in Bondage" | parts of same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974); parts of the same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 6:33 |
| 3. | "T'Mershi Duween" | same performance, in lower quality, on Beat the Boots! Piquantique (1991) and Beat the Boots! III (2009) | 1:52 |
| 4. | "The Dog Breath Variations" | same performance, in lower quality, on Beat the Boots! III (2009) | 1:46 |
| 5. | "Uncle Meat" | parts of same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 2:28 |
| 6. | "RDNZL" | previously unreleased | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Village of the Sun" | same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974), with overdubs recorded at Bolic Sound, Inglewood, CA, and Paramount Recording Studios, Los Angeles | 3:59 |
| 8. | "Echidna's Arf (of You)" | same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974); parts of the same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" | parts of same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974), Roxy by Proxy (2014), Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 6:56 |
| 10. | "Cheepnis – Percussion" | same performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 4:08 |
| 11. | ""I Love Monster Movies"" | same spoken performance on Roxy by Proxy (2014) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 2:10 |
| 12. | "Cheepnis" | parts of the same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974); same performance on Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 3:35 |
| 13. | ""Turn the Light Off"/Pamela's Intro" | previously unreleased | 3:59 |
| 14. | "Pygmy Twylyte" | same performance as Roxy the Movie (2015) | 7:23 |
| 15. | "The Idiot Bastard Son" | same performance as Roxy the Movie (2015) | 2:22 |
| 16. | "Tango No. 2 Intro" | parts of same performance included on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) | 2:01 |
| 17. | "Be-Bop Tango (of the Old Jazzmen's Church)" | parts of the same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) and Roxy the Movie / Roxy the Soundtrack (2015) | 22:31 |
| 18. | "Dickie's Such an Asshole" (encore) | parts of same performance on You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (1988) | 15:31 |
| Total length: | 101:39 | ||
| No. | Title | Release notes[8] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Swifty – In Rehearsal" | previously unreleased | 2:50 |
| 2. | "Village of the Sun" | previously unreleased | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Farther O'Blivion – In Rehearsal" | previously unreleased | 5:34 |
| 4. | "Pygmy Twylyte" | previously unreleased | 6:17 |
| 5. | "That Arrogant Dick Nixon" (unreleased track) | previously unreleased | 2:19 |
| 6. | "Kung-Fu – In Session" | previously unreleased | 4:50 |
| 7. | "Kung-Fu – with guitar overdub" | same recording (different mix) on The Lost Episodes (1996) | 1:17 |
| 8. | "Tuning and Studio Chatter" | previously unreleased | 3:38 |
| 9. | "Echidna's Arf (of You) – In Session" | previously unreleased | 1:22 |
| 10. | "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow – In Session" | last seconds on Apostrophe (') (1974) as basic track for the last seconds, minus overdubs from Paramount Studios, early 1974; parts of same recording on Roxy the Movie (2015) as part of "End Credits" | 9:49 |
| 11. | "Nanook Rubs It – In Session" | parts of same basic track on Apostrophe (') (1974), minus overdubs from Paramount Studios, early 1974 | 5:41 |
| 12. | "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast – In Session" | same basic tracks on Apostrophe (') (1974), minus overdubs from Paramount Studios, early 1974 | 2:46 |
| 13. | "Father O'Blivion – In Session" | same basic tracks on Apostrophe (') (1974), minus overdubs from Paramount Studios, early 1974; parts of same recording on Roxy the Movie (2015) as part of "End Credits" | 2:31 |
| 14. | "Rollo (Be-Bop Version)" | previously unreleased | 2:36 |
| Total length: | 54:43 | ||
- Tracks 1–4: 12-10-73 Roxy rehearsal
- Track 5: basic tracks: 12-9-73 Show 1, overdubs at Paramount Studios
- Tracks 6–14: 12-12-73 Bolic Studios recording session
| No. | Title | Release notes[9] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Saturday Show Start" | previously unreleased | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Pygmy Twylyte/Dummy Up" ("Dummy Up" by Zappa, Jeff Simmons, Napoleon Murphy Brock) | parts of same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974); parts of the "Dummy Up" performance on The True Story of 200 Motels video (1989) | 20:25 |
| 3. | "Pygmy Twylyte – Part II" | previously unreleased | 14:25 |
| 4. | "Echidna's Arf (of You)" | previously unreleased | 3:42 |
| 5. | "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" | previously unreleased | 6:01 |
| 6. | "Orgy, Orgy" (based on "Louie, Louie" by Richard Berry) | previously unreleased | 3:39 |
| 7. | "Penguin in Bondage" | parts of same performance on Roxy & Elsewhere (1974) | 6:30 |
| 8. | "T'Mershi Duween" | previously unreleased | 1:53 |
| 9. | "The Dog Breath Variations" | previously unreleased | 1:45 |
| 10. | "Uncle Meat/Show End" | previously unreleased | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 64:41 | ||
Track listing (CD version)
editDisc one
- Tracks 1–14: 12-9-73 Show 1 (tracks 1–14)
- Total length: 76:43
Disc two
- Track 1: 12-9-73 Show 1 (track 15)
- Tracks 2–9: 12-9-73 Show 2 (tracks 1–8)
- Total length: 58:25
Disc three
- Tracks 1–3: 12-9-73 Show 2 (tracks 9-11)
- Tracks 4–8: 12-10-73 Show 1 (tracks 1–4)
- Total length: 74:57
Disc four
- Tracks 1–11: 12-10-73 Show 1 (tracks 5–16)
- Tracks 12–17: 12-10-73 Show 2 (tracks 1–6)
- Total length: 67:50
Disc five
- Tracks 1–11 12-10-73 Show 2 (tracks 7–17)
- Total length: 62:46
Disc six
- Tracks 1: 12-10-73 Show 2 (track 18)
- Tracks 2–15: Bonus Section 1 (tracks 1–14)
- Total length: 70:31
Disc seven
- Tracks 1–10: Bonus Section 2: 12-8-73 Sound Check/Film Shoot (tracks 1–10)
- Total length: 64:41
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocals, percussion, original producer
- George Duke – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- Tom Fowler – bass
- Ruth Underwood – percussion
- Bruce Fowler – trombone, dancing (?)
- Napoleon Murphy Brock – tenor sax, flute, lead vocals
- Ralph Humphrey – drums, percussion
- Chester Thompson – drums, percussion
Also featuring
edit- Jeff Simmons – dialog on "Dummy Up"
- Pamela Des Barres – dancing
- Carl Franzoni – dancing
- Brenda – dancing
Technical personnel
edit- Kerry McNabb – recording engineer at The Roxy shows and "That Arrogant Dick Nixon"
- Bob Hughes – recording engineer at Bolic Studios
- Doug Graves – recording engineer at Bolic Studios
- Craig Parker Adams – audio restoration, re-mix, mastering
- Bob Stone – digital re-mix engineer (Bolic Studios)
- Ahmet Zappa – producer for release
- Joe Travers – producer for release, liner notes
- Jen Jewel Brown – liner notes
- Dave Alvin – liner notes
References
edit- ^ "The Roxy Performances Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ "Zappa's Roxy Box". Santa Fe New Mexican. July 6, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Frank Zappa's Legendary 1973 "The Roxy Performances" Captured on Definitive 7-CD Boxed Set Due 2/2". Glide Magazine. December 18, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "The Roxy Performances". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Roxy Performances". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Roxy Performances". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Roxy Performances". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Roxy Performances". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Roxy Performances". Information Is Not Knowledge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.