QuAUDIOPHILIAc

From Los Angeles Times (July 11, 2004):

Archivist Joe Travers has been combing through the tapes for material that could be released, and Dweezil is marshaling a remix program to put both previously released and new discoveries in state-of-the-art surround sound for a parallel release program.

The latter will be introduced with Quadropheliac, essentially an audio documentary being made from unreleased tapes on which the elder Zappa experimented with surround-type recording in the mid-'70s. At this point the material will be released only as hard-copy CDs, not as digital downloads - the Zappas believe the technology is too limited to do the music justice.

From CD Universe (c. August 20, 2004):

Quaudiophiliac
Frank Zappa
Label Digital Sound
CDU Part# 6764466
Catalog# 1125
#Media 1
Street Date Sep 14, 2004

From DTS Entertainment (c. August 20, 2004):

QuAUDIOPHILIAc

Frank Zappa: "QuAUDIOPHILIAc"

TRACK INFORMATION:
1.

ADITIONAL ALBUM INFORMATION:
Genre: Rock
Label: DTS Entertainment
5.1 Producer: Dweezil Zappa
5.1 Mixed by: Frank Zappa & Dweezil Zappa
UPC: 692860112599

OVERVIEW:
Description:
Audio Options: 5.1 MLP for DVD-Audio Players; 5.1 DTS for DTS-Capable systems; 2.0 PCM for all DVD-Video players
Artist Background:

From Kill Ugly Radio (August 20, 2004):

GZ: "Not a hunch, not a rumor. We have announced a DVD-Audio release. It is scheduled for a street date of 14 September on DTS label. It is surround sound and is made up of tracks originally mixed/recorded by FZ during the 70's. It is essentially an audio documentary of ideas by FZ about quad and 4 channel mixes and multichannel recordings. Dweezil tweezed these items into a full on program now entitled QuAUDIOPHILIAc. Obviously, it will not translate on ordinary radio."

From DVD4Music.com (c. August 26, 2004):

Title: Frank Zappa : QuAUDIOPHILIAc - DVD-Audio

QuAUDIOPHILIAc

Artist: Frank Zappa
Region: N/A
Sound: 24 Bit 96 khz
Screen Format:

Tracklisting :

Naval Aviation in Art?
Lumpy Gravy
RoIlo
Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay
Wild Love
Ship Ahoy
Chunga Basement
Venusion Time Bandits
Waka/Jawaka
Basement Music #2

Frank Zappa famously remixed much of his early 1970's material Quadrophonically, with the usual breathtaking sonic quality that he became world-famous for. QuAUDIOPHILIAc is the Holy Grail from these sessions for Zappa fans and completists around the world, presenting previously unreleased tracks alongside re-mixed and re-edited material from the huge FZ back-catalogue, from Lumpy Gravy and Chunga's Revenge to Sheik Yerbouti, Joe's Garage and Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar - all in spectacular Quadrophonic Surround!

From Zappa.com (c. September 3, 2004):

QuAUDIOPHILIAc

QuAUDIOPHILIAc
Dweezil (5 September birthday) Zappa along with FZ, produced this Fabulous Surround Sound release scheduled for 14 September street date on DTS label.

DVD-AUDIO

From Acoustic Sounds Inc. (c. September 6, 2004):

QuAUDIOPHILIAc
Frank Zappa

Label: DTS Entertainment
Genre: Rock
Product No.: CDTS 1125
Availability: Back Ordered
Format: DVD Audio

" . . . Some people are wise and some people are otherwise. My father, Frank Zappa, was certainly both. He was a composer who arranged tones textures and rhythms in a way that was certainly unique as we all know, but he was also uniquely inspired by sound itself. This audio protein wafer that you are now clutching contains scientific proof that nuggets do exist . . . To make a long story short, this disc is an audio documentary of Frank Zappa's multichannel recordings and mixes from 1970 to 1978. I did not sequence it chronologically. Instead, I chose to create an interludicrous journey that we could all experience together. There are a few modern elements that I have added to make tidy segues like the one where I superimposed an old quote of Frank discussing the record business over a never heard until now alternate arrangement of 'Easter Hay.' But otherwise, what you hear is what Frank was thinking about more than 30 years ago. It's clear he was way ahead of the curve." - Dweezil, from the album's liner notes

Track Listings
1. Naval Aviation in Art?
2. Lumpy Gravy
3. Rollo
4. Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay
5. Wild Love
6. Ship Ahoy
7. Chunga Basement
8. Venusian Time Bandits
9. Waka/Jawaka
10. Basement Music #2

From DTS Online (September 10, 2004):

DTS Entertainment Releases Frank Zappa's "QuAUDIOPHILIAc," Featuring Zappa's Multi-Channel Surround Mixes Circa 1970-1978

After 30 Years, Technology Catches Up With Multi-Channel Pioneer

DTS (Digital Theater Systems, Inc.) (Nasdaq: DTSI) entertainment label, DTS Entertainment (DTSE,) announces the release of QuAUDIOPHILIAc by Frank Zappa. The DVD-Audio disc is an audiophile documentary featuring various multi-channel recordings and mixes produced by the Composer throughout the 1970s.

These vintage mixes were culled from the Vault by Zappa Family Vaultmeister Joe Travers. At UMRK, Dweezil Zappa then constructed the sequence and produced the program now known as QuAUDIOPHILIAc for release. QuAUDIOPHILIAc debuts previously unreleased performances, both live and from the studio, of compositions such as "Rollo" and "Venusian Time Bandits," and features experimental multi-channel recordings from Zappa's basement, as early as 1970. The DVD-A includes tracks from Sheik Yerbouti, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar and Orchestral Favorites superbly mixed in surround. QuAUDIOPHILIAc is licensed in cooperation with the Zappa Family Trust and FZ's Barking Pumpkin label (www.zappa.com). DTS Entertainment previously released the first Zappa DVD-Audio release, Halloween, in 2003.

"From his quadrophonic releases in the early '70s, through the multi-channel theatrical mix of his 1979 film Baby Snakes, Frank Zappa was a passionate advocate for surround sound," said Jeff Skillen, Vice President of DTS Entertainment. "We are proud and excited to continue our relationship with the Zappa family, and to bring these incredible, ground-breaking recordings to the world. We hope that the release of QuAUDIOPHILIAc will help raise awareness of the greatness, staying power and relevance of Frank Zappa's music, as well as give the public a thrilling new surround music experience."

The QuAUDIOPHILIAc surround sound DVD-Audio disc includes:

"Frank surrounded himself in music whenever and wherever possible. He was always pushing the envelope of what was possible given his available tools and inventive concepts gleaned from years of experimenting with all manner of the recording experience -- from the type of microphone and its placement to the waveform of the mix itself. For him, anything was possible subject only to the budget and this idea extended well beyond the studio. The only place where this restriction could not deter him was in his imagination," said Gail Zappa. "Having said that, Dweezil is no slouch in the studio either."

"I am continuously intrigued by Frank's music and the way he composed and recorded it. Having the opportunity to hear some of my favorite songs that were formerly in stereo but now in surround is really exciting," said Dweezil Zappa. As he explains in the liner notes, QuAUDIOPHILIAc is "an interludicrous journey that we could all experience together."

Official FZ Biography: Frank Zappa, American Composer, fl. 1940-1993
Frank Zappa was a Composer, Musician, Guitarist, Record Producer, Filmmaker, Author, Bandleader, Philosopher, Social Commentator and Observer, Patriot, Humorist, Satirist, Dadaist, Absurdist. He did not write the Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin.

From www.zappa.com (September 14, 2004)
  1. Naval Aviation In Art? 1:34 (*1979)
  2. Lumpy Gravy 1:05
  3. Rollo 6:00
  4. Drooling Midrange Accountants on Easter Hay 2:15
  5. Wild Love 4:07 (*1979)
  6. Ship Ahoy 5:47 (*1981)
  7. Chunga Basement 11:48
  8. Venusian Time Bandits 1:54
  9. Waka/Jawaka 13:23 (*1972 & 2004)
  10. Basement Music #2 2:43

TOTAL TIME: 50:37

Produced by Frank Zappa & Dweezil Zappa

From CD Universe (September 14, 2004):

Frank Zappa - Multi-Channel Project
Frank Zappa

Availability: Usually ships in 1 day

From: elswinger (alt.fan.frank-zappa, September 15, 2004)

I have it in my hands now, but won't get to listen to it until
tomorrow night. The liner notes say it was recorded between 1970 and
1978. The first three tracks are from the Orchestral Favorites shows
at UCLA in 1975. One of the tracks (Ship Ahoy) was recorded at the
Osaka show in 1976. Only one song (Wild Love) has vocals. The
earliest track from 1970 is the first attempt at Chunga's Revenge
(then titled "Dweezil" according to the liner notes.

 

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