I picked up Fillmore East today - this one was a given for the inclusion of "Willie The Pimp Pt. 2" (yes, I bought a CD for two minutes of music ). Brought it home, popped in the old Ryko version for a few minutes, then switched to the new one. Didn't hear much of a difference.

So I went to plan B - popped the old version into my DVD player, cued up "Peaches En Regalia" on both and hit play at the same time. Listened to the old one first, then switched to the new version.

Oh yeah. There it is. There's actually a pretty prominent difference. The Ryko is much heavier on the high end, lighter in lows and mids - I said to my wife that it sounded like it was mastered by someone who'd lost some high frequency hearing. In comparison, the new one sounds much more present in the bass and mids. The vocals seem more prominent as opposed to being somewhat washed out on the Ryko. There's a smoothness to the new one that's not there on the old.

That said, I hesitate to ascribe this improvement to all of the new remasters, but I'll be picking up more.

There *should* also be less reverb on the new disc of Fillmore East (easy way to check: the percussion at the beginning of "Tears Begin to Fall").

I am really looking forward to Grand Wazoo and Waka Jawaka.

Life is such a blur - did not know these came out yet...anyway, Collector's Corner (sic) catalogue came in and had listed at 10.9*/ disc.

Good call - less reverb there, at least in that section. And the first drum hit is now on the final track instead of in the last two seconds of the previous track.

Ab Free is pretty damn stellar. It matches the Verve EQ, though, so those used to the treblier sound of the Ryko CD are probably in for a shock.

They were all in my mailbox when I got home. I wasn't planning on getting all 12, but a different site had a very good price (that Amazon didn't match), so I went for it.

I think Freak Out is almost up there with Ogden's Nut Gone Flake for most owned CD copies. A pre-Ryko import version (listed as Zappa Records), 1st Ryko, 2nd Ryko, 4 disc MOFO, 2 disc MOFO, and now this....(and I'm guessing Freak Out is one of the new discs there won't be improvement on).

I noticed the catalog numbering for these go in order from 1-14 skipping 7 (between Uncle Meat and Hot Rats) and 13 (between Fillmore and LA). I guess 13 was/is 200 Motels.....drawing a blank on 7. I hope 200 Motels is reissued at some point.

7 will be Mothermania

These 12 all sound GREAT! Great graphics.

I'll get the next 12 on the 21st

60 titles on 56 releases

my guess

LSO I and LSO II on one

Joe's Garage 1 & Joe's Garage 2 & 3 on one set

The three Shut Up N Play releases in one set

that saves 1 + 1 + 2 = 4 less titles

will skip

The LSO's
the Perfect Stranger
Orch Favorites
Franciso
Jazz From Hell

The section of Lumpy Gravy that shifts to mono on the Ryco releases is still in mono (starts around 1:48

Chunga's Revenge sounds stellar



I thought I'd feel guilty buying these a third time over on cd (not counting doubles on each vinyl) but I don't.

These are the Mothers and Zappa that changed the way I heard music.

I will buy Orchestral Favorites......it was actually one of earliest albums I heard after discovering Frank in 1979, and helped me gain appreciation to start listening to other modern Classical music. It may not be in my top 10 FZ albums, but does have a special place in my mind.....might as well rebuy all the re-issued Lather stuff anyway. (I will skip LSO/Voulez/Jazz Hell though).

I saw Gail answered a few more questions......looks like (from non-answer) no 200 Motels album but Mystery Disc, Lost Episodes, and Have I Offended Someone will.

I saw mention on another site that on Sheik Yerbouti, the end of I'm So Cute is being restored.

I'm also wondering about Sleep Dirt.....one of the more ruined mixes on CD.

How is the packaging on these?

Hard plastic cases.

Graphics either just the same as previous releases or slight variations with Zappa Record labels/Mustache logo/a couple of new logos.

The ones from analog masters all sound better - AF/HR/CR/WRMF/BWS/FE1971/JABFLA - a WHOLE LOT BETTER!

The REMASTERED TITLES:
Absolutely Free
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Chunga’s Revenge
Fillmore East, June 1971
Just Another Band From L.A.
Waka/Jawaka
The Grand Wazoo
Over-nite Sensation
Apostrophe(‘)
One Size Fits All
Bongo Fury
Zoot Allures
Studio Tan
Sleep Dirt
Sheik Yerbouti
Joe’s Garage Acts 1, 2 & 3
Tinseltown Rebellion
Shut Up ‘N Play Yer Guitar
You Are What You Is
Them or Us

They were all in my mailbox when I got home. I wasn't planning on getting all 12, but a different site had a very good price (that Amazon didn't match), so I went for it


What site was it that had a better price than Amazon? Would love to finally pick up all of the titles that
are coming available, and many out here too would like to do the same as you and save $$$ in these
very inflationary times...

Also, anyone know of a good source to get a hold of Mobile Fidelity as well as Audio Fidelity cheaper
than the usual steap prices Amazon and some of the specialty hi end stereo catalog places command?

That (I'm assuming) same different site with the very good price (that Amazon didn't match) has the same very good price right now for Overnight Sensation, Apostrophe', Roxy, and Sheik Yerbouti. I ordered those and will hope they drop some of the others next week before placing more orders.

I decided (for now) I'm going to buy everything up through Them Or Us (minus the non-rock albums except for Orcheastral Favorites). Afterwards, everything is probably the same mix, and I need to watch some money......I can't see right now, for instance, rebuying all 6 Volumes of YCDTOSA at $20+ each when they'll probably sound the same. (Maybe Volume 2 since it's a great complete show).

Folks, afaik it's ok to mention the site's name. I have no idea who you're talking about. While Amazon revenue does help Linda pay for this board, I've never heard that we're not allowed to id competitors with better prices.

There's a PayPal donate button at the bottom of every page if you guys ever feel weird about purchasing CDs from elsewhere. (Donations and purchases made through our Amazon links are the only ways we have of affording IMWAN's hosting costs and maintenance.)

New question: which version of Sleep Dirt?

non-vocals - original vinyl version.

n general, the albums worth repurchasing are ones that are new analog transfers, although this is not strictly true for all discs.

Warning: Some of this content is still speculative. Not all of the differences are as-yet accounted for (because not all of the discs are out yet, although everything is currently available on iTunes. Also, because this is intended as a quick reference, artwork differences and super-minor differences are generally not accounted for.

Album-by-Album List
Legend: Green means buy. Blue means buy, but keep your old disc, too. Purple means we're uncertain. Red means don't bother. Albums are listed in date order and may become prettier later on.

Freak Out!: Same as the old CDs. The vinyl mix is on MoFo (either version).
Absolutely Free: A huge upgrade and a new transfer; the tape shows its age, but whatever. No more reverb!
We're Only In It For the Money: Same as the 1995 CD.
Lumpy Gravy: Same as the 1995 CD (with the mono glitch, unfortunately).
Cruising with Ruben and the Jets: Same as the old CDs. The vinyl mix is on Greasy Love Songs.
Uncle Meat: Same as the old CDs (exception: those with the old Zappa Records disc will find this to be a slight upgrade, but any old Ryko would be the same upgrade). The vinyl version has not been on CD.
Hot Rats: Reverts to the original vinyl mix for the first time--essential. But keep your old disc for the remix.
Burnt Weeny Sandwich: New remaster; eliminates the reverb and restores the "Little House" intro. Get it!
Weasels Ripped My Flesh: New remaster, fixing (among other things) the bad right channel. Your old disc (any) is essential for some slightly extended versions.
Chungas's Revenge: New remaster. Removes the digital reverb and fixes the right channel. Great!
Fillmore East, 1971: New remaster. Removes reverb and echo and restores "Willie the Pimp Pt. 2."
Just Another Band from LA: New remaster. Removes reverb and fixes the stereo spectrum.
200 Motels: N/A; not yet available (nor obviously planned for release).
Over-Nite Sensation: We're not sure yet.
Apostrophe: Reverts to the original stereo mix (all non-Au20 CDs are made from the quad mix with added processing). May be the Au20 transfer or may be a new digital transfer.
Roxy and Elsewhere: Same as the old CDs. Find a first-version Barking Pumpkin or a Zappa Records CD for the original mix of "Cheepnis," which is replaced here by a remix.
One Size Fits All: Probably reverts to the original vinyl version (no added reverb), but we're not sure yet; this may be the Au20 master.
Bongo Fury: Not sure yet, but probably reverts to the LP version (no added reverb, fixed right channel).
Zoot Allures: New remaster, probably; no more reverb and with the intro to "Disco Boy" restored.
Zappa In New York: iTunes samples suggest that this is the same as the previous CDs.
Studio Tan: We're not sure yet, but scuttlebutt suggests a new master.
Sleep Dirt: New remaster. NO VOCALS, nor any Chad Wackerman. Keep your old disc for the "Hutchentoot" vocal tracks and the Regyptian remix.
Sheik Yerbouti: New remaster (we think) that fixes right-channel problems and restores I'm So Cute.
Orchestral Favorites: Not sure yet.
Joe's Garage: Not sure yet.
Tinsel-Town Rebellion: Alleged to be a new master that is more faithful to the original vinyl than the 1998 version. This may be definitive, but we're awaiting a listen.
Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar: Uncertain. Reverts to two CDs.
You Are What You Is: Alleged to be a new master that is more faithful to the original vinyl (e.g. through segues rather than edits) than the 1998 version. This may be definitive, but we're awaiting a listen.
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch: No info.
The Man From Utopia: Clips suggest that this is the same as the remix on the old, non-EMI CDs.
Baby Snakes: Uncertain.
LSO: This was a digital recording and is probably the same as the 1995 CD. Earlier CDs contained a different mix of the relevant performances.
The Perfect Stranger: Not sure yet.
Them Or Us: Conditional. Fixes the right-channel audio problems and reverts to the first version of "Them Or Us," but we don't know how it compares to the old Ryko/EMI CDs. Probably worth an upgrade for most people, but hang on to your old disc for the extended "Them Or Us."
Thing-Fish: Signs suggest that this is the most "recent" version of the album, so you don't need to purchase this if you have any disc released after 1990.
Francesco Zappa: Unsure.
Mothers of Prevention: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different (from the 1995, at least; earlier versions were slightly different).
Does Humor Belong in Music: Probably the same as the 1995 disc, but with the 1980s cover. Those with only the old EMI disc may want to grab it, as it's a different mix.
Jazz from Hell: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Guitar: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
"Stage" Series: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Broadway the Hard Way: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Best Band: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different (although the old Barking Pumpkin and 1995 Ryko had different EQ).
Make a Jazz Noise Here: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Playground Psychotics: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Ahead of Their Time: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
The Yellow Shark: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Have I Offended Someone?: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
The Lost Episodes: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.
Mystery Disc: Unsure, but unlikely to be any different.

t is being reported that that the following CDs also have the "Grand Rights Project/Object" logo on the album art....

The Grand Wazoo
Zoot Allures
Roxy
Over-nite Sensation
Sleep Dirt
Sheik Yerbouti
Joe's Garage
Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar
You Are What You Is

that in in addition to
Absolutely Free
Uncle Meat
Hot Rats

That means all of them might get an expanded set release.