Läther

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Läther
Studio album by Frank Zappa
Released September 24, 1996
Recorded 1969; 1972–1977
Genre Rock, jazz, orchestral
Length 172:56
Label Rykodisc
Producer Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa chronology
Civilization Phaze III
(1994)		 Läther
(1996)		 Everything Is Healing Nicely
(1999)

Läther (pronounced Leather) is the twenty fifth solo studio album by Frank Zappa, released posthumously as a triple album on Rykodisc in 1996.

The album was originally delivered to Warner Bros. in 1977. Contractual obligations stipulated that Zappa deliver four albums for release on DiscReet Records, which necessitated reediting Läther as four separate albums: Zappa in New York (1977), Studio Tan (1978), Sleep Dirt (1979), and Orchestral Favorites (1979). Läther was ultimately not released until after Zappa's death.

Contents

[edit] Background

Zappa's relationship with long-time manager Herb Cohen ended in 1976. Zappa sued Cohen for skimming more than he was allocated from DiscReet Records, as well as for signing acts of which Zappa did not approve.[1] Cohen filed a lawsuit against Zappa in return, which froze the money Zappa and Cohen had gained from an out-of-court settlement with MGM over the rights of the early Mothers of Invention recordings. It also prevented Zappa having access to any of his previously recorded material during the trials. Zappa therefore took his personal master copies of the rock-oriented Zoot Allures (1976) directly to Warner Bros., thereby bypassing DiscReet.[2]

In the mid-1970s Zappa prepared material for Läther (pronounced "leather"), a four-LP project, which he intended as his "swan song" for Warner Bros.[3] Wary of a quadruple-LP, Warner Bros. Records refused to release it.[4][5] Contractual obligations stipulated that Zappa would deliver four more albums to DiscReet, thus necessitating reediting the Läther masters into four individual albums: Zappa in New York, Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt and Orchestral Favorites.[6][7][5]

Zappa managed to get an agreement with Phonogram to release Läther in its original configuration, and test pressings were made targeted at a Halloween 1977 release, but Warner Bros. prevented the release by claiming rights over the material.[8] Zappa responded by appearing on the Pasadena, California radio station KROQ, allowing them to broadcast Läther and encouraging listeners to make their own tape recordings.[9] After Warner Bros. censored Zappa in New York to remove references to Angel singer Punky Meadows, and demanding four additional albums, a lawsuit between Zappa and Warner Bros. followed, during which no Zappa material was released for more than a year. Eventually, Warner Bros. issued Studio Tan (1978), Sleep Dirt (1979), and Orchestral Favorites (1979) without Zappa's authorization and limited promotion.[6][7][5]

[edit] Music and lyrics

Läther encapsulated all the aspects of Zappa's musical styles — rock tunes, orchestral works, complex instrumentals, and Zappa's own trademark distortion-drenched guitar solos, assembled in a seemingly random way and linked with bits of odd dialogue and sound effects.[6] Only six tracks on Läther are precisely the same as the ones released on the individual DiscReet Records releases Zappa In New York, Studio Tan, Sleep Dirt and Orchestral Favorites, the remaining being either alternative mixes or unique to Läther.[6]

[edit] Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[5]

The four individual albums were not included in the third Old Masters box set released in 1987.[10] When the music was first released on CD in 1991, Zappa chose to release the four individual albums. Läther was released posthumously in 1996.[11] A "mini-LP" CD edition was also released by Rykodisc, with the artwork reformatted to resemble the sleeve of a vinyl album.[5]

Allmusic writer Richie Unterberger praised the album, but wrote that it would "appeal far more to the Zappa cultist than the general listener, though the Zappa cult -- which has been craving Läther in its original format for years -- is a pretty wide fan base in and of itself."[5]

[edit] Track listing

All songs written and composed by Frank Zappa. 

CD 1
No. Title Length
1. "Re-gyptian Strut"   4:36
2. "Naval Aviation in Art?"   1:32
3. "A Little Green Rosetta"   2:48
4. "Duck Duck Goose"   3:01
5. "Down in de Dew"   2:57
6. "For the Young Sophisticate"   3:14
7. "Tryin' to Grow a Chin"   3:26
8. "Broken Hearts Are for Assholes"   4:40
9. "The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit"   12:43
10. "Lemme Take You to the Beach"   2:46
11. "Revised Music for Guitar & Low Budget Orchestra"   7:36
12. "RDNZL"   8:14
Total length:
 57:36
CD 2
No. Title Length
1. "Honey, Don't You Want a Man Like Me?"   4:56
2. "The Black Page #1"   1:57
3. "Big Leg Emma"   2:11
4. "Punky's Whips"   11:06
5. "Flambe"   2:05
6. "The Purple Lagoon"   16:22
7. "Pedro's Dowry"   7:45
8. "Läther"   3:50
9. "Spider of Destiny"   2:40
10. "Duke of Orchestral Prunes"   4:21
Total length:
 57:17
CD 3
No. Title Length
1. "Filthy Habits"   7:12
2. "Titties 'n Beer"   5:23
3. "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution"   8:32
4. "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary"   21:00
5. "Regyptian Strut" (1993) 4:42
6. "Leather Goods"   6:01
7. "Revenge of the Knick Knack People"   2:25
8. "Time Is Money"   3:04
Total length:
 58:24

[edit] Personnel

Disc One, Track 1
Disc One, Track 2; Disc Two, Track 7 & 10
Disc One, Track 3 (part One)
Disc One, Track 3 (Part Two)
Disc One, Track 4 (Part One), 7 & 8; Disc Two, Track 1; Disc Three Track 6
Disc One, Track 5
Disc One, Track 6
Disc One, Track 9; Disc Two, Track 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8; Disc Three, Track 2
Disc One, Track 10
Disc One, Track 11; Disc Three, Track 4
Disc One, Track 12; Disc Three, Track 8
Disc Two, Track 5 & 9
Disc Three, Track 1
Disc Three, Track 3
Disc Three, Track 5
Production credits
  • Digital Mastering & EQ – Spencer Chrislu
  • Transfer Engineers – David Dondorf, Spencer Chrislu
  • Vaultmeisterment – Joe Travers
  • Bonues Section Assembly, Edits & Mastering – Spencer Chrislu
  • Cover Concept – Dweezil Zappa
  • Forward Motion – Gail Zappa
  • Deep-dish Descriptions – Simon Prentis
  • Cover Execution & Layout Design – Steven Jurgensmeyer

[edit] References

  1. ^ Miles, 2004, Frank Zappa, p. 250.
  2. ^ Miles, 2004, Frank Zappa, p. 253; pp. 258–259.
  3. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=wAcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA15&dq=zappa+lather&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0dggT8uvO6bMsQLxlsDDCQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=zappa%20lather&f=false
  4. ^ Lowe, 2006, The Words and Music of Frank Zappa, p. 131.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Unterberger, R. (2011 [last update]). "Läther - Frank Zappa | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r240962/review. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
  6. ^ a b c d Zappa, Gail (1996). Album notes for Läther by Frank Zappa. Rykodisc.
  7. ^ a b Miles, 2004, Frank Zappa, p. 267.
  8. ^ Miles, 2004, Frank Zappa, p. 261.
  9. ^ Slaven, 2003, Electric Don Quixote, p. 248.
  10. ^ Ruhlmann, W. (2011 [last update]). "The Old Masters Box 3 [PQRSTUVW] - Frank Zappa & the Mothers | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r53145. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
  11. ^ It remains debated whether Zappa had conceived the material as a four-LP set from the beginning, or only when approaching Mercury-Phonogram; see, e.g., Watson, 2005, Frank Zappa. The Complete Guide to His Music, p. 49. In the liner notes to the 1996 release, however, Gail Zappa states that "As originally conceived by Frank, Läther was always a 4-record box set."
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