A MESSAGE FROM THE ORIGINAL MAINTAINER: There are a number of compositions that have never seen the light of day in terms of an official Zappa release. There are also a number of albums which were recorded, mixed, mastered and for all practical purposes completed before Zappa's death that for some reason remain unreleased. I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping this list gets shorter over time. —Patrick Neve
Unreleased Albums
Albums that are going to be released
This album was apparently completed by Zappa himself and is ready for release. However, no actual release date has been announced yet:
There are two major recordings that Frank did before he died. That were made in the last year of his life along with "200 Motels," [Civilization Phaze III?] and "Trance-Fusion" which have already been released. There's a recording of the music of Edgard Varése which was recorded in July and August of 1993. Then there is "Dance Me This" [released June 19, 2015] which will be out though Zappa Records. That was, I think, among the last of the four records that Frank finished that were on his list. I don't know how that works for someone who is prolific like that. "Okay, here are the albums that I want to finish."
Apart from those three, these albums and other projects have been announced recently (2002-2003) in the FAQ sections of zappa.com either as being on the works, soon to be released, or just mentioned in some way, but not necessarily prepared by FZ himself, although you never know:
- The Lost Episodes Volume Two ("Yes, there will be and there is")
- Petite Wazoo ("2 finished CD projects with a possible special vinyl edition.") [Both have been released since: Imaginary Diseases (2006) and Little Dots (2016)]
- Synclavier ("Of the more than 400 compositions in various stages of completion in the Synclavier, certain ones will be completed by Dweezil, perhaps Todd and others of them in other & various ways.")
- Beat The Boots ("We hope they will be rereleased. And you can expect a new batch.") [They have been re-released as download items and a third one has been available at Amazon.com]
- 200 motels performed in Amsterdam 2000 ("a tiny maybe") [Finally they released the one performed in Los Angeles in 2013]
- Videos ("All HONKER is slated for DVD but of the "old" videos there are possibly 2 contenders.")
- Roxy DVD ("countdown has begun.") [Released in 2015]
- American Dissident ("Yes.")
- Yellow Shark ("Yes.")
- The Rage and the Fury ("Yes.")
Albums that were not released and probably never will be
No Commercial Potential
No Commercial Potential definitely exists in the vault, but it was one of those things where—from what I've noticed from the transfers that I've made—it's one of those projects that starts out very strong and then as it gets going it kind of falls apart. In other words, it wasn't really completely finished. But a lot of material that was on No Commercial Potential ended up being on Uncle Meat—definitely Cruising With Ruben & The Jets and Uncle Meat, like there's a lot of stuff from there. But there's also things on there that didn't make any of those records like that Toronto interview, there's a bunch of recordings of Bunk, Motorhead, Don Preston and Jimmy Carl Black in the studio and they're improvising dialog. So that dialog is used as links in between songs. [...] And also too featured like it's not just a link but it's literally like minutes of that.
Check the Zappa Patio for a complete list of this.
Unidentified and/or Unreleased Recordings
Recently, Greg Russo researched the Musician's Local 47 documents in L.A., and some unidentified titles popped out. Some are unreleased songs, some are working titles for known recordings, some are probably still other things:
- Brown Shoes Don't Make It (Freak Out! sessions, T.T.G. Studios, March 12, 1966) [not the Absolutely Free song, maybe another name for It Can't Happen Here]
- One For Parker Army (Freak Out! sessions, T.T.G. Studios, March 12, 1966)
- Since Cisos (Freak Out! sessions, T.T.G. Studios, March 12, 1966)
- Garbage Eaters (Absolutely Free sessions, T.T.G. Studios, November 15, 1966) [maybe Invocation And Ritual Dance Of The Young Pumpkin]
- Remember (Absolutely Free sessions, T.T.G. Studios, November 16, 1966) [prob. Duke Of Prunes]
- No Regret (Absolutely Free sessions, T.T.G. Studios, November 16, 1966) [prob. America Drinks and/or America Drinks & Goes Home]
- If You Like Chickens (Absolutely Free sessions, T.T.G. Studios, November 16, 1966) [prob. Toads Of The Short Forest]
- Sunday (Lumpy Gravy sessions, Capitol Studios, February 13, 1967) [prob. Oh No]
- Natasha (Hot Rats sessions, T.T.G. Studios, July 22, 1969) [Little Umbrellas]
- Hot Rats (Jean-Luc Ponty's King Kong sessions, Whitney Studios, October 6, 1969) [prob. Music For Electric Violin And Low Budget Orchestra]
- Minimal Art (Grand Wazoo sessions, Paramount, April 18, 1972)
- Roadie Music (Part One) (Over-Nite Sensation sessions, Bolic Sound, Inglewood, CA, March 19, 1973)
- Excentrifugal Forz (Over-Nite Sensation sessions, Bolic Sound, Inglewood, CA, March 20, 1973) [Echidna's Arf]
- Curse Of The Zombads (Over-Nite Sensation sessions, Bolic Sound, Inglewood, CA, March 20, 1973) [I'm The Slime]
- Excentrifugal Forz (George Duke session, Paramount, September 26, 1973) [Excentrifugal Forz or Echidna's Arf?]
- Po-Jama People (George Duke session, Paramount, September 26, 1973) [Po-Jama People?]
- Soup And Old Clothes (George Duke session, Paramount, September 26, 1973)
The "Must Record" List
I did want to comment on a few other things, such as how prepared FZ (and the band) was for the Freak Out! Sessions and how much music was just a downbeat away from being recorded—how far in advance the music was written for what would become the next several albums.
Charles Ulrich, December 29, 2006
Here is my attempt at identifying the songs:
1. Love Of My Life
2. Agency Man
3. Dog Breath
4. Electric A[unt] J[emima]
5. The Air
6. I Cried When I Died [???]
7. [I'm Gonna] Bust His Head
8. Remember [= Duke Of Prunes?]
9. For You I Would Do [= Anything]
10. Desiree [= Deseri]
11. Charva
12. I Could Be A Slave [aka No Matter What You Do]
13. Groupie Bang Bang
14. Jelly Roll Gum Drop
15. I'm So Real [???]
16. Alcohol + Razor Blades [???]
17. Tore To The Core [??? title phrase occurs in Valarie on Our Man In Nirvana]
18. My Guitar Wants To Kill You [= ...Kill Your Mama?]
19. 48 Weeps [= Tiny Sick Tears?]
20. Any Way [The Wind Blows] (new version)
21. Love Will Make Your ? [???]
22. Fountain Of Love
23. Got Enuff [???]
24. [How Could I Be Such A] Fool[?]
25. [You Didn't Try To] Call Me
26. [I Ain't Got] No Heart
27. I'm Not [Satisfied]
1. [Mr.] Green Genes
2. Shortly [= Holiday In Berlin]
9. Okie Dokie [Stomp (Clarence Gatemouth Brown)]
8. Khaki Sack [recorded 3/10/70]
7. Transition [= Twenty Small Cigars]
10. Chicken Soda [concept comes from a movie idea]
3. Dog Breath Variant. [Variations]
4. 2 dr. rhythm track [???]
5. Variant #1 [???]
x. Lonely Little Girl
x. Idiot Bastard
6. Orange County [Lumber Truck]
Charles Ulrich, December 29, 2006
Is it really possible that this list comes from before Freak Out!, as Gail suggests?
Biffyshrew, December 29, 2006
"96 Tears" wasn't a hit until September 1966.
Román, December 29, 2006
And also, regarding "Agency Man," didn't Reagan became Governor in 1967 anyway? I don't think the Mothers were so ahead of their time to make a song about Reagan in early 1966.
Charles Ulrich, December 29, 2006
5. Variant #1 [???]
Could this be "Regyptian Strut"???
In "The Complete History of Last Week's Mothers of Invention/Hot Rats/Grand Wazoo," it was referred to as "Variant 1 Processional March".
The age of the 'must record' list is less certain than I have assumed, so there is a remote possibility that (1) the Variant #1 listed there is not the same piece as [Burt Ward's] Variant #1/The Comedian, and (2) the latter is not composed by FZ after all—even if it sits in the vault.
Yeah, I'm convinced that [the list] dates from the time of the CWRATJ/Uncle Meat sessions.
