The Frank Zappa Bestselling LP, ‘Apostrophe (’),’ Resurfaces as a Box Set: Review
by Jeff Burger
Frank Zappa isn’t a name you’d ordinarily associate with hit-making, but this esoteric artist did occasionally flirt with commercial success, most notably on 1974’s Apostrophe (’). The album climbed to #10—his best showing ever—and spent 43 weeks on the Billboard charts. It also earned gold certification and yielded Zappa’s first chart single, “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow,” which made it to #86.
Just why this album provided somewhat of a commercial breakthrough isn’t clear. As the single’s title may suggest, Zappa hasn’t abandoned puerile humor in his lyrics here (and that might be a deal-breaker for some listeners, though the satire is a bit sharper and more understated than on earlier releases). Nor does he make any musical compromises to the mainstream; like his previous albums, Apostrophe (’) offers a complex and challenging sonic brew that incorporates jazz, rock, avant-garde and other influences. Perhaps more people were simply discovering the impressive songwriting and musicianship that he and his cohorts had been offering all along.
Related: Our review of Zappa’s Over-Nite Sensation
Now, the fan base could grow a bit larger, because, like such Zappa albums as 200 Motels and Over-Nite Sensation, Apostrophe (‘) has been vastly expanded from its original 32-minute length to mark the 50th anniversary of its release. While the original LP contains nine numbers and clocks in at 32 minutes, the new five-CD-plus-Blu-ray edition, released on Sept. 13, 2024, makes room for 66 tracks and has a playing time of well over five hours. (Vinyl and digital versions with varying contents are also available.) A copiously illustrated 52-page booklet offers discographic information, lyrics and extensive notes by U.K.-based writer Simon Prentis.
In addition to nine outtakes and other bonus tracks, disc one offers a new remaster of the original LP, whose instrumental title cut features Derek and the Dominos drummer Jim Gordon and Cream bassist Jack Bruce. (Also on the album are such jazz greats as keyboardist George Duke and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.) Other highlights include “Cosmik Debris,” which incorporates background vocals by Tina Turner and the Ikettes, and the bluesy “Stink-Foot,” which was inspired by a Dr. Scholls foot-spray advertisement.
Discs two and three add a contemporaneous concert from Colorado Springs, Colo., that repeats only one number from Apostrophe (‘). Instead of featuring material from the current LP, Zappa serves up such earlier creations as “Uncle Meat” and “The Idiot Bastard Son” and unveils new material, including “Is There Anything Good Inside of You?” and “Florentine Pogen.”
A 1974 show from Dayton, Ohio, dominates the last two CDs; again, Zappa mostly eschews compositions from the then-current album, though “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and one other track from the LP make an appearance. Bonus numbers include the single version of “Yellow Snow,” which unlike most singles is longer than the album rendition, and a TV ad for Apostrophe (’).
The Blu-ray delivers several high-resolution versions of the original record, among them Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD surround sound, and a 1974 quad mix.
The boxed set is available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
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