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The first hit album of Frank Zappa‘s career, Apostrophe (‘), will be expanded into a comprehensive box set for its 50th anniversary. Available in a variety of formats on Sept. 13, the reissue in its most extravagant form, a super deluxe edition, will feature a remastered edition of the original album with bonus tracks, live recordings from Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, and Dayton from 1974, and a Blu-ray that includes the album in 5.1 surround sound and its original quadrophonic mix in addition to high-res audio.
The release, available to preorder now, will also come out as a double-vinyl set with an extra 7″ single; the LPs will be pressed to white vinyl with “yellow-snow splatter,” punning off the album’s lead track, “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.” The 7″ reproduces the original “Yellow Snow” single on yellow-snow glow-in-the-dark vinyl. There’s also a single-disc version of the LP, as well as a digital release.
The super deluxe edition includes a 52-page booklet containing previously unseen photos by the photographer who shot the cover, Sam Emerson, alongside liner notes and essays by journalist Simon Prentis and the Zappa estate’s “vaultmeister” Joe Travers.
“Here we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of arguably the most popular record in Frank Zappa’s epic catalog,” Travers said in a statement. “With Apostrophe (‘), Zappa continued to carve out his own genre in music, while celebrating 10 years in the business. Nobody sounded like Frank Zappa.”
A new mix of the Apostrophe (‘) deep cut, “Uncle Remus (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024),” contains only George Duke’s piano and the voices of Zappa and the backup singers. On the song, Zappa sings about the racial divide in Los Angeles, describing a journey to Beverly Hills to knock over lawn jockeys while invoking the folk character featured in Disney’s controversial movie, Song of the South.
The live recordings capture concerts from the beginning and end of 1974, demonstrating how the music evolved on the road. Highlights from the Colorado Springs show include the rarely played “Babbette,” which connects to “Approximate,” while the Dayton concert features Zappa with a somewhat different lineup of musicians.
Apostrophe (‘) was Zappa’s first gold album and the only one to make it into the Top 10, though his previous album, 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation which featured the Mothers of Invention, was also certified gold. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” was also Zappa’s first single to make it into the Hot 100, making it up to Number 86.
Apostrophe (‘) Super Deluxe Edition track list:
Disc One: Apostrophe (‘) – The Original Album – 2024 Remaster + Album Session Bonus Tracks
1. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”
2. “Nanook Rubs It”
3. “St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast”
4. “Father O’Blivion”
5. “Cosmik Debris”
6. “Excentrifugal Forz”
7. “Apostrophe’”
8. “Uncle Remus”
9. “Stink-Foot”
Album Session Bonus Tracks
10. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” (Basic Tracks / Alternate Take)
11. “Nanook Rubs It” (Basic Tracks / Outtake)
12. “Nanook Rubs It” (Session Outtake)
13. “Cosmik Debris” (Basic Tracks – Take 3)
14. “Excentrifugal Forz” (Mix Outtake)
15. “Apostrophe” (Mix Outtake)
16. “Uncle Remus” (Mix Outtake)
17. “Apostrophe’” (Unedited Master / 2024 Mix)
18. “Uncle Remus” (Piano and Vocal Mix 2024)
Disc Two: Bonus Concert 1 – Colorado Springs, CO 1974
1. “Show Start / Band Intros”
2. “Village Of the Sun”
3. “Echidna’s Arf (Of You)”
4. “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?”
5. “Babbette”
6. “Approximate”
7. “Cosmik Debris”
8. “Pygmy Twylyte”
9. “The Idiot Bastard Son”
10. “Cheepnis”
11. “Montana”
12. “Dupree’s Paradise Intro”
Disc Three: Bonus Concert 1 – Colorado Springs, CO 1974 Continued
1. “Dupree’s Paradise”
2. “Is There Anything Good Inside You?”
3. “Florentine Pogen”
4. “Kung Fu”
5. “Penguin in Bondage”
6. “T’Mershi Duween”
7. “The Dog Breath Variations”
8. “Uncle Meat”
9. “RDNZL”
10. “Medley: King Kong / Chunga’s Revenge / Son of Mr. Green Genes”
Disc Four: Early 1974 Bonus Live Track + Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974
1. “Inca Roads” – Salt Lake City, Utah – March 18, 1974 – Terrace Ballroom
Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974
2. “Tush Tush Tush (A Token of My Extreme)”
3. “Stink-Foot”
4. “RDNZL”
5. “Village of the Sun”
6. “Echidna’s Arf (Of You)”
7. “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?”
8. “Penguin in Bondage”
9. “T’Mershi Duween”
10. “The Dog Breath Variations”
11. “Uncle Meat”
12. “Building a Girl”
Disc Five: Bonus Concert 2 – Dayton, Ohio, Hara Arena, November 20, 1974 (Continued) + Bonus Tracks
1. “Dinah-Moe Humm”
2. “Camarillo Brillo”
3. “Pygmy Twylyte”
4. “Room Service”
5. “Tush Tush Tush (End Vamp)”
6. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”
7. “Nanook Rubs It”
8. “St. Alfonso’s Pancake Breakfast”
9. “Father O’Blivion”
Bonus Tracks
10. “Apostrophe TV Ad”
11. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow – Single Edit”
12. “Goteborg GTR”
13. “Approximate”
Blu-ray audio: Apostrophe (‘) – The Album Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / Dolby TrueHD 1974 Quadraphonic / 24-bit/192kHz Stereo / 24-bit/96kHz Stereo
1. “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow”
2. “Nanook Rubs It”
3. “St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast”
4. “Father O’Blivion”
5. “Cosmik Debris”
6. “Excentrifugal Forz”
7. “Apostrophe’”
8. “Uncle Remus”
9. “Stink-Foot”
