Digging this Zappa Performance

[ram]

A friend of mine (a huge Zappa fan) related a similar story to me at about that time period. Man wouldn't Frank have loved what is happening on the internet right now with music!??!?

[atomic_punk]

Well, Frank was signed to Warner Bros. Records. He had 4 albums of music that he wanted to put out called Lather (pronounced Leather), and Warner refused to release it. They were scared of a 4 album set. It had everything from live stuff to rock stuff and experimental stuff on it. He went to Mercury and they did test pressings of it and he was going to release it Halloween 1977, but Warner blocked it.

He went on KROQ in Los Angeles and said, here is my album, record it off the radio (can you imagine an artist doing this today??? or a radio station playing a 4 album set in its entirety?) because Warner will not put it out. This started a lawsuit between Frank and Warners that would end up ruining their working relationship and a ton of bad mouthing for Warners.

As a result of the lawsuit, Warner issued most of the material from Lather in 3 separate albums,(without Frank's consent) Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan, and Orchestral Favorites. Frank did not promote these records and unfortunately, neither did Warners. Warner also released Zappa in New York, a double live album (which is great) to effectively end his deal with them.
In the middle section of a song on there (which I can't put the title here, something and beer) he talks to the devil and says he is not afraid of him because he was signed to Warner Bros. for 4 f****ing years!)

Eventually Zappa records issued Lather on CD as it was originally intended after Frank had passed away.

[just_bassics]

Thanks Steve! That was so long ago I was wondering if I really remembered it correctly. I guess a few brain cells did survive the 70's and the Navy!