Mystery Disc

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Mystery Disc
Compilation album by Frank Zappa
Released	September 14, 1998
Recorded	1963–1972
Genre	Experimental rock,[1] hard rock,[1] progressive rock,[1] art rock[1]
Length	77:44
Label	Rykodisc
Producer	Frank Zappa
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Frank Zappa chronology
Strictly Genteel (1997) Mystery Disc (1998) Everything Is Healing Nicely (1999)

Mystery Disc is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. It was released on CD in 1998, compiling tracks that were originally released on two separate vinyl records and included in the mail order Old Masters box sets, which were released in three volumes between 1985 and 1987. (These box sets, issued on Barking Pumpkin, contained repressings of Zappa's albums from Freak Out! (1966) to Zoot Allures (1976), along with a 'Mystery Disc' in boxes one and two.) The CD omits two tracks from the box sets, "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma", both of which were included on the CD version of Absolutely Free (1967).

The recordings featured on Mystery Disc cover the early stages of Zappa's career, and were made between 1962 and 1969 (with the exception of "The Story of Willie the Pimp", a 1972 'field recording'). The material overlaps in places with that of You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 (1992), Ahead of Their Time (1993) and The Lost Episodes (1996). A number of the earlier tracks—"I Was a Teen-Age Malt Shop", "The Birth of Captain Beefheart" and "Metal Man Has Won His Wings", all likely recorded in 1964—feature Captain Beefheart on vocals. These are three light-hearted collaborations; "Metal Man Has Won His Wings" has Beefheart reading the lyrics directly from an advert for a comic book[1].

[edit] Track listing

All tracks by Frank Zappa, except where noted.

1. "Theme from Run Home Slow" – 1:23
2. "Original Duke of Prunes" – 1:17
3. "Opening Night at "Studio Z" (Collage)" – 1:34
4. "The Village Inn" – 1:17
5. "Steal Away" (Jimmy Hughes) – 3:43
6. "I Was a Teen-Age Malt Shop" – 1:10
7. "The Birth of Captain Beefheart" – 0:18
8. "Metal Man Has Won His Wings" – 3:06
9. "Power Trio from The Saints 'n Sinners" – 0:34
10. "Bossa Nova Pervertamento" – 2:15
11. "Excerpt from The Uncle Frankie Show" – 0:40
12. "Charva" – 2:01
13. "Speed-Freak Boogie" – 4:14
14. "Original Mothers at The Broadside (Pomona)" – 0:55
15. "Party Scene from Mondo Hollywood" – 1:54
16. "Original Mothers Rehearsal" – 0:22
17. "How Could I Be Such a Fool?" – 1:49
18. "Band introductions at The Fillmore West" – 1:10
19. "Plastic People" (Richard Berry, Zappa) – 1:58
20. "Original Mothers at Fillmore East" – 0:50
21. "Harry, You're a Beast" – 0:30
22. "Don Interrupts" – 4:39
23. "Piece One" – 2:26
24. "Jim/Roy" – 4:04
25. "Piece Two" – 6:59
26. "Agency Man" – 3:25
27. "Agency Man (Studio Version)" – 3:27
28. "Lecture from Festival Hall Show" – 0:21
29. "Wedding Dress Song/The Handsome Cabin Boy" (Trad., arr. Zappa) – 2:36
30. "Skweezit Skweezit Skweezit" – 2:57
31. "The Story of Willie the Pimp" – 1:33
32. "Black Beauty" – 5:23
33. "Chucha" – 2:47
34. "Mothers at KPFK" – 3:26
35. "Harmonica Fun" – 0:41

The tracks were separated across the original 'mystery discs' thus:

• Mystery Disc #1: tracks 1–20, plus "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma"
• Mystery Disc #2: tracks 21–35

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Lyrics and information
• Release details:
  • as Mystery Disc
  • as part of The Old Masters box sets

v • d • e Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention Main albums Freak Out! • Absolutely Free • We're Only in It for the Money • Lumpy Gravy • Cruising with Ruben & the Jets • Uncle Meat • Hot Rats • Burnt Weeny Sandwich • Weasels Ripped My Flesh • Chunga's Revenge • Fillmore East - June 1971 • 200 Motels • Just Another Band from L.A. • Waka/Jawaka • The Grand Wazoo • Over-Nite Sensation • Apostrophe (') • Roxy & Elsewhere • One Size Fits All • Bongo Fury • Zoot Allures • Zappa in New York • Studio Tan • Sleep Dirt • Sheik Yerbouti • Orchestral Favorites • Joe's Garage • Tinseltown Rebellion • Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar • You Are What You Is • Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch • The Man from Utopia • Baby Snakes • London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 • Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger • Them or Us • Thing-Fish • Francesco Zappa • Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention • Does Humor Belong in Music? • Jazz from Hell • London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 • Guitar • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 • Broadway the Hard Way • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 • The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 • Make a Jazz Noise Here • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 • Playground Psychotics • Ahead of Their Time • The Yellow Shark Posthumous albums Civilization Phaze III • The Lost Episodes • Läther • Mystery Disc • Everything Is Healing Nicely • FZ:OZ • Halloween • Joe's Corsage • Joe's Domage • Joe's XMASage • Imaginary Diseases • Trance-Fusion • Buffalo • The Dub Room Special • Wazoo Compilations Mothermania • The Guitar World According to Frank Zappa • Strictly Commercial • Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute • Have I Offended Someone? • Strictly Genteel • QuAUDIOPHILIAc • The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAA Birthday Bundle Box sets The Old Masters Box One • The Old Masters Box Two • The Old Masters Box Three • Beat the Boots • Beat the Boots II • The MOFO Project/Object Films and videos 200 Motels • Baby Snakes • The Dub Room Special • Video from Hell • Does Humor Belong in Music? • The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels • The Amazing Mr. Bickford • Uncle Meat Related articles Cultural references to Frank Zappa • Frank Zappa discography • The Real Frank Zappa Book • The Rage and the Fury • Dance Me This • Zappa Plays Zappa