Mystery Disc
Is That All There Is?Just when you were thinking…what next?  Rykodisc releases the latest Frank Zappa CD….Mystery Disc!  And just in time for Halloween!As many of you know, FZ released, between 1985 and 1987, three mail-order-only boxed set vinyl versions of much of his album catalog, restored to its factory showroom artwork and packaging.  All told, twenty of his albums, from Freak Out! to Zoot Allures, were re-issued this way.  He called this series THE OLD MASTERS.  Inside each of the first two OLD MASTERS boxes was an unavailable elsewhere bonus album of previously unreleased material, which FZ called MYSTERY DISCS.  FZ later used some of the MYSTERY DISC material on other releases* though much of it has never been released on CD, and the OLD MASTERS are extremely hard to find.On September 15, Rykodisc will release these rarities as MYSTERY DISC, a single CD collection that includes everything from both vinyl MYSTERY DISCS, except two tracks we figured most people already have - "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma" - since they're also on ABSOLUTELY FREE.  We had to lose something to fit on one CD and this seemed the best solution.The track list follows.  The recordings are circa 1962-69 (one "field recording" from '72), many from Studio Z, several from the 1968 Royal Festival Hall in London performance, rehearsals and live recordings and radio visits of the original Mothers of Invention, not to mention a few gems with Captain Beefheart.In the first OLD MASTERS Box, FZ included a 13" X 13" booklet with lyrics, photos, and notes about the MYSTERY DISC recordings.  Unfortunately, there was no such book in the second Box, although there were some brief notations on the MYSTERY DISC sleeve itself about locations and dates.The 32-page booklet included in the MYSTERY DISC CD includes all the above mentioned notes, plus some new ones, and a LOT of cool photos, clips, and more.  The booklet was designed by the one and only Cal Schenkel, who came to our offices in Salem for a few days to complete the job.*there's a section in the notes that details all the previously-available-on-CD stuff and how it differs (or not), now we'll say, in addition to the two tracks mentioned above that FZ eventually included on the ABSOLUTELY FREE CD, he used other MYSTERY DISC tracks on AHEAD OF THEIR TIME (tracks 21-26), THE LOST EPISODES, and YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE Vol. 5.