Frank Zappa – Civilization Phaze III
Label: |
Zappa Records – CDDZAP 56 |
|---|---|
Format: |
|
Country: |
UK |
Released: |
|
Genre: |
Classical |
Style: |
Avantgarde |
Tracklist
| Act One | 56:11 | ||
| 1-1 | "This Is Phaze III" | 0:48 | |
| 1-2 | Put A Motor In Yourself | 5:14 | |
| 1-3 | "Oh-Umm" | 0:50 | |
| 1-4 | They Made Me Eat It | 1:48 | |
| 1-5 | Reagan At Bitburg | 5:39 | |
| 1-6 | "A Very Nice Body" | 1:00 | |
| 1-7 | Navanax | 1:40 | |
| 1-8 | "How The Pigs' Music Works" | 1:49 | |
| 1-9 | Xmas Values | 5:31 | |
| 1-10 | "Dark Water!" | 0:23 | |
| 1-11 | Amnerika | 3:04 | |
| 1-12 | "Have You Heard Their Band?" | 0:38 | |
| 1-13 | Religious Superstition | 0:43 | |
| 1-14 | "Saliva Can Only Take So Much" | 0:28 | |
| 1-15 | Buffalo Voice | 5:12 | |
| 1-16 | "Someplace Else Right Now" | 0:33 | |
| 1-17 | Get A Life | 2:21 | |
| 1-18 | "A Kayak (On Snow)" | 0:29 | |
| N-Lite | (18:01) | ||
| 1-19.I | Negative Light | ||
| 1-19.II | Venice Submerged | ||
| 1-19.III | The New World Order | ||
| 1-19.IV | The Lifestyle You Deserve | ||
| 1-19.V | Creationism | ||
| 1-19.VI | He Is Risen | ||
| Act Two | 57:38 | ||
| 2-1 | "I Wish Motorhead Would Come Back" | 0:14 | |
| 2-2 | Secular Humanism | 2:41 | |
| 2-3 | "Attack! Attack! Attack!" | 1:25 | |
| 2-4 | I Was In A Drum | 3:38 | |
| 2-5 | "A Different Octave" | 0:58 | |
| 2-6 | "This Ain't CNN" | 3:21 | |
| 2-7 | "The Pigs' Music" | 1:18 | |
| 2-8 | A Pig With Wings | 2:52 | |
| 2-9 | "This Is All Wrong" | 1:43 | |
| 2-10 | Hot & Putrid | 0:29 | |
| 2-11 | "Flowing Inside-Out" | 0:46 | |
| 2-12 | "I Had A Dream About That" | 0:28 | |
| 2-13 | Gross Man | 2:55 | |
| 2-14 | "A Tunnel Into Muck" | 0:21 | |
| 2-15 | Why Not? | 2:19 | |
| 2-16 | "Put A Little Motor In 'Em" | 0:51 | |
| 2-17 | "You're Just Insultin' Me, Aren't You!" | 2:13 | |
| 2-18 | "Cold Light Generation" | 0:44 | |
| 2-19 | Dio Fa | 8:19 | |
| 2-20 | "That Would Be The End Of That" | 0:36 | |
| 2-21 | Beat The Reaper | 15:23 | |
| 2-22 | Waffenspiel | 4:05 |
Companies, etc.
- Recorded At – Apostolic Studios
- Recorded At – UMRK
- Engineered At – Joe's Garage, Los Angeles
- Engineered At – UMRK
- Copyright © – Zappa Family Trust
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Zappa Family Trust
- Published By – Munchkin Music
- Licensed Through – Barking Pumpkin Records
- Marketed By – Music For Nations
- Distributed By – Music For Nations
- Glass Mastered At – Mayking
Credits
- Art Direction – Command A Studios, Inc.
- Bass Trombone, Alphorn, Didgeridoo, Conch – Michael Svoboda
- Bassoon, Contrabassoon – Veit Scholz
- Cello – Friedemann Dähn
- Cimbalom, Percussion – Rumi Ogawa-Helferich
- Clarinet – Roland Diry
- Composed By, Performer, Conductor – Frank Zappa
- Contrabass, Electric Bass – Thomas Fichter
- Design [Cover] – Uri Balashov*
- Engineer [1967 Dialogue] – Dick Kunc
- Engineer [1991 Dialogue And Chamber Group Pieces] – David Dondorf*
- Engineer [Full Ensemble Recordings] – Todd Yvega
- Engineer [Synclavier Material And Final Mixes] – Spencer Chrislu
- Ensemble – Ensemble Modern
- French Horn – Stefan Dohr
- Guitar, Banjo – Jürgen Ruck
- Harp – Ueli Wiget
- Liner Notes – Frank Zappa
- Mandolin – Detlef Tewes
- Marimba, Percussion – Andreas Böttger
- Oboe, English Horn, Oboe [Baritone], Didgeridoo – Catherine Milliken
- Piano, Celesta – Hermann Kretzschmarr*
- Piccolo Flute, Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute – Dietmar Weisner*
- Producer, Compiled By, Edited By – Frank Zappa
- Saw [Musical Saw], Percussion – Rainer Römer
- Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Wolfgang Stryi
- Trombone, Trombone [Pigmy] – Uwe Dierksen
- Trumpet, Flugelhorn – William Formann*
- Tuba – Daryl Smith (5)
- Viola – Hilary Sturt
- Violin [1] – Peter Rundel
- Violin [2] – Mathias Tacke
- Voice Actor [1967] – Unknown Girl #2
- Voice Actor [1991] – William Formann*
Notes
From the booklet:
In 1967, we spent about four months recording various projects […]. One day I decided to stuff a pair of U-87's in the piano, cover it with a heavy drape, put a sand bag on the sustain pedal and invite anybody in the vicinity to stick their head inside and ramble incoherently about the various topics I would suggest to them via the studio talk-back system.
This set-up remained in place for several days. During that time, many hours of recordings were made, most of it useless. […]
Some of this dialog - after extensive editing - found its way into the "Lumpy Gravy" album. The rest of it sat in my tape vault for decades, waiting for the glorious day when audio science would develop tools which might allow for its resurrection. […]
In "Civilization Phaze III" we get a few more clues about the lives of the piano-dwellers and note that the external evils have only gotten worse since we first met them. The bulk of the musical material comes from Synclavier sequences (all music in act one). In the second act, the music is a combination of Synclavier (70%) and live performance (30%), along with a new generation of piano people.
The new residents […] were recorded in a Bösendorfer Imperial at UMRK during the summer of 1991.[…]"
1967 dialog recorded at Apostolic Studio, NYC.
1991 dialog and chamber group pieces recorded at UMRK, Hollywood.
1991 full ensemble recordings engineered on the Synclavier Direct-to-Disc System at "Joe's Garage", North Hollywood.
1992 Synclavier material and all final mixes engineered at UMRK, Hollywood.
Liner notes: 1993.
Released in Digipak-like hardcover book format (14.5 x 13cm) with a 32-page booklet bound in, printed on semi-gloss white art with interleaved trace sheets (color printed translucent dividers), containing libretto & credits.
All selections © 1994 The Zappa Family Trust, exclusively istered worldwide by Munchkin Music, ASCAP.
℗ 1994 The Zappa Family Trust exclusively licensed worldwide by Barking Pumpkin Records.
Artwork & Liner Notes © 1994 The Zappa Family Trust.
This is album #60.
(P) (C) 1994 The Zappa Family Trust.
Marketed and Distributed by Music For Nations.
Made in England.
In 1967, we spent about four months recording various projects […]. One day I decided to stuff a pair of U-87's in the piano, cover it with a heavy drape, put a sand bag on the sustain pedal and invite anybody in the vicinity to stick their head inside and ramble incoherently about the various topics I would suggest to them via the studio talk-back system.
This set-up remained in place for several days. During that time, many hours of recordings were made, most of it useless. […]
Some of this dialog - after extensive editing - found its way into the "Lumpy Gravy" album. The rest of it sat in my tape vault for decades, waiting for the glorious day when audio science would develop tools which might allow for its resurrection. […]
In "Civilization Phaze III" we get a few more clues about the lives of the piano-dwellers and note that the external evils have only gotten worse since we first met them. The bulk of the musical material comes from Synclavier sequences (all music in act one). In the second act, the music is a combination of Synclavier (70%) and live performance (30%), along with a new generation of piano people.
The new residents […] were recorded in a Bösendorfer Imperial at UMRK during the summer of 1991.[…]"
1967 dialog recorded at Apostolic Studio, NYC.
1991 dialog and chamber group pieces recorded at UMRK, Hollywood.
1991 full ensemble recordings engineered on the Synclavier Direct-to-Disc System at "Joe's Garage", North Hollywood.
1992 Synclavier material and all final mixes engineered at UMRK, Hollywood.
Liner notes: 1993.
Released in Digipak-like hardcover book format (14.5 x 13cm) with a 32-page booklet bound in, printed on semi-gloss white art with interleaved trace sheets (color printed translucent dividers), containing libretto & credits.
All selections © 1994 The Zappa Family Trust, exclusively istered worldwide by Munchkin Music, ASCAP.
℗ 1994 The Zappa Family Trust exclusively licensed worldwide by Barking Pumpkin Records.
Artwork & Liner Notes © 1994 The Zappa Family Trust.
This is album #60.
(P) (C) 1994 The Zappa Family Trust.
Marketed and Distributed by Music For Nations.
Made in England.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Barcode: 5 016583 605629
- Matrix / Runout (CD1 mirror-printed, Variant 1): MASTERED BY MAYKING CDZAP 56-1 •
- Matrix / Runout (CD2 mirror-printed, Variant 1): MASTERED BY MAYKING CDZAP 56-2 •
- Matrix / Runout (CD1 mirror-printed, Variant 2): · MASTERED BY MAYKING · CDZAP56-1 •
- Matrix / Runout (CD2 mirror-printed, Variant 2): · MASTERED BY MAYKING · CDZAP56-2 •
- Rights Society: ASCAP
- Label Code: LC 5661
- Other (Back of cover): RTD GAS 211.60562
- Price Code: BM 652
Other Versions (5 of 7)
View All| Title (Format) | Label | Cat# | Country | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New Submission
|
Civilisation Phaze III (2×Cassette, Advance, Album) | Barking Pumpkin Records | 000000 | US | 1993 | ||
|
Recently Edited
|
Civilization Phaze III (2×CD, Album, ARC/SRC) | Barking Pumpkin Records | UMRK 01 | US | 1994 | ||
|
New Submission
|
Civilization Phaze III (2×CD, Album, Promo) | Zappa Records | CDDZAP 56 P | UK | 1994 | ||
|
New Submission
|
Civilization Phaze III (2×CD, Album) | Zappa Records | CDDZAP 56 | Japan | 1994 | ||
|
New Submission
|
Civilization Phaze III (2×CD, Album, Reissue) | Barking Pumpkin Records | UMRK 01 | 2017 |
Recommendations
Reviews
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There are differing levels of Zappa, basic, intermediate, advanced and for serious converts only,, this is truly the latter... amd he always said he never took drugs..
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Does anyone know the story on how Frank made this album ... Was his illness so in the way that he relied on older material that was synclavier and music he made with the orchestra's and combinded them some how with Spencer to make this album... From the interviews and the shape he was in around 1991 and 1992 ( 1993 was sadly a countdown as his last interview disturbingly shows ) When I saw Frank in 1988 and I snuck in for soundcheck I already noticed something was different then the Frank I saw at The Pier in 1984 ..... Some say he was in the beginning stages of it in 1988 but didn't get it checked it till it was so bad he didn't have a chance around 1991... I mean after the 1988 tour he not only stopped playing live because of the band disputes but he stopped recording .... And basically made live compilations of his career and the Beat The Boots series which in retrospect with the internet Zappa didn't even see coming .. And while all that was going on Civilization Phase III was being compiled or made there's no information about that era ... His last phase of heavy recording was IMO was from 1980 to 1986. Frankly I couldn't see this being on vinyl it's definitely a recording made for CD ... -
I really love this album, but my one complaint would be on the piano conversations that you'll recall from Lumpy Gravy. Technology had finally managed to keep up with his imagination, which he illustrates by splicing the piano dialogues more fittingly into conversations throughout. Impressive as that is, however, I just don't get the appeal of them, and they really slow the album down for me (one positive being that most of the conversation pieces are their own tracks, so I just omit them from my library). That probably sounds like sacrilege, but they're one-and-dones in my opinion.
What's left, however, are some of his finest compositions. I'm glad he had ditched the psuedo-reggae of his other 80's releases to make this album. -
Look dudes at the trust…
It’s 2021 and you haven’t released this on vinyl?
Unforgivable
His greatest achievement to some …
Get this and the other 2 ..88 releases like yesterday
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I have finally spent enough time to begin to digest this incredibly complex collection of serial dynamics used in the mix as well. One interesting thing is franks way of comping in some of these songs like opener, but without question the highest peaks are mostly reached at the end of each disc in beat the reaper and n light...interesting that there is nothing but atmosphere in the final track ..the distant gunfire and water soundscapes almost become tonal in places.. you have to wonder..
Hey Zappa estate. Let’s see this on three records..also jazz note and best band...forget about reissues until we get em all out first... -
The first posthumous release of this legendary avant-garde artist. This album, which he himself an opera pantomime called it, can be considered the sequel to his legendary album Uncle Meat in 1969. This set consists of two CDs, which are packaged in a beautifully executed digipack with extensive information. A must for the big band Zappa fans.
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