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Zappa Fans Rare Acetate Unreleased


seti

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ZAPPA MOTHERS WEASEL MUSIC ULTRA RARE ONE SIDED ACETATE

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZAPPA-MOTHERS-WEASEL-MUSIC-ULTRA-RARE-ONE-SIDED-ACETATE_W0QQitemZ110286570259QQihZ001QQcategoryZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

This is a rare treat for Zappa music fans. My friend was given this by Neon Parks wife. It was slated for the dumpster. Can you believe that!!!!

04weaselc.jpg

04weasela.jpg

Does anyone here collect acetates?

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I am posting here because the story is so cool.

THE STORY OF THE ACQUISITION: We are selling this for a friend. This is his first-hand account:

"So
I get a call from the widow of the great artist, Neon Park. She says,
"I've been going through Marty's stuff (Neon's real name was Marty) and
I have a lot of records of his. I was talking to [mutual friend] Betzy
and she said you like records. Do you want them?" and, being the vinyl
hound I am, I said, "You bet! I'll take 'em all sight unseen." She
said, "Okay, I'll go pull the can back in from the street." She had had
them all in a trash can waiting for the Sanitation Engineers to pick
them up.

Now I know Neon worked for many years doing album art
for Warner Brothers (best known for Zappa's WEASELS RIPPED MY FLESH and
his string of covers for LITTLE FEAT) and was on their mailing list for
new releases. Upon going through the LPs from the trash bin I found the
usual assortment of product, some good, some not to my liking.

But then...

In
an envelope addressed to Mr. Frank Zappa at his Laurel Canyon address,
I found these studio acetate test recordings: a copy of Jean-Luc
Ponty's Zappa tribute LP, KING KONG, and a curious disc labeled "The
Weasel Music". Suspecting that this might indeed BE SOMETHING, I
cautiously played it once. It seemed to be a live recording of the
Mothers goofing around on stage doing what I guessed to be a
mock-ballet. While light pseudo-classical piano arpeggios play (Ian
Underwood?) you can hear the shuffling of feet and various antics while
the crowd respond with laughter and amusement. I would imagine that it
was mostly a visual presentation as opposed to an essential Zappa
musical composition.

I kept this relic in good condition, still
in its original envelope and cardboards. I lent it to my new friend and
Zappaphile, Krel, when I moved to Little Rock. He has played it only
twice, recording it both times."

The envelope mentioned above is included.
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This acetate auction has been posted all over the Zappa forums. There is a forum called Zappateers where simple recordings of the acetate have been posted. This was done a while back but serious collectors really want a piece of history. I hope he gets a fair price. It is super rare.

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Iain,

It's none of my business, and I don't know the circumstances, but has your friend offered Parks' widow (experimental filmmaker Chick Strand) any compensation from the sale? Most real filmmakers I know struggle to make a buck off their art. It might be a nice gesture, considering she and her late husband are part of the "provenance."

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Iain,

It's none of my business, and I don't know the circumstances, but has your friend offered Parks' widow (experimental filmmaker Chick Strand) any compensation from the sale? Most real filmmakers I know struggle to make a buck off their art. It might be a nice gesture, considering she and her late husband are part of the "provenance."

I really don't know and haven't asked. He is a good guy and will do the best he can. The person selling the acetate is struggling to make a living off of art in the south. He also had an amazing career in special effects industry but it is not as lucrative as you would imagine.

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what a fantastic story and collectible. Will the tape be released from the fan club at some time? I hope so.

I must now go and play some nasalretentivecalliopemusic

I believe alot of rarities including this are traded within the Zappateer community. They are about collecting archiving and preserving the legacy of Zappa whether it is historical information photos or music. They are a very good group of guys.

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He apparently worked for Silver Crest records, a pressing/packaging house that handled overflow work for Polydor et al.

I'll help him eBay it: It'll be more effective coming from my feedback.

Shrink wrap over time can shrink even further, warping the lp. As someone who might want to play it instead of collect it I would be wary of it.

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He apparently worked for Silver Crest records, a pressing/packaging house that handled overflow work for Polydor et al.

I'll help him eBay it: It'll be more effective coming from my feedback.

Shrink wrap over time can shrink even further, warping the lp. As someone who might want to play it instead of collect it I would be wary of it.

Good to know... its' had plenty of time too. I'll tell the owner to check it out and make sure it's not wrapped too tight. ( <- Yes, that was intentional [;)] )

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