Vinyl vs CD faq - The Easy Teen-Age version

Part 5 - The EMI batch

Sheik Yerbouti - Joe's Garage - Tinsel-Town 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 - Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger
Them Or Us - Thing-Fish - Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention - Does Humor Belong In Music? - Jazz From Hell

Index | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

After breaking up with Warner Bros., Zappa started his own Zappa Records distributed in the USA by PolyGram, published and distributed in Europe by CBS / EMI. In 1980 Zappa switched from Polygram to CBS and his new label was named Barking Pumpkin, distributed and published in Europe by EMI.
Until 1988 EMI had publishing and distribution rights in Europe for most of the records Zappa released between 1979 and 1986 and that's the reason why most of the albums listed in this page had their first cd release in UK, from 1985, on the EMI label (mostly without FZ supervizion), while in the USA they were released by Rykodisk from 1986 (with FZ supervision and rematering and a relevant variant of The Man From Utopia album).
In 1986 EMI published Does Humor Belong In Music? only in CD and only for the european market.
In 1995 Rykodisk released the "definitive" CD editions of these records, with the "1993 FZ approved masters" and a relevant variant of Does Humor Belong In Music?. In 1998 Rykodisk released a further edition (remastered by Spencer Chrislu) of Tinsel Town Rebellion and You Are What You Is.

Click on the album acronym to get the detailed real Vinyl-vs-CD album faq page at the Zappa Patio.

Album		Year	Edition	Mix and editing differences	Other differences and relation to other albums
SY	2LP	1979	Zappa SRZ-2-1501		Issued in Europe as CBS, then reprinted by EMI.
	1CD	1986	EMI CDP 7-90076-2 EU	Digitally remastered, close to the original vinyl mix.	In Sheik Yerbouti appear some of the links belonging to the The Leather Conversation that Zappa used in the unreleased Läther and in the Baby Snakes movie. The song Baby Snakes appears in the same version (but in a shorter edit) on the Baby Snakes album. Yo Mama appears in a quad mix in Quaudiophiliac.
		1990	Ryko RCD 40162 US	New UMRK digital remastering. Compared to the original vinyl there are some mixing and editing differences (in particular I'm So Cute is nearly one minute shorter and there are some minimal mix differences in Yo Mama). All these editions are said to sound "very bad and inferior" compared to the original vinyl (or to the 1986 EMI CD).
		1990	Zappa CDZAP28 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10528
JG	1LP 2LP	1979	Zappa SRZ-1-1603 Zappa SRZ-2-1502	Originally published in two separate albums as Act I (1LP) and Acts II & III (2LP).	Issued in Europe as CBS, then reprinted by EMI in box.
	2CD	1987	EMI CDP 7 900 87 EU	Digitally remastered, close to the original vinyl mix.
	3LP		Barking Pumpkin SWCL 74206 US	New UMRK digital remastering. Not very clear if there are some minor differences between the various vinyl and CD versions (anyway, if they are there, they are very minimal).	Issued as a 3LP box, Zappa Rec. ZAPPA20 in the UK.
	2CD		Ryko RCD 10060/61
		1990	Zappa CDDZAP20 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10530/31
TTR	2LP	1981	Barking Pumpkin PW2-37336		Originally published in Europe by CBS.
	2LP	1987	EMI 1C 2LP 164 26 0808 3 EU	Digitally remastered, close to the original vinyl mix (but for Easy Meat the original crossfade into For The Young Sophisticate is replaced with an extended fadeout).	Easy Meat contains a very short segment of The Leather Conversation that Zappa used in the (at the time) unreleased Läther.
	1CD	1987	EMI CDP 790077 2 EU
		1990	Ryko RCD 40166 US	New UMRK digital remastering. Close to the original vinyl mix, but with a different segue between Easy Meat and For The Young Sophisticate and brand new segue between For The Young Sophisticate and Love Of My Life and between Pick Me, I'm Clean and "Bamboozled By Love". All this editions are said to sound "very bad and inferior" compared to the 1987 EMI CD.
		1990	Zappa CDZAP26 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10532*
		1998	Ryko RCD 10532*	Remastered by Spencer Chrislu, to fix audio problems of previous non-EMI CD versions. Some mixing and editing differences at the end of the original vinyl sides (CD is all in segue now).
SUNPYG	3LP	1981	Barking Pumpkin BPR 1111-2-3	First available as 3 separated records, then in box.	Originally published in Europe by CBS in a 3LP box.
	2CD	1986	Ryko 10028/29 US	UMRK digital remastering, close to the original vinyl mix. Tracks Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar and Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar Some More are in the correct order but have switched titles.	In Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar Some More and The Return Of The Sun Of Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar appear some of the links belonging to the The Leather Conversation that Zappa used in the unreleased Läther and in the Baby Snake movie. Ship Ahoy (later published in quad mix on Quaudiophiliac) share some material with A Little Green Rosetta on Läther.
		1987	EMI CDS 7 90084 2 EU
		1990	Zappa CDDZAP19 EU
	3CD	1995	Ryko RCD 10533/4/5	New master with better sound, close to the original vinyl mix (but the original fadeout of Why Johnny Can't Read is replaced with a crossfade into Stucco Homes).
YAWYI	2LP	1981	Barking Pumkin PW2-37537		Originally published in Europe by CBS.
	2LP	1986	EMI EN 5000 EU	Digitally remastered, close to the original vinyl mix. Dumb All Over has a longer fade-out, with about 15 seconds more of the final guitar solo.
	1CD	1986	EMI CDP 7 90075 2 EU
		1990	Ryko RCD 40165 US	New UMRK digital remastering. Close to the original vinyl mix (but Dumb All Over is edited of the final guitar solo and segue with the Dumb All Over part that was after the side flip (a couple of minutes of the solo are missing). All this editions are said to sound "very bad and inferior" compared to the 1986 EMI CD.
		1990	Zappa CDZAP27 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10536 **
		1998	Ryko RCD 10536 **	Remastered by Spencer Chrislu, to fix audio problems of previous non-EMI CD versions. Dumb All Over has a different editing, including most of the final guitar solo (but missing the EMI CD fade-out and the nearly 20 seconds part of the song that was after the side flip).
SATL TSADW	1LP	1982	Barking Pumpkin FW 38066		Originally published in Europe by CBS.
	1CD	1988	EMI CDP 7 90074 2 EU	Digitally remastered, close to the original vinyl mix.	Coupled with The Man from Utopia.
		1991	Barking Pumpkin D2-74235 US
		1991	Zappa CDDZAP42 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10537
TMFU	1LP	1983	Barking Pumpkin FW 338403		Originally published in Europe by CBS.
	1LP	1986	EMI 1C 064 26 0815 1 EU	Digitally remastered. close to the original vinyl mix except for a different version of Moggio, remixed and with new drums overdubs.
	1CD	1988	EMI CDP 7-90074-2 EU		Coupled with SATLTSADW.
		1993	Barking Pumpkin D2 74245 US	1992 UMRK remix: completely remixed with also some editing differences and drums overdubs in various tracks. Even Moggio is slightly different from the previous CD edition.	Different tracks order and one bonus track added: Luigi & The Wise Guys.
		1993	Zappa CDZAP53 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10538
TPS	1LP	1984	Angel DS 3810 (also CD?)		Originally published in Europe by EMI.
	1CD	1985	EMI CDC 7 47125 2 EU	Same as the original vinyl mix.
		1992	Barking Pumpkin D2-74242 US	1992 UMRK remix, with some slight variants in sound. It's said to sound much better than the EMI CD.	New tracks order.
		1992	Zappa CDDZAP49 EU
		1995	Ryko RCD 10542
TOU	2LP	1984	Barking Pumpkin SVBO 74200		Originally published in Europe by EMI.
	1CD	1986	Ryko RCD 40027 US	Same mix as vinyl. The Ryko edition has a lower db level.
		1986	EMI CDP 7 90080 2 EU	Same mix as vinyl. The Ryko edition has a lower db level.
		1990	Zappa CDZAP30 EU	UMRK remix. Some editing differences, the title track is longer. Even if the 1995 CD sounds louder, these versions are said to sound worse that the previous CD editions.
		1995	Ryko RCD 10543
TF	3LP	1984	Barking Pumpkin SKCO 74201		Originally published in Europe by EMI (1985).
	2CD	1986	Ryko RCD 10020/21 US ***	UMRK remix. ReEQed with some editing differences. Some tracks at the end of the original vinyl sides are now in segue (Galoot Up-date, You Are What You Is and The White Boy Troubles). Second part of Wistful Wit A Fist-Full is from a different recording.	A third remix of He's So Gay (very close to the original vinyl mix) is available on Have I Offended Someone?.
		1987	EMI CDP 790081-2 EU	Same as vinyl mix.
		1990	Zappa CDDZAP21 EU	More UMRK remix. In addition to what noted for the 1986 RCD 10020/21 there are edit differences in Harry-As-A-Boy, He's So Gay features new vocals overdubs and Prologue has a different drums opening riff. Not clear if all these 3 editions are identical.
		199?	Ryko RCD 10020/21 US ***
		1995	Ryko RCD 10544/45		The first 2 tracks from CD2 are moved to the end of CD1.
FZM TMOP	1LP	1985	Barking Pumpkin ST 74203 US	Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention had two different regional editions: the non-US version replaced the track Porn Wars with three songs not available in the US edition: I Don't Even Care, One Man - One Vote and H.R. 2991 (an abridged and only instrumental version of Porn Wars).
	1LP	1986	EMI EMC 3507 EU
	1CD	1986	Ryko RCD 10023 US	Contains, in a brand new order, all tracks from both editions, except H.R. 2991.
		1988	EMI CDP 790078-2 EU	Same as original non-US vinyl.	Coupled with Jazz From Hell.
		1990	Zappa CDZAP33 EU	Contains all tracks from both edition (but I Don't Even Care is nearly one minute shorter) in another, different, track order.
		1995	Ryko RCD 10547	Same as Ryko RCD 10023, but H.R. 2991 is added as last track.
DHBIM	1CD	1986	EMI CDP 7 46188-2 EU		Only published in Europe.
DHBIM	1CD	1995	Ryko RCD 10548	1994 remaster by Spencer Chrislu. Completely new mix (and Let's Move To Cleveland is one minute longer).
JFH	1LP	1986	Barking Pumpkin ST 74205		Originally published in Europe by EMI.
	1CD	1987	Ryko RCD 10030 US	Same as original vinyl (but with a little mastering error at the beginning of Night School).
		1988	EMI CDP 790078-2 EU		Coupled with FZMTMOP.
		1990	Zappa CDDZAP32 EU	UMRK remix. Very minimal differences (but error corrected).
		1995	Ryko RCD 10549	UMRK remix. Very minimal differences (but error corrected).
* 1995's and 1998's version of TTR RCD 10532 are not discernible from the outside package - 2 ways to recognize them: check the back cover of the booklet, in most of the newer edition is stated "Remastered by Spencer Chrislu"; check the total length of the CD in a CD player, the old l995 version is 67:29, the new 1998 Chrislu version is 67:38. ** The best way to recognize a 1998 Chrislu's remastered version of YAWYI RCD 10536 CD is to check the length of Dumb All Over: the 1995 "bad" version is 4:03, the new 1998 Chrislu remastered mix is 5:45 (otherwise check the 3rd page of the booklet: in most of the newer edition is stated "Remastered by Spencer Chrislu"). *** At some point Ryko start using the new remix master for RCD 10020/21.At now the only way know to recognize if your Thing-Fish Ryko RCD 10020/21 is the vinyl mix or the new remix - over listening to He's So Gay, where the remixed version has been overdubbed with "comments about the situatution" from Brown Moses, played by Johnny "Guitar" Watson - is to look at the matrix number, around the hole in the disc: vinyl mix: RYKO-10020 LAZ 67; remix: 818-PUMPKIN 05241<910>RCD10020.

Check also some notes about the FZ phonography, including a compact mini-guide to different versions of Zappa's Records.
Frank Zappa's discography chronotable.
What do they mean those acronyms?

Disclaimer
For original vinyl version, as general rule, only the first US issue is listed.
For CD releases only the main US and European editions are listed.

Index | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Corrections and additions are really welcome.

This page created on April 2005 and latest revised on January 6, 2009

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