Ritual Dance of the Young Zappa

Andre, , ,

CAL 110 (sleeve front)

At a young age, Zappa bought a copy of The Rite of Spring and loved every note:

The second 33 1/3-RPM record I bought was by Stravinsky. I found a budget-line recording (on Camden) of The Rite of Spring by something called ‘The World-Wide Symphony Orchestra.’ (Sounds pretty official, eh?) The cover was a green-and-black abstract whatchamacallit, and it had a magenta paper label with black lettering. I loved Stravinsky almost as much as Varèse.[1]

Much of my research relies primary sources. Lyrics, liner notes, bootlegs, interviews, and The Real Frank Zappa Book (FZ’s autobiography) make up the bulk of these sources. Along these lines, Avo Raup’s fantastic website Zappa Books–with its search-able database of interviews and zine articles–and Román García Albertos’ IINK (Information Is Not Knowledge)–a huge, cross-referenced database of lyrics and other album information–have been a tremendously helpful resources. But occasionally, I need to get right to the source. Such was the case with finding Zappa’s copy of Stavinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

In my current chapter (which examines cases of musical borrowings from Stravinsky in Zappa’s music), I make the argument that much of Zappa’s understanding of Stravinsky is influenced by the mythology surrounding the older composer. I wondered if there might be any juicy details on the liner notes that would provide some insight regarding the idiosyncrasies with which Zappa viewed Stravinsky. Armed with Zappa’s description I set out to find a copy of the same record…

As it turns out, Camden was a budget label for RCA Victor records, first introduced in 1955 (right about when Zappa would have been buying the record). Some quick Googling revealed that the Camden catalog did include a recording of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring! (I express surprise here due to prior aggravations brought on by tracing comments from The Real Frank Zappa Book…) CAL 110 features World Wide Symphony Orchestra performing The Rite!

341995093_7aa83c50f9The RCA Building in Camden, NJ
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebot/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Further research revealed some interesting facts about the record. The World Wide Symphony Orchestra, it seems, was a pseudonym for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. This particular record (CAL 110) was actually dubbed from 78 rpm discs of another recording by the SFSO conducted by Pierre Monteux. (Monteux, like the SFSO, isn’t mentioned anywhere on the record. Presumably, the motivation here was to re-release a back catalog of 78 rpm records in a more commercially-viable format using pseudonyms to avoid conflicting with sales of newer recordings of the same artists. It was, as Frank would say, strictly commercial.)

3359562292_d1a7096d70The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kerolic/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Monteux, as any responsible Stravinsky scholar will jump to tell you, premiered The Rite at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in 1915 1913 (noted, of course, for the riot it incited). Zappa doesn’t seem to have been aware that his record featured such a prestigious conductor.

And–lucky me–a quick WorldCat search found a copy of the record at UC Santa Cruz! (Which means I could request it and get my grubby hands on it right quick.) This turned out to be a little more difficult that expected (frustrations with an inefficient interlibrary loan system), but the record arrived yesterday! Green-and-black abstract whatchamacallit and all!

Unfortunately, being the budget label that it was, Camden seems to have cut costs by not including liner notes. Oh well… The adventure wasn’t a total bust. I got to listen to the record and pretend to be a young Zappa listening to “The Augers” for the first time.

I snuck off to a remote corner of the library and took a few pictures of the record as well. You can see where some helpful librarian has scratched out “World Wide” and entered the correct performer data. (I would have ripped the vinyl to mp3s, but it was “in library use only.”) Here are some scans of the sleeve and label. Enjoy!

CAL 110 (sleeve front)CAL 110 (sleeve back)

CAL 110 (side A)CAL 110 (side B)

The first record Zappa bought, by the way, was The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Vol. I (EMS 401). And if Zappa played the Stravinsky as much as he played the Varèse, this disc got a lot of attention. (By one account, Zappa claimed to have listened to The Rite of Spring more than “any man in the world”![2])

References:
[1] Frank Zappa and Peter Occhiogrosso, The Real Frank Zappa Book (New York: Poseidon Press, 1989), 34.
[2] Rip Rense, “A Unique Musical Force or Blasphemous Freak: Which Is Frank Zappa?,” The Valley News (June 27, 1976).
Ritual Dance of the Young Zappa

47,791 thoughts on “Ritual Dance of the Young Zappa”

  1. zoppecircus

    kohls simply vera handtassen griffin xr pouzdro light modr媒 拧aty dillards sf giants 47 cappello wide fit safety trainers herren orange flip flops

  2. delmarballet

    home kitchen duvet cover sets bady sun protection luggage shoe bags 2 girls dresses special occasion 6 automotive gun racks clamps home kitchen hanging wall files 2

  3. seblod

    gray net 拧aty washington nationals framed pelle 9fifty snapback berretto court shoes for plantar fasciitis brooks heritage schuhe iphone xr carry hoesje mens chuck bednarik limited camo nike jersey nfl philadelphia eagles 60 2018 salute to service

  4. annieandpeter

    zerolemon galaxy s7 active battery case bill portemonnee leer z557bl phone pouzdro zara zelen谩 floral 拧aty adidas originals precurve washed berretto grenson jessie

  6. pressewoche

    mens sweaters cardigans 6 mens lightweight jackets varsity 1 womens coin purses pouches 5 girls school uniforms sets 4 boys jeans 1 womens faux body piercing jewelry 4

  7. macobject

    b darlin maroon 拧aty chicago bulls 47 nba mashup 47 mvp berretto slip resistant kitchen shoes rote tamaris pumps my personalised hoesje christmas day jerseys

  8. imambinbaz

    samsung note 4 battery hoesje womens nike new orleans saints 71 ryan ramczyk limited whitepink rush fashion nfl jersey cow hair portfel oneplus 5 back cover with logo guess fortune zak huawei p10 protective pouzdro

  9. bmicatering

    啪lut谩 apple iphone 8 pouzdro cream cocktail 拧aty nike stretch berretto comfortable slip ons stella mccartney schuhe elyse s8 dekking 360

  10. oneroxborough

    lowa sirkos gtx preisvergleich xr hoesje speck miami marlins jersey for manhattan portage small torba apple airpods personalised case geel man zak

  11. surveier

    off white case iphone x ralph lauren camo duffle zak starbucks iphone 8 plus pouzdro teal short 拧aty mlb boston rosso sox cappelli big legs thigh high boots

  13. ignitemrright

    teal k茅k ruha for wedding guest los angeles dodgers youth major wool 9fifty snapback casquette fluffy iphone 7 plus sag dr martens cherry czerwony smooth 1461 gull slinky kjole zara velvet tasche

  14. watertowerinn

    mens nike indianapolis colts 31 quincy wilson limited royal blue rush vapor untouchable nfl jersey radley czarny quilted torba mi redmi 6 cover puma equation rugzak phone kryt cartoon rachel roy caftan 拧aty

  15. goodlobang

    nicht gerade weiss zoom vapor street ash tatum houston astros new era mlb memorial day 59fifty 膷epice puma enzo 膷ern谩 a b铆l媒 rose fluffy chaussure river island f茅rfi chukka csizma

  16. artpoli

    gr眉n party schuhe clear hoesje iphone xr apple womens nike denver broncos 10 emmanuel sanders elite white drift fashion nfl jersey fair trade canvas tote torebki cover of realme 2 pro classic small portemonnee

  17. atompluspro

    blank fitted hatter negro adidas zapatillas superstar sandali da trekking keen ecco dames soft 5 sneaker air foamposite pro prm as qs jordan retro 9 kobe

  18. tweenangels

    niebieski i r贸偶owy plecak case marvel iphone 7 small zwart coin handtas tzumi waterproof pouzdro rose zlato short party 拧aty tennessee titans new era nfl draft 39thirty berretto

  19. mqcosmetics

    gebroken wit x zoom fly roze adidas eqt rosa herren nike lebron 16 triple czarny dallas stars adidas nhl core basic adjustable gorra boston college eagles new era ncaa tonal tint 39thirty 銈儯銉冦儣 leguano ballerina lady loop

  20. owneriqnet

    dkny quilted crossbody torba zizo bolt case iphone 8 plus cloth zipper tassen clear pouzdro galaxy s9 plus cold shoulder long sleeve 拧aty michigan wolverines 47 toddler clean up berretto

  21. notinmycart

    niebieski i r贸偶owy plecak case marvel iphone 7 small zwart coin handtas tzumi waterproof pouzdro rose zlato short party 拧aty tennessee titans new era nfl draft 39thirty berretto

  22. clairsystems

    washington nationals fitted berretto mens chelsea boots size 9 polarino outdoorschuhe paul smith iphone 8 hoesje nike mens jeremy hill limited navy blue jersey new england patriots nfl 33 rush vapor untouchable mini luggage sling torba

  23. adatogeljitu

    nike air force 1 marr贸n hombre new york yankees trucker berretto ultra boost sz眉rke 茅s z枚ld boden retro pocket ruha oversized bonnet with pom pom iphone 6 sag with glass screen protector

  24. securitycity

    rieker winterstiefeletten schwarz samsung galaxy s10 hoesje en screen protector devonta freeman jersey school torba trend 2018 tab a 7.0 case faye day zak small

  25. chscbd

    back då¿™ksel for samsung a8 plus buty catwalk deichmann svart sequin skater kjole velvet bucket tasche nike sb giacca nike air max essential 90 noir blanc

  26. guiacinefila

    mn wild bonnet mobile phone sag samsung buty i buty stretcher long svart sweatshirt kjole paparazzi tote tasche felpe scontate adidas

  27. cposhop

    resole climbing schuhe la sportiva iphone se led hoesje womens sidney jones limited midnight green nike jersey nfl philadelphia eagles 22 home vapor untouchable belt torba boohoo iphone 5s original cover mcm rugzak zwart friday

  29. palmersquare

    bugatti biker boots herren apple iphone xs flip hoesje youth warriors jersey supreme waist torba be偶owy lux mobile battery case review affordable leer handtassen

  30. surfray

    supreme xl duffle torba apple iphone xr waterproof case nightmare before christmas crossbody handtas design your own pouzdro iphone 8 plus b铆l媒 long blazer 拧aty verde bay packers stocking berretto

  31. isgatec

    hawks 4 spud webb red stitched throwback nba jersey victoria secret string torba incipio dualpro case ebay fashion tassen iron man iphone x pouzdro asos 膷ern谩 swing 拧aty

  32. coinhamster

    pretty phone case long strap canvas zak winnie the pooh silicone phone pouzdro neon midi bodycon 拧aty dallas cowboys cancer cappello ralph lauren moccasins

  33. tasneemjamal

    tech21 tegnebog sag skechers non slip buty damskie simple hvit cocktail kjole backpack test pantaloni adidas tuta uomo rose football chaussure

  34. agrocard

    boston red sox pullover hoodie dark blue grey m臋skie sk贸rzany credit card holder portfel iphone case with picture miramar medium murphy rugzak galaxy note 9 pouzdro ultra hybrid 360 n铆zk媒 cut b铆l媒 拧aty

  35. graphilactic

    asics gel nimbus 18 f茅rfi one sleeve ruha new orleans pelicans adidas nba seasons greeting snapback casquette iphone xr sag funny trampki vices plus gr酶nn kjole

  36. saltyskitchen

    hvid charging sag dress mule buty lavish alice marinen cape kjole old wooden geldbæžšrsen felpa adidas trifoglio converse mouse gris femme

  37. nicolezangara

    air jordan 9 azul philadelphia phillies blackout mesh 9fifty snapback berretto stefan janoski r贸zsasz铆n gum sole sunny girl floral ruha blanc sox new era casquette mous limitless sag

  38. lcswansea

    aspinal lottie torba case for samsung galaxy s9 nica rugzak xr glitter pouzdro lulus 膷ern谩 shift 拧aty under armour eagle berretto

  39. controllec

    nike air force one jdi blanc nike huarache gris naranja florida gators adjustable cappelli air jordan retro 5 bronze f茅rfi bateau neckline ruha with sleeves dallas mavericks adidas 2016 nba draft snapback casquette

  40. batellerie

    nike womens ronnie lott ash backer oakland raiders nfl 42 pullover hoodie nike air max side torba beasyjoy iphone 7 plus case secrid slide portemonnee s6 bumper pouzdro ganni modr媒 拧aty

  41. argomovingqc

    blue og hvit wedding kjole leder umh盲ngetasche damen vintage schwarz jordan pantaloncini mint vert converse chaussure nike air force 1 mujer famous footwear seattle mariners new era mlb tutti star game 9twenty berretto

Comments are closed.