Barking Pumpkin Records, is an American record label founded by
Frank Zappa in 1981. Zappa named the label after
his wife's smoker's cough when she tried to quit the habit. Barking Pumpkin was initially distributed by
CBS Records CBS Records may refer to:
* CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company
* CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990
* CBS Records (2006), founde ...
.
History
Zappa had founded the
Zappa Records label in 1977, and formed a deal with
Phonogram Inc., to distribute the label in the United States and Canada.
[ Its first releases were the (mostly) live album '' Sheik Yerbouti'', followed by the dystopian ]rock opera
A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
''Joe's Garage
''Joe's Garage'' is a three-part rock opera recorded by American musician Frank Zappa in September and November 1979. Originally released as two separate studio albums on Zappa Records, the project was later remastered and reissued as a tripl ...
''.I Don't Wanna Get Drafted
"I Don't Wanna Get Drafted" was a 1980 single by American musician Frank Zappa. The song peaked at #103 US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 and #68 on the ''Cash Box'' charts, but more successfully reached #3 in Sweden. The original single ver ...
'' in the US, though they did distribute it in Canada. The song's lyrics criticized president Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
's reintroduction of the military draft.[ Zappa later released the single independently in the US in early 1980.
After spending most of 1980 on the road, Zappa founded Barking Pumpkin and released the album '']Tinsel Town Rebellion
''Tinsel Town Rebellion'' is a double live album released by Frank Zappa in May 1981. The album was conceived by Zappa after he scrapped the planned albums ''Warts and All'' and ''Crush All Boxes'', and contains tracks that were intended for those ...
'' in 1981.[Lowe, 2006, ''The Words and Music of Frank Zappa'', p. 161.] Also in 1981 the label released three individual volumes in the ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', a project consisting of ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More'' and ''Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', is a series of albums by Frank Zappa. The albums consist s ...
'' series which were initially sold only in the United States by mail order.
In 1984 Zappa intended to move Barking Pumpkin distribution to MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
. ''Thing-Fish
''Thing-Fish'' is an album by Frank Zappa, originally released as a triple album box set on Barking Pumpkin Records in 1984. It was billed as a cast recording for a proposed musical of the same name, which was ultimately not produced by Zappa, ...
'' was produced as a test pressing
A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels.
Test pressings
Test pressings, usu ...
by MCA.[ A deal was then made with ]EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
, which allowed ''Them or Us
''Them or Us'' is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in October 1984 by Barking Pumpkin Records.
Album content
Its opening and closing songs were not written by Zappa: "The Closer You Are", was written by Earl Lewis and Morgan ...
'' and ''Thing-Fish'' to be distributed by Capitol Records in the United States.[
In response to the conflict with MCA, Zappa created a sarcastic " Warning/Guarantee" notice which appeared on these albums, as well as '']Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention
''Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention'' is a 1985 album by Frank Zappa. The album was originally released in two slightly different versions in the US and Europe.
The album's title is a reference to the lobby group, the PMRC, who were c ...
''. The warning said that the album "contains content which a truly free society would neither fear nor suppress", and the guarantee claimed that the lyrics would "not cause eternal torment in the place where the guy with the horns and pointed stick conducts his business".[
]Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Dweezil deve ...
released his debut album ''Havin' a Bad Day
''Havin' a Bad Day'' is the first album by Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. E ...
'' on Barking Pumpkin in 1986. After an album on another label, he released '' Confessions'' on Barking Pumpkin in 1991, and formed the group Z, with Ahmet Zappa
Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an American musician and writer, and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust.
Early life
Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to musician Frank Zappa and ...
, releasing ''Shampoohorn
''Shampoohorn'' is an album by Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa, under the group name Z, released in 1994.
The European version of the album was released months before the American version. Between the release of the two versions, Dweezil Zappa fired ...
'' on Barking Pumpkin.
Two compilations, '' Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute'' and ''Quaudiophiliac
''Quaudiophiliac'' (styled ''QuAUDIOPHILIAc'') is a compilation album featuring music by Frank Zappa, released in DVD-Audio format by Barking Pumpkin Records in 2004. It compiles recordings he made while experimenting with quadraphonic, or four-ch ...
'', were released posthumously by Barking Pumpkin in 1996 and 2004, along with the previously unreleased album '' Everything Is Healing Nicely'' in 1999.
In 2012, the Zappa Family Trust regained control of Frank Zappa's recorded music catalog and made a distribution arrangement with Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises (UME, stylized as UMe) is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles, and UM3 or UMC (which is the international division of the company). Under various divisions, ...
to reissue the Zappa catalog on the Zappa and Barking Pumpkin labels.
Artists
; Former
References
External links
The official Frank Zappa website
*
{{Authority control
American record labels
Record labels established in 1980
Frank Zappa