''Funky Nothingness'' is an album by Frank Zappa, released on June 30, 2023. It is a 3CD set that primarily contains unreleased songs written and recorded in 1970, shortly after sessions concluded for the album ''

Hot Rats ''Hot Rats'' is the second solo album by Frank Zappa, released in October 1969. It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original lineup of the Mothers of Invention. Five of the six songs are instrumental, while " Wil ...

''.

Background

While the first incarnation of

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...

was in the process of disbanding, Frank Zappa embarked on a solo career and created the predominantly instrumental and jazz oriented ''

'', which would become one of his most acclaimed works. The album, rather than having a core group of musicians, utilized various session players from track to track. In February and March of 1970, Zappa re-assembled a core group from these sessions to record new material. The group consisted of

Ian Underwood Ian Robertson Underwood (born May 22, 1939) is a woodwind and keyboards player, known as a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention. Following the original band's split in late 1969, Underwood continued to w ...

, Max Bennett and

Don "Sugarcane" Harris Don Francis Bowman "Sugarcane" Harris (June 18, 1938 – November 30, 1999) was an American blues and rock and roll violinist and guitarist. He is considered a pioneer in the amplification of the violin. Career Harris was born and raised in Pas ...

, as well as newcomer

Aynsley Dunbar Aynsley Thomas Dunbar (born 10 January 1946) is an English drummer. He has worked with John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Journey, Jefferson Starship, Nils Lofgren, Eric Burdon, Shuggie Otis, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Mick Ron ...

, who had recently relocated to Los Angeles and moved in with Zappa. Many of the tracks on ''Funky Nothingness'' were recorded by the five-piece group at the newly opened

Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...

studio, some of which initially appeared in edited form on other Zappa albums. A hybrid edit of "Chunga's Revenge" and much shorter edits of "Transylvania Boogie" and "The Clap" would appear on ''

Chunga's Revenge ''Chunga's Revenge'' is the third solo album, and eleventh album counting the work of his band The Mothers of Invention, by Frank Zappa, released on October 23, 1970. Zappa's first effort of the 1970s marks the first appearance of former Turtle ...

'' (1970). A longer version of "Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)" was released on the

DVD-Audio DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format. The ...

album '' Quaudiophiliac'' (2004), under the title "Chunga's Basement". "Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)" appeared on the posthumous compilation ''

The Lost Episodes ''The Lost Episodes'' is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles (with the exception of "I Don't Want to Get Drafted" and "Any Way the Wind Blows") previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his ...

'' (1996) in newly remixed form. The title track originates from 1967, at the end of a recording session for ''

Uncle Meat ''Uncle Meat'' is the sixth album by the Mothers of Invention, and seventh overall by Frank Zappa, released as a double album in 1969. ''Uncle Meat'' was originally developed as a part of ''No Commercial Potential'', a project which spawned thre ...

''. It features the original Mothers' bassist, and James "Motorhead" Sherwood on rhythm guitar.

Track listing

All songs written by Frank Zappa except where noted.

2LP vinyl

Personnel

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

– guitar, vocals, percussion * Aynley Dunbar – drums (1–2 to 2–7, 3–3, 3–4) * Max Bennett – electric bass, acoustic bass (1–3 to 1–7, 1–9 to 2–7, 3–4) *

– keyboards, saxophone, rhythm guitar (1–3 to 1–7, 1–9 to 2–7, 3–4) *

– violin, organ, vocals (1–3 to 1–7, 1–9 to 2–7, 3–4) * James "Motorhead" Sherwood – rhythm guitar (1–1) *

Roy Estrada Roy Estrada (also known as "Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada" and "Orejón"; born April 17, 1943) is an American former musician. He is best known for being the original bassist of both the Mothers of Invention and Little Fea ...

– bass (1–1)

Charts

References

{{Frank Zappa albums 2023 compilation albums Compilation albums published posthumously Frank Zappa compilation albums