''Mystery Disc'' is a compilation album by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of A ...

. It was released on CD in 1998, compiling tracks that were originally released on two separate vinyl records and included in the mail order ''Old Masters'' box sets, which were released in three volumes between 1985 and 1987. (These box sets, issued on

Barking Pumpkin 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. History Zappa ...

, contained repressings of Zappa's albums from ''

Freak Out! ''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa' ...

'' (1966) to ''

Zoot Allures ''Zoot Allures'' is the 22nd album by the American rock musician Frank Zappa, released in October 1976 and his only release on the Warner Bros. Records label. Due to a lawsuit with his former manager, Herb Cohen, Zappa's recording contract was ...

'' (1976), along with a 'Mystery Disc' in boxes one and two.) The CD omits the last two tracks from the 1985 LP, "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma", both of which were included on the CD version of '' Absolutely Free'' (1967) in 1989. The recordings featured on ''Mystery Disc'' cover the early stages of Zappa's career, and were made between 1962 and 1969 (with the exception of "The Story of Willie the Pimp", a 1972 '

field recording Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It also applies to sound recordings like electromagnetic fields or vibrat ...

'). The material overlaps in places with that of ''

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 ''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5'' is a double compact disc collection of live recordings (except for "German Lunch" and "My Guitar" which are studio recordings) by Frank Zappa. Disc one comprises performances by The Mothers of Invent ...

'' (1992), '' Ahead of Their Time'' (1993), ''

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) and '' Finer Moments'' (2013). A number of the earlier tracks—"I Was a Teen-Age Malt Shop", "The Birth of Captain Beefheart" and "Metal Man Has Won His Wings", all likely recorded in 1964—feature

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

on vocals. These are three light-hearted collaborations; "Metal Man Has Won His Wings" has Beefheart reading the lyrics directly from an advert for a comic book.

Track listing

All tracks by Frank Zappa, except where noted. The tracks were separated across the original 'mystery discs' thus: * ''Mystery Disc'' #1: tracks 1–20, plus "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma" * ''Mystery Disc'' #2: tracks 21–35

Overlaps with other albums

* ''

'' ** "Black Beauty" is an unedited version of "Underground Freak-Out Music" * '' Ahead of Their Time'': ** "Original Mothers at Fillmore East" and "Lecture From Festival Hall Show": these tracks are from the same concert as the one of ''Ahead Of Their Time'' but are not included on the latter album. ** "Harry You're A Beast" is a shorter edit ** "Don Interrupts" is a different edit than "Progress" ** "Piece One" is a different edit than "Like It Or Not" ** "Jim/Roy" is a different edit than the same material on the tracks "The Jimmy Carl Black Philosophy Lesson", "Holding The Group Back" and "Holiday In Berlin" ** "Piece Two" is a shorter edit of "The Rejected Mexican Pope Leaves The Stage" and "Undaunted, The Band Plays On" ** "Agency Man" is a shorted edit * ''

'' ** "Run Home Slow" is in mono and probably a different take ** "Charva" is the stereo mix version ** "Wedding Dress Song / Handsome Cabin Boy" is the same recording as the separate tracks on ''The Lost Episodes'' * '' Finer Moments'': see album page for more information

References

External links

Lyrics and information
* Release details: *

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{{Authority control Compilation albums published posthumously Frank Zappa compilation albums 1998 compilation albums Rykodisc compilation albums