Pre-tour Rehearsals (1978 - 1987)

We don't known where each of the 1980-1987 pre-tour rehearsals took place. While these rehearsals have usually been labeled "UMRK", it is unlikely that they took place in FZ's home studio. Some of them took place at FZ's warehouse in North Hollywood (later named "Joe's Garage"). Others took place at Zoetrope Studios in Hollywood (later renamed Hollywood Center Studios). See also this page.

August 1978
Culver City, Los Angeles, CA

Frank Zappa's Band, August - October 1978

FZ, Ike Willis, Denny Walley, Arthur Barrow, Vinnie Colaiuta, Ed Mann, Tommy Mars, Peter Wolf.

1978 08 ?? #1

35 min, SBD, A

Sy Borg, Easy Meat, Tell Me You Love Me, The Black Page

1978 08 ?? #2

35 min, A-

Improvisations, Tell Me You Love Me, Conehead, I Have Been In You, Flakes, Magic Fingers, Yellow Snow Suite, Bamboozled By Love, Nanook Rubs It, Rollo

1978 08 12

80 min, B+

Twenty-One, I'm A Beautiful Guy (riff), Dinah-Moe Humm, Camarillo Brillo, Muffin Man, Sofa, Baby Snakes, Sofa, Packard Goose / Pound For A Brown, Twenty-One

1978 08 16

90 min, SBD, B

Dancin' Fool, Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me?, Keep It Greasey, Village Of The Sun, The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, City Of Tiny Lights, Baby Snakes, Sofa, Packard Goose, A Pound For A Brown, I Have Been In You, Flakes, Magic Fingers, Yellow Snow Suite, Bamboozled By Love, Sy Borg, Little House I Used To Live In, Tell Me You Love Me, Yo' Mama

1978 World tour

February 1979
London, UK

Frank Zappa's Band, February - April 1979

FZ, Ike Willis, Denny Walley, Warren Cucurullo, Arthur Barrow, Vinnie Colaiuta, Ed Mann, Tommy Mars, Peter Wolf.

1979 02 ?? #1

90 min, Aud, B

Saddle Bags, Spider Of Destiny, Packard Goose, Saddle Bags / Easy Meat, Jumbo Go Away

1979 02 ?? #2

10 min, Aud, B

Florentine Pogen, Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me?, The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, For The Young Sophisticate, Wet T-Shirt Nite, Mystery Rehearsal Piece, Conehead / Saddle Bags

1979 02 08

60 min, SBD, B

Easy Meat, Twenty-One ("evolved" version), I'm A Beautiful Guy, Mystery Rehearsal Piece, Twenty-One, Conehead, Twenty-One, City Of Tiny Lights, Inca Roads, Florentine Pogen, Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me?, Packard Goose, Dead Girls Of London

1979 European tour

January - March 1980
Los Angeles, CA

Frank Zappa's Rehearsals Band, January - March 1980

FZ, Ike Willis, Ray White, Arthur Barrow, Vinnie Colaiuta, Tommy Mars.

1980 ?? ??

5 min, A-

Beauty Knows No Pain (q: Thunderball)

1980 01 28

45 min, B

Nite Owl / Joe's Garage, Mystery Rehearsal Piece, Mudd Club, Mudd Club / Ain't Got No Heart, Mudd Club / The Deathless Horsie , Village Of The Sun, Mudd Club, Mudd Club / Mo's Vacation (incl. Little Bitty Pretty One), guitar solo over I'm A Beautiful Guy riff, Sinister Footwear, Tink Walks Amok

1980 01 29

45 min, A-

Thirteen, Tink Walks Amok / Mystery Rehearsal Piece / Beauty Knows No Pain (instrumental), Dupree's Paradise / Mystery Rehearsal Piece, Sleep Dirt, Sinister Footwear, Mudd Club (instrumental), Packard Goose, Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy, Mystery Song #1 / My Sharona / Mystery Riff, Thirteen / Tink Walks Amok / Mystery Rehearsal Piece / Beauty Knows No Pain (instrumental) / Mystery Song #1 / My Sharona / Mystery Riff

1980 02 02

See 1980 02 06.

1980 02 06

45 min, B+

Also known as 1980 02 02.

Solitude, I'm A Beautiful Guy

1980 02 07

25 min, B

I'm A Beautiful Guy, Jumbo Go Away, I'm A Beautiful Guy, Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy, I'm A Beautiful Guy, Jumbo Go Away

1980 02 08

10 min, A-

Mystery Rehearsal Piece (incl. Sinister Footwear,Tink Walks Amok, Thirteen), Pick Me I'm Clean

1980 02 09

45 min, B+

Pick Me I'm Clean, Medley: Addams Family / James Bond / My Three Sons / Mongoloid / Rock Lobster / Heart Of Glass / I Love Lucy / My Sharona, My Sharona / Mystery Song #1, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted, Theme Song / Pop Medley, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted, I'm A Beautiful Guy (incl. My Generation)

1980 02 10

90 min, A-/B+

Let's Move To Cleveland, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted, Rubber Girl, Pick Me I'm Clean, Tink Walks Amok / Thirteen, The Addams Family, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted, I'm A Beautiful Guy, My Generation, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted / Beautiful Guy, The Addams Family, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted /I Love Lucy, Medley: I Don't Wanna Get Drafted / Addams Family / James Bond / Mongoloid / Rock Lobster / Heart Of Glass / My Sharona / Mystery Song #1, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted, Pick Me I'm Clean, Tink Walks Amok / Thirteen, Let's Move To Cleveland, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted

1980 02 11

45 min, B

Let's Move To Cleveland, I Don't Wanna Get Drafted

1980 02or03?

The band rehearsing with a drum machine. See 1980 07or08 in Unreleased, radio, and weird stuff

1980 1st North American and European tours

September - October 1980
Los Angeles, CA

Frank Zappa's Band, November - December 1980

FZ, Ike Willis, Steve Vai, Ray White, Arthur Barrow, Vinnie Colaiuta, Tommy Mars, Bob Harris #2.

1980 09 20

45 min, B+

Tinsel Town Rebellion (music = We're Turning Again), Broken Hearts Are For Assholes, I'm So Cute, You Didn't Try To Call Me, Flakes, I Have Been In You, Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?, Peaches En Regalia

1980 09 22

40 min, A-

The Torture Never Stops, Daddy Daddy Daddy, We're Turning Again, My Sharona

1980 09 24

5 min, B+

Nite Owl, Stinkfoot

1980 09 27

45 min, B+

The Blue Light, The Radio Is Broken (incl. Twenty-One), The Torture Never Stops (q: The Birth Of Blues, We're Turning Again), Cruising For Burgers, Muffin Man, Doreen

1980 09 29

45 min, B+

This has also circulated in an abridged and edited version as 1980 09or10.

Wet T-Shirt Nite, In France, We're Turning Again, The Radio Is Broken (incl. Twenty-One, Oh! Susanna) / Peaches En Regalia, The Torture Never Stops / Wooly Bully / The Dangerous Kitchen, Goblin Girl, Heavenly Bank Account, Broken Hearts Are For Assholes, I'm So Cute, Dumb All Over, The Blue Light, Drowning Witch, The Blue Light

1980 10 01

45 min, B+

Mudd Club, The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, You Didn't Try To Call Me, I'm So Cute riff, Tinsel Town Rebellion (music = We're Turning Again), Tinsel Town Rebellion ("regular")

1980 10 03

45 min, B+

Tinsel Town Rebellion (q: Goblin Girl, The Blue Light), The Blue Light / I'm So Cute (incl. Mo's Vacation), The Radio Is Broken (q: Peaches En Regalia, Light My Fire, Hawaiian Eye), Tell Me You Love Me, Mystery Rehearsal Piece

1980 10 04

45 min, B+

Tell Me You Love Me, Tinsel Town Rebellion, The Radio Is Broken (q: Star Trek Theme, Oh! Susanna)

1980 10 05

45 min, B+

We're Turning Again, Dead Girls Of London, Tinsel Town Rebellion, Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me?, Wet T-Shirt Nite, Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?, Dead Girls Of London, Tell Me You Love Me, I'm So Cute / Mo's Vacation, You Didn't Try To Call Me, Rubber Girl, Pick Me I'm Clean

1980 2nd North American tour

Frank Zappa's band, September 1981 - July 1982

FZ, Steve Vai, Ray White, Scott Thunes, Chad Wackerman, Ed Mann, Tommy Mars, Bobby Martin.
Note: a few of the August 1981 tapes features Lisa Popeil instead of Bobby Martin.

August - September 1981
Los Angeles, CA

1981 08? ?? #1

25 min, B+/B

Filthy Habits, Five-Five-Five, Canarsie, Heavy Duty Judy, Soup 'n Old Clothes, Watermelon In Easter Hay, King Kong

1981 08? ?? #2

90 min, B+

Any Kind Of Pain, Nig Biz, Kaiser Rolls, Dickie's Such An Asshole, Portuguese Lunar Landing, Teenage Prostitute, Alien Orifice, Cocaine Decisions, What's New In Baltimore?, Moggio, We Are Not Alone (with vocals), Any Kind Of Pain (with different lyrics), We're Turning Again (with extra Jimi Hendrix verses)

1981 08? ?? #3

15 min, B+

Strictly Genteel

81 08 05 #1

90 min, B+/B

Parts are distorted.

Pick Me I'm Clean, Ms Pinky, Classical medley (incl. Royal March from Aida, Light Cavalry Overture, ??? [Rachmaninov], Brahms's Lullaby, Theme from Mr Rogers' Neighborhood / Theme from Captain Kangaroo, Tchaikovskij's Piano Concerto), Portuguese Lunar Landing, Tinsel Town Rebellion, Fine Girl, Easy Meat, Portuguese Lunar Landing (q: Theme from Kung Fu), Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?, Cruising For Burgers

81 08 05 #2

45 min, A-

Strictly Genteel, For The Young Sophisticate, Mudd Club, The Dangerous Kitchen, The Jazz Discharge Party Hats, Lisa's Life Story, The Black Page (with Lisa singing), Bobby Brown, Ms Pinky

1981 08 06

75 min, A-/B

Parts are very distorted.

Beauty Knows No Pain / I'm A Beautiful Guy, ??? / Bobby Brown / Beauty Knows No Pain / I'm A Beautiful Guy, ???, The Deathless Horsie, Treacherous Cretins, The Deathless Horsie, Pick Me I'm Clean, Filthy Habits, Eat That Question, Filthy Habits

1981 08 07 #1

90 min, B

We're Turning Again, Truck Driver Divorce, I'm In The Mood For Love (early version of Lisa's Life Story), Filthy Habits, I'm In The Mood For Love, All Night Long, I'm In The Mood For Love (as played for Bennet Glotzer), Brahms's Lullaby, We're Turning Again (incl. Uncle Meat)

1981 08 07 #2

40 min, A-

I'm A Beautiful Guy / Beauty Knows No Pain, Fine Girl, You Are What You Is, Little Blues, Little Doo-Wop, All Night Long, Clowns On Velvet, What's New In Baltimore? / Moggio

1981 08 10

90 min, B+

We Are Not Alone (with lyrics), Any Kind Of Pain, We're Turning Again (incl. Uncle Meat), Drowning Witch (proto-version)

1981 08 12

45 min, A-

Portuguese Lunar Landing, Bamboozled By Love, I'm The Slime, The Illinois Enema Bandit, Zoot Allures, Camarillo Brillo, Muffin Man, Theme from Mr Rogers' Neighborhood, Tryin' To Grow A Chin, Dancin' Fool, Flakes, Montana, Drowning Witch

1981 08or09

90 min, A-

We're Turning Again / Alien Orifice, Drowning Witch, Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me?, Keep It Greasey, The Torture Never Stops, City Of Tiny Lights, A Pound For A Brown, Cocaine Decisions, Nig Biz, Bobby Brown, Ms Pinky, Joe's Garage, Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? (q: Theme from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Light Cavalry Overture), Clowns On Velvet, The Deathless Horsie, Treacherous Cretins, The Illinois Enema Bandit, Sinister Footwear

1981 09 14

45 min, B+

Yo' Mama, Any Kind Of Pain, Kaiser Rolls, Envelopes

1981 09 15

45 min, B+

Heavenly Bank Account, Suicide Chump, Jumbo Go Away, Envelopes, Yo' Mama, Sinister Footwear, Stevie's Spanking, Cocaine Decisions, Montana, Easy Meat

1981 09 16

45 min, B+

No Not Now, Charlie's Enormous Mouth / Fine Girl, Were Turning Again (incl. I Don't Live Today), Alien Orifice, Drowning Witch (incl. Theme from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood), Zoot Allures, You Are What You Is, Mudd Club, The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, Dumb All Over

1981 09 17

46 min, B+

King Kong, Dumb All Over, Yo' Mama, Were Turning Again (incl. I Don't Live Today), Alien Orifice, Teenage Prostitute

1981 tour

March - April 1982
Los Angeles, CA

1982 03 22

45 min, B+

Yo Cats, Let's Move To Cleveland, Penis Dimension

1982 03 24

45 min, B+

Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?, Crew Slut, Packard Goose, Watermelon In Easter Hay, A Token Of My Extreme, Stick It Out, Sy Borg, Dong Work For Yuda, Outside Now, Big Swifty, Mo's Vacation, Zomby Woof, Outside Now, What's New In Baltimore?, Moggio, RDNZL, Zomby Woof

1982 04 06?

45 min, B

Strictly Genteel, In France, Advance Romance, Arrivederci Roma, Funiculì Funiculà, You Are What You Is, Dumb All Over, Zomby Woof, Mystery Song #4, Tell Me You Love Me, Dead Girls Of London, Flakes, Approximate / Tinsel Town Rebellion, Carolina Hard Core Ecstasy, Yo' Mama, He's So Gay, I Came On Your Face, Stick It Out

1982 04 20

45 min, B-

Date and if this comes all from the same session is debated. Many of the songs are just fragments.

Stick It Out, Truck Driver Divorce, RDNZL, In France, Broken Hearts Are For Assholes, No No Cherry, The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou, Jumbo Go Away / Tell ME You Love Me, Approximate (q: Dragnet) / Cosmik Debris, In France, FZ guitar experiments, FZ changes strings (q: Shall We Take Ourselves Seriously?, The Black Page) & tries out the new Floyd Rose, Wet-Shirt Nite riff, Stinkfoot, Sofa, Poodle Lecture, Sofa, Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy (q: I'm The Slime), No No Cherry, The Man From Utopia Meets Mary Lou, Keep It Off Of My Face / The Dangerous Kitchen, Disco Boy, Truck Driver Divorce / Sinister Footwear, Stinkfoot

1982 tour

Late 1987
Los Angeles, CA

1987 ?? ?? various dates

25 min

Rehearsals with FZ, Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan, ????

The Blue Light, Strictly Genteel, Magic Fingers, Call Any Vegetable, Dog Breath, Wonderful Wino, Ms Pinky, Mom And Dad, Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, What's The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?, Giraffe

1987 ?? ??

10 min

Rehearsals with FZ, Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan, ????

Dog Breath, Wonderful Wino, Clowns On Velvet

1987 12 23 - Hollywood Center Studios

90 min, SBD, A

Rehearsals with the 1988 band, conducted by Scott Thunes, without FZ.

Jezebel Boy, When The Lie's So Big, Planet Of The Baritone Women, What's New In Baltimore?, Moggio, I Ain't Got No Heart, Heavy Duty Judy, Filthy Habits, A Pound For A Brown, Disco Boy, A Pound For A Brown, Big Swifty, Who Needs The Peace Corps?, I Left My Heart In San Francisco, Let's Move To Cleveland, Dancin' Fool, RDNZL, Strictly Genteel, Andy, Inca Roads, Hot Plate Heaven At The Green Hotel, Stick Together, My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama, Willie The Pimp, Montana, Easy Meat, Peaches En Regalia, Sofa, Black Napkins, The Black Page

1988 tour

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