Civilization Phaze III

From the booklet: In 1967, we spent about four months recording various projects […]. One day I decided to stuff a pair of U-87's in the piano, cover it with a heavy drape, put a sand bag on the sustain pedal and invite anybody in the vicinity to stick their head inside and ramble incoherently about the various topics I would suggest to them via the studio talk-back system. This set-up remained in place for several days. During that time, many hours of recordings were made, most of it useless. […] Some of this dialog - after extensive editing - found its way into the "Lumpy Gravy" album. The rest of it sat in my tape vault for decades, waiting for the glorious day when audio science would develop tools which might allow for its resurrection. […] In "Civilization Phaze III" we get a few more clues about the lives of the piano-dwellers and note that the external evils have only gotten worse since we first met them. The bulk of the musical material comes from Synclavier sequences (all music in act one). In the second act, the music is a combination of Synclavier (70%) and live performance (30%), along with a new generation of piano people. The new residents […] were recorded in a Bösendorfer Imperial at UMRK during the summer of 1991.[…]" 1967 dialog recorded at Apostolic Studio, NYC. 1991 dialog and chamber group pieces recorded at UMRK, Hollywood. 1991 full ensemble recordings engineered on the Synclavier Direct-to-Disc System at "Joe's Garage", North Hollywood. 1992 Synclavier material and all final mixes engineered at UMRK, Hollywood. Liner notes: 1993. Released in Digipak-like hardcover book format (14.5 x 13cm) with a 32-page booklet bound in, printed on semi-gloss white art with interleaved trace sheets (color printed translucent dividers), containing libretto & credits. All selections © 1994 The Zappa Family Trust, exclusively administered worldwide by Munchkin Music, ASCAP. ℗ 1994 The Zappa Family Trust exclusively licensed worldwide by Barking Pumpkin Records. Artwork & Liner Notes © 1994 The Zappa Family Trust. This is album #60. (P) (C) 1994 The Zappa Family Trust. Marketed and Distributed by Music For Nations. Made in England.