Frank Zappa Zappa '80: Munich 180g 3LP

Analog Planet Rated 8/10 Music, 7/10 Sonics!

This historic 1980 Munich concert has the distinction of being the first ever live direct to digital stereo recording of Zappa. The show was the last of the Spring/Summer tour with the group playing at peak performance.

The entire concert is featured on three 180g audiophile vinyl LP's and mastered by Bernie Grundman in 2022.

The package features photography and memoir from George Alper, who worked for FZ, along with liner notes from Arthur Barrow & Vaultmeister Joe Travers.

As the first all-digital recording Frank Zappa ever made on tour — captured on Sony's then state-of-the-art PCM-1600 3/4-inch U-Matic videotape-based recording format — happily, this show sounds indeed quite wonderful, as basically we're hearing the native original recording that was laid down at that time. So, yes, even though the music was captured at 16-bit/44.1kHz in the early days of digital — not coincidentally the standard for the eventual CD — you are hearing everything that was laid down at that time, and it does sound pretty terrific!... the thing to remember here is, there is no real 'transfer' going on. Anything that was captured at that time is pretty much what you hear here, in all its glory. Ultimately, it are what it is! And they captured quite a lot of information at that time, all things considered... Bernie Grundman has done a great job preparing the music so it sounds rich and warm on vinyl, without any harsh digital edges apparent (if there were even any at the start). My best test was that I was able to turn this album up loud, and enjoyed it very much.