Civilization, Phaze III

Civilization, Phaze III is a double CD by Frank Zappa. It was the last album he completed before his death in 1993, and was released posthumously in December 1994 by The Zappa Family Trust on Barking Pumpkin Records.

Related Topics:
Double - CD - Frank Zappa - Barking Pumpkin

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Much of the material was composed in the style of musique concrète, similar to Zappa's 1967 album Lumpy Gravy. Categorized by Zappa as an "opera-pantomime", the project began as a vocal recording experiment in 1967, which Zappa describes in the liner notes (written in 1993):

Related Topics:
Musique concrète - Lumpy Gravy - Opera - Pantomime - Liner notes

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:"...I decided to stuff a pair of U-87s 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..."

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These ramblings were transformed into a vague plot involving pigs, ponies and other characters who live inside a piano. In 1991, additional dialog by Moon Unit Zappa, actor Michael Rapaport and others was added. The musical score was almost entirely composed upon and performed by the Synclavier.

Related Topics:
Moon Unit Zappa - Michael Rapaport - Synclavier

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