Apostrophe (‘ ), released on March 22, 1974, is the 18th album in Frank Zappa’s discography, which began less than 10 years earlier, in 1966, with Freak Out! It’s the only one of his albums to reach the top 10, and the one for which he received his first gold disc. It is, finally, the record that is generally recommended to anyone wondering where to enter Zappa’s universe, and the 1973-1974 period represents for many fans the pinnacle of his career. No wonder the Zappa Family Trust released The Crux Of The Biscuit in 2016, collecting alternative and live versions, and no wonder Apostrophe (‘) 50th Anniversary Edition (5 CD + 1 audio Blu-ray) was released in September 2024.
Here we find the album remastered from the original recordings, but also several of the tracks released on The Crux Of The Biscuit eight years ago, two complete concerts and a few rarities. The blu-ray contains two 5.1 versions (Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD) of 2024, as well as the quadraphonic version produced by Zappa himself and released in 1974. If you’ve got what it takes to listen to this, it’s certainly worth it (and… the cost!), because the channel separation brings out details that are well hidden in the stereo mix, especially on the percussion side. Although the 73-74 cohort is already well represented in Zappa’s discography, the concerts are fine additions, with very special versions of “Village Of The Sun,” “Andy” (here named “Is There Anything Good Inside Of You,” “Florentine Pogen” and “Inca Roads,” among others). A fine edition.
