Zappa in New York was released in the UK by Zappa's DiscReet Records label in 1977, then quickly withdrawn. A second version was re-released internationally in March 1978 with changes ordered by DiscReet's distributor, Warner Bros. Records. The 1978 edition reached #57 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.
Music
Immediately following the 1976 concerts, Zappa spent time in the studio adding a significant number of overdubs to the live recordings. Several of these recordings were originally intended for the shelved album Läther, including "The Illinois Enema Bandit", "The Black Page #1", "Big Leg Emma", "Punky's Whips", "The Purple Lagoon" and "I Promise Not to Come in Your Mouth." The album features members of the Saturday Night Live band, including Lou Marini and Tom Malone, as well as the Brecker Brothers. In addition, Don Pardo was invited by Zappa to the Palladium concert, and he provides introductory narrations to "Punky's Whips" and "The Illinois Enema Bandit". On the CD version, Pardo also delivers a verse of "I'm the Slime".
Release history
Zappa in New York was first released in early 1977 with Zappa's original track listing. A small number of LP copies reached stores in England before the album was quickly withdrawn. In 1978, some original cassette copies also appeared in the United States, though, apparently by mistake. Before re-issuing the album in March 1978, Warner Bros. Records removed one of the longest songs, "Punky's Whips". This reduced the playing time of side one to a mere ten minutes, moving "Big Leg Emma" from side 2 to the end of side 1; "Titties & Beer" was also edited to remove references to the song "Punky's Whips". The changes made to the album without Zappa's consent violated his contract, which gave him total artistic control over album content. When Zappa's distribution agreement with Warner Bros. ended in 1982, all release rights reverted to him. Zappa re-issued Zappa in New York as a double CD album in 1991 with the addition of four bonus tracks. The CD reissue was remixed to feature guitar overdubs that were recorded at the time of the album's original issue but not included on the 1978 LP. The CD reissue also contained an alternate recording of "Punky's Whips" and the full-length unedited recording of "Titties & Beer". In 2019, the Zappa Family Trust commemorated the 40th anniversary of the release of New York with two releases - a 3LP set combining the 1978 LP release with a bonus LP of vault material, and a 5CD deluxe box set packaged in a tin shaped to look like a NYC street manhole cover and containing the 1978 LP mix, three CDs of performances from the four nights at the Palladium, and a fifth disc of vault material, plus a replica of a Palladium show ticket.
