Frank Zappa’s Estate Announces A 50th Anniversary 200 Motels Six-Disc Box Set For November 2021 Release

Frank Zappa’s estate has announced a 50th anniversary six-disc boxset for the soundtrack of 200 Motels, the progressive rock icon’s surrealist documentary. This release was remastered by Bernie Grundman, and will contain original demos, studio outtakes, work mixes, interviews and movie ads and newly discovered dialog reels, which reveal an early audio edit of the movie.

A remastered version of “Mystery Roach (Dialog Protection Reel)” has also been released, which provides listeners with an early look into the upcoming release. Blending funk, rock and jazz with Zappa’s trademark eclecticism, including a comedic skit in the midst of the song.

Shot on a budget of $650,000, 200 Motels was as surreal and grand as many of the beloved performer’s most iconic projects, blending in elements of rock, jazz, orchestral music and spoken-word comedy into the foray. Zappa played bass and guitar on the soundtrack, which also features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, vocals and special material from Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, winds and keys from Ian Underwood, drums from Aynsley Dunbar, additional keys and trombone from the legendary George Duke, bass from Martin Lickert, additional vocals Jimmy Carl Black and an orchestral drum set from Ruth Underwood.

“What I’m trying to describe is the type of attention given to each lyric, melody, arrangement, improvisation, the sequence of these elements in an album, the cover art which is an extension of the musical material, the choice of what is recorded. released, and/or performed during a concert, the continuity or contrast of material album to album, etc., etc., etc. . . . all of these detail aspects are part of the BIG STRUCTURE or THE MAIN BODY OF WORK. The smaller details comprise not only the contents of THE MAIN BODY OF WORK, but, because of the chronology of execution, give it a ‘shape,’ in an abstract sense,” Zappa wrote in an interview with himself regarding the project.

The Zappa estate has been keeping busy as of late, releasing the live album Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show earlier this year.

200 Motels 50th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack tracklist

CD 1: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK – REMASTERED

1. Semi-Fraudulent / Direct-From-Hollywood Overture
2. Mystery Roach
3. Dance Of The Rock & Roll Interviewers
4. This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Prologue)
5. Tuna Fish Promenade
6. Dance Of The Just Plain Folks
7. This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Reprise)
8. The Sealed Tuna Bolero
9. Lonesome Cowboy Burt
10. Touring Can Make You Crazy
11. Would You Like A Snack?
12. Redneck Eats
13. Centerville
14. She Painted Up Her Face
15. Janet’s Big Dance Number
16. Half A Dozen Provocative Squats
17. Mysterioso
18. Shove It Right In
19. Lucy’s Seduction Of A Bored Violinist & Postlude
20. I’m Stealing The Towels
21. Dental Hygiene Dilemma
22. Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You?
23. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy
24. Penis Dimension
25. What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning

CD 2: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK – REMASTERED (Cont’d)

1. A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes
2. Magic Fingers
3. Motorhead’s Midnight Ranch
4. Dew On The Newts We Got
5. The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts
6. The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth
7. The Girl’s Dream
8. Little Green Scratchy Sweaters & Courduroy Ponce
9. Strictly Genteel (The Finale)

200 MOTELS DEMOS, 2ND MOVEMENT – ROCK MUSIC

1. Road Ladies (Alternate Mix)
2. What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening
3. What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?
4. Bwana Dik
5. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy
6. Do You Like My New Car?
7. Magic Fingers
8. Phyllis & Aynsley
9. What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning (Alternate Mix)

200 MOTELS DEMO SESSION OUTTAKES

1. Tell Me You Love Me (Mix Outtake)
2. Road Ladies (Alternate Take)
3. What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening (Studio Outtakes)
4. What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening (Alternate Take, Incomplete)
5. “Aynsley Dunbar, Ladies & Gentlemen”
6. Magic Fingers (Version B, Mix Outtake)
7. What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning (Mix Outtake)
8. Tell Me You Love Me (Alternate Take)

CD 3: 200 MOTELS – DIALOG PROTECTION REELS

1. Scene 1-2: Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture
2. Scene 3: “What’s The Deal?”
3. Mystery Roach
4. Scene 32: “It’s A Good Thing We Get Paid To Do This…”
5. Scene 14: What’s The Name Of Your Group? I
6. Scene 32: “We Haven’t Formed The Group Yet”
7. Scene 15: What’s The Name Of Your Group? II
8. Scene 17: “When Do We Get Paid?”
9. Scene 18: Went On The Road
10. Scene 19-20: “Special Delivery”
11. Scene 21: Centerville
12. Scene 21: Janet & Lucy
13. Scene 22: This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich
14. Scene 23-24: Tuna Fish Promenade
15. Scene 28: The Sealed Tuna Bolero
16. Scene 29: Lonesome Cowboy Burt
17. Scene 30: JCB & Rance
18. Scene 21: Larry The Dwarf
19. Scene 81: Magic Fingers
20. Scene 47: Larry The Dwarf In The Hotel Room
21. Scene 33: The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts
22. Scene 40-41: The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth
23. Scene 42: Little Green Scratchy Sweaters & Courduroy Ponce
24. Scene 45: A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes
25. Scene 57: The Perverted Nun
26. Scene 87: “Penis!”
27. Scene 58: She Painted Up Her Face
28. Scene 60: Janet’s Big Dance Number
29. Scene 61: Half A Dozen Provocative Squats
30. Scene 62: Lucy’s Seduction Of A Bored Violinist
31. Scene 63: Shove It Right In
32. Scene 67: “I Am Bwana Dik!”
33. Scene 68-69: What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening
34. Scene 77: Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

CD 4: 200 MOTELS – DIALOG PROTECTION REELS (Cont’d)

1. Scene 90: Biff Debris & Jeff
2. Scene 84-85: Penis Dimension
3. Scene 32: Mystery Roach (Acoustic) / “Yeah? Well Fine!”
4. Scene 71: What Will The Evening Bring Me This Morning
5. Scene 92: Jeff Flips Out / I’m Stealing The Room
6. Scene 100: Strictly Genteel
7. Scene 100: 200 Motels Finale

BONUS SWILL, PART I

1. “I Was Gonna Make A Movie One Time…”
2. 200 Motels Movie Ad #1
3. What’s The Name Of Your Group? (FZ Edit)
4. 200 Motels Movie Ad #2
5. FZ on Ringo Starr
6. Ringo Starr on 200 Motels
7. 200 Motels Movie Ad #3
8. Motorhead’s Midnight Ranch (Mix Outtake)
9. Looking For Newts
10. “They Are Only In It For The Money”
11. 200 Motels Movie Ad #4
12. 200 Motels Commercial Session Outtakes
13. Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You? (Mix Outtake)
14. “I Shall Ruin All The Tapes”
15. Janet’s Big Dance Number (Basic Tracks)
16. Martin Lickert Voice-Over
17. Touring Can Make You Crazy (Mix Outtake)
18. Penis Dimension (Instrumental Alternate Take)
19. Centerville (Mix Outtake)
20. Mystery Roach (Alternate Master)
21. Magic Fingers (Mix Outtake)
22. 200 Motels Movie Ad #5

CD 5: 200 MOTELS – ALTERNATES AND OUTTAKES

1. What Is 200 Motels?
2. Theodore Bikel Voice-Over (Alternate Take)
3. Semi-Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture (Mix Outtake)
4. What’s The Name Of Your Group? (Complete Sequence, Part I)
5. What’s The Name Of Your Group? (Complete Sequence, Part II)
6. What’s The Name Of Your Group? (Complete Sequence, Part III)
7. Can I Help You With This Dummy?
8. Pianos For The Pleated Gazelle
9. Synth Tracks I
10. Would You Like A Snack? (Alternate Take)
11. Howard Kaylan/Mark Volman Voice-Over
12. Centerville (Rough Mix)
13. This Town Is A Sealed Tuna Sandwich (Prologue, Mix Outtake)
14. Tuna Fish Promenade (Mix Outtake)
15. The Sealed Tuna Bolero (Alternate Take)
16. Lonesome Cowboy Burt (Mix Outtake)
17. Naval Aviation In Art?
18. Redneck Eats/The Restaurant Scene (Basic Tracks)
19. Mystery Roach (Basic Tracks)
20. I Have Seen The Pleated Gazelle
21. Dew On The Newts We Got (Rough Mix)
22. The Lad Searches The Night For His Newts (Rough Mix)
23. Motorhead’s Midnight Ranch (Rough Mix)
24. The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth (Rough Mix, Alternate Ending)
25. The Girl’s Dream (Rough Mix)
26. Little Green Scratchy Sweaters And Courduroy Ponce
27. Scene 43: A Cardboard Box
28. Scene 44
29. A Nun Suit Painted On Some Old Boxes (Rough Mix)
30. She Painted Up Her Face (Compressed Mix)
31. The Secret Stare
32. Half A Dozen Provocative Squats (Compressed Mix)
33. Lucy’s Seduction Of A Bored Violinist (Basic Tracks)
34. Shove It Right In (Compressed Mix)
35. Postlude (Basic Tracks)
36. What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning (Mix Outtake)

CD 6: 200 MOTELS – ALTERNATES AND OUTTAKES

1. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy (Alternate Take)
2. Magic Fingers (Alternate Take)
3. Penis Dimension (Basic Tracks)
4. Scene 86
5. Scene 87 (Alternate Take)
6. Synth Tracks II
7. I’m Stealing The Towels (Basic Tracks, Alternate Take)
8. Scene 94: “He’s Always Watching Me”
9. Dental Hygiene Dilemma (Part I, Basic Tracks)
10. Does This Kind Of Life Look Interesting To You? (Mix Outtake)
11. Dental Hygiene Dilemma (Part II, Basic Tracks)
12. Strictly Genteel (Basic Tracks)
13. 200 Motels Finale (Alternate Take)
14. 200 Motels Finale (Basic Tracks, Unedited Ending)

BONUS SWILL, PART II

1. Movie Theater Skit (Commercial Session Outtake)
2. 200 Motels Album Ad #1
3. Script Rehearsal Trim
4. Lonesome Cowboy Burt (In Rehearsal 1969)
5. Lonesome Cowboy Burt (In Rehearsal 1970)
6. 200 Motels Album Ad #2
7. Penis Dimension Jingle Music
8. TV Hype (Commercial Session Outtake)
9. 200 Motels Movie Ad # 6