Baby Snakes

The "Intro Rap" track on the CD is not on the vinyl. The 1995 Ryko CD has better cover/booklet artwork than previous CDs.

ESSENTIAL VERSIONS FOR COMPLETISTS: Any CD (they have a bonus track). Obsessive completists will note that the vinyl contains a count-off not on the CD. [completist's guide]

Issues

Relation to SHEIK YERBOUTI

The same recording of the song "Baby Snakes" appears on both Sheik Yerbouti and Baby Snakes, but the Sheik Yerbouti version is a longer edit, with an intro that is not on Baby Snakes.

Original Vinyl Picture Disc

From Dan Watkins:

The album is in a clear plastic sleeve, and in the bottom-right corner of  the sleeve there is a sticker with the song list and copyright information. On the vinyl, "Disco Boy" has a cold ending, and "Dinah-Moe Humm" begins with Frank counting off "One, two, three, four". On the CD release, the two songs segue together which omits the count-off. It seems like I have spoken to only a few people who own the Baby Snakes LP, and I have only seen it for sale once. How rare is this LP?

Knut Skogstad:

As far as I can remember, the first pressing was 5000 copies (BPR 1115). Later re-released ... from Barfko Swill. By the way, "Intro Rap" on the Baby Snakes CD version is not on the vinyl version.

Henrik Westberg:

Note that there are two different pressings of this one: both are picture discs with plastic sleeves and stickers. The one with the red sticker is the original pressing, and the one with the yellow sticker is a re-release. [This one?]

Re-Issue

From Robert Cloos:

There was also a reissue of the Baby Snakes picture disc (it contained the digital version). It was about half the price of the original.

Promo Vinyl

From Bernie Fox:

Last weekend, I found a "black" vinyl promo of Baby Snakes in very good condition. The cover and sleeve are plain white and beat up, but the vinyl is fine. The tracks are different than the commercial release. [!?]

Original CD

The original vinyl was a picture disc, probably packaged in a partially see-through cover, so you could see the picture; the original CD just had a standard disc and a different cover. The 1995 CD restored the artwork.

From Knut Skogstad:

"Intro Rap" on the Baby Snakes CD version is not on the vinyl version.

From Dan Watkins:

On the vinyl, "Disco Boy" has a cold ending, and "Dinah-Moe Humm" begins with Frank counting off "One, two, three, four". On the CD release, the two songs segue together which omits the count-off.

1995 CD

A remaster of the original CD. The 1995 CD has a picture of the original vinyl picture disc on the cover, instead of the different cover on the original CD. Official Ryko statement: "New master. New timing sheet. Restored artwork - à la the original vinyl picture disc." [full statement]'

Japanese Paper-Sleeve Version (2001-2002)

Starting in 2001, Video Arts Music released a limited-edition series (2000 copies each) of Zappa CDs in paper sleeves - miniature LP sleeves. There was nothing special about this series other than the covers, which were very well done - inserts and "bonuses" were reproduced, the albums that originally had gatefold covers got little miniature gatefolds, and cover track lists were exactly as on the corresponding LPs, even in cases where the CD has bonus tracks or a different track order. Included in this series were some entries that never had "proper" LP issues, i.e. Läther. Additionally, some rarities--like the "green/gold" cover of Chunga's Revenge--were reproduced as special items in this run.

We need to stress that the sound quality of these discs matches the US Ryko issues, which they are clearly derived from. These are collectors items, not new remastered editions.

Late-2012-update: It appears as if the Japanese may be warming up the mini-LP ovens for a new batch based on the 2012 UMe remasters. We'll let you know if this happens.

1995 Cassette

From Scott Richardson:

I've got the Baby Snakes cassette and (as far as I can tell), it's just like the CD. It's the '95 remaster, and the cover is the picture of the picture disc.

NOTHING SUCCEES LIKE SUCCESS Bootleg

A bootleg album called Nothing Succees Like Success has album tracks Baby Snakes and three bonus tracks: "Ancient Armaments", the flip side of the "I Don't Wanna Get Drafted" single, and two radio spots. Read all about it in the Son of the alt.fan.frank-zappa Bootleg FAQ.

Film/Video

Baby Snakes is actually the "soundtrack album" from a film called BABY SNAKES, which was released to theatres in 1979, and has also been available on video tape. It is a lot longer than the album, and contains much more music.

From Richard Fox (quote provided by Vladimir Sovetov):

The concert footage includes "Titties & Beer", "Punky's Whips", "Camarillo Brillo/Muffin Man", "San Ber'dino", "Dinah-Moe Humm", "The Black Page #2", "Disco Boy", "Jones Crusher", "City of Tiny Lights", "Tryin' to Grow a Chin", "I Have Been in You", "Broken Hearts Are for Assholes" and a few more. There is also a video to "Peaches en Regalia" at the end. The intermission portion shows clips from Barking Pumpkin distribution.

(Two different versions of the BABY SNAKES film have been released on video: a long version and a short version. The long version is three and a half hours (210 minutes) and the short version is much much shorter. The longer version has recently been released on DVD)

Questions

  • Any details on cassette versions?
  • Any variations between the CD versions?
 

home - vinyl vs CDs - weirdo discography - bootlegs - misc - hot lynx - e-mail us at zappa dot patio at gmail dot com 2006-04-22 20:02

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