NEWYORKDVD DEVELOPS FRANK ZAPPA’S “DUB ROOM SPECIAL” DVD: Long-Awaited Disc, Distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment, Includes Rare 1974 and 1981 Performances and extensive Special Features
NewYorkDVD has announced that it completed development of the late composer and guitarist Frank Zappa’s “Dub Room Special” DVD, which is distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment.
The DVD, which has been released both in NTSC and PAL formats, features rare performances from Zappa’s 1974 and 1981 touring bands, the claymation art of Bruce Bickford, as well as video clips of Zappa in the “dub room”.
Long awaited on DVD, the “Dub Room Special”‚ was previously only available on VHS and Beta through mail order. The DVD features PCM stereo audio, motion menus, and a complete official Frank Zappa discography, as well as a “Valley Girl Documentary”‚ that features Zappa’s daughter, Moon Unit.
“Dub Room Special” offers perhaps the best visual record of any Zappa performances. The 1974 performance, originally released as “A Token of His Extreme”, was recorded at Los Angeles PBS affiliate KCET-TV, and features George Duke (keyboards), Chester Thompson (drums), Napoleon Murphy Brock (woodwinds/vocals), and Ruth Underwood (mallet percussion) joining Zappa for renditions of “Montana”, “Florentine Pogen”, “Inca Roads” and others. The performance showcases Zappa’s trademark sense of humor and the remarkable complexity and avant-garde flavor of his compositions.
The 1981 performance, from Zappa’s annual New York Halloween concert, features guitar legend Steve Vai with the band. Bruce Bickford’s stop-motion claymation (also featured throughout Baby Snakes, a 2003 Zappa DVD release) is featured, as well as various bits from Italian “journalist” Massimo Bassoli.
The “Dub Room Special”‚ DVD marks NewYorkDVD’s initial collaboration with Gizmo Studios. NewYorkDVD founder and president Brian Brodeur worked with Gizmo’s multimedia team to complete production in the fall of 2005.
“The ‘Dub Room Special’ is a treasure for Zappa fans and for DVD aficionados alike. We worked closely with the Zappa family on this project, and the results should convey the value of DVD in reawakening archival music video and film performances”, said Brodeur. “The audio quality is tremendous, and the two performances, combined with the extras, offer a remarkable presentation of the Zappa experience: brilliant, unconventional, and unparalleled.”
About NewYorkDVD
NewYorkDVD’s principal, Brian Brodeur, has been producing music and multimedia for more than 15 years. He has created award-winning DVDs for the corporate, entertainment and instructional markets, including discs for Pfizer, Columbia/Tristar, KINO International, and Fender Guitars. Mr. Brodeur is an expert in all stages of DVD production; from audio/video compression to creative interactive design and stable DVD functionality programming that enhances the user experience. He is a sought-after DVD consultant for leading vendors, including VCA Fusion and Sonic Solutions.
NewYorkDVD’s extensive capabilities include expert-level encoding and authoring with Sonic Solutions systems, Final Cut Pro, comprehensive graphic design and motion menu development, surround sound mixing, multi-language translation/subtitling, DVD packaging, Adobe Flash development, and full-scale production and post-production services. NewYorkDVD provides competitively priced disc replication services, in small or large quantities, and offers comprehensive warehousing/fulfillment and e-commerce distribution solutions. For more information, visit the Web site at www.NewYorkDVD.com.
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EDITOR’s NOTE: For a color photograph of screenshots from “The Dub Room‚ DVD or NewYorkDVD’s Brian Brodeur, or shots of NewYorkDVD production suites, please contact Chris Pfaff at 201-218-0262 or chris@chrispfafftechmedia.com
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