Hear Frank Zappa’s Unreleased ‘I’m the Slime’ Demo From ‘Over-Nite Sensation’ 50th Anniversary Reissue

Daniel Kreps
·4 min read
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Photo of Frank ZAPPA - Credit: Ian Dickson/Redferns)
Photo of Frank ZAPPA - Credit: Ian Dickson/Redferns)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Frank Zappa’s landmark Over-Nite Sensation, and in November, Zappa Records/UMe will celebrate the LP with a deluxe reissue of the 1973 album complete with unreleased tracks, outtakes, two concerts from the era, and more from one of Rolling Stone’s 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Ahead of Over-Nite Sensation: 50th Anniversary Edition’s release on November 17, check out the previously unheard “Face Down,” a demo that would ultimately transform into the album’s television-skewering “I’m the Slime.”

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The demo finds the song stripped of much of the adornment from the album version — including Tina Turner and the Ikettes’ vocals on the chorus — leaving only the basic instrumentation, and Zappa’s somehow more deranged recitation of the verses.

In addition to “Face Down,” the 50th-anniversary deluxe edition boasts over 55 unreleased recordings from the Zappa Vault, including alternate takes of the Over-Nite Sensation songs, 1973 mixes of Zappa classics like “Inca Roads” and “RDNZL,” the Mothers’ 1973 concerts from the Hollywood Palladium and Detroit’s Cobo Arena and more.

“Over-Nite Sensation will go on in history as one of the absolute quintessential Frank Zappa records of his entire catalog,” Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers said in a statement. “Happy 50th anniversary, OS — may you live on forever and continue to delight the ‘Lifers’ as well as providing an entry point to one of the most iconic, influential, and important composers of 20th-century music.”

On top of the 4CD/1Blu-ray deluxe edition, Over-Nite Sensation will also be rereleased on vinyl as a 2LP cut at 45rpm for the first time ever, with the reissue sourced from the original analog tape. Both are available to preorder now ahead of their November 17 release.

The Over-Nite Sensation reissue is the latest offering from the Zappa Vault, following the quasi-Hot Rats sequel Funky Nothingness and a live album documenting his blistering 1980 shows.

Over-Nite Sensation: 50th Anniversary Edition Track List

CD 1
Over-Nite Sensation – The Album
1. Camarillo Brillo
2. I’m The Slime
3. Dirty Love
4. Fifty-Fifty
5. Zomby Woof
6. Dinah-Moe Humm
7. Montana
Bonus Session Masters
8. Wonderful Wino (Complete Edit)*
9. Inca Roads (1973 Version, 2023 Mix)*
10. RDNZL (1973 Mix)*
11. For The Young Sophisticate (Dolby EQ Copy)
12. I’m The Slime (Single Version)
13. Montana (Single Edit With Intro)
Bonus Vault Sensations
14. Inca Roads (Bolic Take-Home Mix)*
15. RDNZL (Take 2)*
16. X-Forts (Echidna’s Arf (Of You))*

CD 2
Bonus Vault Sensations
1. Camarillo Brillo (Alternate Mix)*
2. Face Down (I’m The Slime – Demo)*
3. I’m The Slime (Basic Track Outtake)*
4. Dirty Love (Session Rehearsal)*
5. Dirty Love (With Quad Guitar)*
6. Fifty-Fifty – Pipe Organ Intro Improvisations*
7. Fifty-Fifty (Basic Tracks, Take 7)*
8. Dinah-Moe Humm (Session Rehearsal)*
9. Dinah-Moe Humm (Bolic Take-Home Mix)*
10. Montana (Bolic Take-Home Mix)*
Live In Hollywood, California, Hollywood Palladium – March 23, 1973
11. Montana*
12. Dupree’s Paradise (Intro)*
13. Dupree’s Paradise*

CD 3
Live In Hollywood, California, Hollywood Palladium – March 23, 1973
1. Cosmik Debris*
2. “The Dynamic Sal Marquez!”*
3. Big Swifty*
4. “…The Successor To Willie The Pimp”*
5. The Curse Of The Zomboids (I’m The Slime)*
6. Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?*
7. FZ & The Percussion Section*
8. Palladium Jam – Part 1*
9. Palladium Jam – Part 2*

CD 4
Live In Detroit, Michigan, Cobo Hall – May 12, 1973
1. Cobo Hall ’73 Band Intros And Sound Check*
2. Exercise #4*
3. Dog Breath*
4. The Dog Breath Variations*
5. Uncle Meat*
6. Fifty-Fifty*
7. Inca Roads*
8. FZ Introduces the Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow Medley*
9. Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow*
10. Nanook Rubs It*
11. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast*
12. Father O’Blivion*
13. St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast (Reprise)*
14. Join The March*
15. Cosmik Debris*
16. Medley: King Kong/Chunga’s Revenge/Son Of Mr. Green Genes*

BLU-RAY AUDIO
Over-Nite Sensation – The Album
Dolby Atmos* / Dolby TrueHD 5.1* / Dolby TrueHD 1973 Quadraphonic / 24-bit/192kHz Stereo / 24-bit/96kHz Stereo
1. Camarillo Brillo
2. I’m The Slime
3. Dirty Love
4. Fifty-Fifty
5. Zomby Woof
6. Dinah-Moe Humm
7. Montana

*unreleased

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