Läther
| Läther | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1969; 1972–1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 173:18 | |||
| Label | Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | Frank Zappa | |||
| Frank Zappa chronology | ||||
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| 2012 Re-issue | ||||
Läther (/lɛðɜːr/, or "Leather") is the sixty-fifth official album by Frank Zappa. It was released posthumously as a three-CD set on Rykodisc in 1996. The album's title is derived from bits of comic dialog that link the songs. Zappa also explained that the name is a joke, based on "common bastardized pronunciation of Germanic syllables by the Swiss."
Läther integrates many aspects of Zappa's musical oeuvre — heavy rock, orchestral works, and complex jazz flavored instrumentals, along with Zappa's distinctive electric guitar solos and satirical lyrics, all edited together in a seemingly random way.
The Läther album was intended for release in 1977 as a four-LP box set, but it never appeared officially in this format. A variety of bootleg recordings of this material were widely distributed. One of these was a four-LP box on the "Edison Record" label and appeared to be professionally packaged. Some may have believed this was authorized, despite the fact Zappa's name did not actually appear on the album.