Barking Pumpkin Records
Barking Pumpkin Records is a record label of the composer and rock musician Frank Zappa. It was founded on 1 January 1981 in Los Angeles. On the label previously published records of Frank Zappa, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Ensemble Modern with orchestral works as well as two albums of Zappa's son Dweezil Zappa.
History
The name " Barking Pumpkin " (Eng.: barking pumpkin) goes for a back to the pet name the Zappa had given his wife Gail Zappa; so shows the cover of the Mothers album Absolutely Free on the inside of a photo of Frank and Gail, in Gail's face the words "my pumpkin" are printed. The name also plays on the shrill smoker's cough Gail. The logo shows the dialog between a " Arf! " Barking Halloween pumpkin and a cat who then makes a hump and - in Japanese characters - calls out " Oh, shit! " (P. 329)
As a first distribution channel CBS Records was used. After clashes with CBS to the accounts EMI were from 1984 MCA Records for delivery in the United States and Capitol / responsible for sales outside the United States. (P. 381 ) From 1993, was the distribution in North America on the American label Rhino Records, while in the rest of the world the British label " Music for Nations " the productions deposed.
Zappa used this label mainly on which to publish their own albums. First, the double LP Tinsel Town Rebellion, which also was the first album that Zappa had produced in his own studio Utility Muffin Research Kitchen appeared on 11 May 1981. With the exception of the album Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger Barking Pumpkin Records subsequently launched out all further published by Zappa vinyl LPs. The first published only on compact disc Zappa albums released on this label. Exceptions are the six-part series You Can not Do That On Stage Anymore Zappa's first and exclusively on CD -spread album Does Humor Belong In Music? represents the last publication of the label was the Zappa unfinished in his lifetime, but published only after his death album Civilization Phaze III.
Play a prominent role in Barking Pumpkin catalog albums with three orchestral works of Frank Zappa one: two albums of the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kent Nagano ( London Symphony Orchestra, Vol 1 and Vol 2 ) as well as the album The Yellow Shark Ensemble Modern under the conducted by Peter Rundel. On the other hand appeared on the label in December 1982, with the single and maxi single "My Mother Is A Space Cadet " (back: " Crunchy Water" ), the record debut of his son Dweezil, the three and a half years later with Havin 'A Bad Day its first album followed. The penultimate release was the album Shampoo Horn of the group " Z", the band of Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa, which had been recorded with the participation of Zappa musician Scott Thunes, Mike Keneally and Terry Bozzio.
The greatest success of the label were the orchestral work The Yellow Shark, which climbed up in 1993 in the " Best Classical Crossover " charts up to second place, as well as the album The Perfect Stranger, which reached number 7 in the same hit list. From Zappa's rock albums managed to Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch at number 23 pop album charts, not least because of the fact the decoupled single " Valley Girl ", which is available in the U.S. on the 32th place in the pop singles managed - charts and number 12 in the mainstream rock charts.