Frank Zappa's estate has relaunched the archival Vaulternative Records label after nearly a decade, releasing a Mothers of Invention studio session from 1966. The album, Zappa ’66: Vol. 1 – Live at TTG Studios, arrives on May 15 as part of celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the band's debut Freak Out!. Vaultmeister Joe Travers oversees the direct-to-fan releases.
Frank Zappa's estate announced the revival of Vaulternative Records, first established in 2002 by Zappa's widow Gail and Joe Travers. This marks the label's first output since Chicago ’78 in 2016. The initiative forms part of a year-long tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Mothers of Invention's 1966 debut album Freak Out! and precedes work on 1967's Absolutely Free. The recordings capture an October 1966 session at TTG Studios, when Zappa was 25 and newly signed as an artist. “We’re very pleased to announce the relaunch of Vaulternative Records, which creates a direct line from The Vault to fans,” Travers said. He highlighted Zappa's AAAFNRAA philosophy—Anything Anytime Anyplace for No Reason At All—as guiding the diverse releases, from interviews to unreleased concerts. Zappa ’66: Vol. 1 – Live at TTG Studios includes the previously unreleased instrumental “Move On,” segments from a rare 1966 radio session, liner notes by Travers, and photographs by Earl Leaf and Barry Feinstein. All Vaulternative releases will be available exclusively through Zappa.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl. Travers compiled the album to showcase the band's early impact: “The Mothers were unlike any other, and Frank Zappa... was in the middle of making a large impact.”