Quasi tutto quel che è possibile conoscere musicalmente del 1972 di Frank Zappa - in teoria il suo annus horribilis, in conseguenza dell'incidente al Rainbow Theatre, in verità uno dei suoi più intensi e produttivi - è racchiuso nel box Waka/Wazoo pubblicato or ora a cinquant'anni da quegli eventi e in concomitanza con l'ottantaduesimo compleanno del Nostro. Le avventure dell'orchestra elettrica sono documentate in studio e dal vivo in varie versioni e in differenti occasioni, in gran parte inedite, mentre i due album originali, Waka/Jawaka e The Grand Wazoo, sono riportati integralmente in tre diversi formati audio.
In 1972, following the aftermath of being pushed off stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London by a crazed attendee, Frank Zappa found himself recuperating for months in his home in the hills of Los Angeles. Although he was confined to a wheelchair and in immense pain, his work ethic could not be tamed, and he would end up having one of the most prolific years of his hugely prolific career. During this time, he managed, among other things, to assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra”. Ultimately, he contracted a 20-piece group for recording sessions and an eight-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now popularly known as the “Petite Wazoo” toured for almost two months. After all was said and done, Zappa finished the experiment with two albums in the can - Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo - plus two tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the comprehensive 4cd + Blu-Ray Audio set boasts unreleased alternate takes of almost every composition recorded during the album sessions, Vault mix session outtakes and oddities, and also includes the full final show of the 10-piece tour, recorded at the famous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 15, 1972.