Zappa Lyrics, Song Meanings, Videos, Full Albums & Bios

My bio teacher was in charge of the morning announcements over the school intercom during my last high school year. Every student would hear the intro to Peaches En Regalia before he'd start making any announcements. I have him to thank for eventually making me a Frank Zappa mix CD.

DylanG0125

thats so funny, I was in Indonesia a couple of years ago, and I walked past a school and Frank Zappa was actually playing over the sound system right before the children were called back in

George Smiley

Proper!

kalayas kitchen

23w↑1

thats so nice to hear !!!

D B

44w↑1

Your bio teacher is clearly the only one I would not have considered a complete dick

Tommy The Train

46w↑1

thats fuckn bad ass

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Ziggy Zappada

4y↑395

In memory of my mate Peter who died prematurely at 21 ( 1980 ) and LOVED Frank so much he used to bring his LP's over when he visited.

D B

44w↑2

I too lost my best friend to that poison. Life is too damn short, and thats why we must enjoy Zappa as much as possible #RIPFrankZappa

Karl Stockwohnen

3y↑1

Prostata

cale

3y↑7

why does it hurt when i pee?

Prince Benny

3y↑3

my dick hurts lol

Jake Kay

3y↑5

Sorry for your loss hombre, one love

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Dracopticon

5y↑176

One of the best songs produced by mankind.

John Pollard

It’s a tune😉

Magisktification

5w↑1

Certainly zappas best tune!

Grant

6w↑2

Calm down

Matt Beasley

7w↑1

without a doubt hahaha

James Parker

7w↑1

Agreed certainment!

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J DH87

5y↑86

Sydd Barrett, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, musical geniuses like hs thompson said to weird to live to rare too die.

Chad Worthman

There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production.

Alvar555

13w

This is definitely going to YGS

FZ

20w

@Aaron Kulukjian Right, luckily he didn't need "its" or "it's" 😀

Aaron Kulukjian

20w

FZ he also is the only person ever to use both “to” and “too” incorrectly in the same sentence.

FZ

28w

@Leon Harpley Keith

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777RockNRollin

5y↑126

This sounds like a song recorded in 1974 and released in 75' ,...it's way beyond anything else from 69' ,.... Zappa was often a minimum of 5 years ahead of everyone else ,... that's just a fact -

Kaministquia Mahackamack

Is that a synthesizer of some sort amongst the instrumentals? That really would be ahead of the curve!

Sandro Kovalev

30w

King Crimson released 21st Century Schizoid Man in '69

Ernst Hergenbeck

32w

Well - no. He was just the first to introduce arty bullshit, headstrong arrogance and hierarchy into "popular" and underground music. Five years later, there had been enough pseudointellectual critics hammering everybody into their heads that this guy actually were supposed to be a geniusses. And then, there were enough sexually repressed college kids that further introduced arty crap like that into R'n'R. The punks finally put an end to that two years later. Get into some real music, man!

The55nomad

47w

in someways, nobody has caught up with Zappa, and in some ways nobody ever will

Valois

48w

I assumed it was from the 70's when I heard it originally - my jaw dropped when I realized it was 1969. Sounds way ahead of its time - also the drum sound is sonically very modern for '69 - I've read the 16 track system let them mix drums across stereo in a way that hadn't really been done a lot. Compare it to even some late 70's recordings and the sound is just fantastic.

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Johannes Musch

6y↑299

If you listen to this track you wonder to what extent nowadays music has evolved compared to what these guys were able to provide in 1969. Moreover, Shuggie Otis, who played bass on this track, was only 15 years old at the time...

ImaHippyBurning

41w

@Jay Jimenez Try listening to his "Promise not to cum in your mouth" It is a beautiful song! Always freaks people out when you tell them the name though!

Papa Greene

1y↑1

@Jay Jimenez
4 years is a long time later to answer a question, but since I found it now, I'll throw in my 2¢....
"Watermelon In Easter Hay" is primarily, as its intro "legend" tells the listener, a guitar solo, in that case one with an uncharacteristically clean, "out-of-phase", chorused guitar tone for Zappa, whose solos tended to be overdriven or distorted to whatever degree.
"Watermelon" is a track where Zappa's guitar solo is heard close up, front & center over a rather minimal, slow-moving background not unlike the setting of Eric Satie's "Gymnopédie" for piano.
Another Zappa solo that comes to mind, although the vibe & tone color are different than those of "Watermelon", more rock-based but with the guitar way out front & in measured phrases like that, is "Black Napkins", first released on "Zoot Allures".
Also, Zappa released whole albums of his guitar solos, such as "Shut Up & Play Yer Guitar" (which includes a "Black Napkins" variation with cleaner tone called "Pink Napkins"), "Zappa/Guitar", & the posthumously-released "Trance-Fusion"... These solos are each a bit different, against different background settings etc., but if you go through these albums you'll likely come across some that appeal to you similarly to "Watermelon In Easter Hay".

LameStudiosInc

@Clot God Oh please! I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my life! What about Floyd's contemporaries or Gentle Giant? King Crimson? The VU? Bob Dylan? The Beatles? Cream? Hendrix? Deep Purple? The list goes on.

n n

@Samuel Fawson yes indeedy. And you had to really search hard for Zappa back in the day too, of course.

Daniel Baquero

The middle/end of What’s New in Baltimore by Zappa i think is pretty close kinda sorta

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jordian me

6y↑279

Thank you Frank, thank you for ever

TarantuLando CalCuLingus

23w

@横田晴臣 you did good kid, you did good

横田晴臣

33w

I like this song too.
I am Japanese so I don't
speak English very much.

MarcSchmidt

2y↑1

Sublime.

Unski Tunkio

2y↑1

Just a perfect song...

TKay Shakur

jordian me 1

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James Bruce

4y↑184

This song just makes me so happy

arupian666

2y↑4

Amen brother... takes me back to a very happy, stress free time in my life, when life was truly good...

Federico Mussatti

2y↑2

James Bruce yeah it's pure joy!!!☺☺☺

Paul Halpin

2y↑2

Beautiful

Max Delchambre

3y↑4

It certainly does make me happy!

Tywin Lannister.

4y↑13

damn right it makes you happy!

Michael Dare

34w↑29

Released 50 years ago and still one of the best pieces of music ever written and recorded.

John Dozois

it rocks it rolls it symphonics

Peter Oleson

48w↑14

i'm 68, i bought all the Frank Albums when they came out. He never in 50 years has failed to entertain me.
i got the first album from a friend who's mother heard it and told him if he didn't get rid of it, he could move out.

numen hilmar

5y↑213

1:05 - 1:33 My new ringtone.. Love it..

phil sto

23w

Everybody was kungfu fighting

TarantuLando CalCuLingus

29w

@Jordan Howell im not a musician so what youre talking about whizzes over my head. I just know it sounds grand

Cxzas Cxzas

46w

@Jordan Howell
I'm jealous, I was about 13 before hearing Zappa. But I was exposed to frequently hearing early Floyd in the late 60s as a small kid, and tons of other decent stuff, so can't complain. 👍

Cxzas Cxzas

46w

@Jordan Howell 😀

Cxzas Cxzas

46w

@BeefheartLynch 😁

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SeasickSteveOre

5y↑50

If all cars made that honking melody, it would be a happier world :)

Lucas Mota

7y↑48

1:46 - this part is so beautiful

Edward Verlie

10w

The sparkly part at 2:05 is my favorite

Jorge Limon

10w↑1

@Crumble Puppy shut the fuck up

María Montijo

11w

Agree!

polystation12 2

19w↑3

@Crumble Puppy bruh

Crumble Puppy

44w↑2

it's the only part of the song I don't like. reminds me of a cheesy sitcom theme

Milennial Zero

4y↑146

Frank. Come back. Please.

Vincent McParland

No one can do it like you use to

djkaossmixer

3y↑1

I WISH

Charles F.

3y↑12

SeaLisa this. Dweezil is the one keeping Franks music alive, he deserves it all.

SeaLisa

4y↑4

Ahmet is no talent match to Dweezil....and giving the talent in the family a hard time. What a waste.

SneakingByTheCensors

4y↑2

there is such a family fight going on over Zappa Plays Zappa you wouldn't believe it. Ahmet and Dwizzle and going at it head to head.

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David Zimmerli

4y↑34

My all-time favorite Frank Zappa instrumental/composition.

David Zimmerli

8w↑1

@Nick Sammons You (we) have good taste, Nick. (LOL). Have a great week!

Nick Sammons

9w↑1

Mine too!!!!

David Zimmerli

'Straight Right Boxing Talk': That is a beautiful instrumental, but it always makes me so sad. I wonder what Frank's thoughts were when he wrote it.

Straight Right Boxing Talk

3y↑3

David Zimmerli - Watermelon in Easter Hay has got to be pretty damn close though...

David Zimmerli

3y↑2

Yes. I agree. Inca Roads is an amazing recording. Frank was a creative/musical genius. I think the live guitar solo he "spliced" into this number is one of the most beautiful solos I've ever heard. It's a shame that Frank passed away at a relatively young age. But what a musical legacy he left behind! There will never be another one like him.

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Giovanni Alberghini

1y↑9

Mozart.... Rossini... Beethoven... Wagner... Verdi... Puccini...Zappa

Glenn Mcwilliams

4y↑17

saw frank 5 times

Bruno Jimmy

Glenn Mcwilliams son of a...

barry mitchell

6y↑127

I rolled more that few on this album cover. :D

Bluzian74

LMFAO

Lucas Lemonholm

1y↑1

Would like, but I don't want to disturb that perfect 69

Alberto G

1y↑1

Hi boys and girls, i'm jcb and i'm the indian in the group

Chris Maxfield

@C Smith, HOT RATS: Also a Gatefold Cover!

gerthie

2y↑1

Dried my mushrooms

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Roger Michou

4y↑19

Zappa was a genius

Bruno Jimmy

ItsaZappathing "The Son Of" no, eso no

ItsaZappathing "The Son Of"

1y↑1

And..an amazing human being.

Alexandre Magalhães

Podia se chamar: "chegada ao céu ".

K en

4y↑34

Just perfect and after a zillion plays since I first heard it 1973 still fresh and exciting

Big AL

36w

I also like the version Dweezil did with Steve Morse/Dixie Dregs.

Julia González

29w↑5

The musical world of Zappa Is incredible: jazz blues rock reggae electronic classical and more

Laredo Lenny

2y↑1

This Album was my introduction to both Zappa and Beefheart.

Jojo Carli

5y↑38

That organ lick always reminds me of the old Final Fantasy games.

Willi Gari

20w

FFS should be the other way around

Muros

Same here but also parts of the theme remind me of "the lick" ;/

Charles F.

2y↑2

Joel Carli ff3 boss music

Led Zeppagain

6y↑25

The part at 1:05 might be the greatest piece of music Frank ever recorded.

Mark Norris

Couldn't disagree my friend. What a joy.

louis botsford

5y↑1

always been one of my favorites, but zappa has so many of those moments its hard to chose

Critter

4y↑25

Beautiful composition, Frank (wherever you are in the spirit world)

Mark Hall

42w↑2

Best enjoyed with chilled tomato aspic.

RiptideMamba

1:45 is literally just

Unski Tunkio

3y↑28

God I love this song.

Jordan Howell

2y↑1

this is the best, coolest produced, ahead of it's time song EVER!

zerwee

My favorite part of the song is when those sped up, almost electronic sounding tom fills come in at around 2:20, that keyboard at 2:17 is pretty cool too

MultiSkittles777

33w↑1

Needs a video of keyboard cat on the organ to this boogey wookie, George Lucas...

Sherry Deatrick

7y↑33

I used to dislike Zappa, but now I love him. Centuries from now, he will be celebrated as we celebrate JS Bach today. I wish he'd been nicer to Capt. Beefheart though.

Actiomedey

35w↑1

@justgivemethetruth Frank Zappa would agree

Hans Gruber

1y↑2

@Gerhold Stolz - Sadly to see people who stand so much for freedom not to be able to grant it to ohers.

Anki Hansen

@justgivemethetruth Why not? Zappa is an atemporal musician, he will live for many years in our hearts!

Gerhold Stolz

2y↑1

I knew he was a prime dick - I was watching his band in concert (where else?) and I glanced over to the aisle at an 'usherette' who'd moved into my field of vision. Just a glance. He stopped the band and gave me a look - as in 'if looks could have killed'. I made sure my whole attention was devoted to the stage for the rest of the concert. Insufferable prima donna indeed. But an accomplished avant-garde artist.

Stop the Philosophical Zombies

2y↑10

Beefheart was apparently an insufferable primadonna.

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face-splosion

3:40 and onward is my favorite part

Reinaldo do Valle

5y↑15

Ouvia bastante na época da escola, não sei pq mas os anos vão passando e eu vou vendo que era mais curioso quando jovem, ouvia cada coisa por curiosidade e descobria um mundo de loucuras, e nessas loucuras vi Zappa, Camel, Yes, Semiramis, to voltando a ouvir tudo de novo e ta sendo muito bom.

Zappa é imortal e louco demais, progressivo, jazz, rock...dane-se, é zappa!

Samuel Éfe

caralho, nos anos 80 ouvir esse tipo de música tão fora do meio comercial era foda hein

SneakingByTheCensors

7y↑5

The entire album is great!

PizzaChet

20w

So good having this song stuck in my head! Does listening to it make it go away or embed deeper? Miss you Frank!

Manolis Gledsodakis

Sh;t, I wondered what you'd done to this track to f*** it up - then realised my headphones were set to mono!

Prog X

4y↑28

This is played almost every night on ( Coast to Coast AM ) with George Noory late night radio shows bumper music !

Terence Alexnder

43w

Yeah they do. Im also into C2C.

Stephen Ohare

Prog X

3y↑1

@Majic Freeman Yeah they have changed it around, Love Knapp and LMH they usually talk about what i like .. UFOs, Bigfoot, Aliens, Paranormal etc, this last year Noory seems to have turned it into a Dr. and heath show twice a week !!! I agree with something Art Bell ( wish he was back) said last year .. that the changes he has been seeing with C to C is not what he had in mind for the show !!! I've been a listener since the late 1980's except when they talk Demons and the Devil - it creeps me out ! Lol Thanks for posting. : )

Majic Freeman

George Knapp is a boss. And they don't really play this as much as they used to, that's for sure. Definitely not almost every night anymore.
Ian Punit was pretty cool.
Jimmy Church is alright.
Linda Moulten Howe is tight.

Prog X

4y↑1

@ghostofdeletekey Yeah its hit and miss with the show know ... I like when its UFOs, Paranormal, Bigfoot, Ancient Aliens ... not a fan of the health shows or Demons !!! Lol I like George Knapp a lot and he focuses on the UFO etc a lot. When John B.Wells was on 2 yrs ago he was great but I think the station or Noory had issues with him ? But when they have Von Daniken, Giorgio TsouKalos - A Aliens,Richard Hoagland, Stan Friedman of any of the Bigfoot guys on its alway a good show ! Ben I fan since the mid 90s. Thanks for posting : )

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Jan Knibbeler

2y↑10

The genius

Alan Painter

5y↑12

The instrumentalism is enchanting, mesmerizing. Beautiful.

Dino Camella

4y↑12

masterpiece

Stephen Paul

41w↑5

A friend was doing a music PHD at uni round about 2000. I played him this track thinking he'd be impressed. All he said was 'It sounds dated.' I had to reappraise my view of his true musical insight, which up to then had been one of total admiration.

Cedomir Bobar

13w

In my country there is expression about that situation " college graduate not smart but persistent" , as good as translation is possible ; ) . English is not my native language. Also, there is possibility that average street performer have more musicality than your friend. Regards.

Rip Roarin'

I believe this was the first thing I ever heard from Frank, just blew me away, I've never been the same since.

Marcela Souza

5y↑6

This music is hot, I mean literally!!!

Daniel Vieira

@Campeones Flores shut up you!!

Campeones Flores

5y↑12

shut up

mrquizical

4y↑11

don't go where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow!

Sy Borg

I CAN'T SEE !!!!

Christopher Hiatt

5y↑2

PEACHES & java---BEST start to a morning !!

Michael Screen

My art teacher loaned me this album in 1980. It was like an audio acid trip. Mr Thomas was a big influence in my life and set me up for my subsequent degree course at art college. Do you think its too late to return his record?

Rick Spisak

7y↑8

A superb example of Mr. Zappa's compositions the arrangement the delicate yet wry voicings his selection of voicing - tongue firmly planted in cheek yet - one could hardly imagine better - thanks Frank - one of my composer performer heroes

Somiten

1y↑5

Seriously, one of the best songs ever created, pure genius

zinstein007

Love it every time I hear it. Just close my eyes and let my feet do the dancing.

Mister Kingdom

5y↑72

This just makes me so happy :D

Seth Shaw

6y↑13

Awesome composition! This song is a great way to start of a Saturday morning.

liamsdad33

24w

Starting my Saturday to it now!

Erdman West III

14w↑1

As HS band directer my jazz ensemble loved playing this.

Chris Rivera

31w

My favorite part is 1:25-1:34

Heropsychodream

6y↑3

One of the greatest night driving songs.

Unski Tunkio

6y↑8

Just loving this. Zappa's one of the most genious tracks.

Unski Tunkio

@Tom Adams Yeah, well I don't like Zappa¨s pseudointellectual 5 -minits guitarsolos. I more like the melodies which he was able to create, including this kind of instumental creativiness.

Tom Adams

Yes Master . If that is your bidding .

johnnyhmash

the only Zappa anyone ever knows apart from the good one with Beefheart singing.

Davey Badman

29w↑4

Why dose this ring bells in my head, is it like early 90s game console music. Like sonic the hedgehog or mario maybe, or maybe not, it reminds me of something though

Eric Wedin

One of the best Zappa tunes and therefore one of the best pieces of music of all time

Dboy 1995

46w

Thanks for turning me on to this Dana F........miss you, always will, my one and only true love....JH

Robert Barnes

6y↑30

Everything I hear by Zappa is either a self-pleasing joke or so avante-garde that I can't really get my arms around it.

However, this is different. A pleasant ride. Shows his arranging skills.

Peter Fitton

39w↑3

@Colin Maclean "This is an Ian Underwood written and arranged tune". Citation needed.

Melodically and harmonically this tune is archetypal Zappa, as is the arrangement. Underwood is a fine musician but I've never heard anything by him that suggests he would have been capable of writing, or probably even arranging, Peaches en Regalia.

sedanchair

48w

harsh but fair man

Colin Maclean

1y↑1

Fanta666 pretty much, yeah. This is an Ian Underwood written and arranged tune. Frank Zappa's genius is not diminished by that statement. To quote a book title, "The Poor Had No Lawyers".

Fanta666

@Colin Maclean Zappa didn't write this?

lurch321

S.R Woodward Easily his BEST instrumental of all time!

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j sto

2y↑10

we miss you more each passing day

Jah Jah

32w↑17

2019 still one of the best songs to smoke pot to

Forever1980s

30w↑4

Lame!

Jengirl92

4y↑42

Awesome. Anyone else hear some eroticism in this piece?

Bruce Pretty

29w

Are you a Catholic girl?

Michael Black

50w

Yeah yum

SNAKE RADIO CUSTOMS BUILDS AND MODS

Yes I do and I know exactly what you mean buy your comment The flow and smooth transitions and layers make it deep and tasty and sensual to the ear. it takes a trained ear to know what your listening to and read into music the true meaning of every note of all the instruments being played. Yes difficult to understand and explain but i feel it.

ko ka

I just hear titties and beer

Sheeraz Ahmad

@charlie grand👍

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Stephen Duffy

39w

This showed what Frank could do when he wasn't messing about. This will be played at my funeral.

tom leyden

12w↑1

I saw Phish play this..... Wish it was frank

Marie

1:34 learning this part

Tom Strange

This album cover haunts me to this day! In a good way...

Shaun Kelly-Kenyon

15w

hard to get your head around this from 1969

Shaun Kelly-Kenyon

20w

Just a stunning masterpiece

Jack Shelley

25 years, hard to believe. this is my tribute song. RIP Frank. Love you and thanks for making my life brighter.

Bonnie Biancardi

8w↑1

One of my favorite songs. I've been to his Filmore East concert in 1971 and many others. Brilliant musician.

Mimis Amimos

42w

The part from 2:20 to 2:30 is godlike and it always give me the chills. I can't describe it in words

User 1

If you told me FZ was some sort of predecessor of Primus I would say hell yeah brother

Donald Whittaker

46w↑3

One of the greatest pieces ever written. Hands down.

Konrad Matych

6y↑6

A genius track makes me feel so awesome, so happy, so beyond the reality...

George Smiley

Saw the fella, was amazing

HamseyHamster

6y↑2

So many years on...and simply brilliant and timeless...

housevil2

The two minutes & 23 seconds of complete silence at the end really makes this upload. Good Job, SneakingByTheCensors!

PurpleLizard 23

Solo from 3:40 and on is amazing :)

Naughtius Maximus

This would've been Vaporwave, if vaporwave was invented in the 80s.

Lego Yoda

Sounds a bit like a runescape song. Amazing.

Adel P Brown

16w

This is my favorite sound

Ayahuaska Pop

21w

Que bien se siente uno escuchando buena musica, como esta. Bien carajo! Zappa un genio.

Eric Fisher

4y↑6

The best is the flute and guitar texture ... They should make whole songs out of that

Samuel Feynman Tribute page

46w

Soothing for my eardrums.

Därk Cløud

3y↑2

One of my favorite memories of this song was when I was driving down the highway and ended up racing this dude randomly in his beat up Pontiac going almost 110mph lolol

achtsieben87

6y↑1

Perhaps one of his best songs. I played this to my son and he loved it.

Tommy The Train

42w

wish this song never freaking ended and changed up of course

Rebecca Floriano

48w

Still amazing 50 years later

Camila Jaramillo

28w↑2

This song is my go-to when I need to boost my creativity.

Elizabeth Hann

3y↑1

Just beautiful. And I was expecting something kinky, from the title. Silly me.

steven cormier

Just a great composition.Another theme song of mine

Duston8060

5y↑4

Yeah this is a later version. The original album version is only 3:38.

Peter Fitton

39w↑1

This is the original version from Hot Rats. The last few minutes of this video are silent.

Federico Bejarano

I can't help but relating that alternation of solemn, hymn-sounding parts, like the one in the beggining, followed by funny parts, with faster notes, to this piece by Bela Bartók (you ought to hear this, you'll freakin' love it): watch?v=cE4xzJdX0Pg

Dean Milano

6y↑27

I love this tune, but am I the only one here who thinks this is a re-mix and not the original version as heard on Hot Rats? I bought this album when it first came out in 1969 and I pretty much grew up with it (along with all my other Zappa albums). I know this tune pretty well after more than 40 years and this definitely sounds different from the version I know. It's subtle, but different.

Stäni Steinbock

Agree!

Signor Pomodoro

the 2012 cd has the original vinyl mix btw

hambuns

6y↑1

yeh...sounds like the remix..checkout the uploads by panglos and antonio pappacoda for the real deal...........

SneakingByTheCensors

6y↑1

yes, they're the same, my promo copies just have white labels.

MrGregOtis

@SneakingByTheCensors I have always been curious, were the promo copies the same as what got released? I have seen and acquired promo and for air play only 45s (mostly from winning call-in radio contests) and those were the same as what we could get in the record stores. The only difference that I could see or hear was that the labels were marked "for promotion only" or something to that effect. Too long ago to remember.

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