Frank Zappa assembled a stellar line up for an epic three night run at The Roxy in Hollywood, California on December 8-10, 1973. The band included George Duke on keyboard, Don Preston on synths, Ruth Underwood on percussion and Chester Thompson on drums. The shows were all captured on film by multiple cameras, and there were multi-track recordings of all of the audio as well. However the footage and recordings have never been made available to the public, despite the fact that a trailer for a DVD called The Roxy Performances was released in 2003. Now, after almost 40 years, Zappa fans will finally be get to see this legendary concert film. On top of this, it looks like will also be treated to a few extra recordings they weren’t expecting.

Frank Zappa’s widow, Gail Zappa, recently sent out an email announcing that “December 2013 is the 40th Anniversary of the Roxy Performances. Now that we have thoroughly identified all it’s parts and participles, we will deliver The Movie without further incident and maybe only a little ado. In theatres, DVD and Blue-ray, sometime before December, 2013.”

But it doesn’t stop there. In the same email, Gail Zappa also announced the release of a prequel to The Roxy Performances, as well as a series of “Road Tapes” in the near future. “In anticipation of The ACTUAL Movie, we are pleased to inform you that we are scheduling the release of the PREQUEL to the actual Soundtrack. Yes. You will! Appreciate the raw unbridledness of the 75 minutes and 49 seconds of Roxy without the Elsewhere….Oh, and did I mention a new series is about to launch ‘Road Tapes ‘ on Vaulternative Records! We’ve taken direct aim at Halloween!”

Details on the “Road Tapes” are scarce, but we do know that Zappa fans everywhere are eagerly anticipating the release of these live recordings that have been almost four decades in the making.