The crux of Frank Zappa’s brilliance was his constant craving for reinvention, both in the studio and onstage. Almost every tour brought a major line-up tweak that, as a result, marked a seismic compositional shift—from the ragged, ragtag rock experimentation of his early albums like Freak Out! through the soulful jazz-prog that bloomed with the mid-‘70s lineup featuring keyboardist George Duke. During a December 1976 run at New York City’s Palladium, the maestro unveiled one of his most iconic bands—a briefly tenured backline boasting then-regular drummer Terry Bozzio (assisting on grating pseudo-punk vocals when needed), bassist Patrick O’Hearn, keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson (formerly of Roxy Music), and guitarist Ray White, as well as percussionist Ruth Underwood and an all-star horn section led by the Brecker Brothers. The highlights of those shows formed the mighty Zappa in New York , a sprawling 1978 double-album fleshed out—as usual— with assorted studio overdubs. That record remains one of Zappa’s most essential moments, segueing seamlessly between comedic, often cringe-worthy rock absurdity (“The Illinois Enema Bandit,” featuring golden-voice narration from Saturday Night Live announcer Don Pardo) and complex instrumentals (the notoriously dense “Black Page”). But Zappa diehards are musical hoarders—anxious for any unreleased nuggets lingering the vaults. And New York ’s deluxe 40th anniversary set presents the complete picture—at least one version of every song recorded during the Palladium run, from an even-bluesier take on “The Torture Never Stops” to the dizzying 7/8 madness of “Pound for a Brown” to a blissful jazz-funk version of “Peaches en Regalia.”