In March 1977 Zappa delivered four albums (five full length LPs) to Warner to complete his recording contract.
[1][2] Under this agreement Zappa planned to release a four-LP box set titled Läther (pronounced "Leather".)
The album was scheduled for release on Halloween, October 31, 1977, but production was cancelled at the test pressing stage.
The four individual albums delivered to Warner in March 1977 and the four-LP Läther package have much of the same material but each also has unique content.
Phonogram president Robert Sherwood disputed Zappa's version of the story, insisting that they did not want to release a single without the support of a full length album.