More Time for the World" was changed to "The Ocean is the Ultimate Solution", the title under which the same song appears on the album Sleep Dirt. Along with most of Zappa's material, a "mini-LP" CD edition was also released by Rykodisc in Japan, with the artwork reformatted to resemble the packaging of a vinyl album. In December 2012 an official reissue of Läther appeared in cardboard packaging with the original intended 1977 artwork. This version omits the 1996 bonus tracks. Release and reception The official version of Läther was finally released with the authorization of Gail Zappa in September 1996, nearly three years after Frank's death. It is still debated as to whether Zappa had conceived the material as a four-LP box set from the beginning, or only later when working with Phonogram around September-October 1977. In the liner notes to the 1996 release, Gail states that "As originally conceived by Frank, Läther was always a 4-record box set." Despite this claim, however, there is no evidence that Zappa ever delivered the four-LP Läther set to Warner, only the four individual albums. Zappa himself actually contradicted Gail's posthumous claims that Warner had broken up Läther into other albums.Interview with Gail Zappa in the 2020 film "Zappa" produced by Alex Winter Several interviews published in 1978 and an album review from 1996 explicitly state that Zappa re-edited the four individual albums into the Läther four-LP box and then presented it to Phonogram. In a January 1978 Zappa interview the British publication New Musical Express'' said: "Since his (Warner) contract had allegedly been breached, Zappa took his copy tapes of the four albums, added some new material, subtracted some old, and prepared a four-record set called "Läther", but pronounced "Leather". Allmusic writer Richie Unterberger praised the album, but wrote that it would "appeal far more to the Zappa cultist than the general listener, though the Zappa cult – which has been craving Läther in its original format for years – is a pretty wide fan base in and of itself." Track listing Personnel Disc One, Track 1 Frank Zappa – percussion George Duke – keyboards Bruce Fowler – all brass James "Bird Legs" Youman – bass Ruth Underwood – percussion Chester Thompson – drums Disc One, Track 2; Disc Two, Track 7 & 10 Frank Zappa – guitar Dave Parlato – bass Terry Bozzio – drums Emil Richards – percussion Orchestra