Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - 'Whisky a Go Go, 1968'

 

Frank Zappa needs no introduction, you know who he was, and he knew who you are.

In 1968, an ad from Frank Zappa in the L.A. Free Press read:

"The Mothers of Invention cordially invite you to join them on Tuesday, July 23, 1968, when they will be taking over the Whisky a Go Go for 5 full hours of unprecedented merriment, which will be secretly recorded for an upcoming record album. Dress optional. Starting sometime in the evening. R.S.V.D.T."

That album ultimately ended up remaining mostly unheard, until now.

The music, while rooted in a bizarre mashup of fusion jazz (before that was even a thing), '50s doo-wop, bluesy R&B, and fairground sounds on acid, is liberally sprinkled with rock, hippie burlesque and zany, vulgarian and satirical showbiz antics.  Yet, it is both still far ahead of its time and often an enjoyable mix of shredding guitar rock and long, improvisational instrumentals and even free jazz.  There's also a touch of heavy rock of the era, with an Allman Brothers Band and Rolling Stones feel in spots.

The evening's entertainment also included the debut of Zappa proteges the GTO's (featuring Pamela Des Barres), Alice Cooper, and Kim Fowley. The main band is a classic Mothers lineup. The nine-piece group includes future Little Feat bassist Roy Estrada, Don Preston on keyboards, Ian Underwood on sax, Bunk Gardner on sax and flute, Motorhead Sherwood on baritone sax and percussion, percussionist Ray Collins, and Art Tripp and Jimmy Carl Black on drums and percussion. Vocals are primarily shared by Collins and Estrada.

While there are many favorites from the Mothers of Invention catalog included here, such as "America Drinks and Goes Home," "Status Back Baby," "Plastic People," and "Brown Shoes Don’t Make Out," just to name a few, there are many obscurities, improvisations, and what might appear to many to be unfinished songs. Such tracks are different takes of a song like one would hear in a recording session, which is what the evening of music was initially intended to be. There are borrowed doo-wop lyrics and even a cover of "My Boyfriend’s Back."

'Whisky a Go Go, 1968' was produced by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers, that compiles everything The Mothers of Invention played across their three sets that night.  It was newly remixed in 2023 from hi-res 24-bit/96kHz digital transfers of the original 1” 8-track analog tapes by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow CT Studios, and released on June 21st, 2024.

This show happened in a space and time that will never come again, so buckle up, kids, close your eyes, let your imagination soar, and let your freak flag fly, while you listen to a very cool show from my favorite misanthrope.

For the freeload, start a preposterous rumor about Frank.