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Mothermania
''Mothermania'' (1969), subtitled ''The Best of the Mothers'', is a compilation album by the Mothers of Invention. While the songs were previously released on ''Freak Out!'', '' Absolutely Free'' and ''We're Only in It for the Money'', it contains unique mixes or edits made specifically for this compilation. Background After the Mothers of Invention's contract with MGM and Verve Records expired, Frank Zappa and Herb Cohen negotiated to form a semi-independent record label Bizarre Records, with Verve releasing three Bizarre releases with distribution by MGM: a new Mothers of Invention album, '' Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'', the compilation ''Mothermania'', and an album by Sandy Hurvitz, ''Sandy's Album is Here at Last''. ''Mothermania'' was prepared in order to recoup money which Verve felt it lost funding the Mothers of Invention albums ''Freak Out!'', '' Absolutely Free'' and ''We're Only in It for the Money''. Frank Zappa prepared the masters for the release, remixing and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freak Out!
''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa's perception of American pop culture and the nascent freak scene of Los Angeles. It was also one of the earliest double albums in rock music, as well as the first two-record debut album. In the UK, the album was originally released as an edited single disc. The album was produced by Tom Wilson, who signed the Mothers, formerly a bar band called the Soul Giants. Zappa said many years later that Wilson signed the band to a record deal under the impression that they were a white blues band. The album features Zappa on vocals and guitar, along with lead vocalist/tambourine player Ray Collins, bass player/vocalist Roy Estrada, drummer/vocalist Jimmy Carl Black and guitar player Elliot Ingber (later of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bizarre Records
Bizarre Records, self-identified simply as Bizarre, was a production company and record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. History Bizarre was originally formed as a production company. In 1967 Zappa's label, Verve Records, missed the deadline to renew their option on Zappa's recording contract after his second album, '' Absolutely Free'', recorded with his group the Mothers of Invention. This gave Zappa and Cohen the upper hand in negotiating their own production deal with Verve. The purpose of forming his own production company was to give Zappa complete creative control over his work and the works he planned to produce for others. The first albums associated with Bizarre were released in early 1968. These included ''We're Only in It for the Money'' by the Mothers of Invention and ''Lumpy Gravy'', Zappa's first solo album. Other Zappa-related releases were '' Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' (1968) a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uncle Meat
''Uncle Meat'' is the fifth studio album by the Mothers of Invention, released as a double album in 1969. ''Uncle Meat'' was originally developed as a part of ''No Commercial Potential'', a project which spawned three other albums sharing a conceptual connection: ''We're Only in It for the Money'', ''Lumpy Gravy'' and '' Cruising with Ruben & the Jets''. The album also served as a soundtrack album to a proposed science fiction film which would not be completed, though a direct-to-video film containing test footage from the project was released by Frank Zappa in 1987. The music is diverse in style, drawing from orchestral, jazz, blues and rock music. ''Uncle Meat'' was a commercial success upon release, and has been highly acclaimed for its innovative recording and editing techniques, including experiments in manipulation of tape speed and overdubbing, and its diverse sound. Background Frank Zappa, who had been interested in film since high school, decided to develop a film veh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cruising With Ruben & The Jets
''Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' is the fourth studio album by the Mothers of Invention, released under the alias Ruben and the Jets. Released on December 2, 1968 on Bizarre and Verve Records with distribution by MGM Records, it is a concept album, influenced by 1950s doo-wop and rock and roll. The album's concept deals with a fictitious Chicano doo-wop band called Ruben & the Jets, represented by the cover illustration by Cal Schenkel, which depicts the Mothers of Invention as anthropomorphic dogs. It was conceived as part of a project called ''No Commercial Potential'', which produced three other albums: ''Lumpy Gravy'', ''We're Only in It for the Money'' and ''Uncle Meat''. The album and its singles received some radio success, due to its doo-wop sound. Subsequently, the name Ruben and the Jets continued with a different lineup, led by musician Rubén Guevara Jr., who recorded the albums '' For Real!'' (1973) and '' Con Safos'' (1974). Zappa produced the former. Background ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Carl Black
James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention. Background and early career: 1960s–1990s Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was of Southern Cheyenne descent through his father. His trademark line was "Hi Boys and Girls, I'm Jimmy Carl Black, and I'm the Indian of the group." The line can be heard several times on The Mothers of Invention's album ''We're Only in It for the Money'' (for example, on the tracks " Are You Hung Up?" and "Concentration Moon"). The line can also be heard in Haskell Wexler's 1969 movie ''Medium Cool'', which uses several songs by Zappa and the Mothers. Black was also addressed as such by Theodore Bikel in the film '' 200 Motels''. He has been credited on some Mothers albums as playing "drums, vocals, and poverty". Black appeared in the movie directed by Frank Zappa, '' 200 Motels'', and sings the song "Lonesome Cowboy Burt". Black also made ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elliot Ingber
Elliot Ingber (born August 24, 1941) is an American guitarist. In 1966, he joined Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and was featured on their debut album ''Freak Out!'' After being fired from the band by Zappa following an incident onstage where he tripped on LSD and was unaware that his amplifier was not switched on (according to Jimmy Carl Black), Ingber helped form Fraternity of Man, which released two albums. He subsequently joined Captain Beefheart's Magic Band The 6-meter band is the lowest portion of the very high frequency (VHF) radio spectrum internationally allocated to amateur radio use. The term refers to the average signal wavelength of 6 meters. Although located in the lower portion of t ... where he was given the stage name Winged Eel Fingerling by Beefheart. In the sleeve notes to '' The Spotlight Kid'' (1972), Captain Beefheart likens Ingber to "a chrome black eyebrow / rolled out real long" and also "a paper brow magnifying glass / fried brown, edge scorc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mothers Of Invention
The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band called the Soul Giants, the band's first lineup included Ray Collins, David Coronado, Ray Hunt, Roy Estrada, and Jimmy Carl Black. Frank Zappa was asked to take over as the guitarist following a fight between Collins and Coronado, the band's original saxophonist/leader. Zappa insisted that they perform his original material, and on Mother's Day in 1965, changed their name to the Mothers. Record executives demanded that the name be changed, and so "out of necessity," Zappa later said, "we became the Mothers of Invention." After early struggles, the Mothers earned substantial popular commercial success. The band first became popular playing in California's underground music scene in the late 1960s. With Zappa at the helm, it was signed t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The **** Of The Mothers
''The **** of the Mothers'' is an out-of-print compilation album of early works by The Mothers of Invention, an American rock band. The album features a gatefold featuring some of the contemporary band members such as Ian Underwood, Art Tripp, and Motorhead Sherwood. This was the first of numerous repackaged "Best Of" LPs put out by MGM that were not authorized by Frank Zappa; ''Mothermania'' is the only one that Zappa worked on and approved. Track listing Credits *Frank Zappa – guitar, conductor, vocals *Jimmy Carl Black – percussion, drums, vocals * Ray Collins – harmonica, cymbals, sound effects, tambourine, vocals, finger cymbals *Elliot Ingber – alternate lead and rhythm guitar *Roy Estrada – bass, vocals, guitarron, soprano vocals *Gene Estes – percussion *Eugene Di Novi – piano * Neil Le Vang – guitar *John Rotella – clarinet, sax *Kurt Reher – cello *Raymond Kelley – cello *Paul Bergstrom – cello *Emmet Sargeant – cello *Joseph Saxon – cello ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Preston
Donald Ward Preston (born September 21, 1932) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist. He is known for working with Frank Zappa from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. Biography Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit and began studying music at an early age. His father played saxophone and trumpet, and had been offered the lead trumpet chair in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Upon moving the family to Detroit, Don's father became the staff arranger for NBC, and was the composer-in-residence for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Don took sporadic lessons on the piano from the age of about five. In 1950 Preston began a stint in the Army, serving in Trieste, Italy and playing in the Army band (initially piano, bass drum and glockenspiel) alongside Herbie Mann. In Trieste he shared a barracks with fellow recruit Buzz Gardner, who introduced him to contemporary classical composers such as Béla Bartók, Anton Webern, Alban Berg and Arnold Schoenberg. Preston took up the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Mundi
Billy Mundi (born Antonio Salas, September 25, 1942 in San Francisco – March 29, 2014) was an American drummer best known as a member of The Mothers of Invention and Rhinoceros. He also worked as a session musician. He sometimes used the name Tony Schnasse. A former Hells Angel, his career dates back to the late 1950s, when he majored in music at UCLA. After graduation, Mundi worked for three months as a timpanist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic before moving into studio work and a succession of local bands. In the early 1960s he played in Skip Battin's group, Skip and The Flips, and worked as a session musician on Tim Buckley's debut album among others. Mundi was briefly a member of The Lamp of Childhood in mid-1966. In 1966, he joined The Mothers of Invention during the recording of the album ''Freak Out!'', and later provided drums for several subsequent Mothers albums. He also featured in the movie ''Uncle Meat''. He was enticed away from the Mothers by Jac Holzman at El ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Who Are The Brain Police?
"Who Are the Brain Police?" is a Frank Zappa song, performed by The Mothers of Invention, released on the Mothers' debut album, ''Freak Out!''. It was released by Verve Records as a single in 1966. Zappa said the song had a religious theme, according to one source. Zappa wrote about the song on the ''Freak Out!'' liner notes: "At five o’clock in the morning someone kept singing this in my mind and made me write it down. I will admit to being frightened when I finally played it out loud and sang the words." In a 1988 interview, Zappa added: Song structure The song's structure was described in detail by AllMusic: Critical reception The song was stated to be a "direct defiance of top 40 radio". Repetitive lyrics were noted as part of this "defiance". The song was also cited by Mojo magazine as "one of the scariest songs to ever emerge from the rock psyche". While comparing it to Kafka, ''Mojo'' described the song as "a vision of contemporary America where personal identity an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunk Gardner
Bunk Gardner (born John Leon Guarnera; May 2, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American musician who most notably played for the original version of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention until the group disbanded in 1969. He plays woodwinds and tenor sax. Career Gardner started playing music at the age of seven by taking piano lessons. When he was a teenager he started playing the tenor sax. In 1959 he played with Bud Wattles & his Orchestra's album ''Themes from the Hip''. Later he played with Joanna & the Playboys in 1962. By late 1966 Gardner had joined Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, playing tenor sax and other woodwinds. The Mothers found success, with '' Absolutely Free'' and ''We're Only in It for the Money'' entering the charts. In late 1968 his brother Buzz Gardner joined the Mothers, staying until the group disbanded a year later. Gardner played with Menage A Trois with Buzz and John Balkin. Later he recorded with Geronimo Black and the Grandmothers. In 1980 Gardner ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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