''For Real!'' is an album by

Ruben and the Jets Ruben and the Jets was an American rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California. The band originated as an alias for The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa's band, to release '' Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' (1968). Later, musician Rubén G ...

, and the debut of musician Rubén Guevara Jr.'s new lineup, after the group name had previously been used as an alias of The Mothers of Invention in 1968. Released in 1973, ''For Real!'' was produced by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

, who wrote the first track and played guitar on the second track. The album consists of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, rhythm and blues and rock and roll music.

Background

During a recording session, engineer Richard Kunc and the Mothers of Invention discussed their high school days and love for

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

songs. Ray Collins and some of the other members of the band started singing and performing the songs, and

suggested that they record an album of doo wop music. Collins later left the Mothers of Invention, and Zappa began working on a project entitled ''No Commercial Potential'', which included doo-wop and experimental pop songs which were later reconstituted into a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

called ''

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 al ...

'' (1968). Zappa described the songs in the doo-wop sessions as an homage to the 1950s vocal music that he was "crazy" about. Collins rejoined the Mothers of Invention for the doo-wop sessions, as his high falsetto was suited for the recordings. Although the recordings generally tried faithfully to reproduce the sound of 1950s doo wop and rock and roll, the arrangements included quotes from

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

pieces and unusual chord changes and tempos. For the album's release, the Mothers of Invention adopted the alias Ruben & the Jets. The album was popular with radio stations, as they believed it to be an unearthed doo wop album by an unknown 1950s band. A single was issued ("Deseri" b/w "Jelly Roll Gum Drop") credited to "Ruben and the Jets", with no mention of the Mothers of Invention.Frank Zappa, "Serious Fan Mail", ''Greasy Love Songs'', Zappa Records ZR20010, 2010. Subsequently, Zappa stated that the Mothers of Invention would record a second Ruben & the Jets album. Musician Rubén Guevera Jr. met Frank Zappa and heard the ''Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' album at a record listening party at Zappa's Laurel Canyon home, where Zappa suggested that Guevera Jr. continue Ruben and the Jets, and Guevara Jr formed his own lineup. Guevara Jr.'s Ruben and the Jets toured alongside the Mothers of Invention in 1972. Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood was the only musician to play with both the Zappa-led and Guevara-led lineups of Ruben and the Jets, after Sherwood joined in 1973. Zappa agreed to produce their debut album, ''For Real!'', which was released in 1973 on Mercury Records, wrote the album's opening song, "If I Could Only Be Your Love Again", and played guitar on the second track, "Dedicated to the One I Love".

Track listing

;Side one #"If I Could Only Be Your Love Again" – 3:34 (

) #"Dedicated to the One I Love" – 5:45 (Lowman Pauling, Ralph Bass) #"Show Me the Way to Your Heart" – 5:04 (Tony Duran, Leonard Duran) #"Sparkie" – 4:30 (Tony Duran, Ruben Guevara) #"Wedding Bells" – 2:58 (Robert "Frog" Camarena) ;Side two #"Almost Grown" – 2:20 ( Chuck Berry) #"Charlena" – 5:54 (Manuel Chavez, H. Chaney) #"Mah Man Flash" – 2:38 (Ruben Guevara) #"Santa Kari" – 4:29 (Ruben Guevara) #"Spider Woman" – 3:58 (Paul Hof, Lonnie Scott, Tony Duran, Ruben Guevara) #"All Night Long" – 2:22 (John Gray)

Personnel

Personnel adapted from AllMusic. ; Ruben and the Jets * Rubén Guevara Jr. – vocals, tambourine, keyboards * Tony Duran – guitar, keyboards, vocals * Robert "Frog" Camarena – rhythm guitar, vocals * John Martinez – vocals, Hammond organ * Robert "Buffalo" Roberts – tenor saxophone * Bill Wild – bass guitar, tenor vocals * Bob Zamora – drums *

Jim Sherwood Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood (May 8, 1942 – December 25, 2011) was an American rock musician notable for playing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. He appea ...

– baritone saxophone, tambourine ; Additional personnel *

–

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, guitar on "Dedicated to the One I Love"

References

{{Authority control 1973 debut albums Ruben and the Jets albums Mercury Records albums Albums produced by Frank Zappa