The Mothers of Invention | |
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.jpg) The Mothers of Invention touring Europe in 1968. Back row:Roy Estrada,Frank Zappa,Don Preston. Front row:Jimmy Carl Black,Bunk Gardner. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Pomona, California, U.S. |
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| Past members | |
The Mothers of Invention (also known asthe Mothers) were an Americanrock band fromCalifornia.[3] Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovativealbum art, and elaborate live shows. Originally anR&B band calledthe Soul Giants, the band's first lineup comprisedRay Collins, David Coronado, Ray Hunt,Roy Estrada, andJimmy Carl Black.Frank Zappa was asked to take over as the guitarist when a fight between Collins and Hunt led to the latter's being fired. Zappa insisted they perform his original material—a decision that resulted in Coronado's leaving because he did not agree to the change—and onMother's Day in 1965 the band changed its name to the Mothers. Record executives demanded the name be changed again, and so, "out of necessity", Zappa later said, "We became the Mothers of Invention", referencing the proverb "Necessity is the mother of invention".
After early struggles, the Mothers enjoyed 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 to jazz labelVerve Records as part of the label's diversification plans.[4] Verve released the Mothers of Invention's début double albumFreak Out! in 1966, recorded by Zappa, Collins, Black, Estrada andElliot Ingber. During its original run, the band's ever-changing lineup also includedDon Preston,Bunk Gardner,Billy Mundi,Jim Fielder,Ian Underwood,Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood,Art Tripp,Buzz Gardner, andLowell George. The Mothers released a series of critically acclaimed albums, includingAbsolutely Free,We're Only in It for the Money, andUncle Meat, before being disbanded by Zappa in 1969. In 1970, he formed a new version of the Mothers that included Ian Underwood,Jeff Simmons,George Duke,Aynsley Dunbar and singersMark Volman andHoward Kaylan (formerly ofthe Turtles, but who for contractual reasons were credited in this band asthe Phlorescent Leech & Eddie or Flo & Eddie for short). Later replacing Simmons with another ex-Turtle, bassistJim Pons, this second incarnation of the Mothers endured through December 1971, when Zappa was seriously injured and almost killed by an audience member during a concert appearance in London.[5]
Zappa focused on big-band and orchestral music while recovering from his injuries, and in 1973 formed the Mothers' final lineup, which included Ian Underwood, George Duke, Ralph Humphrey, Sal Marquez,Bruce Fowler,Tom Fowler, andRuth Underwood.Napoleon Murphy Brock andChester Thompson also joined the band later that year. The final non-archival album using the Mothers (of Invention) name,Bongo Fury (1975), featuredCaptain Beefheart, as well as guitarist Denny Walley and drummerTerry Bozzio, both of whom continued to play for Zappa on subsequent non-Mothers releases.
The Soul Giants were formed in 1964. In early 1965,Frank Zappa was approached byRay Collins who asked him to take over as the guitarist following a fight between Collins and the group's original guitarist.[6][page needed] Zappa accepted, and convinced the other members that they should play his music to increase the chances of getting a record contract.[7] Original leader David Coronado did not think that the band would be employable if they played original material, and left the band.[7] Zappa soon assumed leadership and the role as co-lead singer, even though he never considered himself a singer.[8]
The band was renamed the Mothers, coincidentally onMother's Day.[9] The group increased their bookings after beginning an association with managerHerb Cohen, while they gradually gained attention on the burgeoningLos Angelesunderground music scene.[10] In early 1966, they were spotted by leading record producer,Tom Wilson, when playing Zappa's "Trouble Every Day", a song about theWatts Riots.[11][12] Wilson had earned acclaim as the producer for singer-songwriterBob Dylan and the folk-rock actSimon & Garfunkel, and was notable as one of the few African Americans working as a major label pop music producer at this time.[13]
Wilson signed the Mothers to theVerve Records division ofMGM Records, which had built up a strong reputation in themusic industry for its releases of modern jazz recordings in the 1940s and 1950s, but was attempting to diversify into pop and rock audiences. Verve insisted that the band officially rename themselves because "Mother" in slang terminology was short for "motherfucker"—a term that apart from its profanity, in a jazz context connotes a very skilled musical instrumentalist.[14] The label suggested the name "The Mothers Auxiliary", which prompted Zappa to come up with the name "The Mothers of Invention".
With Wilson credited as producer, the Mothers of Invention, augmented by a studio orchestra, recorded the groundbreakingFreak Out! (1966) which, preceded by Bob Dylan'sBlonde on Blonde, was the second rock double album of new material ever released. It mixed R&B,doo-wop, musique concrète,[16] and experimentalsound collages that captured the "freak" subcultureof Los Angeles at that time.[17] Although he was dissatisfied with the final product—in a late 1960s radio interview (included in the posthumousMOFO Project/Object compilation) Zappa recounted that the side-long closing track "Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" was intended to be the basic track for a much more complex work which Verve did not allow him to complete—Freak Out immediately established Zappa as a radical new voice in rock music, providing an antidote to the "relentless consumer culture of America".[15] The sound was raw, but thearrangements were sophisticated. While recording in the studio, some of the additionalsession musicians were shocked that they were expected to read the notes on sheet music fromcharts with Zappa conducting them, since it was not standard when recording rock music.[18] The lyrics praised non-conformity, disparaged authorities, and haddadaist elements. Yet, there was a place for seemingly conventional love songs.[19] Most compositions are Zappa's, which set a precedent for the rest of his recording career. He had full control over the arrangements and musical decisions and did mostoverdubs. Wilson provided the industry clout and connections to get the group the financial resources needed.[20]
Wilson nominally produced the Mothers' second albumAbsolutely Free (1967), which was recorded in November 1966, and latermixed in New York, although by this time Zappa was inde facto control of most facets of the production. It featured extended playing by the Mothers of Invention and focused on songs that defined Zappa's compositional style of introducing abrupt, rhythmical changes into songs that were built from diverse elements.[21] Examples are "Plastic People" and "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", which contained lyrics critical of the hypocrisy and conformity of American society, but also of thecounterculture of the 1960s.[22] As Zappa put it, "[W]e're satirists, and we are out to satirize everything."[23]
The Mothers of Invention played in New York in late 1966 and were offered a contract at theGarrick Theater during Easter 1967. This proved successful and Herb Cohen extended the booking, which eventually lasted half a year.[24] As a result, Zappa and his wife, along with the Mothers of Invention, moved to New York.[25] Their shows became a combination of improvised acts showcasing individual talents of the band as well as tight performances of Zappa's music. Everything was directed by Zappa's famous hand signals.[26] Guest performers and audience participation became a regular part of the Garrick Theater shows. One evening, Zappa managed to entice some U.S. Marines from the audience onto the stage, where they proceeded to dismember a big baby doll, having been told by Zappa to pretend that it was a "gook baby".[27]
Situated in New York, and only interrupted by the band's first European tour, the Mothers of Invention recorded the album widely regarded as the peak of the group's late 1960s work,We're Only in It for the Money (released 1968).[28] It was produced by Zappa, with Wilson credited as executive producer. From then on, Zappa produced all albums released by the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist.We're Only in It for the Money featured some of the most creative audio editing and production yet heard in pop music, and the songs ruthlessly satirized thehippie andflower power phenomena.[29][30] The cover photo parodied that ofthe Beatles'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,[31] its art provided byCal Schenkel whom Zappa had met in New York. This initiated a lifelong collaboration in which Schenkel designed covers for numerous Zappa and Mothers albums.[32]
Reflecting Zappa's eclectic approach to music, the next album,Cruising with Ruben & the Jets (1968), was very different. It represented a collection ofdoo-wop songs; listeners and critics were not sure whether the album was a satire or a tribute.[33] Zappa has noted that the album was conceived in the way Stravinsky's compositions were in his neo-classical period: "If he could take the forms and clichés of the classical era and pervert them, why not do the same ... to doo-wop in the fifties?"[34] A theme from Stravinsky'sThe Rite of Spring is heard during one song. The album and a single consisting of the songs "Deseri" and "Jelly Roll Gum Drop" were released under the aliasRuben and the Jets.[1][35]
Zappa and the Mothers of Invention returned to Los Angeles in the summer of 1968. Despite being a success with fans in Europe, the Mothers of Invention were not faring well financially.[36] Their first records were vocally oriented, but Zappa wrote more instrumental jazz and classical oriented music for the band's concerts, which confused audiences. Zappa felt that audiences failed to appreciate his "electrical chamber music".[37][38] Recorded from September 1967 to September 1968 and released in early 1969,Uncle Meat, the final release by the original Mothers, was a double album of varied music, intended as a soundtrack for a proposed film of the same name.
In November 1968, after Collins had left for the final time, Zappa recruited futureLittle Feat guitaristLowell George to replace him.
In 1969, there were nine band members and Zappa was supporting the group himself from his publishingroyalties, whether they played or not.[36] 1969 was also the year Zappa, fed up with the label's interference, left MGM Records for Warner Bros.'Reprise subsidiary, where Zappa/Mothers recordings would bear the Bizarre Records imprint.
In late 1969, Zappa broke up the band. He often cited the financial strain as the main reason,[39] but also commented on the band members' lack of sufficient effort.[40] Many band members were bitter about Zappa's decision, and some took it as a sign of Zappa's concern for perfection at the expense of human feeling.[38] Others were irritated by "hisautocratic ways",[20] exemplified by Zappa's never staying at the same hotel as the band members.[41] Several members would, however, play for Zappa in years to come. Zappa began recruiting new band members at this time, even askingMicky Dolenz fromThe Monkees to join. Zappa had appeared on the series and in the movieHead.[42][43] Remaining recordings with the band from this period were collected onBurnt Weeny Sandwich andWeasels Ripped My Flesh (both released in 1970).
George and Estrada formedLittle Feat withRichie Hayward andBill Payne after the Mothers disbanded.
Later in 1970, Zappa formed a new version of the Mothers (from then on, he mostly dropped the "of Invention"). It included British drummerAynsley Dunbar, jazz keyboardistGeorge Duke,Ian Underwood,Jeff Simmons (bass, rhythm guitar), and three members ofthe Turtles: bass playerJim Pons, and singersMark Volman andHoward Kaylan, who, due to persistent legal and contractual problems, adopted the stage name "The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie", or "Flo & Eddie".[44]
This version of the Mothers debuted on Zappa's next solo albumChunga's Revenge (1970),[45] which was followed by thedouble-album soundtrack to the movie200 Motels (1971), featuring the Mothers, theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra,Ringo Starr,Theodore Bikel, andKeith Moon. Co-directed by Zappa andTony Palmer, it was filmed in a week atPinewood Studios outside London.[46] Tensions between Zappa and several cast and crew members arose before and during shooting.[46] The film deals loosely with life on the road as a rock musician.[47] It was the first feature film photographed onvideotape and transferred to35 mm film, a process which allowed for novel visual effects.[48] It was released to mixed reviews.[49] The score relied extensively on orchestral music, and Zappa's dissatisfaction with the classical music world intensified when a concert, scheduled at theRoyal Albert Hall after filming, was canceled because a representative of the venue found some of the lyrics obscene. In 1975, he lost a lawsuit against the Royal Albert Hall for breach of contract.[50]
After200 Motels, the band went on tour, which resulted in two live albums,Fillmore East – June 1971 andJust Another Band from L.A.; the latter included the 20-minute track "Billy the Mountain", Zappa's satire on rock opera set in Southern California. This track was representative of the band's theatrical performances in which songs were used to build up sketches based on200 Motels scenes as well as new situations often portraying the band members' sexual encounters on the road.[51][52]
In December 1971, there were two serious setbacks. While performing atCasino de Montreux in Switzerland, the Mothers' equipment was destroyed when a flare set off by an audience member started a fire that burned down the casino.[53] Immortalized inDeep Purple's song "Smoke on the Water", the event and immediate aftermath can be heard on the bootleg albumSwiss Cheese/Fire, released legally as part of Zappa'sBeat the Boots II compilation. After a week's break, the Mothers played at theRainbow Theatre, London, with rented gear. During the encore, an audience member pushed Zappa off the stage and into the concrete-floored orchestra pit. The band thought Zappa had been killed—he had suffered serious fractures, head trauma and injuries to his back, leg, and neck, as well as a crushedlarynx, which ultimately caused his voice to drop athird after healing.[53] This accident resulted in him using a wheelchair for an extended period, forcing him off the road for over half a year. Upon his return to the stage in September 1972, he was still wearing a leg brace, had a noticeable limp and could not stand for very long while on stage. Zappa noted that one leg healed "shorter than the other" (a reference later found in the lyrics of songs "Zomby Woof" and "Dancin' Fool"), resulting in chronic back pain.[53] Meanwhile, the Mothers were left in limbo and eventually formed the core of Flo and Eddie's band as they set out on their own.
After releasing a solo jazz-oriented albumWaka/Jawaka, and following it up with a Mothers album,The Grand Wazoo, with large bands, Zappa formed and toured with smaller groups that variously includedIan Underwood (reeds, keyboards),Ruth Underwood (vibes, marimba), Sal Marquez (trumpet, vocals),Napoleon Murphy Brock (sax, flute and vocals),Bruce Fowler (trombone),Tom Fowler (bass),Chester Thompson (drums),Ralph Humphrey[54] (drums),George Duke (keyboards, vocals), andJean-Luc Ponty (violin).
Zappa continued a high rate of production through the first half of the 1970s, including the solo albumApostrophe (') (1974), which reached a career-high No. 10 on theBillboard pop album charts[55] helped by the chart single "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow".[56] Other albums from the period areOver-Nite Sensation (1973), which contained several future concert favorites, such as "Dinah-Moe Humm" and "Montana", and the albumsRoxy & Elsewhere (1974) andOne Size Fits All (1975) which feature ever-changing versions of a band still called the Mothers, and are notable for the tight renditions of highly difficultjazz fusion songs in such pieces as "Inca Roads", "Echidna's Arf (Of You)" and "Be-Bop Tango (Of the Old Jazzmen's Church)".[57] A live recording from 1974,You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (1988), captures "the full spirit and excellence of the 1973–75 band".[57]
Zappa releasedBongo Fury in 1975, which featured live recordings from a tour that same year which had reunited him withCaptain Beefheart for a brief period.[58] They later became estranged for a period of years, but were in contact at the end of Zappa's life.[59]Bongo Fury was the last new album to be credited to the Mothers.
In 1993, Zappa releasedAhead of Their Time, an album of a 1968 live performance by the original Mothers of Invention lineup.
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Frank Zappa |
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| all releases |
 | Roy Estrada |
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.jpg) | Jimmy Carl Black | 1964–August 1969(died 2008) |
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| Ray Collins |
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| David Coronado | 1964–May 1965 | saxophone | none | |
| Ray Hunt | 1964–April 1965 | guitar | ||
| Steve Mann | Summer 1965(died 2009) | |||
| Alice Stuart | Summer 1965(died 2023) | |||
.JPG) | Henry Vestine | November 1965–February 1966(died 1997) | ||
| Jim Guercio | February 1966 | |||
| Elliot Ingber | March–September 1966 |
| ||
| Denny Bruce | August 1966 | drums | none | |
| Billy Mundi |
| all releases fromAbsolutely Free (1967) toBurnt Weeny Sandwich (1970) | ||
_(cropped).jpg) | Van Dyke Parks | September 1966 | keyboards | none |
| Del Kacher | September–October 1966 | rhythm guitar | ||
| Jim Fielder | October 1966–February 1967 |
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 | Don Preston |
| keyboards |
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 | John Leon "Bunk" Gardner | November 1966–August 1969 | woodwinds |
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| Sandy Hurvitz | Summer 1967 (exact time unknown)(died 2023) |
| none | |
| Ian Underwood |
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| Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood |
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 | Art Tripp | March 1968–August 1969 |
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| Buzz Gardner | November 1968–August 1969(died 2004) |
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 | Lowell George | November 1968 – May 1969(died 1979) |
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 | Aynsley Dunbar | May 1970–December 1971 | drums |
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| Jeff Simmons |
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 | Mark Volman ("Flo", "The Phlorescent Leach") | June 1970–December 1971 | vocals |
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 | Howard Kaylan ("Eddie") | |||
 | George Duke |
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| Martin Lickert | January–February 1971 | bass | 200 Motels (1971) | |
 | Jim Pons | February–December 1971 |
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| Bob Harris | May–August 1971(died 2001) |
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| Nigey Lennon [d] | August 1971 |
| none | |
| Ralph Humphrey[60] | February 1973–May 1974(died 2023)[61] | drums |
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 | Jean-Luc Ponty | February–August 1973 | violin | Over-Nite Sensation (1973) |
| Tom Fowler |
| bass | all releases fromOver-Nite Sensation (1973) toBongo Fury (1975) | |
 | Ruth Underwood | February 1973–December 1975 |
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| Bruce Fowler |
| trombone |
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| Sal Marquez | March 1973–July 1973 |
| Over-Nite Sensation (1973) | |
| Kin Vassy | April–May 1973 | vocals | ||
 | Napoleon Murphy Brock | October 1973–May 1975 |
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.jpg) | Chester Thompson | October 1973–December 1974 | drums | |
| James Youmans | November–December 1974 | bass | none | |
 | Terry Bozzio | April 1975–March 1976 | drums | Bongo Fury (1975) |
.jpg) | Denny Walley |
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| Captain Beefheart | April–May 1975(died 2010) | vocals | ||
| Andre Lewis | September 1975–March 1976 |
| none | |
| Novi Novog | September–October 1975 | viola | ||
| Robert "Frog" Camarena | vocals |
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| Norma Jean Bell | November–December 1975 |
| none | |
| Darryl Dybka | December 1975 | keyboards |
It was also the year Zappa and his band, a blues-rock outfit called the Mothers of Invention
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