The Mothers of Invention - The Worst of the Mothers (LP, 1971)

Not much to say about this one. It's another unauthorized (by Zappa) Mothers compilation that contains tracks from the first three Mothers of Invention albums.

Fairly standard stuff, except that it starts off with an amended version of "Help, I'm a Rock" that, from what I can tell, only includes the "In Memoriam, Edgar Varèse" section (the second part of three). Kind of cool in that it leads off the album, but from there, it's all (from what I can tell) the album versions of the rest of the songs. Seems like about half of them are from We're Only in It for the Money. They are edited together fairly nicely, so the songs almost blend into one another.

I have KBOO's (Portland's community radio station) DJ (promo) copy of this record, which I think is kind of cool. (I know it's theirs because it has "KBOO" written in magic marker on the cover.) The promo is by no means rare, and neither are any copies of this album. It's just another one that I picked up for fairly cheap because I wanted to have it.

Terrible cover, nothing better on the back. Really the ugliest of all Mothers records. And another one that Zappa purists scoff at. Good for them.

"Status Back Baby"

The Mothers - Fillmore East - June 1971 (LP, 1971)

As I said, Zappa disbanded the original Mothers of Invention around 1969. However, he kept Ian Underwood (wind instrument dude) and Don Preston (keyboardist and pure stallion) around for the band's next incarnation, which would mostly be referred to as, simply, The Mothers. This is the first record that left off the "of Invention" and it's also the first record to feature what some refer to as the "Vaudeville" Mothers. I never refer to them as that. I refer to this period as "The Flo & Eddie Years."

I'm not going to go into the whole story of Flo & Eddie (really Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, respectively), but if you want a quick synopsis, you can check out their Wikipedia article. Bascially, they were the dudes from The Turtles. And for the short time that they were with Zappa and the newly formed Mothers, they were Zappa's mouthpieces, performing songs/skits and generally hamming it up. Some people love this era of The Mothers, others struggle with it. I, sometimes against my better judgment, love it. I got into the Flo & Eddie shit before I even turned twenty, and I think I was smoking enough pot that it all made sense to me. Now I've just got a soft spot for the whole damn thing.

Don't get me wrong: I still prefer the original Mothers of Invention, but I like this a lot, too. And in a different way. But I understand why folks wouldn't. There's a lot of talking. Seriously. A lot.

At this point in his career, Zappa was certifiably obsessed with showing the world his interpretation of the life of a touring rock band. It's really all that this album and 200 Motels (the film and the album - both of which we'll get to) are about. And, like I said, this era of The Mothers is very lyric-heavy. And, considerably and consistently dirtier than anything Zappa had done up to this point. Does it feel a little juvenile at certain points? Definitely. Are there some great songs mixed in with the performance dialogue? Yes. So, I've always felt that if you have the patience for this record, it really pays off.

Yes, "Do You Like My New Car" is basically seven minutes of Flo & Eddie talking over a slow groove. But, the four songs that follow it (and conclude the album) are full-on fantastic. They even throw an amended cover of "Happy Together" in there, and it somehow works. There are some slow cuts (if you don't like hearing Flo & Eddie talk) during the beginning-middle of the LP, but "Latex Solar Beef" and "Willie the Pimp" are tough to beat.

This album, like a lot of Zappa's stuff, takes patience. But wait until we get to Playground Psychotics. It's from this same era, is three times as long, and features backstage conversations between band members. Fillmore East seems like an EP compared to that thing. But that one will have to wait. But not too long.

Anyway. There is a time and a place for this record. If you can find it, there's some serious enjoyment to be had here. I firmly believe that.

Not from this actual album, but a live recording from the same era.

The Mothers of Invention - Weasels Ripped My Flesh (LP, 1970)

I mentioned earlier that The Mothers released two albums post-breakup, both containing previously unreleased material. Burnt Weeny Sandwich was the first, and this one's the second. While the style of music is relatively the same on both records (long instrumental songs, some experimental stuff), Weasels Ripped My Flesh is a bit looser, probably due to the fact that the majority of it was recorded live.

Still, it doesn't necessarily sound live, which makes for an interesting feel throughout the album. Meaning - and I guess this is the most significant aspect of the "not sounding live" part - you don't often hear the crowd, even during the quieter breaks in the songs (of which there are many). But, you can tell from the recordings that these aren't studio takes - there are minor blips and voices heard, and there is certainly some improvisation (within the predetermined structure of the song, of course) taking place. But it's not until the end of each side of the LP that you hear the audience applaud.

Recording his band live and not necessarily listing the album as such became a go-to move for Zappa, and I think this record might have represented that method in its nascent stages. This record also features another favorite move of Zappa's: blending two different recordings to form one complete song. "Toads of the Short Forest" contains two different sections, the first recorded in the studio, and the second recorded live. They blend seamlessly, and you wouldn't know it unless you read the liner notes. "The Orange County Lumber Truck" contains portions of two different live recordings, which must have been the better sections of each performance.

If Burnt Weeny Sandwich was meant to challenge listeners, Weasels Ripped My Flesh certainly wasn't intended to cut them any breaks, either. A track like "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask," which in its second half contains long portions of Roy Estrada howling, is sure to send the uninitiated running. Same with the title track, which is pure noise for two minutes. But, while there's also some of the Mothers' trademark hyper-technical instrumentals, there's also some really accessible material here.

"Directly from My Heart to You" is a Little Richard cover done in a straight-up blues style with great vocals from guest Don "Sugarcane" Harris. "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama" (in its first released version here) is a catchy tune with uncharacteristically forceful lead vocals by Zappa. And "Oh No," previously heard as part of Lumpy Gravy (Zappa's first solo record that we'll get to later), is mega-catchy.

Again, would I recommend this to someone who hasn't already tried out The Mothers of Invention? Nah. But I love this record. If nothing else, the cover's great and the abstractness of the music will impress your friends. Or drive them away. Whatever.

"Didja Get Any Onya?"

The Mothers of Invention - The Mothers of Invention (LP, 1970)

Possibly also known as Golden Archive Series, this is another unauthorized Mothers compilation that consists of previously released material from their first three records.

While this is another comp that is poo-pooed by Zappa purists, it is slightly notable for a few reasons. While it doesn't contain any unreleased material, it does contain strange edits of a few tracks, which is a bit amusing.

"Mother People," the first track on the LP, starts from the second verse, and then contains a small portion of the beginning of "The Chrome-Plated Megaphone of Destiny," the song that originally followed it on We're Only in It for the Money. "Who Needs the Peace Corps?" and "Absolutely Free" both fade out really abruptly, because they were seamlessly edited into other tracks on the original version.

So, nothing too major, but it's interesting for what it is. There's also some spelling errors in the tracklisting on the back, the most blatant being on "Son of Suzy Creamcheese," where they have it spelled "Son of Suzi Cream Cheese." Not helping their cause.

I have a pretty beat-up copy of this record, but I'm always hesitant to replace it with a better one. It's actually kind of hard to find, and I never listen to it. Eh, the vinyl's in fairly good shape, and that's probably enough for me.

"Flower Punk"

The Mothers of Invention - Burnt Weeny Sandwich (LP, 1970)

Zappa disbanded the original Mothers of Invention in 1969, but still had enough unreleased material left over for a few additional albums. This is the first, a nine-track collection of mostly instrumental songs that capture the Mothers at arguably their tightest and most ambitious.

The album is bookended by two doo-wop-ish cover tunes, "WPLJ" (by the Four Deuces), and "Valarie" (by Jackie and the Starlites). It wasn't often that Zappa would whip out a cover song, but these two fit extremely well within the framework of the previous homages The Mothers made to the early genre of rock.

The remainder of the album consists of abstract instrumentals, ranging from the under-a-minute horn-blowing of "Igor's Boogie, Phase One" and "Igor's Boogie, Phase Two," to the impressively sprawling blues and jazz-tinged madness of the eighteen minute-plus "Little House I Used to Live In." In the end, it all basically blends into one big piece of music, and it's another Mothers album that is intimidating at first, but heavily rewarding once you realize what it entails and what you can expect.

"Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown" runs through complex arrangements for its first half, then turns into a distinctly-Zappa guitar solo towards the end. "Aybe Sea" is a sparse, piano-based number that ends up being one of the most beautiful songs The Mothers ever recorded. But, really, it's all about "Little House I Used to Live In." The song takes so many twists and turns that you can get lost in it. In a good way.

Another album that's probably not a good place to start with The Mothers, but a great place to go to if you're in the mood for some of their more complex (and well-recorded) early instrumentals. I like this one a lot.

"Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown" & "Aybe Sea"

The Mothers of Invention - The **** of The Mothers (LP, 1969)

The Mothers started out on the Verve record label, but beginning with Uncle Meat, they moved to Bizarre, which was a sub-label of Reprise that (from what I understand) was created just for Zappa. Previously, I spoke about Mothermania and how it was the only Mothers compilation approved and compiled by Zappa himself.

Apparently Verve still wanted to capitalize on the success of The Mothers, so they released this compilation after the band went to their new label. As I said, a lot of Zappa fans consider a record like this fairly worthless, as it contains no new material, wasn't released with the band's permission, and basically comes off as a cash-grab. I agree with those sentiments, but I like to own the damn thing anyway. It's got interesting cover art, and after all, it is technically a Mothers album, so the completist in me demands that I have it.

Do I ever listen to it? Nope. But I like to see it sitting there. It features cuts from their first three records, with the only interesting anomaly being that of the three-part "Call Any Vegetable" trilogy (discussed in the previous Mothermania post), it includes only the second two parts, which effectively omits the basis for the conclusion. So, that's a bit odd, but not really that interesting.

I still consider it a solid part of my Mothers collection, though. It's a good-looking record.

"Concentration Moon"

The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat (2xLP, 1969)

This album will always bring one hilarious personal memory to mind for me. While talking to my friend Nate one night, the subject of what record he likes to put on while he's making love to a lady came up. He didn't even hesitate: "Uncle Meat by The Mothers." This is not funny to you. But if you knew Nate and you knew Uncle Meat... Just trust me. It's the best answer ever.

Like the movie - but not to such a crippling degree - the soundtrack to Uncle Meat takes patience. But once you let it into your brain (and your heart - awww), there is no going back. I have never listened to Uncle Meat while physically romancing a lady, but I'll tell you what: it's a great road trip record, a great record to clean the house to, and a great record to just put on and stare at the ceiling to. It's everything that was ever great about the Mothers in one hour-plus package (actually, I think the CD is much longer than that): jaunty instrumentals, random dialogue, unidentifiable sound effects, incredibly catchy songs, and bootleg-quality live recordings that threaten to negate the whole thing until you realize how brilliantly they fit into the scope of the album.

This is a record that demands to be listened to beginning to end. If you don't find something to love in track 3, the six-minute abstractness that is "Nine Types of Industrial Pollution," then this might not be for you. But if you find it intriguing - even if you're not sure why - stick with it. Play the rest of the album and let it suck you in.

Witness the beauty of the pepped-up doo-wop in "Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague." Try to get "Sleeping in a Jar" out of your head, even though it's less than a minute long. It will haunt you. And when you've finally made it through all six parts of "King Kong," you will be a convert. Or maybe you'll have hated it. I don't know. But the first time I heard this record, I couldn't wait to hear it again. And I still listen to it more than probably any other Mothers album. I think.

A note on the CD version: it contains some tracks that were not included on the original double-LP set, and should not be listened to. They are "Uncle Meat Film Excerpt, Pt. 1," "Tengo Na Minchia Tanta," and "Uncle Meat Film Excerpt, Pt. 2." Avoid them, as they are useless.

This is also one of my favorite Mothers albums, art-wise. Sweet gatefold cover, incredibly strange artwork inside and out, and a 12-page booklet that contains the actual Uncle Meat story, as Zappa envisioned it. It makes little sense, too, but a bit more than the movie.

I recommend the shit out of this album.

"King Kong"