I WORKED for Frank Zappa's Straight Records in Hollywood recently. And the first time we met – after his manager/partner Herb Cohen had hired me as national promotion manager for Straight – Zappa and I had a huge argument – about love! (read more)

DANNY HOLLOWAY: What were you doing after the time of your accident?

FRANK ZAPPA: I spent a month in the hospital with a cast on my leg in a wheel chair. Then I spent a lot of time hobbling around on crutches before they replaced the cast with a leg brace. I'm still wearing the brace and just recently I've been able to walk around without using the crutches so much. "Waka/Jawaka" was made in the studio while I was still in the wheel chair.

What group will you be bringing to England?

 It's a group you've never seen before – 20 pieces including six reeds, six
brass, two concert percussionists, one drum set, one electric bass, two guitars,
keyboard and synthesizers, and an electric cello. It's really nice. The only
names people will recognise from past associations will be Ian Underwood on
keyboard and Ruth Underwood playing percussion one. Most of the people who are on the "Waka/Jawaka" album are in this group. We'll probably be billed as The Mothers. As far as recording goes, the next album will feature performances by the big band.

What songs will your repertoire feature?

 We have an advanced arrangement of "Big Swifty" from the "Waka/Jawaka"
album which we'll be playing. As far as older, better-known material goes, we'll
be doing "Penis Dimension", "Dog Breath Variations", "Uncle Meat" and "Revised Music For A Low Budget Symphony Orchestra".

 What we really have here is an electric symphony orchestra. Aside from the
recognisable pieces which are rock-oriented, there are two or three
semi-symphonic-type pieces, which are of a humorous nature simply because of the subject matter. But we're not going to have people jumping around on stage or falling down with tambourines and saying zany stuff – we're not supplying that this season. (read more)

NME's What's On Pull-Out has articles on Zappa, Hawkwind and Jeff Beck, all performing on the same day at "Rock at the Oval" festival.

FRANK ZAPPA is returning to Britain in September, as part of a full-scale European tour. He will be bringing with him the latest Mothers of Invention line-up, a ten-piece band with whom he recently appeared in concert in New York. Dates and venues are at present being finalised by promoter Frederick Bannister, both for this country and Europe.

Bannister told the NME: "I have set up a deal with Zappa's manager, Herb Cohen, and I can confirm that the European tour is definite. What I don't know yet is exactly what he will be doing in this country. There will certainly be a major concert in London, but there is also the possibility of another date or dates here."

CHARLES SHAAR MURRAY on the campaign trail with FZ and the Folies Bizarre (i.e., the MOTHERS in Paris)

WHY IS Stephen Stills not smiling? To be more precise, why are those noble, rugged features sporting an expression roughly equivalent to that of a man whose ankles are being attacked by a flotilla of evil-minded piranhas? Why, for that matter, is he wearing a green velvet jacket?

(full text available @ Rocksbackpages

Same event in Melody Maker – Monsieur Zappa's rock circus by Allan Jones.

Mothers albums nestle amongst the legal papers. A stereo system has been set up in front of The judge. The scene is Law Court Seven. The topic: The Suppository Principle Of Culture. Adjacent matters of interest: dog continuity, The Groupie Papers, and the magnetic deviation of San Clemente. Kids – be upstanding for Uncle Frank...

(full text available @ Rocksbackpages)

We haven't heard much from Frank Zappa since his law suite against the Royal Albert Hall who cancelled his concert at the last minute on the grounds of Frank's music being too smutty for delicate English ears.

Full text available @ Rocksbackpages.