18 Sides of The Mothers

By ?

Circular, August 23, 1971


Frank Zappa and his fellow Mothers of Invention are readying a nine volume anthology, a documentary of five years of Motherhood, for the record changers of the world. The albums, to be released on Zappa's Bizarre label, distributed by Reprise, will issue forth in three three record installments, the first of which will see light the end of this year (a Christmas package?). Plans call for the second wad of albums in mid-1972, an election year, with the wrap-up to come at year's end.

'Substantially Interesting'

The boggling audio document includes live performances by the Mothers, rehearsals, business meetings, sounds of the road and other recorded paraphernalia accumulated during the last half decade of the Mothers' existence.

Herb Cohen, manager of the Mothers of Invention, describes the contents thusly: "Some of the music will be heard in its original state, which is quite different from the final version, and some of it will be things that were finished but never released. The dialog – well, hardly any of that has been released; most of it is substantially interesting if you're a Motherphile."

As if that weren't enough, enter Tom Wilson, the Mothers' first producer back in their Verve days, who is working on an album project titled Grandmothers. It will feature the complete former Mothers of Invention, some 18 souls, with Zappa guesting on a track or two, though it is not strictly a Zappa enterprise. This project, also destined for Bizarre/Reprise, is a few months away because many ex-Mothers are scattered across the country.

Motel Movie

Meanwhile, the long-awaited 200 Motels, a cinematic documentary of the Mothers, is in final preparation stages and is slated to see the dark of movie theaters in November.

This smorgasbord of Mothers' treats also includes copious personal appearances in this country and in Europe in the latter part of 1971. Currently, the Mothers of Invention are Frank Zappa, guitar and vocals; Howard Kaylan, vocals; Mark Volman, vocals; Jim Pons, bass; Aynsley Dunbar, drums; Ian Underwood, sax and keyboards, and Don Preston, keyboards.

If you want the Mothers and you want them now, trot out and obtain the group's current waxing, The Mothers Live at the Fillmore, a lively performance at the late lamented East Coast rock palace.

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