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The Mothers of Invention was an
American rock band from
California that served as the backing musicians for
Frank Zappa, a self-taught composer and performer whose diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often impossible to categorize. Their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows.
Originally an
R&B; band called
The Soul Giants, the band's original lineup included
Ray Collins,
David Coronado,
Roy Estrada and
Jimmy Carl Black.
Zappa was asked to take over as the band's guitarist following a fight between
Collins and the band's original guitarist. Zappa insisted that the band perform original material, changing their name to
The Mothers. Founded in 1964, the band first became popular playing in
California's underground music scene in the late
1960s. Under Zappa's leadership, the band signed to
Verve Records, releasing a début album,
Freak Out! (1966), with a lineup which consisted of Zappa, Collins,
Black, Estrada and
Elliot Ingber. Under Zappa's leadership and a fluctuating lineup, the band released a series of acclaimed albums, including
Absolutely Free, We're Only in It for the
Money and
Uncle Meat, before being disbanded by Zappa in
1969. In
1970, Zappa formed a new lineup of The Mothers which included
Ian Underwood,
Jeff Simmons,
George Duke,
Aynsley Dunbar and singers
Mark Volman and
Howard Kaylan, formerly of
The Turtles, who were credited as
The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie for contractual reasons.
Later adding another ex-Turtle, bassist
Jim Pons, this lineup lasted until the end of
1971, when Zappa was injured by an audience member during a concert. Zappa focused on big-band and orchestral music while recovering from his injuries, and later formed the
Mothers' final lineup in
1973, which included
Ralph Humphrey, Sal Marquez, George Duke, Tom and
Bruce Fowler and
Ruth and Ian Underwood. The final album using the Mothers as a backing band,
Bongo Fury (
1975), featured guitarist
Denny Walley and drummer
Terry Bozzio, who continued to play for Zappa on non-Mothers releases.
Absolutely Free is the second album by The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. Absolutely Free is, again, a display of complex musical composition with political and social satire.
The band had been augmented since Freak Out! by the addition of saxophone player
Bunk Gardner, keyboardist
Don Preston, guitarist
Jim Fielder and drummer
Billy Mundi.
Fielder quit the group before the album was released and his name was removed from the album credits.
Absolutely Free (1st In A
Series Of
Underground Oratorios)
1.
Plastic People 0:00
2.
The Duke Of Prunes 3:42
3.
Amnesia Vivace 5:55
4. The Duke Regains His
Chops 6:56
5.
Call Any Vegetable 8:49
6.
Invocation &
Ritual Dance Of The
Young Pumpkin 11:05
7. Soft-Sell
Conclusion 18:05
Bonus Tracks:
8.
Big Leg
Emma 19:45
9. Why Don'tcha
Do Me Right? 22:17
The M.
O.I. American Pageant (2nd In A Series Of Underground Oratorios)
10.
America Drinks 24:54
11.
Status Back Baby 26:47
12.
Uncle Bernie's
Farm 29:41
13. Son Of
Suzy Creamcheese 31:52
14.
Brown Shoes Don't Make It 33:26
15. America Drinks And
Goes Home 40:56
Personnel:
Frank Zappa -- guitar, conductor, vocals
Jimmy Carl Black -- drums, vocals
Ray Collins -- vocals, tambourine
Don Ellis -- trumpet on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
Roy Estrada -- bass, vocals
Bunk Gardner -- woodwinds
Billy Mundi -- drums, percussion
Don Preston -- keyboards
John Rotella -- percussion
Jim Fielder -- guitar, piano
Pamela Zarubica -- vocals
- published: 11 Jun 2012
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