Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention

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Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention
Released November 1985
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Players

• Frank Zappa, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Ike Willis, Ray White, Bobby Martin, Moon Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, Senator Danforth (R-Missouri), Senator Hollings (D-South Carolina), Senator Trible (R-Virginia), Senator Hawkins (R-Florida), Senator Exon (D-Nebraska), Senator Gorton (R-Washington), Senator Gore (D-Tennessee), Tipper Gore, Reverend Jeff Ling, Spider Barbour, All Nite John, unknown girl in piano (voices)

Tracks

US LP

1. We're Turning Again (04:55)
2. Alien Orifice (04:03)
3. Yo Cats (03:31)
4. What's New In Baltimore? (05:21)

1. Little Beige Sambo (03:02)
2. Porn Wars (12:04)
3. Aerobics In Bondage (03:16)

European LP

1. We're Turning Again (04:55)
2. Alien Orifice (04:03)
3. Yo Cats (03:31)
4. What's New In Baltimore? (05:21)

1. I Don't Even Care (04:43)
2. One Man - One Vote (02:35)
3. H.R. 2911 (03:35)
4. Little Beige Sambo (03:02)
5. Aerobics In Bondage (03:16)

US CD

1. I Don't Even Care (04:45)
2. One Man - One Vote (02:34)
3. Little Beige Sambo (03:02)
4. Aerobics In Bondage (03:17)
5. We're Turning Again (04:54)
6. Alien Orifice (04:12)
7. Yo Cats (03:34)
8. What's New In Baltimore? (05:25)
9. Porn Wars (12:03)

European CD, coupled with Jazz From Hell

Tracks 1 to 9 : European LP tracks list
Tracks 10 to 17 : Jazz From Hell tracks list

European CD, Second Edition

1. Porn Wars (12:05)
2. We're Turning Again (04:56)
3. Alien Orifice (04:12)
4. Aerobics In Bondage (03:16)
5. I Don't Even Care, Shortened version (03:48)
6. Little Beige Sambo (03:03)
7. What's New In Baltimore? (05:20)
8. One Man - One Vote (02:35)
9. H.R. 2911 (03:36)
10. Yo Cats (03:34)

Current CD

1. I Don't Even Care (04:39)
2. One Man - One Vote (02:35)
3. Little Beige Sambo (03:02)
4. Aerobics In Bondage (03:16)
5. We're Turning Again (04:55)
6. Alien Orifice (04:10)
7. Yo Cats (03:33)
8. What's New In Baltimore? (05:20)
9. Porn Wars (12:03)
10. H.R. 2911 (03:35)

Background Information

In an e-mail to this writer [CF], Matt Koegler explained that he “watched the Senate hearings and had a conversation with friends that night, and ‘Mothers of Prevention’ kind of came out of my mouth. I wrote Frank a letter a few days later, requesting a Z-Pac [Frank’s anti-censorship collection of mental ammo]. The letter opened, ‘Mr. Zappa: Thanks very much for standing up against the Mothers of Prevention.’ A few months later, I was standing in line at Spec’s Music in Lakeland, Florida with my brand-new, hot-off-the-presses copy [of the Prevention album] in my hand, and while reading the back cover, I found my name.”

“Yo Cats” is a jaunt along Vegas-type musical lines that emphasize the lyrical jeers at aesthetically apathetic studio musicians, with Tommy Mars (who’s listed as co-composer Thomas Mariano, his real name) playing appropriately cheesy lounge organ. Session musicians’ stylishness-feigning word “yo” is turned into “yo-yo” (loony). “Blow” means cocaine, of course, and to “Play some footballs on your hole” means to play easy whole notes (shaped like footballs in music notation) while keeping the bow level with the widest part of the violin’s “F-holes” (F-shaped openings). Your Girl and Arlyn’s were studio musicians’ answering services.

The long musical collage “Porn Wars” is largely made up of Frank’s retorts to the oppressive politicians and their wives (in their own voices) to whom he spoke at the 9/19/85 hearings on the Parents’ Music Resource Center’s extortionate demands on the music industry. The “vocals” begin with a brilliantly exposed contradiction: Chairman John C. Danforth assures Frank that no legislation’s intended, just before South Carolina Senator Earnest F. Hollings vows, after an exemplary Zappa time-jump edit, to find “some Constitutional provisions, tax or approach...to limit this outrageous filth.” Hollings’ admission “Maybe I could make a good rock star,” initially spoken as a self-effacing comment on his own oft-unintelligible southern accent, floats into the piece on several occasions; Frank’s aligning Hollings’ secrets—his own “outrageous filth”—with the groupie-oriented activities narrated in many Zappa songs over the years. This exposes Hollings’ hypocrisy in attacking song lyrics. By including the phrase “inaudible filth,” Frank’s asking, “If he can’t hear it, why is it filthy?”

Throughout the piece, we’re made to hear how people twist words to fit them into predetermined contexts; Zappa’s revenge is to do the same thing to the senators. They’re heard scolding their own actions: “Now, the effects of such lyrics on a well adjusted child may not be cataclysmic.” A senator’s made to unwittingly call himself a product of bad parenting, the real reason for which kids turn out crazy: “Rather, the emotional damage is more subtle.” Paula Hawkins indicts her own agenda: “...in some twisted mind.” She sadistically enjoys the book-burning going on, illustrated by the evil-sounding music: “Burrrn...burrrn...burrrn!” Hollings is heard reciting “Willy-nilly old bear” a few times. Frank’s equating that harmless children’s lyric about Winnie the Pooh with the words deemed unsafe by the senators. He’s also saying that Hollings is a “willy-nilly old bear” himself.

”Objectionable” is attached to “issue.” “...in some twisted minds” is attached to “porn rock.” The message is clear. Senator James Exon asks, “What’s the reason for these hearings?” Hawkins replies with Frank’s answer: “Sex,” the tool of media distraction as well as the chief fear of these insecure fools. A round of applause follows her answer. The “Yeah!” often heard is from Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s vocals in “I Don’t Even Care” from the European version of the album (Frank didn’t think “Porn Wars” would make much sense outside the USA). Ike Willis as Thing-Fish interjects with transplanted words from “Galoot Up-Date.” His conclusion, “I am yo’ fuchum [future]!,” suggests that we’ll all wind up deformed and held back by the government’s actions if things continue the way they’re going.

A great joke’s heard later

“Drive my love inside you.” “Is this private action?”

See also: "PMRC List" for an overview of people & things involved in the PMRC saga.

Alternate Cover

Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention (European Version)

Versions

ZFT #	Version #	# discs	Format	Catalog #	Release (YYYY-MM-DD)	Barcode (EAN-13)	Artwork	Comment
44	1.1 Original Stereo, Tracks 1, 2 & 10 Missing[1]	1	LP	Barking Pumpkin ST-74203	1985-11-21	0013347420318?		US edition.
	1.2 Original Stereo, Track 9 Missing[1]	1	LP	EMI 2404921	1985?			European edition.
	1.3 Original Stereo, Track 10 Missing[1]	1	CD	Rykodisc RCD 10023	1986-09	0014431002328		US edition.
	1.2 Original Stereo, Track 9 Missing[1]	1	CD	EMI CDP 7-90078-2	1986	0077779007820?		European edition, coupled with Jazz From Hell.
	1.4 Original Stereo, 1 Track Shortened[1]	1	CD	Zappa CDZAP 33	1990-09			European edition.
	1.3 Original Stereo, Track 10 Missing[1]	1	CD	VideoArts VACK 5049	1994-11-25	4988112405882		Japanese edition.
	1.5 Light Remaster, Complete Edition	1	CD	Rykodisc RCD 10547	1995-05-16	0014431054723		US edition. Matrix # IFPI 2U4C WEA mfg. OLYPHANT ifpi L902 X14009 A4 P2 310547-2 01 M1S1
		1	CD	VideoArts VACK 5117	1995-09-25	4988112407770		Japanese edition.
		1	CD	VideoArts VACK 5252	1996-05-30?	4988112408524		Japanese edition.
		1	CD	VideoArts VACK 1257	2002-11-27	4988112413566		Japanese edition, mini-album papersleeve.

Notes

1. Considering the current CD edition as the reference version.