Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague
Contents
Lyrics
Please, hear my plea!
Cucuroo carucha (chevy 39)
Going to El Monte Legion Stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time
Fuzzy dice
Bongos in the back
My ship of love is
Ready to attack
Primer mi carucha (chevy 39)
Going to El Monte Legion Stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time
Fuzzy dice
Bongos in the back
My ship of love
Ready to attack
Wont you please hear my plea
Primer mi carucha (chevy 39)
Going to El Monte Legion Stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time
Fuzzy dice
Bongos in the back
My ship of love
Ready to attack
Players On This Song
- Frank Zappa (guitar, vocals, percussion)
- Ray Collins (vocals)
- Jimmy Carl Black (drums)
- Roy Estrada (electric bass)
- Don Preston (electric piano)
- Billy Mundi (drums)
- Bunk Gardner (piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bassoon)
- Ian Underwood (electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone)
- Arthur Tripp (drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes)
- Motorhead Sherwood (tenor saxophone, tambourine)
- Ruth Komanoff (marimba, vibes)
- Nelcy Walker (vocals)
Records On Which This Song Has Appeared
Singles
FZ Albums & Side Projects
Tribute & Cover Albums
Notes About This Song
El Monte Legion Stadium was built in the 1930's and by the 1950's became a popular spot for doo-wop concerts. We can assume Zappa and Collins attended some of these. See Memories of El Monte “Memories of El Monte” was written by Frank Zappa and Ray Collins before they were in the Mothers of Invention.
In 1960, Art Laboe released one of the first oldies compilation, “Memories of El Monte”. A collection of songs by bands that used to play at the dances Laboe organized at El Monte Legion Stadium in El Monte, California.
At some point in the next few years Ray Collins visited Frank Zappa at his house in Ontario California Frank told him that he and a friend had thought of writing a song entitled “Memories of El Monte.” Ray had been at the dances at El Monte Legion Stadium and had played there with tenor saxophonist Chuck Higgins. Ray sat down at Frank’s piano, played the “Earth Angel” chord changes and immediately came up with the first lyrics for “Memories of El Monte”. Frank Zappa took the song to Art Laboe, who loved it. Laboe came up with the idea of adding a section that named doo-wop groups and having the Penguins impersonate their songs. The song functions as a de facto advertisement for the collection “Memories of El Monte” when it references songs on the compilation.
Although, the track is credited to the Penguins featuring Cleve Duncan, and Zappa claimed it was recorded by “a bunch of guys from the car wash,” it was actually sung by Cleve Duncan of the Penguins, backed by the Viceroys.
It was one of the first songs that Frank Zappa wrote the he was able to get released. It is a doo-wop style song. Zappa’s contention was that the music that was happening during the 50’s was one of the finest things in American music. “Memories of El Monte” was popular on the radio sold well in a variety of markets but it did not chart nationally. It was a local hit, and led Cleve Duncan to reform the Penguins who had broken up around 1959. It is now considered perennial favorite.
