Studio Z
Studio Z was Frank Zappa's first recording studio, located in Cucamonga, California. It was originally named Pal Studio and owned by Paul Buff, when Zappa started working there in late 1960.
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History of Studio Z
On 1 August 1964, Zappa purchased Pal Studio and renamed it Studio Z'. [1]. Since his marriage had fallen apart, Zappa filed for divorce, moved out of their house and into Studio Z. In a half year, he recorded several singles there, all while also saving money to produce a film, Captain Beefheart vs. The Grunt People. Another project was the rock opera I Was A Teenage Malt Shop and a radio show The Uncle Frankie Show, recorded in Studio Z to be broadcast on KSPC in Pomona College in Claremont, California.
Studio Z was an important phase in Zappa's career, because it gave him early local fame, various musical connections and a lot of technological skill on how to operate a recording studio.
In March 1965, however, Zappa was arrested for recording a "pornographic tape" with Lorraine Belcher for a client who turned out to be an undercover police officer. Zappa was sentenced to 10 days of jailtime in the San Bernardino County Jail, with the end result that Studio Z was closed down and all of his recordings confiscated. [2]
People employed (or guest-recording) in Studio Z
- Rex Jakabosky
- Vic Mortenson
- Ned & Nelda (pseudonyms for Frank Zappa and Ray Collins)
- Les Papp
- Bobby Saldana
- Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood
- The Soots
- Alex St. Clair
- Don Van Vliet
FZ albums/tracks recorded in Studio Z
- Opening Night At Studio Z (1964)
- Little Umbrellas (Cucamonga Version) (1964)
- Duodenum/Theme From Lumpy Gravy (1964)
- I Was A Teenage Malt Shop (1964)
- Charva (1964)
- The Birth Of Captain Beefheart (1964)
- Ned The Mumbler (1964)
- Ned Has A Brainstorm (Toads Of The Short Forest) (1964)
- Excerpt From "The Uncle Frankie Show" (1964)
- Tiger Roach (1964)
- Metal Man Has Won His Wings (1964)
- The Uncle Frankie Show (1964)
- The Muthers (1965)
- Bossa Nova Pervertamento (1965)
Frank Zappa about Studio Z
"I lived in Cucamonga and I had a building that was painted turquoise blue and avocado-green and a sign that said "Record Your Band – $13.50 an Hour." Cucamonga existed at the intersection of Archibald Avenue and Route 66 Studio Z didn't fit the small-town mentality." - Frank Zappa: America's Weirdest Rock Star Comes Clean, John Swenson, High Times issue #55, March 1980.
