Difference between revisions of "The Mothers"

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== The Mothers Of Invention ==
 
== The Mothers Of Invention ==
  
The Mothers Of Invention (#1) that recorded [[Freak Out!]] = [[Jimmy Carl Black]]: drums / [[Ray Collins]]: vocals / [[Roy Estrada]]: bass / [[Elliot Ingber]]: guitar / [[Frank Zappa]]: guitar / (Van Dyke Parks,  and Del Kacher "passed through" at this time.)
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The Mothers Of Invention (1) that recorded [[Freak Out!]] = [[Jimmy Carl Black]]: drums / [[Ray Collins]]: vocals / [[Roy Estrada]]: bass / [[Elliot Ingber]]: guitar / [[Frank Zappa]]: guitar / (Van Dyke Parks,  and Del Kacher "passed through" at this time.)
  
 
2) Add [[Billy Mundi]]: drums.
 
2) Add [[Billy Mundi]]: drums.
  
3) Replace Ingber with [[Jim Fielder]]: guitar / add [[Don Preston]]: keyboards and [[Bunk Gardner]]: horns. This band began recording [[Absolutely Free]]. (Sandy Hurvitz "passed through" at this time.)
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3) Replace Ingber with [[Jim Fielder]]: guitar / add [[Don Preston]]: keyboards and [[Bunk Gardner]]: horns. This MOI (2) began recording [[Absolutely Free]]. (Sandy Hurvitz "passed through" at this time.)
  
4) Subtract [[Ray Collins]] and Add [[Ian Underwood]]: woodwinds, keyboards for the recording of [[We're Only In It For The Money]].
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4) Subtract [[Ray Collins]] / add [[Ian Underwood]]: woodwinds, keyboards for (3) and the recording of [[We're Only In It For The Money]].
  
5) Replace [[Billy Mundi]] with
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5) Replace [[Billy Mundi]] with [[Arthur Tripp]] /add [[Ray Collins]] and [[Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood]] for the MOI (4) that recorded [[Cruising With Ruben & The Jets]] and [[Uncle Meat]] (some with [[Billy Mundi]] before he left).
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6) Subtract [[Ray Collins]] / add [[Lowell George]] and [[Buzz Gardner]] for the MOI (5) that recorded [[Burnt Weeny Sandwich]] and [[Weasels Ripped My Flesh]]. [[Hot Rats]] was a side project that held FZ, Ian, Lowell, and several "guests": [[Ron Selico]] / [[Shuggy Otis]] / [[Captain Beefheart]] / [[Don "Sugar Cane" Harris]] / [[John Guerin]] / [[Max Bennett]] / [[Paul Humphrey]] / [[Jean-Luc Ponty]]
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7) Subtract Lowell George. The MOI (6) that FZ "disbanded" = Zappa / [[Roy Estrada]] / [[Jimmy Carl Black]] / [[Arthur Tripp]] / [[Ian Underwood]] / [[Don Preston]] / [[Bunk Gardner]] / [[Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood]] / [[Buzz Gardner]].

Revision as of 20:39, 23 March 2005


The name of several different Zappa bands (and even more permutations of those different bands), loosely defined by the 3 syntactual derivations below. The name reportedly means "motherfucker" as applied to a musician's slang term for any musician who could really play well; i.e. "That cat's a motherfucker!".

The Muthers

A pick-up band that FZ employed to play bar gigs in the SoCal desert.

The Mothers

Once the Soul Giants started playing FZ's compositions, they needed a more appropriate name. The Blackouts was used, as was Captain Glasspack & The Magic Mufflers. They eventually settled (on May, 10, "Mothers Day" 1964, legend has it) on The Mothers. There were some personnel changes before they recorded their first album:

1) The Soul Giants/Mothers = Jimmy Carl Black: drums / Ray Collins: vocals / Roy Estrada: bass / Frank Zappa: guitar.

2) Add Alice Stuart: guitar, vocals to the above.

3) Replace Stuart with Henry Vestine: guitar.

4) Replace Vestine with Steve Mann: guitar / Collins with Jim Guercio: guitar, vocals.

5) Replace Guercio with Collins / Mann with Elliott Ingber: guitar.

6) Add Denny Bruce: drums.

7) Subtract Bruce.

On March 1, 1966 The Mothers signed a two-year, five-album record deal with Verve/MGM. MGM had the band change their name to The Mothers Of Invention and they started recording their first album.

The Mothers Of Invention

The Mothers Of Invention (1) that recorded Freak Out! = Jimmy Carl Black: drums / Ray Collins: vocals / Roy Estrada: bass / Elliot Ingber: guitar / Frank Zappa: guitar / (Van Dyke Parks, and Del Kacher "passed through" at this time.)

2) Add Billy Mundi: drums.

3) Replace Ingber with Jim Fielder: guitar / add Don Preston: keyboards and Bunk Gardner: horns. This MOI (2) began recording Absolutely Free. (Sandy Hurvitz "passed through" at this time.)

4) Subtract Ray Collins / add Ian Underwood: woodwinds, keyboards for (3) and the recording of We're Only In It For The Money.

5) Replace Billy Mundi with Arthur Tripp /add Ray Collins and Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood for the MOI (4) that recorded Cruising With Ruben & The Jets and Uncle Meat (some with Billy Mundi before he left).

6) Subtract Ray Collins / add Lowell George and Buzz Gardner for the MOI (5) that recorded Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Hot Rats was a side project that held FZ, Ian, Lowell, and several "guests": Ron Selico / Shuggy Otis / Captain Beefheart / Don "Sugar Cane" Harris / John Guerin / Max Bennett / Paul Humphrey / Jean-Luc Ponty

7) Subtract Lowell George. The MOI (6) that FZ "disbanded" = Zappa / Roy Estrada / Jimmy Carl Black / Arthur Tripp / Ian Underwood / Don Preston / Bunk Gardner / Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood / Buzz Gardner.