News

Fans of the early days of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention have good reason to, well, freak out!  On June 21, Zappa Records and UMe are heading back to those heady days on the Sunset Strip for Whisky A Go Go, 1968, a new collection available on three CDs or five 180-gram black vinyl LPs as well as in 2LP “highlights” form.  The complete release will also be available digitally in high-resolution.

Even in the relatively early days of his recording career, Frank Zappa was thinking ahead.  An advertisement in the L.A. Free Press shared, “The Mothers of Invention cordially invite you to join them on Tuesday, July 23, 1968 when they will be taking over the Whisky a Go Go for 5 full hours of unprecedented merriment, which will be secretly recorded for an upcoming record album. Dress optional. Starting sometime in the evening. R.S.V.D.T.”  Indeed, the concert was listed on the club’s marquee as “Mothers of Invention – Recording Session.”  But the intended album never materialized.  Now, Frank’s son Ahmet Zappa and “Vaultmeister” Joe Travers are finally bringing the Whisky set to fruition, complete and newly remixed from hi-res digital transfers of the original one-inch, eight-track analog tapes by Craig Parker Adams.

Leader-guitarist Zappa and the band – Ray Collins (vocals, percussion), Ian Underwood (alto sax), Bunk Gardner (tenor sax, flute), Don Preston (keyboards, gong), Motorhead Sherwood (baritone sax, percussion), Roy Estrada (bass, vocals), Art Tripp (drum set, percussion), and Jimmy Carl Black (drum set, percussion) – played three sets at the Whisky that evening, all of which are included on the new box.  Zappa had just come off the release of his fourth overall album (and first solo LP), Lumpy Gravy, in May.  The Mothers’ Cruising with Ruben and The Jets would arrive in December from the same Mothers line-up that took the stage at the Whisky.  The choice of location made perfect sense; the Whisky was the same venue where the Mothers’ manager Herb Cohen had convinced producer Tom Wilson to see the band with an eye to a record contract with MGM.  By 1968, the group was well-known to the hip L.A. audience as wizards of the pop underground.

The gig was only the second time Zappa had captured the Mothers on multitrack tape; the first time was two months earlier, on May 18, at the Miami Pop Festival.  For the occasion at the Whisky, Zappa hired Wally Heider’s remote truck which would be manned by engineer Dick Kunc, with whom he had worked in the studio on such albums as We’re Only In It for the Money and Ruben and the Jets.

The bill was shared on July 23 by Alice Cooper, Wild Man Fischer, The GTOs, and New Jersey guitarist Joe Piresanti, and film footage was captured, too.  The GTOs joined the Mothers to perform two pieces during “King Kong – Part 2.”  Kim Fowley, future Zappa pals The Turtles, John Mayall, ex-Mother Elliot Ingber, and members of The Rolling Stones were all in attendance to witness the musical merriment and mayhem.  The sets included early FZ favorites such as “Memories of El Monte,” “Help I’m a Rock,” “Hungry Freaks, Daddy,” and “King Kong,” with plenty of room for improvisation.  The group’s doo-wop influences came to the fore, too, on “Valerie” and “Oh, In the Sky.”

The box set’s accompanying booklet includes new liner notes by Joe Travers, an essay by The GTOs’ Pamela Des Barres, and an interview between Ahmet Zappa and Alice Cooper.  Numerous previously unpublished photos will also be included.  Take 2 of “The Duke” – Zappa performed it twice at the Whisky, aware that tape was rolling – is streaming now for those who would like to preview this set.

The 5LP edition contains nine sides of music, with the tenth side occupied by a silkscreen-printed image.  A custom turntable mat is also included in the package. The 2LP “highlights” package draws on songs from all three sets performed that night.  All vinyl was cut from hi-res digital files by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in 2023.  Vinyl is being pressed at Optimal: Media in Germany on BioVinyl, an environmentally-friendly formulation and sustainable product made from bio-based PVC (polyvinyl chloride). (Happy Earth Day!)  The press release states that, “The petroleum previously required for PVC production is replaced by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases. Through the use of renewable energies and recycled raw materials, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.”

Alice Cooper harbors fond memories of the Whisky shows.  He tells Ahmet Zappa, “Nobody would touch us except Frank. He was the only one that even gave us the time of day.  He saw something specific in us that was pretty insane. All the record companies wanted the next Buffalo Springfield, and we were not that.”

Whisky A Go Go, 1968 transports listeners back to that creatively fertile era when anything was possible, especially in the Southern California music scene.  It’s due on June 21, and you can find the track listings and pre-order links below. (We’ll update with Amazon links as soon as they go live.)  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Whisky A Go Go, 1968 (Zappa/UMe, 2024)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa Official Store

CD 1

1. Whisky Improvisation: Episode I
2. America Drinks & Goes Home
3. Help, I’m A Rock / Transylvania Boogie
4. My Boyfriend’s Back
5. Bust His Head
6. Tiny Sick Tears Jam
7. “The Purpose Of This Evening…”
8. Whisky Improvisation: Episode II
9. Status Back Baby
10. Memories Of El Monte
11. Oh, In The Sky
12. Valerie

CD 2

1. “Fun & Merriment”
2. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
3. King Kong – Part 1
4. King Kong – Part 2
5. Octandre
6. Whisky Improvisation: Episode III
7. Meow
8. God Bless America
9. Presentation Of Wings
10. Plastic People
11. Della’s Preamble
12. The Duke – Take 1
13. The Duke – Take 2
14. Khaki Sack

CD 3

1. The Whip
2. Whisky Chouflée
3. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It
4. Brown Shoes Shuffle

Bonus Vintage Mixes

5. The Whip (FZ Mix)
6. Hungry Freaks, Daddy (FZ Mono Mix)

5LP Super Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD / Zappa Online Store

Side 1

1. Whisky Improvisation: Episode I
2. America Drinks & Goes Home
3. Help, I’m A Rock / Transylvania Boogie

Side 2

1. My Boyfriend’s Back
2. Bust His Head
3. Tiny Sick Tears Jam
4. “The Purpose Of This Evening…”
5. Whisky Improvisation: Episode II (Part 1)

Side 3

1. Whisky Improvisation: Episode II (Part 2)
2. Status Back Baby
3. Memories Of El Monte
4. Oh, In The Sky
5. Valerie

Side 4

1. “Fun & Merriment”
2. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
3. King Kong – Part 1

Side 5

1. King Kong – Part 2
2. Octandre
3. Whisky Improvisation: Episode III
4. Meow
5. God Bless America
6. Presentation Of Wings
7. Plastic People

Side 6

1. Della’s Preamble
2. The Duke – Take 1
3. The Duke – Take 2
4. Khaki Sack

Side 7

1. The Whip
2. Whisky Chouflée

Side 8

1. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It
2. Brown Shoes Shuffle

Side 9 – Bonus Vintage Mixes

1. The Whip (FZ Mix)
2. Hungry Freaks, Daddy (FZ Mono Mix)

Side 10 (No Music – “Mothers” Silkscreen Image)

2LP – Highlights: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Zappa Online Store

Side 1

1. Help, I’m A Rock / Transylvania Boogie
2. My Boyfriend’s Back
3. Bust His Head
4. Tiny Sick Tears Jam

Side 2

1. “Fun & Merriment”
2. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
3. King Kong

Side 3

1. “The Purpose Of This Evening…”
2. The Duke – Take 2
3. Khaki Sack

Side 4

1. The Whip (FZ Mix)
2. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It