Frank Zappa – The Mothers Of Invention Years – BBC Radio – various dates and clips – PoP deFECT RADIO/Archive org. –
If you lived on the West Coast and your formative years fell within the purview of the British Invasion and the great changes taking place in Pop Music (1963-1969), you no doubt were familiar with or had even seen the early incarnation of Frank Zappa at any one of the clubs or venues around Los Angeles.
You indeed thought they were strange, and Frank Zappa looked like a dadaesque leader of a three-ring circus. They didn’t seem to fit into any previously acknowledged mold of any kind – they weren’t a rock band – and they weren’t Jazz. They were this band of collective weirdos who were proficient musicians and who played an entirely different kind of music – one you would most likely later find out was a bit of Electronic, some Jazz, a lot of avant-garde. You found out because what Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention did at the time, aside from biting lyrics and acid-laced songs about growing up in the San Fernando Valley or being barraged by meaningless trends was turn you on to different music and expand your horizon. Yes, they were a social-conscience band – they were prototype outliers – their delivery was surreal and outrageous and it appealed to those people whose temperaments gravitated towards the dispossessed, or the “freaks” they often sang about.
They didn’t really have any commercial appeal, their initial label, Verve was accustomed to having a string of low sellers, since they were predominantly a Jazz label at the time and Jazz was rapidly becoming an overlooked genre.
But that changed over the years. The Mothers of Invention grew, became more diverse and Frank Zappa achieved a level of notoriety that would prevent him from ever achieving obscurity. After a while the Mothers went their separate ways and Frank went on to a stunning solo career.
This documentary, actually a montage from various BBC interviews, performances and recording sessions looks back on, what in retrospect was a revolution in the making.
Frank Zappa went on to become a major influence among guitarists – and he was also responsible for changing a lot of minds about modern music and music of the Avant-garde.
But mostly, people will remember him as the guy who poked holes in social airs and graces and became an outspoken critic of many issues in our society, from the 60s up until the time of his death in 1993.
For a reminder of those early days – press play and sit back – it’s a fun two hours.
