The Mothers
Fillmore East - June 1971

We all know, boredom is a nasty beast. Okay, let's listen to some Zappa. Oh, I didn't know this live album: 1971... okay, let's play it safe.

Frank was having a great time in June 1971! The album is credited to the Mothers, but only a few of the Mothers remain. There's Don Preston, there's Ian Underwood; and that's it. Completing the group are drummer Dunbar (who would stand out in the diptych Waka/Jawaka - The Grand Wazoo) and the Turtles (a.k.a. Flo&Eddy). The Turtles, for those who didn't know, like me, are the ones of "Happy Together" ("the big hit record with a bullet"), which is also played in this live performance. If I didn't know Chunga's Revenge, I probably would have never given this live performance a listen: the lineup is not the best, it's somewhat stripped down... and then what the hell do the Turtles have to do with Zappa? Well, probably nothing, but Frank manages to integrate anything into his musical project and makes it fit as if it had always been a part of it.
Anyway, it was said that in June 1971, Zappa was having a blast, fooling around, telling stories about groupies. I spend June with my books!! Frank, take me to fool around with you if you happen to next summer!

Too bad 1971 is long gone.

The album kicks off with "The Little House I Used To Live In": with such a reduced lineup, Frank makes cuts compared to the version on Burnt Weeny Sandwich, particularly the absence of Sugarcane’s violin is noticeable. In this form, and thanks to Dunbar who remains a guarantee, the Little House takes on a more rock charge: and damn, the concert starts with a bang!
"Mud Shark" is the little story I imagine you all already know: I believe Frank would have appreciated the internet. Natives copulating with freshwater dolphins, crazies shoving alkaline batteries up their... ehm. How many such stories would Uncle Frank have told us!
The album proceeds on this tone, enlightening us, as if it weren't needed, that a “big hit on the charts” always helps pick up a few groupies!
The Turtles shine in the three "stoopid songs" that precede the legendary "Willie The Pimp" (complete with its boastful guitar solo): personally, although this phase of Zappa is certainly not the best, I consider the vocal contribution of these crazies one of the best that has ever accompanied Mr. Mustache's work.

Fillmore East is therefore not one of his most exceptional live performances, but it is perfect for spending about half an hour of fun. Take it as a chat with a friend who tells you about his sexual misadventures over a beer, maybe in one of those few pubs left on earth where you can listen to something different from DJ TV! There you go, while you're laughing, you soak in great classics like “Peaches en Regalia” and then you return home a little happier (as much as our miserable human condition allows).

Italy drinks & goes home