Unheard recordings from Frank Zappa’s short-lived but beloved 1970 lineup of the Mothers feature in the upcoming box set The Mothers 1970, a four-disc set featuring 70 unreleased studio and live tracks out of the legendary guitarist’s Vault.
The Zappa Trust announced the June 26th-bound release with the newly unearthed “Portuguese Fenders,” a searing live instrumental boasting a fiery Zappa solo; the track was discovered among other live performances Zappa recorded himself on his personal tape recorder.
The release celebrates the 50th anniversary of that Mothers (formerly “of Invention”) iteration, which featured Zappa alongside organist Ian Underwood, drummer Aynsley Dunbar, keyboardist George Duke, bassist Jeff Simmons and “Flo & Eddie,” the Turtles’ Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman performing under an alias due to contract limitations.
“It’s no secret that Frank was excited about this group,” “Zappa Vaultmeister” Joe Travers writes in The Mothers 1970 liner notes. “The cast of characters and their personalities, musically and personally, made for a very eventful and humorous chapter in Zappa’s career. Frank had a blast with these guys. Their sound was unique, their humor was like no other and yet their time was ultimately short-lived.”
The box set’s first disc contains 12 recordings from the band’s two-day June 1970 session at London’s Trident Studios, with only one of the tracks (“Sharleena”) previously released; the lineup only recorded one album together, 1970’s Chunga’s Revenge.
The second and third discs capture the 1970 Mothers in concert, including the oft-bootlegged June 18th, 1970 “Piknik” broadcast off Dutch radio as well as selections from the group’s 1970 gigs in Santa Monica, California, and Spokane, Washington. Zappa’s own tour tape recordings, including “Portuguese Fenders,” rounds out the fourth disc.
The Mothers 1970, produced by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers and digitally sourced from the original tapes, is available to preorder now ahead of its June 26th release.
The Mothers 1970 Tracklist
Disc 1 – Trident Studios, London, England June 21-22, 1970
1. Red Tubular Lighter
2. Lola Steponsky
3. Trident Chatter
4. Sharleena (Roy Thomas Baker Mix)
5. Item 1
6. Wonderful Wino (FZ Vocal)
7. “Enormous Cadenza”
8. Envelopes
9. Red Tubular Lighter (Unedited Master)
10. Wonderful Wino (Basic Tracks, Alt. Take)
11. Giraffe – Take 4
12. Wonderful Wino (FZ Vocal, Alt. Solo)
Disc 2 – Live Highlights Part 1 – “Piknik” VPRO June 18, 1970 / Pepperland September 26, 1970
1. Introducing…The Mothers (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
2. Wonderful Wino (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
3. Concentration Moon (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
4. Mom & Dad (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
5. The Air (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
6. Dog Breath (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
7. Mother People (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
8. You Didn’t Try to Call Me (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
9. Agon (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
10. Call Any Vegetable (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
11. King Kong Pt. I (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
12. Igor’s Boogie (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
13. King Kong Pt. II (Live on “Piknik” June 18, 1970)
14. What Kind of Girl Do You Think We Are? (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
15. Bwana Dik (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
16. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
17. Do You Like My New Car? (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
18. Happy Together (Live at Pepperland September 26, 1970)
Disc 3 – Live Highlights Part 2 – Hybrid Concert: Santa Monica August 21, 1970 / Spokane September 17, 1970
1. “Welcome to El Monte Legion Stadium!” (Live)
2. Agon (Live)
3. Call Any Vegetable (Live)
4. Pound for a Brown (Live)
5. Sleeping in a Jar (Live)
6. Sharleena (Live)
7. The Air (Live)
8. Dog Breath (Live)
9. Mother People (Live)
10. You Didn’t Try to Call Me (Live)
11. King Kong Pt. I (Live)
12. Igor’s Boogie (Live)
13. King Kong Pt. II (Live)
14. “Eat It Yourself…” (Live)
15. Trouble Every Day (Live)
16. “A Series of Musical Episodes” (Live)
17. Road Ladies (Live)
18. “The Holiday Inn Motel Chain” (Live)
19. What Will This Morning Bring Me This Evening? (Live)
20. What Kind of Girl Do You Think We Are? (Live)
Disc 4 – Live Highlights Part 3 – FZ Tour Tape Recordings
1. “What’s The Deal, Dick?”
2. Another M.O.I. Anti-Smut Loyalty Oath (Live)
3. Paladin Routine #1 (Live)
4. Portuguese Fenders (Live)
5. The Sanzini Brothers (Live)
6. Guitar Build ’70 (Live)
7. Would You Go All The Way? (Live)
8. Easy Meat (Live)
9. “Who Did It?”
10. Turn It Down! (Live)
11. A Chance Encounter in Cincinnati
12. Pound for a Brown (Live)
13. Sleeping in a Jar (Live)
14. Beloit Sword Trick (Live)
15. Kong Solos Pt. I (Live)
16. Igor’s Boogie (Live)
17. Kong Solos Pt. II (Live)
18. Gris Gris (Live)
19. Paladin Routine #2 (Live)
20. King Kong – Outro (Live)
