On September 5, 2025, Mark Randall Volman died aged 78. He was musician (guitar, tambourine, keyboards), vocalist and songwriter. He was member of the duo Flo & Eddie (under pseudonym Flo, short for The Phlorescent Leech), member of The Mothers of Invention, but best known as a founding member of the band Turtles (The).
Tag Archives: the Mothers of Invention
The Mothers Of Invention: Ahead Of Their Time
On March 23, 1993, “Barking Pumpkin” label released “Ahead of Their Time”, the 19th Mothers of Invention (The) album. It was recorded in October 1968, at the “Royal Festival Hall” in London, and was produced by Frank Zappa.
Personnel:
- Frank Zappa – vocals, guitar, arrangements
- Ian Underwood – alto saxophone, piano
- Bunk Gardner – tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Euclid James “Motorhead” Sherwood – baritone saxophone, tambourine
- Don Preston – electric piano, odd noises (homemade oscillation boxes)
- Roy Estrada – vocals, bass guitar
- Jimmy Carl Black – vocals, drums
- Arthur Dyer Tripp III – drums, percussion
- Members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Track listing:
All tracks by Frank Zappa.
Progress?
- Prologue
- Progress?
- Like It or Not
- The Jimmy Carl Black Philosophy Lesson
- Holding the Group Back
- Holiday in Berlin
- The Rejected Mexican Pope Leaves the Stage
- Undaunted, the Band Plays On
- Agency Man
- Epilogue
1968 performance
- King Kong
- Help, I’m a Rock
- Transylvania Boogie
- Pound for a Brown
- Sleeping in a Jar
- Let’s Make the Water Turn Back
- Harry, You’re a Beast
- The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part I)
- Oh No
- The Orange County Lumber Truck (Part II)
Ruben And The Jets: For Real!
In March 1973, “Mercury” label released “For Real!”, the debut Ruben and the Jets (the debut Rubén Guevara Jr.’s new lineup, after the group name had previously been used as an alias of The Mothers of Invention in 1968.) It was recorded in 1972, and was produced by Frank Zappa.
Personnel:
- Rubén Guevara Jr. – vocals, tambourine, keyboards
- Tony Duran – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Robert “Frog” Camarena – vocals, rhythm guitar
- John Martinez – vocals, Hammond organ
- Bill Wild – bass guitar, tenor vocals
- Bob Zamora – drums
- Frank Zappa – guitar
- Robert “Buffalo” Roberts – tenor saxophone
- Jim Sherwood – baritone saxophone, tambourine
Track listing:
- If I Could Only Be Your Love Again – Frank Zappa
- Dedicated to the One I Love – Lowman Pauling, Ralph Bass
- Show Me the Way to Your Heart – Tony Duran, Leonard Duran
- Sparkie – Tony Duran, Ruben Guevara
- Wedding Bells – Robert “Frog” Camarena
- Almost Grown – Chuck Berry
- Charlena – Manuel Chavez, H. Chaney
- Mah Man Flash – Ruben Guevara
- Santa Kari – Ruben Guevara
- Spider Woman – Paul Hof, Lonnie Scott, Tony Duran, Ruben Guevara
- All Night Long – John Gray
Jimmy Black
On November 1, 2008, James Carl Inkanish, Jr. aka Jimmy Carl Black died aged 70. He was musician (drums, percussion), vocalist, songwriter and music producer, member of Muffin Men, Captain Beefheart, Geronimo Black, The Grandmothers, Black, Brown and Blue and Strange News From Mars, but was best known as a drummer and vocalist of The Mothers of Invention. As leader he released 21 albums.
Wild Man Fischer: An Evening with Wild Man Fischer
On April 28, 1969, “Bizarre” label released “An Evening with Wild Man Fischer”, the debut Wild Man Fischer album (Larry Fischer). It was recorded 1968 – 1969, at “Sunset Sound” and “The Log Cabin” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Frank Zappa.
Personnel:
- Larry Fischer – vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
- Frank Zappa – guitar, various instruments, liner notes
- The Mothers of Invention – piano, bass, drums
- Art Tripp – percussion
- Kim Fowley – recitation
- Rodney Bingenheimer – recitation
- The GTOs – recitation
- Jerry Hansen – engineer
- Cal Schenkel – art direction
- Ed Caraeff – photography
- Henry Diltz – cover photography
Track listing:
All tracks by Larry Fischer.
- Merry Go Round
- New Kind of Songs for Sale
- I’m Not Shy Anymore
- The Madness & Ecstasy – introduction by Kim Fowley and Rodney Bingenheimer
- Which Way Did the Freaks Go?
- I’m Working for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics
- The Leaves Are Falling
- 85 Times
- Cops & Robbers
- Monkey Versus Donkeys
- Start Life Over Again
- The Mope
- The Brand New
- Who Did It Johnny?
- Think of Me When Your Clothes Are Off
- Taggy Lee
- Rhonda
- I Looked Around You
- Jennifer Jones
- The Taster (fancy version)
- The Story of the Taster
- The Rocket Rock
- The Rocket Rock Explanation & Dialog
- Dream Girl
- Dream Girl Explanation
- Serrano (Sorrento?) Beach
- Success Will Not Make Me Happy
- Wild Man on the Strip Again
- Why I Am Normal
- The Wild Man Fischer Story
- Balling Isn’t Everything
- Ugly Beautiful Girl
- Larry & His Guitar
- Circle
- Larry Under Pressure
Ray Collins
On December 24, 2012, Ray Collins died aged 76. He was musician (harmonica, tambourine) and singer, best known as member of The Mothers of Invention. Collins was the lead vocalist on most songs for their early albums, including “Freak Out!”, “Absolutely Free”, “Cruising with Ruben & the Jets” and “Uncle Meat”. In 1968 he quit The Mothers of Invention, but continued to contribute to other Frank Zappa projects in the 70s.
Tom Wilson Jr.
On September 6, 1978, Thomas Blanchard “Tom” Wilson Jr. died aged 47. He was producer best known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Mothers of Invention, The Fraternity of Man, Simon and Garfunkel, the Velvet Underground, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Eddie Harris, Nico, Eric Burdon & the Animals, the Blues Project, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem and Soft Machine.
The Mothers Of Invention: Freak Out!
On June 27, 1966, “Verve” label released “Freak Out!” the debut Mothers of Invention album. It was recorded in March 1996, at “Sunset-Highland Studios of T.T.G. Inc” in Hollywood, and was produced by Tom Wilson. In 1999, “Freak Out” was honored with the “Grammy Hall of Fame Award”. In 2003, “Rolling Stone” ranked it at number 246 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
- Frank Zappa– vocals, guitar, orchestration, arrangements, conductor, musical director
- Elliot Ingber– alternate lead and rhythm guitar
- Carol Kaye– 12-string guitar
- Neil Le Vang– guitar
- Ray Collins– vocals, harmonica, cymbals, sound effects, tambourine, finger cymbals, bobby pin, weezers
- Eugene Di Novi – piano
- Mac Rebennack– piano
- Les McCann– piano
- Roy Estrada– bass, guitarron, boy soprano
- Jimmy Carl Black– vocals, percussion, drums
- Gene Estes – percussion
- Arthur Maebe – French horn, tuba
- John Rotella – clarinet, sax
- Kim Fowley– hypophone
- Kurt Reher – cello
- Raymond Kelley– cello
- Paul Bergstrom – cello
- Emmet Sargeant – cello
- Joseph Saxon – cello
- Edwin V. Beach – cello
- Motorhead Sherwood– noises
- Paul Butterfield– vocals
- Jeannie Vassoir– the voice of Cheese
- Val Valentin – engineer
- Ami, Tom – engineer
- Eugene Dinovi, Neil Levang, Vito, Ken Watson – engineer assistant
- Jack Anesh – design
Track listing:
All tracks by Frank Zappa, except where noted.
- Hungry Freaks, Daddy
- I Ain’t Got No Heart
- Who Are the Brain Police?
- Go Cry on Somebody Else’s Shoulder – Frank Zappa, Ray Collins
- Motherly Love
- How Could I Be Such a Fool
- Wowie Zowie
- You Didn’t Try to Call Me
- Anyway, the Wind Blows
- I’m Not Satisfied
- You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here
- Trouble Every Day
- Help, I’m a Rock (Suite in Three Movements)
- Okay to Tap Dance
- In Memoriam, Edgard Varèse
- It Can’t Happen Here
- The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet (Unfinished Ballet in Two Tableaux)
- Ritual Dance of the Child-Killer
- Nullis Pretii (No Commercial Potential)
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: One Size Fits All
On June 25, 1975, “DiscReat” label released “One Size Fits All” , the tenth and the final Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention album. It was recorded August 1974 – April 1975, at “Record Plant Studios” , “Paramount Studios” in Los Angeles and “Caribou Ranch” in Nederland, CO, and was produced by Frank Zappa.
Personnel
- Frank Zappa – lead and backing vocals, guitar
- George Duke– lead and backing vocals, keyboards, synthesizer
- Napoleon Murphy Brock– lead and backing vocals, flute, tenor saxophone
- Johnny “Guitar” Watson– vocals
- Captain Beefheart (credited as ‘Bloodshot Rollin’ Red’) – harmonica
- Tom Fowler– bass guitar
- James “Bird Legs” Youman – bass guitar
- Ruth Underwood– marimba, vibraphone, percussion
- Chester Thompson– drums, sound effects, voices
Track listing
All tracks by Frank Zappa.
- Inca Roads
- Can’t Afford no Shoes
- Sofa no.1
- Po-Jama People
- Florentine Pogen
- Evelyn, a Modified Dog
- San Berdino
- Andy
- Sofa no.2
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