Chunga's Revenge: Notes & Comments

The Cover Art

Liner notes, 1970

Cover design & illustration: Cal Schenkel
Front cover photo: Phil Franks
Back cover photo: John WIlliams

Cal Schenkel, alt.fan.frank-zappa, October 2, 1997

1970 -LA. Acrylic (Interior) illustrated studio riff (mutant industrial version).

95RR-inlay: Floor-scrap from rejected cover idea prelim.

Calvin Schenkel interviewed by Dan Nadel, Eye #53, 2001

The vacuum-cleaner girl goes back to Frank's early career—he saw a machine for cutting vinyl discs that looked like a 'gipsy mutant vacuum cleaner', as the song goes, and so I basically illustrated that lyric.

Cal Schenkel, interviewed by Jamie Atkins, Udiscovermusic, November 6, 2023

I think the actual concept of this mutant industrial vacuum came from one of the Mothers. They were playing with the vacuum that they used in the studio to suck the dust off the vinyl while they were cutting it. I'm not sure who actually came up with it, but somebody was just playing with it. And it became a thing that Frank took off. The illustration essentially just came directly from that line that's on the cover. I didn't really need any more direction.

My grandfather was an artist. An amateur artist, but a very good one. I recalled from my childhood this painting of a gypsy camp that he did, and this really influenced my idea for the camp in the painting. It's nothing complex; there's a gypsy girl whirling with the skirt, and there's this guy with a guitar by her side, and there's a fire in the background. Other than that, I don't remember too much of the details, but I do remember how it felt as a little kid, you know, looking at this painting, the atmosphere that it created—I tried to put that in the illustration. The painting was my father's. I still have it.

Frank might have said, "have me in the control room' in the illustration."

Flo & Eddie

Howard Kaylan with Jeff Tamarkin, Shell Shocked, 2013, p. 122

Mark and I weren't allowed to use our names on the record at all because of the White Whale litigation, so Frank had pressured us to come up with noms de plume, aliases we could use to disguise our true identities.

We racked our brains to come up with something clever before we remembered that we had nicknamed Carlos [Bernal] "the Phlorescent Leech" because of his mooching ways and his colorful garb. Our other roadie, Dennis Jones, looked more like an "Eddie" to us than he did a Dennis, so we called him that. They were the original Phlorescent Leech and Eddie. When he heard that, Frank laughed hard enough to shoot warm coffee like a spit take and we knew that, at least for a little while, I would be the Phlorescent Leech and Mark would be Eddie.

Original Project

Hot Rats Sequel

FZ interviewed by Jay Ruby (c. May 9, 1970), Jazz & Pop, August 1970

I don't even have the time to finish off the sequel to Hot Rats which I've been trying to get done over the past couple of months. I've been so tied up with this film, and so my activities in that area are a little bit slowed down.

Original Unreleased Version

Original Liner Notes.

Chris Hodenfield, "Chunga's Revenge," Strange Days, September 11-25, 1970

Drummer Aynsley Dunbar's acting debut opens the album, instructing some chick to whip him. "Are the doors all closed?" she asks. "Everything's locked up, no one will hear," he reassures. "Because if someone did hear," she says, "I'd get awful embarrassed." This leads into "Motorhead's Boogey", an old Delta-esque steel guitar blues shuffle. A bored voice grunts out, "funky". The song blips out at the end, ala "She's So Heavy". (Comments Zappa, "We ran out of tape.")

An old version of "Sharleena" follows, with Zappa harmonizing with Sugarcane Harris. It's cleaner and purer than the longer version on side two. Almost sounds like Fifties R'n'B. ("That chunking in the background is Sugarcane, making chords on his violin and strumming.")

"20 Small Cigars", written in 1963, has soft showboat drumming and cocktail lounge guitar. A quiet soapy interlude.

"Nancy and Mary Music" was recorded with his new band at a concert in Minneapolis. Aynsley gets a drum solo, and organist George Duke breaks into delirious, giggling scat singing. Mostly a time for soloing.

"Chunga's Revenge" starts side two, and again is a long instrumental with jazzy soloing reminiscent of Hot Rats. Ian Underwood blows tenor sax, shot through a wah-wah pedal.

"The Clap" is a short percussive piece of bongos and temple blocks.

"Transylvania Boogey" is the basis for a long guitar solo by Zappa. And, considering the status of the "guitar solo" these days, it's very inventive. Complete with Zappa's distinctive "bazouki buzz".

The long version of "Sharleena" follows, recorded at Trident in London last July. (The abridged version of this, backed by a song "Bognor Regis", will be Zappa's next single, released under his name.) [...]

Finishing, after that sensitive heart-tugger, is "Wonderful Wino", also recorded at Trident. Vocals ring of Captain Beefheart in "Willie the Pimp", interspliced around ripping guitar pieces.

The Recording Sessions

Liner notes, 1970

Recorded at: THE RECORD PLANT (Hollywood), TRIDENT STUDIOS (London), T.T.G. Inc. (Hollywood), WHITNEY STUDIOS (Glendale) [...]

Engineers: Dick Kunc, Stan Agol, Roy Baker

The Record Plant

Rip Rense, liner notes for "Sharleena," The Lost Episodes (1996)

Date: 1970
Location: Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, Calif.
Original recording medium: 16-track analog
Recording engineer: Gary Kellgren
Remix engineer: Gary Kellgren
Remix facility: Record Plant Studios, Hollywood, Calif.
[...] Musicians: DON "SUGAR CANE" HARRIS (vocal and electric violin);
FZ (guitar and background vocals); IAN UNDERWOOD (keyboard and saxes);
MAX BENNETT (bass); AYNSLEY DUNBAR (drums)

March 4-11, 1970—The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA

Greg Russo, Cosmik Debris: The Collected History And Improvisations Of Frank Zappa (The Son Of Revised), 2003, p. 282

03/04/70 (7-10PM, 10PM-1AM & 1:30-4:30AM) The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA—Sharleena; Love Will Make You Lose Your Mind; The Clap [Chunga's Revenge]; I'm A Rolling Stone
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett

03/09/70 (12-3PM & 3:30-6:30PM) The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA—Twinkle Tits; Chunga's Revenge [Transylvania Boogie]
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett

03/10/70 (12-3PM & 3:30-6:30PM) The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA—Khaki Sack; Bass And Drum Song [Tommy/Vincent Duo]
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Max R. Bennett

03/11/70 (3-6PM, 7-10PM & 10PM-1AM) The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA—Sharleena; The Clap [Chunga's Revenge]; Twinkle Tits; I'm A Rolling Stone
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris

Paul Verna, "From Auto Sound to Infrasound, Hidley's Career Has Been Built On Breakthroughs," Billboard, July 1, 1995

[Tom] Hidley's ingenuity must have struck a chord with Hendrix, because the next time the artist stopped at the Record Plant in New York, he raved to that studio's owners, Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone, about TTG.

Stone says, "Hendrix came in to the Record Plant just jumping up and down because he'd been to L.A. doing concerts and was taken by Eric Burdon to this studio in L.A. He had no idea where it was, but he said they had something that made his guitar sound good. So he said to Kellgren, 'You gotta hear it.' So Kellgren said to me, 'Stone, we gotta go to L.A.'"

When Stone and Kellgren went to TTG to hear what Hendrix had raved about, they were so impressed by Hidley's design breakthroughs that they said, "We've gotta have this guy," according to Stone. But rather than ask Hidley to make yet another cross-country trek in his Lincoln, Stone and Kellgren decided to open a Los Angeles branch of the Record Plant. They hired Hidley as director of technical operations for all of the Record Plant's studios—the flagship in New York, the new facility in L.A., and a third room in Sausalito, Calif.

[...] [Hidley's] final contribution to the Record Plant before leaving in 1971 to form his own firm was the 24-track machine, built in collaboration with Jeep Harned at MCI.

June 1970—Trident Studios, London, UK

Mark Volman, interviewed by Richard Williams and Michael Watts, Melody Maker, December 5, 1970

Where was it done? Practically all of it in the States there was only one track done at Trident, here in London.

FZ, interviewed by International Times, March 1977

I recorded at Trident once and didn't care for it much.

See notes for "Envelopes" on London Symphony Orchestra Vols. I & II (1983/1987).
See The Mothers 1970 (2020).

August 28-29, 1970—Whitney Recording Studios, Glendale, CA

Greg Russo, Cosmik Debris: The Collected History And Improvisations Of Frank Zappa (The Son Of Revised), 2003, p. 283

08/28/70 (2-5PM & 7-10PM) Whitney Recording Studios, Glendale, CA—Would You Go All The Way; Tell Me You Love Me
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons

08/29/70 (1-4PM & 5-8PM) Whitney Recording Studios, Glendale, CA—Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink; Road Ladies
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons

Recording Contract

August 29, 1970—The Record Plant, LA

Greg Russo, Cosmik Debris: The Collected History And Improvisations Of Frank Zappa (The Son Of Revised), 2003, p. 283

08/29/70 (9PM-12midnight) The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA—Would You Go All The Way; Tell Me You Love Me; Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink; Road Ladies
MUSICIANS: FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons

Recording Contract

Howard Kaylan with Jeff Tamarkin, Shell Shocked, 2013, p. 122

Into the studio when we weren't rehearsing. This would be Chunga's Revenge. The tracks were cut at Whitney Studios in Glendale during the day and the vocals were done by night at the Record Plant.

Session Sheets vs Album Credits

Session Sheets	Songs	Album Credits
03/04/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett 03/11/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris	Sharleena	TLE (1996) DON "SUGAR CANE" HARRIS (vocal and electric violin); FZ (guitar and background vocals); IAN UNDERWOOD (keyboard and saxes); MAX BENNETT (bass); AYNSLEY DUNBAR (drums)
03/09/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett	Chunga's Revenge [Transylvania Boogie]	Frank Zappa (guitar), Ian Underwood (organ), Max Bennett (bass), Aynsley Dunbar (drums)
03/04/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett 03/11/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris	The Clap [Chunga's Revenge]	CR (1970) Frank Zappa (guitar), Ian Underwood (electric alto sax with wah-wah pedal), Sugar Cane Harris (organ), Max Bennett (bass), Aynsley Dunbar (drums)
03/04/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett	Love Will Make You Lose Your Mind
03/04/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett 03/11/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris	I'm A Rolling Stone [Stink-Foot (basic track)]	A' (1974) DRUMS: [...] Aynsley Dunbar [...] VIOLIN: Sugar Cane Harris
03/09/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris, Max R. Bennett 03/11/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Donald F. Harris	Twinkle Tits
03/10/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Max R. Bennett	Khaki Sack
03/10/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, Max R. Bennett	Bass And Drum Song
	The Clap	Frank Zappa (drum set, wood blocks, temple blocks, boo-bams, tom-toms, etc.)

[Trident Studios, London, UK]	Sharleena	CR (1970) Frank Zappa (guitar & vocal), Ian Underwood (grand piano & tenor sax), George Duke (organ), Jeff Simmons (bass & vocal), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals)

08/29/70 Whitney—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons 08/29/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons	Road Ladies	Frank Zappa (guitar & vocal), Ian Underwood (rhythm guitar), Jeff Simmons (bass & vocal), George Duke (organ), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals)
08/28/70 Whitney—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons 08/29/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons	Tell Me You Love Me	Frank Zappa (guitar & Condor), Ian Underwood (rhythm guitar & pipe organ), George Duke (electric piano), Jeff Simmons (bass), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals)
08/28/70 Whitney—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons 08/29/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons	Would You Go All The Way?	Frank Zappa (guitar & vocal), Ian Underwood (electric piano), George Duke (trombone), Jeff Simmons (bass), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals)
08/29/70 Whitney—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons 08/29/70 The Record Plant—FZ, Ian R. Underwood, George Duke, Jeffrey L. Simmons	Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink	Frank Zappa (guitar & vocal), Ian Underwood (electric piano), George Duke (trombone), Jeff Simmons (bass & vocal), Aynsley Dunbar (drums & tambourine) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals . . . with Eddie on rhythm guitar)

Chunga's Revenge (1970; Zappa Records 1990)	Funky Nothingness (2023)
1. Transylvania Boogie	2.03. Transylvania Boogie (Unedited Master)
	00:00-12:36
0:01-1:58	12:36-14:32
	14:32-15:02
1:58-2:39	15:02-15:43
	15:43-15:46
2:39-5:01	15:46-18:07

"The Nancy & Mary Music" Chunga's Revenge (1970)	"King Kong/Igor's Boogie" Road Tapes, Venue #3 (2016)	"The Clap (Chunga's Revenge)" Road Tapes, Venue #3 (2016)
Part 1
0:00-1:40	08:12-09:52
1:40-2:42		07:20-08:20
Part 2
2:42-5:45	10:07-13:09
5:45-6:53	15:18-16:25
Part 3
6:53-8:06	16:25-17:37
8:06-9:27	17:39-19:00

6. Would You Go All The Way?

Liner notes, 1970

Frank Zappa (guitar & vocal), Ian Underwood (electric piano), George Duke (trombone), Jeff Simmons (bass), Aynsley Dunbar (drums) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals)

See also ARF: Notes & Comments.

Remember Freddie and Jo?

Vladimir Sovetov, ARF: Notes & Comments

Once upon a time Howard Kaylan himself was kind enough to comment this line

THOSE GUYS WERE EDDIE AND FLO.

The night you went to the show?
(A monster movie);
Clutchin' at yer hand
(Wait ten seconds)
Clutchin' at yer arm
(Wait ten seconds)
Clutchin' at yer elbow—
(Wait ten seconds)
Where did your brassiere go?
When the monster came out,
'N everybody shout!

FZ, interviewed by Richard Blackburn, Evergreen Review, August 1970

Out of a town's neighborhood theaters, there would be one where all the teenagers went. It was comparable to a '50s Fillmore, or any of your local psychedelic dungeons of today. Nobody really cared what was being shown. It was just a dark place where guys went to meet some girl who they tried to make it with later, if not there. There was this one theater in Lancaster where, looking down the seats, you'd see a head here, another one there, fine, but then you'd see some huddled lump of blankets or clothes that was moving, and then another and another. And then you'd notice all these bodies jammed in weird positions against the walls—Kama Sutra 375 with a leg sticking up-and the monster was happening on the screen. It was really great!

FZ, April 1975, Royal Albert Hall Trial, as quoted by FZ with Peter Occhiogrosso, The Real Frank Zappa Book, 1989, p. 121-132

This song makes reference to the kind of people that you might find in the armed services, and the way in which they attempt to treat girls which they procure for their amusement. It makes reference to the monster from the U.S.O. [Which] is an abbreviation for United States Overseas.

[Going all the way] is an expression that was used in the 1950s to indicate having sexual intercourse. It is an archaic expression which is used to generate laughter.

["Where did your brassiere go?"] means that the brassiere has disappeared mysteriously in the dark of the theater.

The monster is the character that they are watching on the screen at the time.

A '55 Chevy that his brother just stoled

See notes on "Uncle Bernie's Farm" on Absolutely Free (1967).

Chunga's Revenge (1970; Zappa Records 1990)	Funky Nothingness (2023)
7. Chunga's Revenge	2.01. Chunga's Revenge (Take 5)	3.04. Chunga's Revenge (Take 8)
	00:00-07:59
0:00-4:16		00:00-04:20
4:16-4:49	07:59-08:31
	08:31-08:52
4:49-6:15	08:52-10:18
	10:18-16:15
		04:20-19:47

Chunga's Revenge (1970; Zappa Records 1990)	Funky Nothingness (2023)
8. The Clap	2.01. The Clap (Unedited Master—Part I)
	00:00-01:51
1:21-1:23	01:51-01:53
	01:53-11:28
	2.02. The Clap (Unedited Master—Part II)
	0:00-1:13
0:00-1:21	1:13-2:34
	2:34-4:37

9. Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink

Liner notes, 1970

Frank Zappa (guitar & vocal), Ian Underwood (electric piano), George Duke (trombone), Jeff Simmons (bass & vocal), Aynsley Dunbar (drums & tambourine) with THE PHLORESCENT LEECH & EDDIE (vocals . . . with Eddie on rhythm guitar)

See also ARF: Notes & Comments.

Jimmy Carl Black, For Mother's Sake, 2013, p. 104

We played in Milwaukee at The Scene [August 9-10, 1968], and that's where the inspiration for "Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink" happened. We had a visit from the local Musicians' Union, checking to see if our cards were up to date. The Scene was run by the local mafia and Rudy was the boss.

FZ, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, April 23, 1975

As you know, the concept of a union is a good idea, it's something that was originally thought up to help people who work stand a better chance of getting good pay and good working conditions, and it's a bargaining co-op, that is used for taking a collective group of people in a certain industry, so they can bargain with the people who run that industry. Somewhere along the line it got corrupted, and the unions, especially in regard to the musician's union, don't really do very much for the average guy in the union. The LA musician's union is a great example. There's 16 or 18,000 people in that union. Out of the 16 or 18,000, maybe there's a thousand who work all the time. And the business of the union is designed to keep those people at a good level of income, because they're the ones that are in the studio. It seems like the union is run by the string players who play the backup dates on all of those Bobby V. records and stuff.

It just got that whole kind of aura to it. And recently there was a scandal that ripped through the union, when they discovered that 2 million dollars had disappeared out of the treasury, and as a result to that disappearance, the union had to shut down two days a week. They couldn't even keep their doors open to cash people's cheques. It's that kind of a sleazy thing. So I personally don't have too much respect for the musician's union from the experience that I've had with local 47 and I think it doesn't do that much for the average guy who's playing in a group, except to make his life miserable, taking tax away from him, then making things inconvenient. It does not do very much to improve the lot of the person playing rock and roll music, unless you happen to be a violin player backing up one of those sessions.

3. "Twenty Small Cigars" Chunga's Revenge (1970; Zappa Records, 1990)	3.02. "Transition (Section 1, Master Take)" The Hot Rats Sessions (2019)	3.04. "Transition (Section 2, Intercut, Master Take)" The Hot Rats Sessions (2019)	3.06. "Transition (Section 3, Intercut, Master Take)" The Hot Rats Sessions (2019)	4.07. "Transition (Full Version)" The Hot Rats Sessions (2019)
0:00-2:17	0:00-2:16			0:00-2:16
		0:06-2:03		2:16-4:13
			0:03-2:12	4:13-6:22

The Cover Art

Liner notes, 1970

Cal Schenkel, alt.fan.frank-zappa, October 2, 1997

Flo & Eddie

Original Project

Hot Rats Sequel

Original Unreleased Version

The Recording Sessions

Liner notes, 1970

The Record Plant

Rip Rense, liner notes for "Sharleena," The Lost Episodes (1996)

March 4-11, 1970—The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA

Paul Verna, "From Auto Sound to Infrasound, Hidley's Career Has Been Built On Breakthroughs," Billboard, July 1, 1995

June 1970—Trident Studios, London, UK

August 28-29, 1970—Whitney Recording Studios, Glendale, CA

Recording Contract

August 29, 1970—The Record Plant, LA

Recording Contract

Session Sheets vs Album Credits

1. Transylvania Boogie

Liner notes, 1970

Sources & Edits

2. Road Ladies

Liner notes, 1970

3. Twenty Small Cigars

Liner notes, 1970

Sources & Edits

4. The Nancy & Mary Music

Liner notes, 1970

Edits

5. Tell Me You Love Me

Liner notes, 1970

Robert Holland, "Chunga's Revenge," c. November 27, 1970

6. Would You Go All The Way?

Liner notes, 1970

FZ, April 1975, Royal Albert Hall Trial, as quoted by FZ with Peter Occhiogrosso, The Real Frank Zappa Book, 1989, p. 121-132

7. Chunga's Revenge

Liner notes, 1970

Sources & Edits

8. The Clap

Liner notes, 1970

Sources & Edits

9. Rudy Wants To Buy Yez A Drink

Liner notes, 1970

10. Sharleena

Liner notes, 1970