Whisky A Go Go, 1968: Notes & Comments

July 23, 1968—The Whisky à Go-Go Event

See also notes on MOI & GTO's, Whisky à Go-Go on the videography.

Los Angeles Free Press, July 19, 1968

MOTHERS OF INVENTION cordially invites you to join them on Tuesday July 23, 1968 when they will be taking over the WHISKY A GO GO for 5 full hours of unprecedented merryment which will be secretly recorded for an upcoming record album.
Dress xxxxxxxxx optional.
Starting sometime in the evening.
R.S.V.D.T.

Pauline Butcher, Freak Out!—My Life With Frank Zappa, 2011, p. 174

Tuesday 23 July, a magical day at the Whisky a Go-Go, a gala performance. Not only were the Mothers on top form again, whipping everyone into a frenzy with "God Bless America" (a portion of which later appeared on the Uncle Meat album); the GTO's sang "Getting to Know You" and "Doo Wah Diddy" to half-hearted applause; Wild Man Fischer wailed out his number to a stunned crowd; while Joseph Peresonti, an Elvis Presley imitator, belted out "Jail House Rock" and brought the house down.

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

We played one or two nights at the Whisky and Frank had it recorded by Wally Heider on his new 8-track mobile studio.

Pamela Des Barres, "Miss Pamela: Mentored By Beefheart And Zappa," Please Kill Me, July 12, 2018

Our first gig was opening for Alice Cooper at the Whisky a Go Go, where we took over the dance floor in our skimpy outlandish ensembles, singing "Getting to Know You," with the Mothers backing us up. When I heard Mick Jagger was in the audience, I was tickled hot pink inside and out.

Some Pictures

Photographer: George Rodriguez

Outside The Whisky #2

Greasy Love Songs booklet, p. 2

[Art Tripp, Roy Estrada, Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, JCB, Motorhead, Ian Underwood, Ray Collins, FZ]

Cache Agency

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention—Los Angeles, CA—1968 (Photo by: George Rodriguez/Cache Agency) [Art Tripp, Roy Estrada, Don Preston, Bunk Gardner, JCB, Motorhead, Ian Underwood, Ray Collins, FZ]

Unidentified source

Rockaway Records Herb Cohen auction

[Ray Collins, FZ, Roy Estrada, JCB]

Cache Agency

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention—Los Angeles, CA—1968 (Photo by: George Rodriguez/Cache Agency) [Ray Collins, FZ, Roy Estrada, JCB]

The same day

Image Collect

Inside The Whisky

Cache Agency

[Ray Collins, Bunk Gardner, FZ, Roy Estrada, Motorhead]

[Ray Collins, JCB, Bunk Gardner, Motorhead, Art Tripp, FZ, Roy Estrada]

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention—Los Angeles, CA—1968 (Photo by: George Rodriguez/Cache Agency) [Ray Collins, Bunk Gardner, FZ, Roy Estrada, Motorhead]

Frank Zappa—Los Angeles, CA—1968 (Photo by: George Rodriguez/Cache Agency)

Kim Fowley performs with Frank Zappa and the Mothers at the Whisky in Los Angeles, CA—1966 (Photo by: George Rodriguez/Cache Agency) [Ray Collins, Bunk Gardner, JCB, Kim Fowley, FZ, Roy Estrada, Ian Underwood]

Shooting Star—Celebrity Photo Syndication

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention—Photo: Yoram Kahana/Shooting Star

Frank Zappa (circa 1970's) Photo Credit: Yoram Kahana/Shooting Star—ZappaAtWhiskey

Rockaway Records auction

lynxlolita's Bucket

[Miss Sandra, Miss Christine, Miss Cinderella, Miss Mercy?, Miss Sparky, Ray Collins]

drdork, Zappateers, March 10, 2011

The most likely date is July 23, 1968—the day they recorded "God Bless America."

Della's Whipping

See notes on Shrine Exposition Hall, January 1969.
See "Della's Whipping Music" on The History And Collected Improvisations Of The Mothers Of Invention (9 LPs version, 1972).

Additional Informants: Al Fresco, Charles Ulrich, Tan Mitsugu

disc 1

1. Whisky Improvisation: Episode I

2. America Drinks & Goes Home

Scott Parker, "The Whisky A Go Go Inevitable Deep Dish Spectacular!," ZappaCast, August 19, 2024

Frank played ["America Drinks & Goes Home" from the Whisky à Go-Go] on the Tom Donahue interview a couple months later, up in San Francisco. He played an edit that had the tail end of that right up to the point where Frank talks about getting fired for playing "Help, I'm A Rock." "We got fired for playing this song," and then it cuts to the studio cut of "Agency Man."

3. Help, I'm A Rock/Transylvania Boogie

4. My Boyfriend's Back

5. Bust His Head

6. Tiny Sick Tears Jam

7. "The Purpose Of This Evening . . ."

What will happen, probably, is, uh, while attempting to record some of our standard repertoire, in case something goes wrong or if it sounds like the take is coming out like shit, we're gonna stop and go over it and do just like they would do at a normal recording session.

Joe Travers, "The Whisky A Go Go Inevitable Deep Dish Spectacular!," ZappaCast, August 19, 2024

There was a bunch of like of false starts and stuff, like there was a bunch of times where he would start the song and they, they would fall apart—I took a lot of those things out.

8. Whisky Improvisation: Episode II

9. Status Back Baby

10. Memories Of El Monte

See notes for "Memories Of El Monte" on Zappa—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021).

11. Oh, In The Sky

See notes for "Oh! In The Sky" on Zappa—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021).

12. Valerie

disc 2

1. "Fun & Merriment"

Change that spot to yellow.

Joe Travers, "The Whisky A Go Go Inevitable Deep Dish Spectacular!," ZappaCast, August 19, 2024

You can actually hear Herb Cohen's voice in the beginning of the 3rd set where he, where he says, uhm, something to the effect of "Turn the yellow spot" or something like that.

Mr. Cowsill and Lenny Stogel.

Lenny Stogel, "Cowsill' Hidden Heartbreak," 16 Magazine, September 1968

Lenny Stogel, a native New Yorker, manages Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and Tommy James and the Shondells. He also manages the Cowsills—and nobody knows them better, or knows more about them, than he does!

To say nothing of Neil Reshen.

Neil Reshen, Bizarre business manager.

"Executive Turntable," Billboard, October 5, 1968, p. 10

Zachary Glickman has announced his resignation as executive vice-president of Leonard Stogel and Associates. He intends to form his own management, publishing and production companies, and negotiations are already under way between Glickman and several manufacturers.

* * *

Allen S. Gottlieb has been appointed controller of the business management firm of Neil C. Reshen, whose entertainment clients include the Cowsills and the Mothers of Invention.

"Reshen Investment Advisor," Billboard, May 24, 1969, p. 6

NEW YORK—Business manager Neil Reshen continues to diverisfy and is now operating as investment advisor to record company executives as well as serving as personal business manager for record artists, publishers and labels, and in the field of film production.

Reshen handled all negotiations on the new Frank Zappa movie, "Uncle Meat."

Reshen also represents Bizarre and Straight, the Herb Cohen and Zappa labels; [...] Herb Cohen's management firm with such acts as the Mothers of Invention, Tim Buckley, and Linda Ronstadt; and more than 15 publishing firms, including Third Story Music. [...]

The need for a personal business manager has never been greater. [...] "Every artist should audit record label accounts on a periodic basis because sometimes mistakes happen. When we audited the 'Freak Out' album by the Mothers of Invention, we discovered that the group actually had a million-dollar album and it's now being certified by the RIAA."

2. Hungry Freaks, Daddy

See notes for "Hungry Freaks, Daddy (FZ Mono Mix)."

3. King Kong—Part 1

See notes for "Hungry Freaks, Daddy (FZ Mono Mix)."

4. King Kong—Part 2

5. Octandre

6. Whisky Improvisation: Episode III

7. Meow

See notes for "Meow" on YCDTOSA Vol. 5 (1992).

8. God Bless America

See notes for "God Bless America (Live At The Whisky A Go Go)" on Uncle Meat (1969).

9. Presentation Of Wings

10. Plastic People

11. Della's Preamble

See notes for "The Duke" on Zappa—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021).

12. The Duke—Take 1

See notes for "The Duke" on Zappa—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021).

13. The Duke—Take 2

14. Khaki Sack

disc 3

1. The Whip

See notes for "The Whip" on Meat Light (2016).

2. Whisky Chouflée

Tan Mitsugu, July 3, 2024

Isn't it "Crazy Man, Crazy" that Ray starts singing from 7:04? Then, a few seconrds later, FZ starts competing against him with Annie Had A Baby ("Baby I can't work no more" etc) and eventually takes over the rest of the jam.

See also notes for "The Whip" on Meat Light (2016).

3. Brown Shoes Don't Make It

4. Brown Shoes Shuffle

See notes for "Whiskey Wah" on Meat Light (2016).

See notes on possible identifications for THACIOTMOI (9-LP version).

5. The Whip (FZ Mix)

See notes for "The Whip" on Meat Light (2016).

See notes on possible identifications for THACIOTMOI (9-LP version).

6. Hungry Freaks, Daddy (FZ Mono Mix)

Edits

Whisky A Go Go, 1968 (2024)
2.02. Hungry Freaks, Daddy	3.06. Hungry Freaks, Daddy (FZ Mono Mix)
0:00-3:49	0:00-3:47
2.03. King Kong—Part 1
0:00-0:06	3:47-3:54