Notes & Comments
- The Ark, Boston, 18-Jul-1968
Length: ~45 min
Label: Bizarre Fydo-768
Sound quality: Soundboard A-
From: Olaf Engel [seidel3[at]uni-wuppertal.de]
The Ark ('68) as non-BTB-release has Metal Man has Hornet's Wings, The
Story of Electricity, and Agency Man(without Beefheart) on it. It's
alright that they where omitted on the BTB-release, because they have
nothing to do with the MOI-show.
From: unknown
This four-track soundboard master was STOLEN from Zappa. Very energetic.
Actual release date has been suggested as around 1984.
This must have been released after Uncle Meat came out, because the
cover shows various creepy pictures of teeth sourrounded by monster-
comic style monster heads. "Mothers" is written in dripping monster-
comic style letters, too. Back cover imitates (?) a Cal Schenkel montage
with some Mothers and some other stuff.
The Fine Print
From: Daniel Norris [dnorris[at]haywire.csuhayward.edu]
Could someone decipher "The Fine Print" on the back of the booklet of
The Ark? And let me know, please?
From: Brian Lagerman [blager[at]voicenet.com
THE FINE PRINT
Corporate swill:
Publishing controlled by Third Story Music, BMI, (except "Valarie", Fast
Music, BMI)
All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of
applicable laws. But you already knew that.
Package design and execution by Daygojap Studios.
Recording facilities: the ol' 4-track
The Stolen Masters
From: Patrick Neve
BTW, does anybody know the circumstances under which the masters for
this were stolen? (I won't tell anybody!)
From: Bill Lantz [lantz[at]primenet.com]
The Ark taped many shows of bands that played there. I don't think that
Frank had to even set up recording equipment to have it recorded. The
way I heard it was that a 3 mike setup was used to record the show and
before Frank could go retrieve the tapes for his own use, they were
mysteriously missing. I remember an interview somewhere that FZ talked
a little about it and how fried he was that the missing tapes turned
up on a bootleg.
From: User855161 [user855161[at]aol.com]
Frank was interviewed in 1984 for a French magazine (as reprinted in
Mother People) where he said that the Ark boot was taken from rough
mixes he had made of the original tapes--so the original tapes
themselves were NOT stolen!! The mixes were spirited away out of TTG
studios in Hollywood; when/by whom I don't know.
BTW, has anyone else noticed that the BTB1 version of the Ark LP is
longer than the original boot? It contains longer raps, though less
solo on My Guitar. I wonder how that could be? :-) Scott Parker.
From: Biffy the Elephant Shrew [biffyshrew[at]aol.com]
Jesus, he's right! I never realized this. So either there was
a differently edited version of The Ark original bootleg out there
somewhere, or FZ was lying about ALL the BTB albums being mastered
directly from genuine, storebought bootlegs, or somebody lied to FZ...
The Venue
From: Scott Parker [user855161[at]aol.com]
You're both right on this one...the venue for the Ark LP IS the Boston
Tea Party! In June 1969 they changed thier name to the Ark...which
brings up this good point: The LP should read July 1969 and NOT
1968...this performance predated the end of the original MOI as a
performing unit by two months.
PS. I DEFY anybody to prove me wrong!!!
From: "Fred H. Banta" [fhbanta[at]ANTI-SPAMmindspring.com]
Subject: Re: Poster ID: help, please?
From: Daniel Norris [dnorris[at]haywire.csuhayward.edu]
Maybe somebody could help me with this. I have a poster advertising
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention. The pitcure is a black and
white of the Mona Lisa, only with Frank's nose and facial hair painted
in. (very funny!) The poster says:
Frank Zappa & the Mothers
of Invention
Boston Tea Party Sunday Oct. 18
15 Lansdowne 536-0915
2 shows 7 & 10 $3.50
Lights: the Forest
From: Fred Banta
I've been told this is the ad for for The Ark.
From: Charles Ulrich [ulrich[at]sfu.ca]
I think it must have been 1970, with Flo & Eddie, George Duke, Ian
Underwood, Jeff Simmons, and Aynsley Dunbar.
1. 1970 was the only year between 1959 and 1981 in which October 18 fell
on a Sunday.
2. In an affz thread on The Ark in February 1997, Scott Parker reported
that, contrary to date on the cover, The Ark was recorded in 1969. This
is
evidenced by the fact that Buzz Gardner is playing trumpet. In the same
thread, David Walley reported that he saw the Mothers at the Boston Tea
Party the following year (after the Ark), i.e. 1970. (He said the
following summer, but perhaps he was mistaken, or perhaps they played
there twice that year.)
3. The Mothers are known to have played in Europe in October of 1967 and
1968. They were officially disbanded in October of 1969. They played the
Boston Music Hall in October 1971, September 1972, October 1975, and
October 1976. They played the Boston Orpheum in October (and November)
1974.
4. Neither Miles's A Visual Documentary nor Jon Naurin's FZShows Version
2.0 lists any Mothers gigs for October 1970, so they could have been
anywhere, including the Boston Tea Party.
By the way, Scott Parker said:
] You're both right on this one...the venue for the Ark LP IS the Boston Tea
] Party!
] In June 1969 they changed thier name to the Ark...which brings up this
] good point:
] The LP should read July 1969 and NOT 1968...this performance predated the
] end of the original MOI as a performing unit by two months.
If Scott is correct about the name change, and if I'm right about the
1970 date for the Mona Lisa poster, then they must have changed the name
of the club back to the Boston Tea Party sometime between July 1969 and
October 1970.
The Date
From: Charles Ulrich [culrich[at]u.washington.edu]
I have more support for the 1969 date.
1. FZ reads a request for "the following songs from your records",
including "Dog Breath". Uncle Meat was released in 1969, as was the
single of "Dog Breath". So the song couldn't have been referred to as
"from your records" in 1968.
2. FZ says that "My Guitar"/"Valarie" is going to be released this week.
The FAQ lists no such single, but several singles with "My Guitar" were
released, all in 1969 or 1970. YCDTOSA Volume 5 may be more precise
about the date of recording of "My Guitar", but I don't have my copy
here. Anyway, it probably doesn't date from 1968.
From: Michael Zink [dpgumby[at]alpha1.csd.uwm.edu]
A HA!!! MY SUSPICIONS WERE RIGHT!!! I always heard a trumpet on some of
"The Ark" and suspected that Buzz played, but I never heard a second
guitar, since Lowell George was in the group during the same period as
Buzz. AND, sleevenotes on "YCDTOSA 5" mention an Ark gig as July 1969!
I was always suspicious about this, and now I totally believe it was
recorded in 1969 -- except for one thing. Will someone explain why I
don't hear Lowell George?
From: David F Lynch [dflync01[at]homer.louisville.edu]
That's an easy one. Lowell was only a member for the SPRING tour, and
the MOI played a couple gigs without him later in the year. Presumably
including this one.
From: Charles Ulrich (March 8, 2003)
Donna Halper of Emerson College has discovered the correct date of
the MOI gig at The Ark in Boston.
It was Tuesday, July 8, 1969.
Mystery solved.
Some Ballet Music
From: Patrick Neve
I'm sure this is old news for a lot of you, but upon closer listening to
Some Ballet Music, the theme from Greggory Peccary jumped out at me. I
think that's pretty cool, for being 1969 or whenever. Found myself
singing along, "If my tie is wide enough, everyone will know..."
From: John Henley [jhenley[at]mail.utexas.edu]
The intro and certain other parts were played by the Grand Wazoo
Orchestra and can be heard on the circulating concert tapes.
Status Back Baby
From: Olaf Engel [seidel3[at]uni-wuppertal.de]
Is it the only recording where Zappa himself sings the lyrics to Status
Back Baby?
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Albertos
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This section formerly maintained by Reverend Neve
This page updated:
2003-03-08