First Part: "Hot Rats"
After "Hot Rats"
We came in 1970, Frank Zappa begins published in February in the new decade "Burnt Weeny Sandwich" in August "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" and organizing a concert in May for Rock Group and Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra , under the baton of Zubin Mehta . Despite the success, Zappa is unhappy with the performance of the orchestra, in his opinion inadequate in terms of economic and physical energy expended by him (to find funds for new records, equipment and musical projects is a recurring problem in his career). After this interlude, he decided to set up a new formation of the Mothers of Invention , called Mothers final, which sees Ansley Dunbar on drums, George Duke on keyboards, as multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, Jeff Simmons on bass and rhythm guitar and introduces three members of Turtles, Mark Volman Howard Kaylan and 
voice and Jim Pons on bass, the latter alternating with Jeff Simmons. 
Former Turtles, unable to use their name to a lawsuit in progress, are dubbed by Frank Flo and Eddie . With this new incarnation of the Mothers Zappa is preparing to make "200 Motels" , a film and music on the double album (due out later in October 1971) about life and its vagaries and excesses of a rock band on tour, in which the cast, as well as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mothers Keith Moon and Ringo Starr figure in the role of Frank.
Il titolo prende spunto dal fatto che tutta la musica presente nel film viene composta in camere d'albergo, così come nelle camere d'albergo il resto della band vive la vita selvaggia fatta di sesso e rock'n'roll! Difatti è un particolare curioso che Frank, alla stregua di un pensoso signore rinascimentale, dopo i concerti faccia vita separata dal resto dei musicisti, alloggiando persino in sistemazioni diverse e pensando a comporre ed organizzare tutti i dettagli tecnici delle esibizioni, salvo poi all'indomani farsi raccontare aneddoti bizzarri e licenziosi per trarne ispirazione e comporre canzoni!
Ma a tutti gli effetti la prima uscita discografica con questa nuova formazione delle Mothers è “Chunga's Revenge" (ottobre 1970).
"Chunga's Revenge"
Il disco, realizzato tra il luglio 1969 e l'agosto 1970, è in realtà una sorta di collage di elementi musicali provenienti dalle sessions di “Hot Rats” (1969) o quelle immediatamente successive,unite a canzoni ironiche e bizzarre con linee vocali debitrici alla doo-wop music tanto 
amata da Frank Zappa a tematica prettamente sessuale, difatti i testi narrano di incontri con groupies e non è un caso che nelle note di copertina Zappa stesso dichiari l'album una sorta di “preview” di “200 Motels” ! Apre l'album la grintosa Transylvania Boogie , tratta dalle session di fine 1969, è caratterizzata da un jam
chitarristica di stampo rock, enfatizzata dal sapiente uso del pedale wha wha da parte di Frank, che fa assumere alla chitarra qualità vocali a volte umane a volte feline! Segue il brano Road Ladies , un torrido e sudaticcio blues con armonie vocali debitrici al gospel, inserite in un contesto tutt'altro che sacro, narrando dei servigi di gentili signorine che si meet on the road! Twenty Small Cigars dating sessions "Hot Rats" , is cloaked in dreamy atmospheres and jazz conferred by the bass, the drums played with brushes and spinet sounds combined with liquid passages guitar.
The Nancy and Mary Music divided into three parts and heavily indebted to the contemporary classical music and avant-garde, improvisational live performance consists of a "tour" of noise fierce, suspended atmospheres, turns rock, onomatopoeic vocals and funk rhythms of the tribal and you can listen with the same spirit with whom you get on a roller coaster! Following Tell Me You Love Me (the link is for the run by his son Dweezil project Zappa Plays Zappa ), the powerful gait
almost hard-rock, with aggressive riffs and licks from guitars, sexy texts and framed by a dazzling passing wind! The next song is Would you go all the way? , a short song featuring vocals from the '60s-style, with passages funk, a line of trombone and caricature accompanied by inevitable allusive texts (not so veiled!). Following Chunga's Revenge , fantomatico aspirapolvere industriale mutante partorito dalla fervida mente di Frank Zappa (!) (N.B.: il video è relativo al brano più quello successivo, The Clap! ), jam chitarristica affine a Transylvania Boogie , anch'essa appartenente al periodo delle session del 1969 post- ”Hot Rats” , che si snoda tra sonorità di piano elettrico e gemiti quasi umani generati dai fiati di Ian Underwood filtrati con il Wha Wha , irresistibile! E' la volta di The Clap , breve intermezzo di percussioni e batteria tribal from the impression, also on the same sessions of the title track.
The penultimate track on the disc is a song absolutely grotesque, dall'incedere fanfare, Rudy Wants to Buy yez a Drink , with choirs and brass tone versacci highly hilarious parody and the effect ! Closes the album Sharleen song that seems out of the soundtrack of a soft-porn film of the time, deliberately loaded in the choruses and whispers in the background, funky-soul music from the plant floor punctuated by electric and the guitar, made use liquid vibrato effect, certainly a tribute to the music of b-movies!
This album, due to its nature and its implementation has generated mixed reviews, music magazines emblazoned on his time have held a negative: I personally think it is a very good album, nice to hear
, eclectic but not misleading, and with hindsight, is considered a kind of "blob", or if you want Bignami, Frank Zappa, revealing many facets of his compositional interests. In my opinion this album could be quoted or recommend it to anyone who wants to approach the discs to Zappa, sure you do not disrespect or not to make sufficient justice to the great Frank! Vincenzo Erriquenz
Musicians involved in the making of the album:
Frank Zappa - guitar, harpsichord, percussion, drums and vocals; Max Bennett - bass;
r Ansley Dunbar - drums and tambourine;
John Guerin - drums on Twenty Small Cigar s;
Don Sugarcane Harris - electric violin and organ;
Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman - lead vocals;
Jeff Simmons - bass;
Ian Underwood - organ, piano, rhythm guitar, electric piano, alto sax, tenor sax. A big thank you to
Sandro Oliva for the kindness and valuable historical information and details!
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