Mothers, The - Fillmore East, June 1971

The Fillmore East was closed in June 1971 with a series of shows. This was one, in which Zappa praises the work of Bill Graham and in which the high-register duo of Volman & Kaylan (aka Phlorescent Leech & Eddie, aka Flo & Eddie) reprise their Turtles hit in a groupie-girl 'Fillmore-Car' parody through tracks 7 & 8.

"Willie The Pimp Part Two" on the original vinyl is not included on this CD. A chunk of this concert was also originally omitted, when The Mothers were joined on stage by John & Yoko Lennon for a jam, that Lennon later remixed onto "Some Time In New York City" that also included 'Jamrag'- a track arguably co-opted from Zappa's 'King Kong' and causing a rift between the two. FZ eventually restored the original mixes on the 1992 "Playground Psychotics" collection.

"Fillmore East - June 1971" is a really great album for discovering the versatility of Zappa and the beginnings of his interlocking musical sub-culture, his allusions, name dropping ("we are not groupies, and we told Robert Plant that") and acidic cultural references, and probably one of the happiest bands he ever worked with. FZ calls upon his audience "Don't Forget To Vote"- written large in the 2-fold case notes by his Log Cabin tenant, artist Cal Schenkel.

I used to have the vinyl. Sadly, like the Fillmore East & Fillmore West, it disappeared. This is a good remastered replacement, but nostalgia's not like it used to be.