The Mothers Of Invention - Live In London 1968

King Kong from Colour Me Pop, October 23, 1968 (Upgrade)
DISCLAIMER: All rights reserved to the production companies and music labels that distributed and produced the music and performance respectively. I do not own the rights to the music nor the footage. I uploaded this video for entertainment and creative purposes, with absolutely no financial gain. Copyright infringement not intended.

[@stefanofocacci]

F.Z., Roy Estrada, Don Preston, Ian Underwood, Bunk Gardner, Jimmy Sherwood, Art Tripp and Jimmy Carl Black... what a line-up!

[@azimmerali]

FIRST concert I ever saw , I was 15 and it was at the Royal Albert Hall, London. It hit me like a ton of bricks, not totally sure what happened but it changed my musical taste for ever. Thank you Mr. Zappa.

[@bigtone1348]

In my humble opinion there is nothing on KZbin which comes within a million miles of the sheer brilliance of this amazing recording!

[@BlackKaweah]

A few years ago my g/f and I were walking down Sierra Madre Blvd one evening and as we approached this bar what do I hear? King Kong! It was the Don Preston Quartet. Piano, trombone, bass and drums. We spent the rest of the night enjoying some terrific music.

[@liamkelly8834]

I forgot how good this, pure magic! Frank was a genius.

[@MikeDickson]

THAT MOMENT at 2:03 when you can hear what a really properly rehearsed band sounds like, just at the moment when you think they don't know what they are doing...mesmerising.

[@jjjjjj548]

Frank stands alone as a mighty musical talent but so much of the early Zappa music owes a huge debt to the talent of Don Preston.

[@waxfootsurfshow7360]

I got to stand floor level not 10 feet away and watch n listen to Frank and the Mothers play at a hall in Eureka California during the very early 70's. I WISH I HAD A CAMERA and always have. Feel very lucky to have been there.

[@dollhaus1]

I met Don Preston on Oct 7 , 2016 in Ottawa , Canada. ..Age 84. Still could whip out those mini- moog solos....along with piano. He was performing with Ike Willis and Project Object. This is a real treat. Roy Estrada's laugh kills me...:)))))))

[@alldeartz]

This stuff is still way ahead of its time

[@rgaleny]

Music is a way to decorate time.

[@DucksDeLucks]

A little free jazz, a little Schonberg, a little fusion, a little theater, Uncle Dada.

[@johns2587]

A masterpiece. Tapped from the inner depths of Southern California sound in exactly that timeline moment. Little tasties of Mark Volman humor with huge brush stroke touches of Mayall, Manzarek, Getz, and Coltrane. The chemistry, clarity, phrasing, intensity and perfection... pure Zappa.

[@MitchReed]

Started listening to this and was really tired. Couldn't turn it off because even though it's a video it would've been rude of me to walk out on this incredible performance.

[@JPFreshProg]

R.I.P. Ray Collins - 11/19/36-12/24/12. This is the stuff that really pissed off the Como/Welk crowd in the late 60's. We Loved It! Thanks for the incredibility!

[@Ken_E_Winnit]

I was one of the lucky few to be at the Festival Hall for the concert 2 days after this. Also saw them at the Royal Albert Hall, the following year, and still have all my original vinyls of their early stuff. Just stunning, and I play it much more frequently than any more recent stuff.

[@JeffSmith-nh]

That this video exists just made my day.

[@bobair2]

I have just finished listening this music and have come to the conclusion that it is probably the most advanced sound of it's time and perhaps even now.I can not think of anything in Pop or Rock music that really is as complex or intriguing as what Frank and his band were capable of..Kudos and thanks for the sound-Guys you Rocked!!!

[@allancerf9038]

This is far and away (and I like Frank's records) far and away one of the more enjoyable live pieces I've seen heard from Zappa/Mothers.

Zappa was 50 years ahead of his time. lucky for us. we got to hear it early.

[@kenmills30]

I like the way that despite having a huge ego, Zappa always put the spotlight on his band and what was happening around him rather than on himself yet remained central to the mayhem. Ego gets a bad press, rightly so in most cases but in its' proper place, not dictating for its' own glorification, it can be a marvelous part of the psyche.

[@seamac206]

as much as I love his '82, '79 and '74 lineups, there was something special about 1968

[@StMikey]

Think of the typical entertainers you would have seen on TV back in 1968. Now imagine seeing THESE guys in comparison. Art Tripp and Ian Underwood look fairly American Bandstand-safe. But then you see a lanky Indian, an overweight squeaky-voiced Mexican, Larry Fine's mutant love child, Mr. Tambourine Man and Santa Claus, all being conducted by Satan. Zappa may have more virtuosos in future bands, but the Uncle Meat line-up had the greatest characters!

[@jackgrattan1447]

+Mike Birtchet If most other bands of the sixties had pretty boy leading men types populating them, the original Mothers were populated with grizzled character actors. They REALLY stood out. Bunk and Don were MY DADS AGE. I once showed a picture of Bunk to my dad and said "See, not all guys with gray hair suck '.

[@increbulous]

Look up Zappa's 1963 appearance on Steve Allen. Now *that* was subversive!

[@StMikey]

I think he joined shortly after this gig.

[@jasonphelps4917]

My mentor was from same breed, I was lucky i wasnt natural by any means but he lallowed me to play with him....said I had one thing alot dony heart....Thank God...he opened my mind musically...made us practice sometimes 8 hrs......awesome...miss him dearly....R.I.P. Big Rick Storm Spradlin......Kenton,OH........

[@fordessexv6]

Best version of King Kong ever. Thank you Frank

[@genericgeorge]

Absolutely. The years from 1964 to 69 were mind boggling. 30 years of progression in a few short years

[@Bill12700]

Thanks for sharing this. I was exposed to this experimental stuff as an 8 yr old and didn't know what the fuck my brothers were into! Now, as a 55 yr old I appreciate every aspect. I am so glad Frank was filmed recording this early stuff for us to soak up. I love the guys who still keep his vibe alive, but this stuff shows where it started from and has a beauty of its own. x

[@MichaelMullerMWW]

If you don't own Uncle Meat, RUN, don't walk, to your nearest used CD store and buy it. It's a top-5 album for FZ, and contains too many of his best songs in their original versions not to have in your possession.

[@ziggyzappada4554]

This was a brilliant line up of musicians!!

[@ziggyzappada4554]

Bruce Smith Sure were!! :-))

[@dilettantalusderp2582]

Bruce Smith Nothing is ahead of its time, some things age well.

[@georgemaycock936]

Dilettantalus Derp I rather think you missed the point...Zappa & the Mothers were so far ahead

[@ziggyzappada4554]

***** I agree!

[@YazGuitarChannel]

***** No, +Dilettantalus Derp was precisely correct. I mean is there any music like this today anymore? To get this "far" we have to actually go back. And if he actually was "ahead" of his time -- rather than being so deeply in it -- he would sound shit, because that's how the music ahead of him eventually became. False modernist-progressive ideas of time, advancement, and evolution. What if the past was superior?

[@5jerry1]

They were one of the most hated bands ever, but still had a loyal fan base. And there's no such thing as a bad band led by FZ. The Mothers Of Invention were GREAT.

[@petermcintyreA1]

I didn't know what to make of these, way back when I was a mere teen, but now in my old age, you cannot but admire how audaciously, Zappa set about, to break barriers with his style of music...and so the legend lives on.......

[@ahagamama]

Very professional. These are such great musicians! Zappa was a genius!

[@mertongerrish7958]

So glad to hear somebody feels the same way I do!! Nowhere near enough credit for such fine musicians.

[@increbulous]

A genius, but a taskmaster. He did not make much room for the individual Mothers' creativity.

[@GenerationX1967]

the more i listen to it, the more I get it. great post..

[@DeusExMamiya]

14:15 Playing the sax through the effects box gives a sound which is very much like Jean Luc Ponty's electic violin in the early '70s lineup of the Mothers of Invention.

[@Honeysucklebommie]

Arthur Dyer Tripp, (Ed Marimba / Art Tripp) is another legend in this long list of fine musicians, his work on Clear spot for Beefheart was unmatched to that point.

[@helpimarock66]

I just realized, it must be insanely hard for the two drummers (JCB and ATIII) to keep in time with each other, especially for over 20 minutes. I can't imagine how much they must have practiced together

[@markroberts4014]

Someone in BeatleDelirium doesn't know jazz. It's called improvisation. It's all based on a theme, but you don't get verse chorus verse chorus in this sort of material. I was just amazed at the quality of the musicianship. I became a Zappa fan back in high school, and actually spent half an hour interviewing him for the Dallas Iconoclast when I was merely twenty, a baby. He was strictly genteel. Oh, and this song, King Kong, was voted the greatest jazz song of the 1960s in ... now someone refresh my memory, but it was a major magazine for jazz at the time, and a great many critics weighed in. As Zappa once said, "Jazz is not dead. It just smells funny." Live and learn.

[@JuanfeAlmafuerte13]

My sister is 1 years old and she's dancing

[@jt8169]

+Juanfe Lube Give that kid an instrument!

[@SteveDavies01]

They always do.

[@patrickclaeys6512]

now she's TWO!!!!!!!!cheers!

[@mezzica01]

I was too busy unraveling 2001 A Space Odyssey at the time, but did catch up with these guys some time later.

[@SuperBreadfruit]

I was on the flight to L.A. after this gig, Frank had a nice antique toy in a glass box that he had bought in London, we watched customs destroy it to find nothing inside, if looks could kill....

[@advokris]

I discovered this today after seeing the movie "Eat that Question". Outstanding.

[@juannavarro5487]

Zappa was a real genius. Amazing!

[@bird10498]

Best piece of Zappa video I've ever seen. I was too young to have seen the original Mothers live but the M.O.I. concert in 1974 in DeKalb, IL. including Don Preston, George Duke, Roy Estrada and Napoleon Murphy Brock remains to this day the best live concert I've seen in my entire life. He played most of Freak Out as an encore and Franks tape of the set were stolen. It Can't Happen Here.

[@cathydale717]

Can't believe we lost Frank when we did. So much brilliance. 😔

[@Scott64a]

"I'm Jimmy Carl Black; I'm the Indian of the group."

[@progx8679]

Just fantastic !!! sure brings back memories ! I'm surprised i have any left ! Lol Great stuff.

[@alanollier9683]

Had the honour of meeting J C Black, what a nice man He was and what BIG hands he had !!!

[@p4ul1w4uli]

Alan Ollier Haha I shook his hand after a gig, and I thought the same thing rip jcb

[@ozzyscruggs1]

Amazing quality for 1968, very sharp, nice sound. King Kong is no less a great choice of song, too.

[@swimologist8]

I met Ray Collins outside the Music Machine on Pico in West L.A. in 1990 after a Grandmother's gig. Still have the picture. Mellow guy.

[@ilanmagen]

I Love the outstanding musical tension buildup , nothing like it

[@AdrianAK6]

The man was a genus.Still figuring out what kind of genus he was.Like rain falling on summer snow :-)

[@erho2967]

A wah pedal on a sax?? Now I've seen it all

[@twinsmm1]

Went to a Grandmothers show recently. Stuck around after the show and had a chance to chat with Don Preston (Napoleon Murphy Brock too). It was the coolest thing ever and I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

[@alanollier9683]

I met the late Jimmy Carl Black when He was singing with Zappa covers band the Muffin Men and it was amazing, what a huge and nice Guy He was.

[@buzzenald1]

Alan Ollier I've got a friend who plays bass in a band. One night they were rehearsing in Crash studios in Liverpool, which has a bar. He was sent down to get some beers, and who should be sitting at the bar but Jimmy Carl Black (who was rehearsing with the Muffin Men). He started talking to him, and 45 minutes later the band had to send out "reinforcements" to see what had happened to him!

[@richardlloydcederberg3215]

Yumper-guggy. Fiddle-dutch. Musical burlesque. The verve of youth was undeniable. RIP.

[@QuangThichDuc]

Ahh Roy Estrada... And you were such a good bassist.

[@paulinebutcherbird]

Excellent. The prison theme shown here appears again in 200 Motels. Clearly, as Barry Miles pointed out, Frank's early prison experience had a lasting impact.

[@flemmingdalsgaard4979]

From time to time it sounds chaotic, but actually Zappa demanded accuracy.

[@marcfedak]

Thanks tomfiddler1 for posting the entire performance of "King Kong" (if I'm not mistaken). Besides being incredibly good musicians who could switch widely varying styles on a dime, Frank Zappa and The Mothers were quite entertaining visually -- the part near the end was pretty funny. Some of the parts (for instance around 2:30 to 5 minutes remind me of Soft Machine during the period when they had the horn section in the early 70s). Does anyone know if Robert Wyatt era Soft Machine and Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention played any shows together, because in many ways, they seem to be kindred spirits (pioneering, experimental, use of humour in lyrics, critical of mainstream society).

[@jimneegs3887]

This is great! Also Bunk is the coolest looking guy ever.

[@cameronjirowetz]

I would have to agree, his hair is so cool.

[@Congolium]

Gotta love Jim Sherwood on the tambourine here. One cool cat!

[@dollhaus1]

happy birthday Frank 72 yrs. old on Dec. 21st , 2012 ( in spirit ) we miss ya!

[@kellimoynihan3682]

Thanks for posting this! One of my favorite pieces!

[@alanollier9683]

One of the great moments in My life was getting to talk to Jimmy Carl Black.

[@wosslert]

How cool ,😄 I too had the pleasure of speaking with him in '94 (when on tour with the Grandmothers:)

[@dman7322]

Wasn't he the Indian of the group?

[@graham62k]

Met Jimmy Carl Black about 1994 when he was touring with Eugene Chadbourne. I was looking forward to talking to him, but unfortunately he got completely zonked on some grass a pal of mine had smuggled from Africa up her snatch and fell asleep on the sofa. Bummer!

[@andrewcutts7416]

Same here when he played at Cropredy with the Muffin Men. I've got a photo of him signing a book that I took along.

[@SteveDavies01]

I'd like to register my jealousy here.

[@Randolf1958]

Mensch..wie die Zeit vergeht...die Aufnahme liegt fast 50 Jahre zurück.....erschreckend....

[@floobuscanoobus]

I saw Jimmy Carl Black at the grocery store in Mill Valley years ago ('790. He was in line in front of me, complaining about his kids to the cashier.

[@ziggyzappada4554]

Jimmy Carl Black once commented that "he was in the best band in the world"!

[@Frankybroadcast]

Lmao.

[@ziggyzappada4554]

Franky Broadcast ??

[@Frankybroadcast]

I was "laughing my ass off", because I could picture JCB complaining about his kids. Lol. Reminded me of his scene in 200 motels when he was bitching to Rance Muhammitz .

[@ziggyzappada4554]

Franky Broadcast LOL that's right he was always bitchin' about when he was going to be paid, that was funny, I saw the movie years ago and only just watched it again recently, I thought JCB was funny in it. lol.. thanks.

[@suds5214]

FZ has been the strictest conductor of his own music since the renaissance

[@civilsocietyprivateinteres1711]

wow this is a very great display of musicianship ! Hard to even compare this to any "pop" music of this time.

[@pikeywyatt]

from a jazz lover wow this is gooood

[@ericcailloce3184]

so goooooood

[@false-flagburner4184]

In-bloody-sanely genius! -- A modern day Duke Ellington style arrangement in it's own hey-day with massive social commentaries - on the always human-detergent status-quo. --- Zappa is my musical hero of all time!

[@ramonpujalscavalle6526]

Fantastic performance. Incredible base line powerful drums melodic wind instrumental and a crazy screaming guitar...what else would you ask for?

[@dwpv064]

King Kong forever! Zappa could play the guitar. His son is pretty good too, saw him not long ago. Guys remember this was 1968, rock was emerging wit The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Animals(second group) Hendrix, The Cream, The divine Janis, but This blew our minds!

[@AK4TsEv3N]

Man, such talented musicians, all of them.

[@allancerf9038]

I love Bunk and Ian's take on sax playing! Refreshing to hear some notes of conviction - as opposed to the endless stream; bezillions of notes... the damn sax can throw forth. Charlie Parker wouldn't like it but I do!

[@ryanc3306]

Zappa and The Mothers were freaking awesome in this performance!

[@MrDarpro]

Ain't nothing now or since like The Mothers of Invention. Definitely needed at the time...

[@identifiantidentifie397]

frank plays a long solo and…… the camera is stuck on the tambourine

[@Paulus002]

I did not know this recorded show. But it is definitely great. I played the Uncle Meat album to dust. Great musicians started in Zappa's Mothers. The sound is fine. Well recorded. Leave that to Frank :-)

[@TraceyRolandelli]

My new favorite music to make art to. Damn. Love this. Thanks for uploading.

[@mertongerrish7958]

Been listing to this masterpiece since i was 14 years old!! All of Zappa's work is great.

[@univibe23]

I guess the cameraman should have asked before the session which one was Zappa.

[@SeatonStudios1]

I really wish the cameras were on Frank while he was playing his solo!

[@MikeBurkard]

This is so awesome! This was few years before "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" Love Zappa!

[@dharmaseed]

RIP FZ, Motorhead andJimmy Carl Black,

[@terencelutre6195]

Zappa, like everyone wasn't perfect, so I don't idolize him, but he had more than just music, he had an undisturbed attitude, satirical humour, critical common sense, he is still unique and produced very beautiful music

[@joanne16775]

A very inventive bunch they are ;-). I love this early crew.

[@markdrinkard4150]

cant believe they didnt zoom in on frank on his solo

[@mikejaz2]

Yeah, I mean, who the fuck directed this? Was the camera broken? Did they not know how to "pan left" in Britain?

[@todoeSSonido]

Yo tampoco!!

[@vinylrichie007]

There's nothing like a good shot of the tambourine player during the guitar solo.

[@sandwich675]

because he was playing the other instruments

[@SteveDavies01]

insane, ain't it?

[@captainsoul1953]

i remember watching this....1 was 14 and thought it was wonderful......,my dad however was underwhelmed jim.

[@dhays2000]

I wannna hear Caravan with a drum solo

[@nicksimms3771]

Sola*

[@AdamHReich]

kneejerker n

[@SteveDavies01]

We'll play that next week.

[@DrummingFuzz]

Hey mom, I tore a giant hole in your convertible

[@galihnaufalpramuditho6196]

im 14 years old, and i like this kind of masterpiece i think my friend must have listen this great masterpiece, proud of frank zappa:v

[@ramonpujalscavalle6526]

took me 20 yrs to understand Zappa. You are lucky!

[@OkayCesarini]

That's good. Get kids into Zappa lol

[@ericcailloce3184]

great, youth is still alive !

[@Ihavepinkeye]

Galih Naufal Pramuditho loser. I was listening to Zappa straight out of the womb. Hate to brag but I actually am Frank Zappa himself

[@Ihavepinkeye]

Galih Naufal Pramuditho my first word was Zappa

[@ivanbosco7551]

There is no band like the Mothers!

[@vectortemple]

This is 1968 - NOBODY was even thinking this kind of music back then. But Zappa was already making it....

[@einarabelc5]

You have to check what Paul MCCartney was checking back then, yes they were and I ain't talking about The Beatles.

[@KeenanRuffinEl]

Miles Davis, Bitches Brew

[@RickCornell]

I dunno. Not that this isn't impressive; but it does make me think of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sun Ra's Arkestra and the Soft Machine.

[@louisassimon4975]

Some were... Soft Machine released their first album in 68, which still contained a lot of rock elements but was profundly jazz-inspired, and they would release their third album 2 years later which is, for me, the best jazz-rock album ever... Sun ra was already in this kind of things (but Sun Ra was not from this planet, so, let's count him out...), and Miles Davis would release Bitches Brew in 70. But I guess 68 was still pretty early for this kind of things, considering that King Kong is one of the best jazz-rock track ever! Hail to Zappa!

[@trucky2640]

Not true... The Soft Machine, though not with horns until later (+/- when the became just 'Soft Machine') were an ongoing band as far back as 1966. Gong had already been active as early as 1967. And then of course you can pick one of two paths, the psychedelic aspect (and with it Pink Floyd) or the jazz aspect (and with it Miles Davis, Albert Ayler, Eric Dolphy). Or if you want to consider the humor aspect one cannot help but see Spike Jones as a major touchstone. Not that I don't love Zappa (especially pre the over-commercialized mid 70s iteration), but historically speaking he was not conceived in a vacuum by any stretch.

[@josemiguelpallaresdiaz2054]

Gracias por publicar este documento histórico de concierto FZ/MOI en 1968. Tenía idea de cómo eran musicalmente en vivo (Weasel's...) pero este video da una noción + completa de un concierto MOI, que al margen del show visual satírico, musicalmente eran increíblemente virtuosos, originales y avanzados,mix de rock + free jazz, incluyendo saxo barítono (!), saxo alto distorsionado (Ian Underwood igual que Chunga's Revenge), 2 drum kits, la guitarra y conducción de FZ,... Una excelente versión de King Kong. Lamentablemente tengo impresión de concierto editado/acortado. Una lástima.

[@DarkestStepaside]

shame no one wears striped trousers these days

[@sdparnes1]

Is it me or has Frank always existed and will always exist! I think we have been graced by something otherworldly!

[@diddywahdaddy]

Holy wow, Batman!! Finally complete!! And it doesn't hurt!! Actually, it heals!! Still best King Kong ever!!

[@problemchimp4231]

How can anyone say for ever more...I'm Jimmy Carl Black....and not add... I'm the Indian of the group?

[@sergkaizen5342]

Thanks for putting it up from where I wont ask

[@davidjones5165]

Memory fade....was this same tour as when they played Manchester on a Sunday (which meant under archaic by-laws theatrical props not allowed so just the band on stage)? Worth the long hitching from Leeds just for the music. I always "see" Zappa's back as he conducted! And he was an awesome guitarist in his own right. Excellent.

[@7Beyonder]

I love this version of the Mothers. Love the little snarks, the avant guarde, atonal shit.

[@exentr]

OMG! This is so fantastic cool! Thanks for uploading!

[@zwwwz12]

Ian Underwood really gets freaky! Mental institution screaming is very good. Zappa had his complete and exclusive method of directing the band. He was the master of puppets. Allways in control. Respect forever to the zappa family.

[@noelpratt5268]

Damn, what a motley crew. Playing stuff that sounds better than Soft Machine's first few jazz-rock albums.