Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention’s Wild Three-hour Concert Recorded Live at the Whisky a Go Go in 1968 out Now as Whisky a Go Go, 1968
5LP Vinyl Box Set and 2LP Vinyl Highlights Collection Coming July 12th
Incredible 14-Minute Video of Footage From the Historic Night Unearthed From the Vault
City of West Hollywood, Home to the Legendary Whisky, Declares June 10, 2024, as “Frank Zappa Day” in Proclamation Ceremony With Mayor John M. Erickson and Moon and Diva Zappa
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention’s legendary three-hour performance at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood on July 23, 1968, is available now as the 3CD/digital album, Whisky a Go Go, 1968, via Zappa Records/UMe. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, this extensive collection, released 56 years after it was recorded, compiles everything The Mothers played across their three sets that night, nearly three hours in all, complete and newly remixed in 2023 from hi-res 24-bit/96kHz digital transfers of the original 1” 8-track analog tapes by Craig Parker Adams at Winslow CT Studios. The Super Deluxe Edition box set features a booklet with many unseen photos from the night’s events, along with copious liner notes by Travers, an essay by Pamela Des Barres of the Zappa-signed group The GTOs who played that evening, and an interview by Ahmet Zappa with the legendary Alice Cooper, whose own band made a most momentous splash at the Whisky that night as one of the featured acts.
Purchase/stream Whisky a Go Go, 1968 here: https://frankzappa.lnk.to/WhiskyAGoGo1968PR
On July 12th, Whisky a Go Go, 1968 will be released as a 5LP box set, containing nine sides of music and a silkscreen printed image on the 10th side plus a custom turntable mat. A 2LP Highlights edition will also be available, spotlighting highlights from all three sets. All vinyl was cut from hi-res digital file by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in 2023 and is being pressed at Optimal: Media in Germany on BioVinyl, a new environment-friendly formulation and sustainable product made from bio-based PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The petroleum previously required for PVC production is replaced by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases. Through the use of renewable energies and recycled raw materials, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced. More information about BioVinyl available here: https://www.optimal-media.com/en/news/biovinyl/
Last week, the city of West Hollywood, home to the iconic Whisky a Go Go, declared June 10, 2024, as “Frank Zappa Day,” in honor of the many valuable contributions the legendary musician, activist and counterculture icon made to music and culture in West Hollywood and beyond. In a private ceremony at the Whisky, located on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, Moon Zappa and Diva Zappa, the daughters of Frank and Gail Zappa, were presented the proclamation by West Hollywood Mayor John M. Erickson and Vice Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. View photos of the event here: https://dam.gettyimages.com/assignments/frank-zappa-day-proclamation-ceremony
In conjunction with today’s release, a 14-minute video featuring newly restored 16mm film footage shot at Zappa’s historical Whisky show has been unearthed from The Vault and is available to view for the first time. The film, which was shot in increments throughout the night, has been painstakingly synched to music for the first time, marking the first time it’s ever been seen with audio (Zappa himself never had the opportunity to see the footage synched to the music). The video is an incredible document of the five-hour festivities and shows fans lined up around the block on Sunset Blvd., the late ‘60s free-spirited revelry of the packed audience and the musicians and never-before-seen performance footage of The Mothers along with scenes involving The Freaks and the debut of The GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously). In the audience that night were Flo & Eddie (The Turtles), John Mayall, Elliot Ingber (The Fraternity Of Man), Alice Cooper and members of the Rolling Stones. Watch the video here: https://FrankZappa.lnk.to/LiveAtWhisky
Also available now are the first three episodes of the four-part Whisky A Go Go Series on YouTube, hosted by Travers and recorded inside the Whisky. In the first episode, Travers sits down with Sunset strip icon Pamela Des Barres who reflects about her own band, Girls Together Outrageously (the GTOs), making their world premiere at the wild five-hour show and what performing with Zappa meant to her. The second episode continues with Des Barres reminiscing fondly about the historic gig as she sees footage for the first time ever of herself and her friends performing that night culled from previously unreleased film discovered in The Vault. The third video sees Travers and Des Barres discussing the “freaks and fashion of 1968 and Zappa’s influence on the freak out culture.” Check out the series here:
https://frankzappa.lnk.to/WhiskySeries
Additionally, a new merch collection for Whisky a Go Go, 1968 is also available now. Visit the official Frank Zappa Store to see the new offerings: https://store.zappa.com/
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