The late Frank Zappa will be honored by the city of West Hollywood on Monday (June 10).
The city's mayor John M. Erickson will be on hand to present Zappa's children, Ahmet and Diva, with a proclamation declaring June 10, 2024, as "Frank Zappa Day" in West Hollywood, Calif. in honor of his contributions as a musician and activist to the city and the world.
The event will be held at the famed Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard. Zappa and his band, The Mothers of Invention, played a legendary three-hour show at the club on June 23, 1968, with the hopes of capturing it all on a live album, which failed to get released at the time.
To promote the occasion, Zappa took out a hand-written ad in the L.A. Free Press that read: "The Mothers of Invention cordially invite you to join them on Tuesday, July 23, 1968 when they will be taking over the Whisky a Go Go for 5 full hours of unprecedented merriment, which will be secretly recorded for an upcoming record album. Dress optional. Starting sometime in the evening. R.S.V.D.T."
Zappa and company even had the Whisky's marquee display "Mothers Of Invention -- Recording Session," putting their intentions on full public display.
More than 50 years later, that album will finally see the light of day on June 21 as Whisky a Go Go, 1968. The set is produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers and features all three sets that Zappa and his band performed on that night.
Also on the bill were the GTOs, the '60s girl group featuring Miss Pamela and Miss Mercy, later known as Pamela Des Barres and Mercy Fontenot. Alice Cooper's band was also featured that night.
The deluxe five-LP and three-CD versions of the album will feature a booklet with previously unpublished photos from the gig along with liner notes by Travers, an essay by Des Barres and an interview with Alice Cooper by Ahmet Zappa.
The release will also be celebrated on Monday (June 10) with a special invite-only performance at the Whisky by One Shot Deal, featuring players from the Grammy Award-winning Zappa Plays Zappa band, including Travers on drums.
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