Vintage electronic music from Mothers of Invention keyboardist

Don Preston's Moog magic was, er, instrumental in creating the iconically odd sound of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention from the groups formation all the way to 1974. Indeed, Bob Moog famously commented about Preston's synth solo on "Waka/Jawaka," "That's impossible. You can't do that on a Moog." Sub Rosa records has now released a compilation of Preston's own pioneering solo electronic music, informed by his eclectic tastes in free jazz, avant-garde classical, and of course weird pop. Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes covers Preston's experiments from 1967 to 1975 on vinyl with an additional 7 years represented on the CD. Both are available from Experimedia. Check out a preview of the album above.

Don Preston "Filters, Oscillators & Envlopes 1967-1982 (Experimedia)

Don Preston (Sub Rosa)

• [nixiebunny]

  The gizmo in the upper right hand corner of the photo is a Jacob’s ladder made from a neon sign transformer and a couple lengths of steel wire. It makes a beautiful rising spark. It also introduces a lot of buzzing into whatever audio gear is located under it.

• [chris jimson]

  Along with Ian Underwood and Bunk Gardner, one of the most talented members of the original Mothers.  Of course anyone in FZ’s employ had to be talented just to get in the door.

• [EH]

  Without listening, probably 1000x better than the synth crimes Patrick O’Hearn has committed on his own.

• [scatterfingers]

  All you need to make great music is a couple of oscillators, man.

• [exile]

  Ah, Lonesome Electric Turkey. Those were the days.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSN3BawqtA8

• [strangefriend]

  Myself, I liked the lyrics:
  Who needs the Peace Corps?

  What’s there to live for?
  Who needs the peace corps?
  Think I’ll just DROP OUT
  I’ll go to Frisco
  Buy a wig & sleep
  On Owsley’s floor

  Walked past the wig store
  Danced at the Fillmore
  I’m completely stoned
  I’m hippy & I’m trippy
  I’m a gypsy on my own
  I’ll stay a week & get the crabs &
  Take a bus back home
  I’m really just a phony
  But forgive me
  ‘Cause I’m stoned

  Every town must have a place
  Where phony hippies meet
  Psychedelic dungeons
  Popping up on every street
  GO TO SAN FRANCISCO . . .

  How I love ya, How I love ya
  How I love ya, How I love ya Frisco!
  How I love ya, How I love ya
  How I love ya, How I love ya
  Oh, my hair is getting good in the back!
  Every town must have a place
  Where phony hippies meet
  Psychedelic dungeons
  Popping up on every street
  GO TO SAN FRANCISCO . . .

  Hotcha!

  First I’ll buy some beads
  And then perhaps a leather band
  To go around my head
  Some feathers and bells
  And a book of Indian lore
  I will ask the Chamber Of Commerce
  How to get to Haight Street
  And smoke an awful lot of dope
  I will wander around barefoot
  I will have a psychedelic gleam in my eye at all times
  I will love everyone
  I will love the police as they kick the shit out of me on the street
  I will sleep . . .
  I will, I will go to a house
  That’s, that’s what I will do
  I will go to a house
  Where there’s a rock & roll band
  ‘Cause the groups all live together
  And I will join a rock & roll band
  I will be their road manager
  And I will stay there with them
  And I will get the crabs
  But I won’t care
  Because . . .

  • [nixiebunny]

     I listened to the Mothers a lot as a small child. I like to think that it made me what I am. Thanks, Dad!

• [Charles Reinhart]

  A Moog and … a cowbell!