A newly unearthed 14-minute video clip offers a glimpse into the chaotic five-hour live performance by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the legendary Whisky a Go Go on July 23, 1968.
The footage, painstakingly synced to the audio for the first time, captures the electrifying atmosphere of the evening, including enthusiastic crowds lining up on Sunset Blvd., a free-spirited audience, and “Zappa freaks” overflowing onto the stage. The video also features the debut performance of the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), a wildly theatrical all-female group.
The event, advertised as a “recording session” in a hand-scrawled ad placed in the L.A. Free Press, saw Zappa aiming to capture a full Mothers performance on multi-track for a potential album. While the album project never fully materialized, the recordings have been compiled into the recently released five-LP box set “Whisky A Go Go 1968.”
The newly discovered video adds another dimension to this historic event. Among the audience members were celebrities like Flo & Eddie (The Turtles), John Mayall, Alice Cooper, and members of the Rolling Stones.
The footage sheds light on Zappa’s desire to document the band’s live energy within the iconic venue. The Whisky a Go Go was where producer Tom Wilson first saw The Mothers in late 1965, leading to their record deal with MGM. By their 1968 return, the Mothers were established pioneers of the counterculture.
The Zappa Vault, which oversees the band’s vast archive of recordings and materials, edited the video footage. The lineup for this electrifying night included Zappa on guitar and vocals, Ray Collins (vocals, percussion), Ian Underwood (alto sax), Bunk Gardner (tenor sax, flute), Don Preston (keyboards, gong), Motorhead Sherwood (baritone sax, percussion), Roy Estrada (bass, vocals), Art Tripp (drum set, percussion), and Jimmy Carl Black (drum set, percussion).
