Mystery Tunes

Here's a chance for you to play "Name That Tune" and win the "Mysterioso Pizzicato" award. The "Mysterioso Pizzicato" award--or Mysty--is an imaginary statue of Mike Gula, who identified the haunted house music quoted in "Zomby Woof". Can you identify any of the following pieces? If so, please let me know.

8. This was played immediately before "Octandre" on 5/23/69 Appleton. Is it a quotation from another classical piece?

6. Is this song called "I'm Gonna Bust His Head"? Is it a cover or a Zappa/Collins original? Sung by Ray Collins in a medley with "My Boyfriend's Back" and "96 Tears". This performance comes from 5/70 NYC, but the same medley was performed as early as 1967.

The following pieces have already been identified.

1. Classical excerpt performed by the Mothers of Invention in 1968. This performance is from 10/6/68 Bremen. The same piece was played on 5/3/68 Denver (Electric Aunt Jemima), 10/10/68 Paris, 5/23/69 Appleton, and 5/8/74 Edinboro.

And the Mysty goes to...

Michael Pierry, Lewis Saul, Don Preston, Sandro Oliva (in absentia), Jon Naurin, and/or Uli Mrosek (in absentia). Each of these people contributed to the identification of the piece as "Octandre" by Edgar Varese.

2. R&B instrumental performed by the Mothers of Invention in 1969. This performance is from 2/22/69 (early) Toronto. The same piece was played in the 3/69 Miami show (aka 3/68). In both shows, it immediately followed Chuck Higgins' "Pachuko Hop".

And the Mysty goes to...

Randy Cech, who identified the piece as "Behind The Sun", originally recorded in 1955 by The Rocking Brothers.

3. Familiar theme quoted in "The Torture Never Stops", 12/11/80 (late) Santa Monica (after "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" and before "Uncle Meat" and "Perry Mason"). You might hear this in a cartoon if a tough guy got hit on the head and started dancing around effeminately while birds flitted about his head.

And the Mysty goes to...

Biffy the Elephant Shrew, who identified the piece as "Spring Song" by Felix Mendelssohn.

4. Early rock chant superimposed on "Mudd Club"/"Mo's Vacation" in 1/28/80 rehearsals. In addition to the ooh-oohs, FZ sings something like "Itty bitty pretty one".

And the Mysty goes to...

Biffy the Elephant Shrew, who identified the piece as "Little Bitty Pretty One," a 1957 hit by Thurston Harris (not to be confused with Thurston Howell III). It was written by Robert Byrd, who recorded the original under his stage name of Bobby Day (of "Rockin' Robin" fame). The song was also recorded by Clyde McPhatter, the Paramounts (the pre-Procol Harum group), and the Jackson 5, among others. The first verse is:
- Little bitty pretty one,
  Come on 'n talk to me,
  Little bitty pretty one,
  I'll never let you be.

5. Is this song called "My Linda Lou"? Sung by Ray Collins during "Orange County Lumber Truck", 5/70 NYC.

And the Mysty goes to...

Michael Gula, who identified the song as "Linda Lu", originally recorded by Ray Sharpe.

7. Is this phase three of "Igor's Boogie"? In 1970, "King Kong" usually included "Igor's Boogie", followed by this theme. Is it a quotation from some classical piece, an unreleased section of "Igor's Boogie", or an unreleased section of "King Kong"? This performance comes from 6/18/70 Uddel, but the theme was also played by the Hot Rats line-up (2/8/70 San Diego) and by the MOI reunion line-up (5/70 New York).

And the Mysty goes to...

Me, for determining with the aid of my copy of the Frank Zappa Songbook that it is in fact variations on the first measure of "Igor's Boogie, Phase One" (guitar/voice line in the Songbook, left channel clarinet on Burnt Weeny Sandwich).

9. The mystery singer. Who is singing? Is it Lowell George? Or is it a Canadian guest vocalist? This performance comes from a tape that was probably recorded on 5/24/69 at the Rockpile in Toronto. The same singer can also be heard on a tape that was probably recorded at the late show on 2/23/69 at the Rockpile.

And two Mystys go to...

Micah Gampel, who revealed that FZ introduced the mystery singer: "This is André. He just got to Toronto tonight. He doesn't have any money. He doesn't have any place to sleep."
Denis Griffin, who found a newspaper article giving André's surname as Beauregard.

10. Here's a nine-note melody that FZ quoted numerous times over the years. This tune was previously identified as "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore", but that is incorrect. These examples come from 4/20/68 (late) New York and 12/5/80 (late) Berkeley. (In the latter case, the usual nine notes are preceded by what is probably not part of the same song. Does anyone recognize that?)

And the Mysty goes to...

Basil Henriques, who identified it as "a standard hula turnaround lick, nondescript but played in most mid tempo hulas and songs". It is not known whether FZ picked it up from a specific recording of a specific Hawaiian song or from the live playing of one or more Hawaiian guitarists during The Mothers' residency in Honolulu in 1966.

The Planet Of My Dreams