The Mothers of Invention

As the musical backing band responsible for interpreting Frank Zappa's sonic adventures, The Mothers Of Invention created all manner of experimental, groundbreaking, and downright bizarre psychedelic rock and roll. Originally formed by Ray Collins as an R&B act called The Soul Giants, Zappa took over in 1964 and made them stars of the Los Angeles underground scene with early albums Freak Out! (1966) and Absolutely Free (1967). The band's reputation grew with some eccentric live shows and a long residency at New York's Garrick Theatre, before We're Only In It For The Money (1968) produced a cacophony of eclectic sounds, cynicism, 1950s doo wop and avant garde ideas which in time became regarded as their finest album. Zappa turned more towards instrumental works which he called "electrical chamber music" on Uncle Meat (1969) and solo album Lumpy Meat (1967) and, after the front man was seriously injured after falling off stage in London in 1971, the band drifted to an end with rock album One Size Fits All (1975) and big band jazz record Bongo Fury (1975). Zappa went on to legendary status as a solo artist, releasing an incredible array of experimental works at a breathtaking rate and becoming a fierce political voice before his death from prostate cancer in 1993.