Uncle Meat is the sixth album by the Mothers of Invention, and seventh overall by Frank Zappa, released as a double album in 1969. Uncle Meat was originally developed as a part of No Commercial Potential, a project which spawned three other albums sharing a conceptual connection: We're Only in It for the Money, Lumpy Gravy and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets.
The album also served as a soundtrack album to the film of the same name, which Zappa eventually finished and released direct-to-video in 1987.
The music is diverse in style, drawing from orchestral, jazz, blues and rock music. The Uncle Meat album was a commercial success upon release, and has been highly acclaimed for its innovative recording and editing techniques, including experiments in manipulation of tape speed and overdubbing, and its diverse sound.
The Mothers – at the time of this recording:
Frank Zappa – guitar, low grade vocals, percussion Ray Collins – swell vocals Jimmy Carl Black – drums, droll humor, poverty Roy Estrada – electric bass, cheeseburgers, Pachuco falsetto Don (Dom De Wild) Preston – electric piano, pipe organ, tarot cards, brown rice Billy (The Oozer) Mundi – drums on some pieces before he quit to join RHINOCEROS Bunk (Sweetpants) Gardner – piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bassoon (all of these electric and/or non-electric depending) Ian Underwood – electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, special assistance, copyist, industrial relations & teen appeal Artie (With the Green Mustache) Tripp – drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes, cheerful outlook & specific inquiries Euclid James (Motorhead/Motorishi) Sherwood – pop star, frenetic tenor sax stylings, tambourine, choreography, obstinance & equipment setter-upper when he's not hustling local groupies
Special thanks to: Ruth Komanoff – who plays marimba and vibes with Artie on many of the tracks, and Nelcy Walker – the soprano voice with Ray & Roy on "Dog Breath" & "The Uncle Meat Variations".
Uncredited: Pamela Zarubica as Suzy Creamcheese Buzz Gardner – trumpet and flugel horn (name appears on back cover along with Lowell George).
Only on the CD version, also uncredited: Phyllis Altenhaus, Rodney Bingenheimer, Aynsley Dunbar, Francesca Fisher, Lucy Offerall, Meredith Monk, Janet Neville-Ferguson, Linda Ronstadt, Stumuk, Haskell Wexler, Carl Zappa, guys from Alabama – dialogue on the film excerpts Frank Zappa – Synclavier on "Uncle Meat Film Excerpt Part I" Massimo Bassoli – vocals on "Tengo na minchia tanta" Tommy Mars – keyboards on "Tengo na minchia tanta" Scott Thunes – bass on "Tengo na minchia tanta" Chad Wackerman – drums on "Tengo na minchia tanta"
Original Tracklist A1. Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme A2. The Voice Of Cheese A3. Nine Types Of Industrial Pollution A4. Zolar Czakl A5. Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague A6. The Legend Of The Golden Arches A7. Louie Louie (At The Royal Albert Hall In London) A8. The Dog Breath Variations B1. Sleeping In A Jar B2. Our Bizarre Relationship B3. The Uncle Meat Variations B4. Electric Aunt Jemima B5. Prelude To King Kong B6. God Bless America (Live At The Whisky A Go Go) B7. A Pound For A Brown On The Bus B8. Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Live On Stage In Copenhagen) C1. Mr. Green Genes C2. We Can Shoot You C3. "If We'd All Been Living In California..." C4. The Air C5. Project X C6. Cruising For Burgers D1. King Kong Itself (As Played By The Mothers In A Studio) D2. King Kong (Its Magnificence As Interpreted By Dom DeWild) D3. King Kong (As Motorhead Explains It) D4. King Kong (The Gardner Varieties) D5. King Kong (As Played By 3 Deranged Good Humor Trucks) D6. King Kong (Live On A Flat Bed Diesel In The Middle Of A Race Track At A Miami Pop Festival... The Underwood Ramifications)
