Howard Kaylan - vocals
Mark Volman - vocals, guitar
Don Preston - keyboards
Gary Rowles - lead guitar
Brian Garafalo - bass
Aynsley Dunbar - drums
Following a string of international hits in the 1960s, including the pop confection masterpiece, "Happy Together," The Turtles broke up in 1970. The two primary vocalists and frontmen, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, along with bass player Jim Pons, were invited to join Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Their contributions led to one of the most vocally gifted and generally outrageous incarnations of the band.
Contractual restrictions prohibited Kaylan and Volman from using their own names or any reference to The Turtles in any other musical context, so they became Phlorescent Leech and Eddie during their tenure in The Mothers. They recorded several albums with Zappa, including the classic Live At Fillmore East, Chunga's Revenge, Just Another Band From L.A. and appeared prominently in Zappa's 200 Motels movie.
Disaster struck twice as the band was touring Europe. Famously chronicled in Deep Purple's song, "Smoke On The Water," a venue in Montreux, Switzerland burned to the ground, along with much of their equipment, during a Mothers performance. Then in London, Frank Zappa was attacked onstage by an irate boyfriend of a fan, sustaining serious injuries and canceling all future plans during his recovery. Kaylan and Volman, augmented by Gary Rowles on lead guitar and with several Mothers in tow, decided to continue as Flo & Eddie, releasing albums and touring on their own.
This support slot set at the Hollywood Bowl, opening for The Allman Brothers Band, captures the group early on, promoting their self- titled first album. At this point in time, they had a great batch of new songs that allowed Volman and Kaylan to sing their hearts out with a band featuring powerful musical talent backing them. The humorous monologues and outrageous behavior is toned down a bit, compared to their time with Zappa, allowing the musicians to make a greater contribution.
The best material from their debut album is here, including "Thoughts Have Turned," "Feel Older Now," and "It Never Happened." The humorous "Nikki Hoi," which became a ubiquitous morning radio staple in the 1970s, is also given the live treatment. They even transform into the Sanzini Brothers and briefly expand on the comedy monologues they did so often in The Mothers. However, the highlight of the set is a surprising take on Zappa's "Mr. Green Genes." In addition to demanding vocal arrangements, this vintage 1968 composition lets the group show off some of their instrumental prowess. Don Preston's keyboard work (he played on the original) and Aynsley Dunbar's drumming are outstanding on this, and it’s fascinating to hear these later-era Mothers playing this particular vintage number.
As the tape ran out, they were resurrecting the classic Turtles hit, "Elenore," which more than likely segued into "Happy Together" to close the set. Those infectious pop songs were never considered rebellious, but in light of Kaylan and Volman's web of legal entanglements, they actually were.
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