Creem

 USA

Creem: 1968-88; 1990-94.This legendary rock publication was founded and published by Barry Kramer in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Creem set out to cover the music and cultural scene with style and distinction. It succeeded. Creem certainly had the cream of the country's rock writers (...) Barry Kramer published Creem until his death in 1981. (...) In 1982, it was sold to another company in Los Angeles. It continued to be a fine magazine, but was never quite the same again. In 1988, Creem ceased publication. It was revived for about 18 months by a new company, Alternative Media, in August of 1990. Over the years, Creem put out scores of special issues and spinoffs, including: Creem Close-Up, Creem Presents, Creem Special Edition, and Creem Rock Shots. (CBub)
After a long hiatus, Creem continued in 2022 as a quarterly magazine.

1969 March

Vol. 1 No. 1

Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
By Derek Lister, p 13


The very first Creem edition has on page 13 in the "Take it or leave it!" section a note: "Eric Clapton is the mystery voice on Zappa's Only In It For The Money brainchild, "Nasal Retentive Music".

Source: Steve Hecht collection, creem.com

1969 May

Vol. 1 No. 5


Page 22 has an ad for the Mothers of Invention Detroit concert and a picture.

Source: Steve Hecht collection, creem.com

1969 May

Vol. 2 No. 1


We have pictures of only some pages from this early Creem issue and it is not clear, what Mothers' content – announced on the cover page – it contained. The Straight label full-page ad was included. Maybe there was something more.

Worthpoint: [Two parts of the vol. 2 #1 issue.] Both say Volume 2, # 1 on the covers, but are totally different. The issue on the left with Pete Townsend on the cover has a masthead, but the other one does not. The issue on the left is mostly devoted to artists who will appearing at the 1st Annual Detroit Rock & Roll Revival on May 31st, 1969. It also has the schedule on the inside front page. The other issue is mostly record company ads (like the Straight Records and Velvet Underground ads), and local Detroit events and businesses.

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Source: Worthpoint, creem.com

1969 June

Vol. 2 No. 2

Uncle Meat
By Richard C. Walls, pp 4-5


“Uncle Meat” is a collage, devoid of logic or even free associations in the order of the different “songs”. And it is perfect (protean non-structure at its zenith). (read more)

Source: Steve Hecht collection, creem.com

1969 August

Vol. 2 No. 4

Trout Mask Replica (reprinted from Rolling Stone)
By Lester Bangs, p 9

The Age Of Rock by Jonathan Eisen (review)
By ?, pp 19, 27

Trout Mask Replica
By Richard C. Walls, p 20


page 10, "Rock & Roll News": The GTO's, truly bizarre girl "band", have a record called (more GTO's) "Circular Circulation" on Zappa's Straight label. Zappa has a talent for drawing people like that, you know.

Source: creem.com

1969 October

Vol. 2 No. 6


Hot Rats ad on page 13. Didn't notice any more Frank Zappa related material.

Source: creem.com

1970 April

Vol. 2 No. 12

Mothers / Rezapped
By ?, pp 8, 30


Source: creem.com

1970 May

Vol. 2 No. 13

I Wouldn't Call It Dada Rock Exactly. What It Is, Is ...
By Ben Edmunds, pp 23-27


Source: creem.com

1970 July

Vol. 2 No. 14

I Wouldn't Call It Dada Rock Exactly. What It Is, Is ... (part II)
By Ben Edmunds, pp 24-25


Source: creem.com

1970 October

Vol. 2 No. 16

New Mothers
By Todd Everett, p 8

Weasels Ripped My Flesh
By Richard C. Walls, pp 38-39


page 5, "Rock & Roll News": The Mothers of Invention have reformed with Aynsley Dunbar on drums and ex-Turtle Howard Kaylan (the lead singer) on vocals. While the MOI were in Britain Kaylan payed a visit to Tyrannosaurus Rex in the recording studio where they are as work on their fifth album. He ended up doing vocal harmonies with Ty Rex instigator Marc Bolan on a tune called "Seagull Woman".

Source: creem.com

1971 March

Vol. 3 No. 1

Frank Zappa: Chunga's Revenge
By Mark Leviton, p 8

Tell Me You Love Me/Will You Go All The Way For The USA
By Greg Shaw, pp 38-39


Apart from the two record reviews, Zappa's name can be found repeatedly in the article about Wild Man Fischer "Let us now praise famous wild men" (pp 18-23). Film news on p 68 reports that filming has begun on 200 Motels.

Source: creem.com

1971 September

Vol. 3 No. 4


The familiar face is in the photo on page 10. The text there is as follows: "Whatever this is, it was painted on Glendora High School during Easter vacation. The words read K&LEG, XXXX 4-12-71 2:00 AM. Done in 11/2 hrs. Tho first line stands for Ken, Larry, Ed and Garry. Ken’s the artist, the others just watched. The principal of the school didn’t mind at all. As a matter of fact, he said that the school needed a paint job soon and “It isn't hurting anyone!” But is it art?

Note. See also The David Allen Blog. “They did a pretty good job of it, so it was left up for the entire year.”

Source: creem.com

1972 February

Vol. 3 No. 9

200 Motels: What's The Deal?
By Rick Bolsom, pp 44-48


“What’s the deal?” Somebody gave weird old Frank Zappa a bunch of money to make a moving picture. Is that just like years ago when somebody gave Zappa a smaller bunch of money to make records? Well, sort of similar. (read more)

1972 July

Vol. 4 No. 2

Just Another Band From L.A. full page ad p 10

1972 September

Vol. 4 No. 2

Rock 'n' Roll News
p 14


page 10: Frank Zappa's a mother after all. Noted rock muckraker David Walley has just written a book about smutlord Frank Zappa. Chances are you'll never see it, though. Outerbridge and Lazard, and Fusion magazine (the book publishers) are holding it up due to Zappa and manager Herb Cohen's refusal to grant permission to quote song lyrics.
Permission to print the lyrics had been granted previously, but once Frank and Herb read the proofs, they weren't sure. So they returned the check. Fusion, Walley and O&D are all expected to take a financial bath on the deal.

1972 November

Vol. 4 No. 6

The Phloresent Leech and Eddie
By Ken Barnes, pp 65-66

1973 August

Vol. 5 No. 3

The Androgyny Hall Of Fame
By ?, pp 30-33


Included are The GTOs, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart.

1973 December

Vol. 5 No. 7

How To Succeed in Publishing Without Really Writing
By Dave Marsh, pp 56-57


The article contains a review of the As They Were, a book by Tuli Kupferberg and Sylvia Topp.

1974 August

Vol. 6 No. 3

Apostrophe (review)
By Richard C. Walls, pp 71-72


Source: slime.oofytv.set

1974 September

Vol. 6 No. 4

Frank Zappa Doin' The Hand Jive
Photos by Emerson Loew, pp 46-47


No, this isn't the newest dance craze. This is our boy Frank Zappa demonstrating the tricks of his trade. It may look like monkeyshines, but how would you like to be responsible for riding herd on a pack of mangy instrumentalists, each hot to solo his grand wazoo off given half a chance? You'd have to keep a firm hand, and that's what Frank demonstrates here in ten freeze frames, each commemorating one of his years in the business and immortalizing his distinctive brand of body language. Some say the hand is quicker then the eye, but our photographers disproved that old axiom and caught Frank in his famous fickle fingers act. So the old fart decided to fess up and tell us what all the hand jive means.

Source: The Waldo Scrapbooks

1974 December

Vol. 6 No. 7

Frank Zappa vs. The Tooth Fairy:
It happened in the Hollywood Hills

nolo contendre by Ed Naha, pp 38-41, 76-77

Ten Years With The Mothers
pp 42-43


The living room could be anyone's. A cheerful, grey-haired grandmother tries to coax her tiny grandson into a state of slumber. An older blonde boy sprawls on the couch and watches a re-run of Hee-Haw. Upstairs, a little girl patters about unseen. It's Los Angeles' answer to suburban Long Island. I sit in the corner, loading my tape recorder, awaiting the subject of this interview. Ozzie Nelson? Glen Campbell? Gerry Ford?

Nope. Frank Zappa.

As I slide the tape cartridge into the sputtering Sony, I try to envision Zappa's entrance. This has to be some sort of set up. Being a fan of Frank's for ten years, I just KNOW he'll do something bizarre. Maybe he'll throw up on the carpet. Or carry in a large stuffed giraffe with a likeness of Jimmy Carl Black strapped on its back. Or burn a carrot on a cross. (read more)

1975 September

Vol. 7 No. 4

One Size Fits All
By Lester Bangs, pp 65-66


Frank Zappa is incapable of writing a solid, memorable, hummable pop/rock melody; the kind of melody with a hook that sticks in your mind so well it may overstay itself and become obnoxious. (read more)

Source: Fulvio Fiore

1976 January

Vol. 7 No. 10

Penguins In Bondage. Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart
By Robot A. Hull, pp 24, 72


The radio programmer has his nose pressed flat against the glass which separates his padded cell from our studio recording booth. Kids are wandering outside our room, waiting for the release of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa so they can smother them with hostile affection (and receive the usual cold snub). (read more)

Source: The Waldo Scrapbooks

1976 March

Vol. 7 No. 10


On page 22 is a picture of Zappa subtitled "Gregg & Cher Reunited Again!". No other Zappa-related content in this issue.

Source: slime.oofytv.set

1976 September

Vol. 8 No. 4

Zappa's been workin' on de railroad
(De Grand Funk Railroad, dat is!)
By Michael Davis, pp 34, 36-37, 68-69


Source: Charles Ulrich

1976 December

Vol. 8 No. 7


On page 37 are pictures of Flo & Eddie in a "Kiss camouflage" together with Kiss. No other Zappa-related content in this issue.

Source: slime.oofytv.set

1977 February

Vol. 8 No. 9

Stars Car No. 24. Frank Zappa
Photo by Bob Allord, p 53

1977 March

Vol. 8 No. 10

Frank Zappa: Zoot Allures
By Robot A. Hull, p 63


Frank Zappa is the creeping terror. X the Unknown, That's Mr. Z., who set himself up ages ago as the spokesman for the dawn of social correction (listen, Barry McGuire was just clowning around, and Sgt. Barry Sadler just happened to hate gooks, so what?) and told a whole generation of innocent babes (not yet exposed to warfare like Starsky and Hutch but still being fed on Star Trek and Joe Pyne) to TURN OFF THEIR TV SETS (that's what Freak Out was all about, a justification for Zappa's own paranoia, suggesting that the Brain Police were actually seeping out of the tube). (read more)

Beside Zoot Allures review on page 34 you can find Zappa in Best Producers list.

1977 December

Vol. 9 No. 7

Creem's Profiles: Frank Zappa
By Robot A. Hull, p 28

1978 May

Vol. 9 No. 12

Frank Zappa Vs. The Bunny Thugs
By Michael Davis, p 25


Funny short article on Zappa playing Leather in KROQ station for everybody to tape this album.

1979 June

Vol. 11 No. 1

Frank Zappa: Sheik Yerbouti (review)
By Richard C. Walls, pp 55-56

1982 November

Vol. 14 No. 6

Frank And Moon Zappa Go AM
By Michael Goldberg, pp 24-25, 62-63


Article on Moon and Frank Zappa based on interview with them.

The first time I heard Frank Zappa’s “Valley Girl” on the radio, I turned up the volume, pulled my car off the road, and sat there slightly shocked. I was turned to KFRC, a very powerful, very popular Top 40 station in the San Francisco Bay Area, a station that generally plays hits like “Waiting For A Girl Like You” and “Keep The Fire Burning.” (read more)

1986 April

Vol. 17 No. 8

Creem's Profiles: Frank Zappa
p 237

1988 July

Vol. 19 No. 10

The Blunt Way
By Michael Davis, pp 52-55, 61


It's Frank Zappa. At last. By trying to have this interview coincide with some of his upcoming releases, I've almost missed connecting with Zappa. He's gearing up for his first tour in over three years, rehearsing his band eight hours a day, all the while trying to tie up loose ends in a number of areas. One of our foremost musicaholics has been as busy as ever: Frank and the band are scheduled to be in Europe as you read this, and "there has been some talk about doing 10 weeks in late summer, outdoor festival type things," west of the Mississippi – his dates earlier this year were confined to the Midwest and Northeast. (read more)