Hit Parader

 USA

Started by Charlton Publication Inc. (in 1943), this [was] one of the oldest continually published music magazines in [USA] (after Song Hits, Billboard, and Down Beat). From its inception until about 1975 (when it became too expensive to license the rights), it published the lyrics to many popular songs of the time. (...) Printed on newspaper stock (with a glossy cover) until the 1980s, this mag contained many small feature articles about your favorite artists. Hit Parader's publisher, Charlton, located in tiny Derby, Connecticut, was a true music-mag empire. They put out numerous popular titles, including Country Song Round-Up, Song Hits, and Smash Hits. Hit Parader was sold in 1991, when Charlton ran into financial troubles and folded. (...) Since 1984, the magazine, like so many other music publications, caters largely to hard rock and heavy metal fans. (CBub)
Hit Parader ceased publication after the release of December 2008 issue.

1967 March

Vol. 26 No. 33 

Eric Burdon Is Freaking Out
By Keith Altham, p 31


[...]
"Before returning to Britain I recorded some material with Frank Zappa, the leader of the Mothers of Invention, who is regaded as the leading light on the 'freak-out' scene in America. I cut one number called 'Another Side Of Life', which looks like it might escape in the U.S. shortly.
[...]
"Zappa is a very interesting character – about 28 years old. He makes these weird movies and puts the soundtracks on them himself. He showed me one of a guy picking spots on his leg, and other with a sequence token by an infra-red camera of a guy necking with this typical Hollywood-blonde, all 'lip-sticky' and 'high-heely'. It's not meant to be entertaining so much as effective – and that it is!
[...]


Source: archive.org

1967 April

Vol. 26 No. 34 

 


The Mothers picture on page 41, not mentioned in the text.


Source: archive.org

1967 May

Vol. 26 No. 35 

Granny's Gossip
pp  46-47


[...]
Backing singer/organist Barry Goldberg on his Verve single, "Cotta Carry On," are lead guitarist Mike Bloomfield, rhythm guitarist Frank Zappa and the rhythm section from the Mothers.
[...]
Underneath all that wild hair and fierce-looking moustache and goatee, Frank Zappa is really a nice boy. The astute leader of the Mothers (of Invention) made a nice collage out of Hit Parader's ugly fingernail and pimple ads.
[...]


Source: archive.org

1967 June

Vol. 26 No. 36 

Frank Zappa the Incredible Boss Mother
By Don Paulsen, pp 44-45


page 18
Eric Burdon: "I listen to the Mothers of Invention a lot and I think they're fantastic. Frank Zappa, in particular, is really doing great things. If he doesn't become one of the major forces in pop music within the next two years, there's no justice in the business."

page 44
The most amazing, outrageous and ambitious rock & roll group anywhere in the universe is The Mothers. Their music, best appreciated in-person, combines today's pop sounds with symphonic music, satire, the primitive rock & roll songs of the 1950's and social commentary, and you can even dance to it. (read more)

1967 July

Vol. 26 No. 37

The Boss Mother Meets The Animals
By Frank Zappa, pp 40-41 


On July 4, 1966, on what you might describe as a moment’s notice, I was asked to manufacture, on behalf of Tom Wilson, for the Animals, a musical organization from England, a set of arrangements. I was told: just go in there, tell the musicians what you want and they’ll play it. (read more)

Source: slime.oofytv.set 

1967 August

Vol. 26 No. 38

My Favorite Records
By Frank Zappa, p 61
Hagstrom Guitars ad
p 2


If you want to learn how to play guitar, listen to Wes Montgomery. You also should go out and see if you can get a record by Cecil Taylor if you want to learn how to play the piano. (read more)

1967 September

Vol. 26 No. 39

Hagstrom Guitars ad
p 2
Absolutely Free ad
 
p 7


 

 

1967 October

Vol. 26 No. 40

Frank Zappa On Freedom
By Frank Zappa, p 6
Hagstrom Guitars ad
p 2
Absolutely Free ad 
p 5
Platter Chatter: Absolutely Free
p 63
Moop ad p 67


It all stems from a system that was never designed to work. Our system is based on a lot of fallacies. Our moral code, for instance, from the Puritan era is basically wrong. No animal up to and including the human being was physically designed to live under that sort of a code. When these codes are strictly adhered to you come up with stunted, twisted fragments of society. (read more)

page 63
ABSOLUTELY FREE by the Mothers (Of Invention) must be heard to be believed and appreciated. The music is incredibly dynamic, the lyrics irresistibly memorable. Each side of the record is a non-stop panoramic oratorio, songs drift in and out of a loosely connective narration, a theme from Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring" appears unexpectedly, a plea for greater understanding between people and vegetables is often expressed. Dirty old men get theirs in "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", "America Drinks And Goes Home" is social satire with fistfights and ringing cash registers in the background, "Invocation and Ritual Dance Of The Young Pumpkin" is seven minutes of wild guitar and saxophone explorations tied to earth only by a rock-solid drumbeat, and we meet "The Son Of Suzy Creamcheese." The Mothers are a versatile and hard-driving rock band, and leader Frank Zappa is one of the most talented composers and arrangers living today. As Edgar Varèse once said, "The present-day composer refused to die!" Buy it. (VERVE V6-5013)

Moop. Read more on Moop project – Cal Schenkel interview @ Seconds. The same ad was presented on Cal Schenkel's homepage www.ralf.com/oldcrap.

1967 November

Vol. 26 No. 41

Hagstrom Guitars ad
p 2
Absolutely Free ad
p 35



Source: archive.org

1967 December

Vol. 26 No. 42

Hagstrom Guitars ad
p 2
Brief notice on the Mothers coming to London
p 23
Brief notice on the new Mothers album WOIIFTM
p 47
United Mutation / Absolutely Free ad
p 67


page 23
The Mothers (Of Invention) are coming to London for one big show at the Royal Albert Hall on September 23rd. Their manager Herb Cohen was in town recently to set it all up. "We'll fly in about five days beforehand so that we can get it together properly and rehearse extra musicians to augment the sound," he told me.

page 47
The cover of the new Mothers album, "We're Only In It For The Money," is a hilarious take-off on both the Beatles "Sgt.Pepper" album cover and the famous photo of the Rolling Stones dressed as ladies with the wheel chair. The Beatles spelled their name with flowers. The Mothers used vegetables. Jimi Hendrix dropped into the photo studio and Frank Zappa put him next to a Christmas tree. Frank's pumpkin Gail is in the front row, in furs and blue gown, and the tall guy on the left is Tom Wilson, the Mothers record producer. It's a great cover.

Source: slime.oofytv.set 

1968 June

Vol. 27 No. 48

The Incredible History Of The Mothers
By Frank Zappa, pp 27, 38-39


Although the Mothers have been in existence for about three years, the project was carefully planned about four and a half years ago. I had been looking for the right people for a long time. (read more

1968 October

Vol. 27 No. 51

Granny's Gossip
pp 46-47


page 46
Eric Clapton invited me to his birthday party, which was well-attended by many show-biz folk. Among the guests were Frank Zappa and several Mothers, Zal Yanovsky, Felix Pappalardi and Gail, Rascal manager Sid Bernstein, hip young comedian Larry Hankin and, naturally, Person
Belgrade.


1968 December

Vol. 27 No. 53

Granny's Gossip
pp 46-47


page 46
Eric Clapton sat in with the Mothers at a Shrine Auditorium concert in Los Angeles...
page 47
Frank Zappa bought the mansion of old movie cowboy Tom Mix. Included is a large cabin with Tom's horse buried underneath. Zappa claims that no one appreciates the Mothers. He wants to change their name to Reuben & The Jets and play greasy 1950's rock and roll. Frank's "Lumpy Gravy" album is great.


1969 May

Vol. 27 No. 53

Platter Chatter: Cruising With Ruben And The Jets
p 63


CRUISING WITH RUBEN & THE JETS is the Mothers recording under a different name in a last ditch attempt to get their music on the radio. We have here a of "love songs of simplicity." It's certainly a curious trip into nostalgic regression, yet Zappa uses the doo-wop, bass profundo, high tenor harmony with painful accuracy as well as modernizing the basic dynamics. If you're old enough to digging the Spaniels and the Valentines and perhaps indulged in a bit of men's room crooning yourself, you'll laugh your head off over this album. The music is a satire on the way of life that produced going steady and breaking up. Zappa and Ray Collins wrote all the gems here and the lyrics are masterful recreations of kicks and anxienty ... "bop, like a spinning top" ... "down the street, heart skips a beat" ... " Fountain of love" ... "Love of my life, I love you so" ... "When I'm dancing with Desiri, all the boys are jealous of me." Looking back now, the adults who knocked rock didn't have the slightest idea what was going on. That "horrible" music served a purpose more important than we'll ever know and Zappa's loving treatment of it drives the point home. A question. What do modern teenagers think of this album? Also, you mustn't miss Ruben Sano's high shool yearook mug and story of the Jets on the back of this album A real sharp, fine album loaded with class from Frank Zappa's very own Bizarre productiona. (Verve V6 5055-X)


1969 July

Vol. 28 No. 60

The Lead Guitar Of Henry Vestine
By Henry Vestine, pp 18-30


Page 18
Essentially, I left the Mothers for the same reason. When I first joined, we were playing stomping R&B all night long (generally, we were working five set a night club dates at that time). However, when Frank was putting together the first album, he started teaching the band harmony parts. etc. to compliment the lines he had been playing himself in the clubs. This was all fine and dandy (Frank's genius as a composer and arranger has certainly become evident), but for me, playing these exacting, precise parts, which lacked (my) spontaneous emotional attack, represented a giant step in the direction of my becoming a paunchy studio musician who'd play anything for a buck. So, we had an amicable parting, and in the long run, I'm sure we're both happy it happened that way.

Page 20
The pop record that really flipped me out was "Help" by the Beatles I bought in Pomona, Calif. when I was making in a beer bar. This was where I really got to talk to and know Frank Zappa (he's got some roots!) although I'd met him and Capt. Beefheart briefly at a jam session at the Sea Witch in Hollywood a couple of years before. I'd actually gone to the record shop that day to buy a copy of "Together Again" by Buck Owens, and to look for old out of print R&B 45s (Zappa had already cleaned them out though).

Source: Javier Marcote, Sea Witch Sunset Strip

1970 April

Vol. 29 No. 69

What Ever Happened To The Mothers Of Invention?
By Frank Zappa, pp 23-25
Hot Rats ad
p 47


The Mothers of Invention, the infamous & repulsive rocking teen combo, is not doing concerts any more. (read more )

PS. Added nice picture of Moondog conducting, from page 35. Moondog's producer was James William Guarcio, who briefly was a member of The Mothers of Invention.

1971 June

Vol. 30 No. 83

Zappa On The Move Again
Interview by Richard Green, pp 15-16, 60


HP: When did you first start writing with classical music in mind?
ZAPPA: The first thing I ever wrote was a drum solo ... a piece for snare drum and it was called "Mice". I wrote that when I was about 14 and performed it at school – you know they have these little instrumental compositions. (read more)