leonard escribió:200 Motels (1971)
1970 was a breaking point in Zappa's music. First (in 1969) he disbanded The Mothers of Invention and released a masterpiece solo album, Hot Rats. Then, he returned with a new Mothers line-up and a different musical and lyrical concept. His music sort of turned to blues and rock & roll, with a lot of guitar playing and wide vocal arrangements. On the other hand, his lyrics switched to more mundane topics: groupies, touring, road food, casual sex, etc. -leaving the political-social satire aside.
Nonetheless, his previous reputation among critics remain intact, thus keeping the high press exposure (especially in Europe -with the years, he will eventually lose it).
These new topics (groupies and life on the road) obsessed Zappa in those days, as his following releases proved: Chunga's Revenge, Fillmore East, 200 Motels & Just Another Band form LA. Zappa even planned to release a book about groupies (The Groupie Papers), which he never did.
It was the first feature-length movie to be shot on VIDEO TAPE and later transferred to 35mm Technicolor film. According to FZ "it set the standards for the most advanced video techniques of its time".
The music was recorded live during performance, except "Penis Dimension". It was composed in a 5-year period mostly in motel or hotel rooms while touring.
The movie and the album were released through United Artists.
The total cost of the movie was $679.000. - The original master video tapes were later sold as used tape for $4000 (American dollars) to "balance the budget" by producer Jerry Goode. This way, the master and all the unused scenes were lost forever.
Larry the Dwarf - Ringo Starr (Beatles' drummer)
Rance Muhammitz (the devil) - Theodore Bikel (Jewish singer and actor)
The Hot Nun - Keith Moon (The Who's drummer)
Lonesome Cowboy Burt - Jimmy Carl Black (The Mothers of Invention original drummer)
The Industrial Vacuum Cleaner - Dick Barber (The Mothers road manager)
Rock & Roll Interviewer - Pamella Miller
Themselves : Don Preston, Motorhead Sheerwood, Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan, Groupies : Miss Lucy Offerall, Miss Janet Neville, The perverted drummer - Aynsley Dunbar (Mothers' drummer)
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200.Motels.avi 
