Taken as an album with no connection to the movie, 200 Motels is the first time we get to experience Frank's orchestral vision on a grand scale. ( Ahead Of Their Time has some of the same material performed by the original Mothers, but in a totally different context and with a scaled down orchestra.)

As such, I was tempted to put this album with the others of Frank's orchestral output, but the overwhelming presence of the "rock band" and Howard and Mark's vocal contributions make inclusion in this category the only logical choice.

The movie itself is still available from United Artists and can be found at most video outlets for rent or purchase. (I found my current copy at Hastings for $19.95.) If you really want to understand the context of this music, repeated viewings of the movie are required. Even then, a thorough grounding in Frank's "conceptual continuity" is a must. Innuendoes and "secret clues" abound, but the discovery process is what gives Frank's work much of it's appeal.

Another reason for owning both the movie and the album is, as found in the original LP liner notes, "Some of this music is in the movie. Some of this music is not in the movie. Some of the music that's in the movie is not in the album."

Frank also released a video titled The True Story Of 200 Motels which I haven't seen, but I'm sure it fills in many missing pieces.

Each person in this case was capable of adding their own special "flavor" to the music. (The exception being George Duke, who didn't blossom until his return with the '74 band.)

This group had it all, both vocally and musically, and despite sounding "under-rehearsed" at times, was capable of delivering complex arrangements with style and attitude. Their "loose" sound is a testament to how comfortable they were with the material rather than any indication of inability.

Fillmore East showcases the "vaudeville" aspect that this band was so good at.

You can bet that when the band breaks into Happy Together after the groupie tells Howard, "now sing me that (hit) record, and I wanna hear it right now, or you ain't drivin' nowhere tonight, buddy!", the audience was completely theirs.

If you can sit through Billy The Mountain, at 24 minutes and 46 seconds, you will be thoroughly entertained.

I can think of no other band from LA (or anywhere else for that matter) that could pull off a piece like that!

When it comes to older material such as Call Any Vegetable or Dog Breath, This band was able to make the pieces sound as though they had been written for the occasion.

It's really a shame that some asshole had to push Frank off the stage in London, bringing this band to a premature end. Who knows what they could have done?