John French - on ABBA ZABBA! - and Billy Bob!

 JOHN FRENCH

My favourite drummer (the worlds best IMHO!) has posted this memory from the past and not included in his wonderful book about his work with Captain Beefheart 'Beefheart: Through the Eyes of Magic' on his Facebook page where you can even talk to him direct. He is remarkably sane and balanced and approachable. He is the band's go to source for well, pretty much everything Beefheart and the bands archivist really as well as being the musical brains behind much (most) of the transcription of Beeheart's somewhat eccentric and cursory note taking being transformed into playable music. 

This note is extraordinary though as he recalls the making of a central track and often the main sound that originally tuned folk on to The Magic Band and a seminal moment in music history IMHO

John 'Drumbo' French - Oxford Zodiac 2006 ©️ by A.M.Swapp

John Says:

Thanks to Ace Farren Ford for posting this  (above):  

I didn't know he had this, but it's the original sheet for the lyrics to Abba Zaba.  Don was scheduled to do the session that night, and I discovered Don sitting at the dining table with a big shopping bag  and a writing pad.  He was trying to find the lyrics for the piece.  As it turned out, his method back then was just to pick up anything next to him -- a napkin, a matchbook cover, etc.  whenever inspiration struck, and write whatever came to him.  

As you can see, the writing changes after the first two lines -- Don's at the top, and mine thereafter.  He suckered me into going through the shopping bag ( Bag 'O Tricks as he called it ) and sorting out anything that resembled a lyric to the song.  After finding all the possibilities,  we put them in order.  

There might be a matchbook cover, followed by a store receipt, followed by a napkin, and he sort of helped me put them in order, and, as was his nature -- delegated to me the great joy of writing them out by hand on the paper.  Thank God eight of the song lyrics on SAM were written by Herb Bermann, who made typed sheets and gave Don copies.  After this process, we drove down Laurel Canyon and turned left onto Sunset, down to the big, black building that was Original Sound and Kama Sutra Headquarters. There, we met with Richard Perry, who put a reel-to-reel recording of a rough mix of Abba Zaba on the stereo.  It turned out Don didn't have a clue as to where the lyrics should go.  So, Perry, in his very patient and tactful way, led Don from point A to point Z in the process of arranging the lyrics.  

The musical part that coincides with "Run Run Mornin' Soon" was borrowed from my Ravi Shankar album days earlier.  Don heard that line, and made me move the stylus back to find it again (which was quite an art in those days ) and then had Alex learn the line.  I think the bass solo had been added two nights before the basic track was recorded, and Jerry couldn't cut it in the studio, so Ry learned it and then overdubbed his guitar part.  Gary Marker later remarked "I was pretty sure Ry played the bass on that, because he had a tendency to rush just slightly when playing bass."  

Anyway, once all the lyrics were put into place and the order was completely established ( a couple of hours of Perry's brilliant guidance) the lyrics where then typed by someone in the office, and the sheet handed to Don.  Note the spelling anomalies like "shadas" instead of "shadows" and "NDN" instead of "Indian."  That second one threw me when I was hand-copying it out.  But, when I asked, Don explained and told me it was easier for him to read it that way.  When I think about it, it's a miracle that the song turned out to be such a strong piece, as it was such a hodge-podge, nerve-wracking construction.  You've seen those backwards videos of glass shattering?  That's what it was like: a bunch of randomness that came together perfectly, but while watching it, you're thinking "what the hell is this?"  and suddenly, it comes together and makes sense.  Thanks for reading, and have a good day. J.F - DRUMBO

he added a note about bumping into fan Billy Bob Thornton! As you do . . . . . . . 

"Billy Bob sent me a photo.  He's on tour on the East Coast right now with The Boxmasters.  Just turned 66 a couple of days ago.  I wished him a Happy Birthday and got this in return.  I'm going to catch his show when he comes to Lancaster in September.  For years, I had heard what a fan he was of Trout Mask Replica, and had the honor of meeting him a few years' back in Mojave, where he was filming the movie "Faster."  We hit it off pretty well in his trailer.  Gail Zappa had arranged this meeting and brought Diva.  I brought my wife, Donna, and, and daughter, Jesse.  He was doing a driving scene, and when he drove up, he looked up and smiled.  I walked up the the car, and he said, "I just read your book, TWICE."  It was a pretty cool moment for me." John French

Now THAT'S  how to name drop! . . . . .