The Mothers of Invention: Weasels Ripped My Flesh
As lame as this makes me sound, I don’t think I could name a Frank Zappa song to save my life. When I saw this cover I initially thought it was for Blink 182 or a similar band. But this lack of knowledge won’t spot me from talking about this iconic album cover and one of my favorite album titles ever.
Neon Park (real name Martin Muller) was working as a poster artist with the Family Dog, a San Francisco design group (I can’t find any info on these guys), when he got a call from Frank Zappa asking him to come down to Los Angeles. Zappa showed Park a cover of “Man’s Life” from 1956 with the feature article “Weasels ripped my flesh!”.
Zappa asked, “This is it. What can you do that’s worse than this?” to which Park created the parody of a shaving ad you see on the cover.
John Williams is also credited with “Photography & Art Direction” on the cover who seems to have worked on many of Frank’s other albums.
The cover almost didn’t see the light of day. Zappa butted heads with Warner Bros. over its suitability for release. “Evidently,” says Park, “there was quite a confrontation that occurred over this cover. It wasn’t up to their standards.” Even after Warner Bros. finally consented to use it, there were problems. “The printer was greatly offended,” says Park. “The girl who worked for him, his assistant, she wouldn’t touch the painting. She wouldn’t pick it up with her hands.”
Can you imagine how she would have responded to the Cannibal Corpse albums.
Zappa and Park, meanwhile were tickled silly by the brouhaha: “I was greatly amused by the cover, and so was Frank,” says Park. I mean, we giggled a lot.” Source
Alternate cover art was produced for the German release although this was done without the bands knowledge or consent. This cover was designed by Dieter Boé.
The album was re-issued with Burnt Weeny Sandwich (another album name I love) as a double album. The original covers were used for the inside booklet with new cover art showing a gun squirting toothpaste.
For a collectors you can get details on every version printed here.
I better download a few albums and brush up on my Zappa knowledge.
Chris Dixon:
I have seen a few images of Neon Park’s work, but I can’t remember where. He did some paintings of California, Summer, poolside lifestyle, but the bikini girls have ducks heads.
# 12 Oct 07 at 12:07 pm
Noam Sane:
Neon Park did most if not all of the Little Feat album covers.
# 03 Nov 07 at 3:52 am
Levi:
family dog was also a bar or restaurant that hosted shows. as far as a design group, I’m not too sure about that…
someone should do a feature on Park and his Little Feat covers! they’re hilarious!
# 11 Nov 07 at 8:27 am
dick bowser:
I’m not big into Zappa, but Weasels is a great jazz-freakout album. sort of crosses early Mothers wackiness with Zappa’s rare serious jazz side. Worth getting!
# 11 Nov 07 at 8:28 am
Joni:
Frank Z. has fun with his albums and album art. Anyone recall the stark cover for “Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch,” immortalizing that particular “droodle”?
# 11 Nov 07 at 11:25 am
Seb:
On a Zappa note, I strongly recommend you feature the cover art to “We’re only in it for the money”. A landmark album that parodied the crusty hippy age. The cover is a loving tribute to Srgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Band. George, Ringo and John loved it. Paul moaned, as usual.
# 20 Nov 07 at 9:18 am
Charles Vallee:
Coming late to this discussion, but the further link, other than Neon Park, between Little Feat and ‘Weasels Ripped My Flesh’ is that it was the only Mothers release that features Lowell George on guitar and strange noises.
# 16 Mar 08 at 12:31 pm
Jalali:
You guys should take a look at JamsBio.com
Great site by the way…
# 03 Apr 08 at 1:55 am
Nantucket Art:
A very disturbing image (but with a sense of humour). You know you’re in for an uncomfortable ride listening to this one.. I think it matched the music perfectly!
# 15 Apr 08 at 7:28 pm
juri:
Zappa art albom super humore. Zappa asked, “This is it. What can you do that’s worse than this?” to which Park created the parody of a shaving ad you see on the cover. Puppet art- humore Zappa.
# 03 Jul 08 at 1:12 pm
Steve McGee:
‘Neon Park (real name Martin Muller) was working as a poster artist with the Family Dog, a San Francisco design group (I can’t find any info on these guys.’
I believe the Family Dog was a ballroom which gave the name to a group of artists such as Stanley mouse, Alton Kelley and Rick Griffin. They were a ‘loose collective’ rather than a formal design studio so you may have to find information about them individually rather than as a group.
# 23 Jul 08 at 1:35 am
Freaknbob:
First I would like to say I love the site. I love FZ and the MOI. Weasels is one of my favorite album covers. Though Zappa has a few. Overnite sensation, uncle Meat, Mothers live at the Fillmore (which is brilliant for it`s lack of design)check the fine print cover artist Cal Schenkel says he made me do it, and Were only in it for the money. McCartney was actually the one that gave FZ permission to parody Sgt Pepper. Capitol did not like the idea which is why the cover is backwards. The multi faced picture is not the front it is in the gatefold. Overall a great send up. Family dog was a collective of freaks headed up by Chet Helms, I think he discovered Janis Joplin and introduced her to Big Brother. They started up the dance hall scene about the same time as Bill Graham. I think Graham had the first one. You could research Chet Helms.
As meantioned above Cal Schenkel did a lot of the Mothers covers and is an awesome cover designer.
# 05 Aug 08 at 2:32 pm