Simmons, Jeff
Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up
In 1968 in Seattle Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa was in the audience after his sound check, and was listening to Easy Chair, Jeff's group. Fascinated by his talent, he was signed for Straight Records. Both albums, 'Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up' and 'Naked Angels' were recorded in 1969. The 'Lucille' album was produced by by Chris Huston (Led Zeppelin II, Undertakers, Young Rascals) and Frank Zappa under the synonym "La Marr Bruister", who wrote the title track, played lead guitar on two tracks and co-wrote 'Wonderful Wino.' 'Lucille' contains 10 catchy tracks of heavy blues-rock and folk. Jeff is playing a hard-driven and groovy bass, piano, organ and accordion and singing in a style similar to that of Jack Bruce with Cream. Simmons presented a brace of strong, harmonically sophisticated songs that have some of the explosive, multi-hued impact of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. (Ben Watson, excerpted from Frank Zappa: "The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play")... "No one knows it... not even him... but someday that kid's gonna be a great R&B singer" (Frank Zappa). Jeff was in The Mothers Of Invention at the time of '200 Motels,' Jeff also played rhythm guitar on 'Waka/Jawaka' and clowns about with Frank and George Duke on 'Roxy & Elsewhere.' The music was carefully remastered to sound today as fresh as it was 40 years ago. 'Lucille' was rated in Mojo Magazine as the 2nd best release on Straight Records. Strange Things Art Magazine mentions it as "the closest in execution to contemporary Mothers", but Jeff's individual talent made this album to an all time masterpiece. Never has a musician in psychedelic rock'n'roll captured the essence of deep emotion and soul like the "sideman"!