We're Only In It For The Money

I have to apologise to Frank Zappa but I simply don’t get this one, random non-musical noises and vocals throughout. I listened to this on a flight and there was a kid who shat himself screaming like he was being exorcised and I thought it was part of the album. (I wish this was a lie)

Frank Zappa is really sticking it to big Good Music on this one

It thinks of itself as satire, but it’s just a cynical asshole calling everyone else dumb because it thinks that no one else is as enlightened as them. Squares: dumb. Hippies: dumb. People who enjoy listening to music: dumb.

Aggressively juvenile. I guess once had to be there to get the joke. I wasn't, and I don't

Let me take a minute to tell you my friend…this was a super interesting album that I’ll probably never listen to again. 😂

???????? i much prefer zappa when he.... actually tries to play the guitar and make interesting music. like, this music is experimental and satirical, but to no end. maybe i don't get it? i feel like i do get it, but just don't like it. what a boring bit. satire has evolved so much past this point. this is irony-poisoned nonsense. there are moments where i chuckle, but it's not enough to hold up an album that just doesn't hit the mark.

The fuck is this shit? It's not making any kind of statement, so it doesn't even feel like an art piece. It's just a bunch of stupid unfunny skits and noises that they've released and called an album. It's like the secret track you find at the end of a normal album where they're just messing about with a personal in-joke or two, only, you know, doing that for the whole thing. This is utterly embarrassing and they should all be ashamed of themselves.

Maybe when this came out it was earth shattering and cool and trippy. Now it just sucks.

No

I mean for a Zappa album, this is better than many. You know the father of Dwezel and Moon Unit is gonna bring the weird and this one has it in spades. The odd conversational chatter really stood out to me. Overall, it's like art at a museum where you look at it and think Well I wouldn't want it in my house, but I'm glad it exists. Like that.

тоже немного психоделичное 60е ее whats the ugliest Party of your body

Don’t imagine they got much money for this.

I’m quite apprehensive about this album. Having heard only one Frank Zappa album before, I go into this with pretty low hopes. I actually went back to look at my last review for Joe’s Garage, and I’m surprised I rated it as highly as I did, because I thought I didn’t like it. I guess I was wrong and I just have a bad memory. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Absolutely Free I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that this album was absolutely awful. There is lots of noise that I wouldn’t really consider music, parts where music is played backwards instead, and generally just comes across as really annoying. The only times where I’d find myself saying, “Well, this song is decent at least,” was only because it came after something that made my ears bleed. Taken in isolation, even the better songs on this album are still pretty bad. Don’t listen to this album. Do something better with your time.

Really enjoyed this one. Having heard some of the best and worst of San Fran psychedelia over the course of doing this, it is refreshing to hear true weirdo music that wants to poke fun at the whole scene. Who Needs The Peace Corps, Let's Make the Water Turn Black and What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body are all highlights. The album is packed too - one of those great albums where nothing sticks around longer than absolutely necessary. Hot Rats did nothing for me, I enjoyed Freak Out, but this is a bone fide classic.

"We're Only in It for the Money" is the third studio album from The Mothers of Invention. It is a concept album satirizing left and right-wing politics especially the hippie subculture and The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Why not? The original album cover which is now the album cover but on the initial release was not the album cover parodies that Beatles album including the band dressed in drag. At times, this album is hilarious. As with all Frank Zappa albums that I've heard, there is a lot going on. Voices and noises from everywhere, multiple instruments, time signatures, spoken word songs, telephone conversations, etc. The music is classified as experimental, rock and psychedelic. Hard to classify Frank. This album was the first album in a project called No Commercial Project which included the next two Mothers' albums and a solo instrumental Zappa album. It is included in the National Recording Registry for its "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significance" and "a scathing satire on hippiedom and America's reaction to it." "Are You Hung Up" starts things off with various people talking including a stuttering Eric Clapton. This song rolls into "Who Needs the Peace Corps" which is a satire of the hippie culture. Very funny. Sort of pyschedelic Indian-sounding music. "Absolutely Free" begins with a piano and then goes into a waltz with a harpsichord and various sound effects. Another song criticizing hippies and the Summer of Love. Next is "Flower Punk" and it is just great. It parodies garage rock and is a carnival version of Hendrix's "Hey Joe." The distorted vocals are hilarious sounding like the lead singer was huffing helium throughout. On the second side is "Let's Make the Water Turn Black" probably the song I've heard most from this album. Frank sings like a teenager/kid and it's about two kids he grew up with: how they fart, pop pills, go in the army and make alcohol with raisins turning the water black. On "Lonely Little Girl" you finally hear a Zappa electric guitar. The music and vocals kind of go pyschedelic. Definitely 60's sounding. "The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny" ends things with a piano and various noises - musique concrète - recorded sounds modified through audio techniques into a song montage. A very Frank way to finish. This is one of those albums that if you like Frank you'll like it and if you don't you won't. The parody started wearing thin on multiple listened but was initially hilarious. There's always enough going on experimentally with Zappa's music to appreciate a lot.

Sophomoric, anti-hippy sound collage psych.

This album has way too much of what I don't like about Frank Zappa. On paper, he's on the money - brassy, irreverent, stylistically eclectic, freewheelingly creative, larger than life but weirdly relatable. In reality, this may be intended as sharp satire, but it's mostly a hodgepodge of ideas that are hard on the ears. The album lacks any musicality to temper its sharp edges, and the jokes don't land 50+ years later. This just isn't fun to listen to. It doesn't even sound like it was all that fun to make, although knowing what I know about Zappa, I'm sure he was endlessly entertained at least. On behalf of weird kids everywhere though, God bless Frank Zappa. The man was one of a kind. Fave Songs: Nasal Retentive Calliope Music, Mom & Dad, Are You Hung Up?, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?

Hi boys and girls I’m Jimmy Carl Black

Brilliant. Psychedelic whilst also being a damming critique of psychedelia. Musically so creative, lyrically brilliant. One of the best albums I’ve heard since starting this. Individual tracks are good but it’s the play through the whole thing that makes it great.

The lowest attention span of anything I've ever heard. Mostly sounded like British campfire songs mixed with noises they made with any random objects they could find around the studio

Just found this all a bit silly and irritating. Too jaunty!

Just too big brain and quirky for me. Seems like interesting jazzy music, but then it is nerds doing skits and songs they think are funny. It's not that clever.

This is art. It's my first Zappa project on this album generator, and it's cemented some thoughts and provoked others. The guy is indeed a musical genius. We're going beyond the traditional definition and more into the mixing and conceptualization of a record. The messages are strong and in-your-face, and they're built to make you question the society you're living in, the way the world works. It's the stuff I would've expected from the '80s, and for some reason I associate Frank with the decade, but this piece of work was making rebels way back in 1968. So yeah, who are the Beatles to you, and what does Hey Joe mean in the modernization of society? What a fucking trip, man. This was meant to be listened to on headphones or a well set up stereo sound system. It gets better with each listen, there's a lot to untangle. 4.2/5

We’re Only In It For The Money I looked back on what I wrote for Freak Out! And I think I feel largely the same about this, even if my patience for Frank Zappa has maybe worn a little thinner since then. I get the feeling he resented the hippies becoming a part of mainstream culture, not out of ideology, but because he wanted to be the popular outsider, so he just took the piss instead. On the one hand I like that idea of satirising hippies and ’straights’ pretensions and phoniness equally, but on the other his relentless cynicism is can be a bit tiring, particularly on the first side of this, where that joke is rather one note. That’s not to say it’s not funny in parts though, Who Needs The Peace Corps and Flower Punk are probably the most successful plays on the concept and there are some other great lines and amusing punchlines and images scattered throughout, and his dryly sardonic descriptions of violence I guess were kind of prescient for what happened in the rest of 1968 in the US. I also like the multiple ‘I’m Jimmy Carl Black, the Indian of the Group’ Musically I think it's a bit more interesting than what I can remember of Freak Out, although musical excellence isn’t the point obviously, particularly on the more skit like tracks. There are passable, deliberate approximations of Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Vaudeville and Acid Rock/Blues bands, and there are some nice musical passages and playing elsewhere; Concentration Moon’s bass and organ are pretty good, and Mom & Dad’s fuggish atmosphere is nicely delivered by the bass, organ and drums, The Idiot Bastard’s Son’s Doors-esque organ is very good and the riff on Lonely Little Girl is great. I suppose the question is what criteria to use to rate this. Of course on a pure musical level there isn’t a great deal of interest, so I guess it comes down to the tolerance/appeal of the surrealism, cynicism, contrariness and iconoclasm, and the ambition and intent to do something different and poke at things. Rather like Freak Out I do like that intention and that someone is out there doing this kind of stuff, and I think that appreciation just about outweighs some of the tiresome aspects. I gave Freak Out a 3 and I’ll give this the same. 🫰🫰🫰 Playlist submission: Who Needs the Peace Corps

I always feel like there is a superiority and low level cruelty to Zappa's satire that I can't get with. Although I quite like the warm fug sound of the album I think despite his reputation as rock music's SERIOUS COMPOSER there are real limitations to his way with a top line. He seems to have two approaches. One is the doowop/oldie tune pastiche and the other is a psychedelic melody structure that sounds pretty similar each time he uses it. I got pretty bored with it by the end of the album.

I can appreciate what they were trying to do, but I don't think it works. It's too juvenile to be satirical.

I get that this album is supposed to be modern satire, but honestly it sounds like a couple of kids from the 60s recording fart noises into an old tape machine.

Erm, I feel like I lack the cultural context to understand the importance of this album. Nothing in here particularly stuck with me such that I would listen to it again. 2/5

There are people who are obsessed by Zappa and proclaim him a genius. Whenever I listen to him I feel like I am on the outside of some elaborate joke that is impossible for me to find funny

The parts that were actually music were just ok, the rest was insufferable noise. Not at all for me

Frank is an acquired taste. This album was a little too odd for my liking

Wait, are we mad at the Peace Corp because they aren't real hippies??? And why do we have to poke fun at fat people, women and sad people over and over? I get it, its satire on the music and people of the time. But typically satire is making fun of a group to support the counter argument, but then he made fun of the other side leaving us with no side to believe in. For me this is truly one of the most frustrating kinds of points, people that are feel superior then you, believe they are so smart, deep and beyond anyone else so they mock them all but offer no real effort to make the world a better place. Then what the hell was the last song! There is some musicality here and the satire concept isn't bad or necessarily badly done. It is also kind of an sketch comedy type concept to an album which is sort of cool and different. I just really hate the actual lyrics and persona it is embodying. The hate for the lyrics and the overall smug meanness are too overwhelming to look past.

erm what the sigma

Oh! This was not the right pick to listen to in the middle of my manic episode. Are You Hung Up is creepy and unsettling. Who Needs the Peace Corps is insane, in the good way. Concentration Moon packs so much in 2 minutes it's nauseating. Mom & Dad is a tour de force. Telephone Conversation to What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body is a long terrifying blink you can't describe with words. Absolutely Free, how I love you. Flower Punk is beautiful but tiring.

chaotic, satirical, deliberately abrasive // feels like a prank pulled on the entire 1960s at once // razor-sharp cultural parody // collaged, fragmented, jumps between styles without warning // sounds like someone slicing up pop culture and taping it back together wrong on purpose // historically bold, gleefully disrespectful // deeply personal nostalgia factor for me as my mom had the cd and i loved staring at the cover. oh, and my immigrant grandmother played it for me constantly thinking it was children’s music, which is an objectively criminal misunderstanding but also subjectively formative; probably rewired my brain chemistry in early childhood, grateful for the accidental exposure. explains a lot about me now

Wow. This was his typically satirical (think Mad Magazine) take on hippies and conformist non-conformity. A bit smug, but also fun. There is also a surprising amount of musique concrete and is neither as pretentious or as difficult to listen to as it could have been. Instead, it seems playful, even beautiful. Maybe as I age and become curmudgeonly, I find that Zappa is an honest reintegration of my disillusioned and idealistic selves. Anyway, this album is a keeper. Not as crass and vulgar as Joe's Garage and good.

This was such an interesting album. It’s wild that it was made in the 60s, but the message was pretty relevant for today. Definitely will listen again.

Dadamusic. I miss so much Zappa

So, hey, this is fun. Just like with my review of FREAK OUT!, I was having a pretty hard time trying to think of what I even wanted to say about this album. I had the thoughts, the opinions... Everything. I just, y'know, didn't have the words, that's all. Truly, this is phase two of that review. Like, already I'm suspecting that this is gonna be a trend with Zappa albums — I mean, if my group gets HOT RATS and this happens again... Goodness. However, I was having trouble for different reasons than I did with FREAK OUT!. Kind of the exact opposite reasons, actually. See, with that album, I hadn't listened to it too much, and there was just a lot of ground to cover, both in terms of material and what it was satirizing. A whole hour of taking the piss out of American culture and popular music, all for the freaks of Laurel Canyon in the 1960's. I'm a bit out of my depth there. Meanwhile, with WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY, I'm actually **very** familiar with it. As far as I can tell, this was, like, maybe my second Zappa album ever? I remember buying it off of iTunes around the same time I also purchased THE BEST BAND YOU NEVER HEARD IN YOUR LIFE, long before I went out and got APOSTROPHE (') or YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE, VOL. 2 on CD. This album has been in my life for over a decade at this point, so I end up running into the same initial "I don't know how to verbalize my feelings for it" problem I've had with stuff like WISH YOU WERE HERE and MY AIM IS TRUE. Honestly, at this point in time, I can't even exactly recall **why** I got this album as early into my Zappa fandom as I did. I mean, well, I do have one guess... While, length-wise, this album has less material than FREAK OUT!, clocking in at under forty minutes, the subject matter... On the one hand, there's really not as much ground to cover? For the most part it boils down to "Not only are hippies stupid, but so are the cops who beat hippies." It's a real SOUTH PARK "both sides suck" kind of mentality. If it wasn't for how I swear I can hear some empathy for hippies behind all the satire (or at least the freaks and the more opened-minded among them) on songs like "Mom & Dad" and "Concentration Moon", it'd bother me just as much as SOUTH PARK can and has. "Hippies are stupid, and absolutely should be called out for their stupidity, but the system is even worse" or something. That, and that this album is such a time capsule of 1968... It's kind of hard to be too bothered by it in 2025, y'know? But that's not the part of it that's given me trouble writing. It's... Well, you've seen the album cover. You've seen the title. It's The Beatles and SGT. PEPPER'S. This album, famously or infamously, is in part Zappa's response to SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. It's an accusation that the group is insincere: extremely plastic and flat-out commercial. "Even if the album and music are OK, they're clearly just riding the psych rock and hippie train to make a buck." A lot of the intros I thought up for this review placed them and SGT. PEPPER'S at the forefront, describing either its release and the culture around it, or even just briefly relaying my relation to it, before transitioning over into this album. After all, I'm pretty certain that's largely the reason why I bought this album as early as I did: I love The Beatles and I accept the old guard's line about SGT. PEPPER'S, so why not dig into Zappa's little satire of both? Here's the thing, though: it's not. Beyond the packaging and its title, I don't really see this as a parody of The Beatles or SGT. PEPPER'S. At most, they're just a symbol for hippie culture and psychedelic rock. I mean, if anyone's the true target here, it's the people who become hippies mostly for ass and acid — the aesthetic more than anything else, as demonstrated on "Who Needs The Peace Corps?" and "Flower Punk". Being 100, I kind of had to excise The Beatles from my mind entirely while trying to review this album. I even removed a prelude line I originally had at the top ("This album is not about The Beatles") because it still fronted them too much. Besides, it was more a reminder for me than anything else. And I don't think excluding them made writing this review **that** easy, but... I mean, I was able to get even this far. That's not nothing. But let's get back on track. After some 800 words of preamble, what can I say I actually like about this album? Well, I think it's very sharp lyrically. Not a whole lot of what's actually said applies to me in 2025 (or maybe it doesn more than I'd like to think), but I still find them either pretty witty, or some very nice character sketches, or both. Like, for real, "Who Are The Peace Corps?" and "Flower Punk" do a really good job of describing fake-ass fake hippies. To that same effect, "Let's Make The Water Turn Black" is a vivid description of some real life people Zappa actually knew. Meanwhile, I find songs like "Mom & Dad" and "Lonely Little Girl" honestly kind of heartbreaking. That "They killed her, too" can be a real gut punch. Then you got the lighter material — I think "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" is just fun, and "Mother People" was my favorite song on the album for a long time for how catchy the lyrics in the chorus/refrain are. Although, speaking of that chorus, I think I should take some time here to address the censorship. Truthfully, they don't matter too much to me: there was a spoken word line about the Velvet Underground that was snipped, the original first chorus of "Mother People" was dropped, and its inclusion played backwards in "Hot Poop" still had a "fucking" removed... There's nothing I'm losing sleep over, and besides the original chorus of "Mother People" was included on the compilation of MOTHERMANIA, so whatever. I know for a fact it could have been worse. But if there's one instance of censorship where I think it does matter — and Zappa would no doubt hate me for this, 'coz I think it improves the song — it's "Harry, You're A Beast". There's a part that references a Lenny Bruce bit ("Don't come in, in me"), and the way random parts of it have been chopped up and reversed... Goodness, it adds this whole disorienting effect to the section, and I love it. The one time censorship made something better, go figure. Finally, let's get onto the one thing I usually care about when it comes to music: the music. Y'know, the melodies. And if there's anything that's kept me coming back to this album... Ironically — and this could just be nostalgia bias talking, but I think this album has some of my favorite psychedelic rock songs. "Concentration Moon", "Mom & Dad", "Absolutely Free", "Lonely Little Girl", "Mother People"... These are all fantastic songs. Particularly "Lonely Little Girl"; I really do wish the main part of it could have gone on longer, 'coz that's some sick-ass guitar. And, well, hey, "Let's Make The Water Turn Black" has such a nice patter melody to it that Zappa kept it around in live shows as an instrumental piece alongside "Harry, You're A Beast". Not even the experimental noise tracks bother me too much. You'd think they would; they **are** largely just noise for noise's sake, but... I'unno. I guess they're just not as long, nor as obnoxious in spots, as something like "The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet" was. (And I won't lie — understanding all of this in the context of "nightmare SGT. PEPPER'S" doesn't hurt.) Now, despite all of that, I still wouldn't call it my favorite Zappa album, or even my favorite the 60's. After all, CRUISING WITH RUBEN & THE JETS and HOT RATS still exist. It's not terribly often these days I'm in the mood for this 1968 skewering of 1968 for the people of 1968. It's not its fault stuff like APOSTROPHE (') aligns better with my tastes. But still, I've come back to it more often than FREAK OUT!, and generally speaking I'd still call it the strongest of Zappa's 60's satire. Y'know what, I'll give this album a 5. It nails what it's going for, it's satirical without feeling **too** far up its own ass, and, I'unno, the music is just good. This could be nostalgia bias again, but nah, it's legit. Way more legit than any "flower punk" was, at least. In conclusion... Well, to answer Eric Clapton's question at the top of the album: yeah, I guess I am hung up. Or, uh, not, if being one is a bad thing. I mean, is it? What does it mean to be "hung up," anyway? I— I'unno. Is the review over yet?

Satirizing mainstream counter-culture and those holding onto conservative values all while showcasing a massive skillset, the album is amazing. It is painting a picture of the sixties in vibrant soundscapes. I've heard something new on each listen. And the flow of the musical narrative keeps me listening from start to finish. I will need to revisit this one time and again.

Very interesting, it feels like they had all the ideas ever at one time, but there's some really interesting experimental noises for the time, I feel like they just told the engineer to go ham on some songs with the varispeed and the like. I think some parts are meant to be a parody of the Beatles, not sure if Frank Zappa liked or disliked them, but songs like what's the ugliest part of your body are (I think) an obvious John Lennon parody, like Lucy in the sky with diamonds type stuff. And there's some political stuff wound in which I know he was largely involved in. The drummer is nuts surely they were using a double kick drum or maybe they're just the fastest drummer ever. There's also loads of parodies of rock and roll culture like him pitching up his voice and saying 'I think I'll make a double LP'' or something. Not really any downsides, as I love creative stuff, some songs are a bit too weird, but they don't drag on like that CAN album did. Favourite songs: who needs the peace corps?, concentration moon, Mom & Dad, Harry you're a beast, what's the ugliest part of your body, absolutely free, lets make the water turn black, the idiot bastard son, lonely little girl, Mother people (loads of songs wow). Overall around 7/10

This album was so much fun to listen to and feels still relevant today.

Aged well imo — funny, with strong satire both musically and lyrically

Culturally significant, and I get it, but definitely was not in the mood for it and I agree with so much that Frank Zappa says, but man he seemed like an insufferable prick in so many situations.

Oh wow, another one that transports me right back to my rebellious teenage years. Loved this album. Always thought Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention to be the musical equivalent of Monthy Python's Flying Circus. What I appreciate about this 1001 Albums thing is the opportunity to reconnect or discover. My grandson (16) who got me into this bought their album as a result of it some months ago.

Extremely Zappa. Obviously this is a highly eccentric, satirical, and hilariously deadpan album that mocks and criticizes the hippie culture of the late 60s perpetuated by bands like the Beatles. It’s not really my thing necessarily, but it’s pretty cool. There are some incredible psychedelic moments on this album, and I appreciate how the whole thing blends together very seamlessly. Everything is extremely wonky and off kilter, and it gives the album a distinct and unique sound that you just have to hear. I don’t think I would revisit individual songs, but I would play out the whole experience again.

Not as smart as it thinks it is

Honestly this shit was mid

i find frank zappa's musical vision compelling enough that i regularly get re-obsessed with his music and check out a few new live records i havent heard yet, the mothers were one of his best bands (not his best tho...ull have to hit up the roxy/one size fits all era for that), and this represents a lot of his best and most memorable material in his Filtering 50s And 60s Pop Melodies Thru His Avant-Garde Stravinsky-Obsessed Hyper-Ironic lens. but its so, so hard to tolerate man...frank here shows a complete and utter unwillingness to do any material analysis of why hippies existed (multiple references and a full song about how their parents failed them, but nothing about vietnam???), and his most cogent criticism is reduced to a sexual assault joke with cartoon voices. the parody angle is frequently musically amusing, because any type of art that asks for a certain amount of buy-in can be easily detached from and made to look silly, and that is just not a style of pastiche that interests me at all anymore (unless you, say, genuinely like 70s art rock as much as ween does on the mollusk). this creates the impression that frank's problem with hippies is just that he finds them annoying and silly, which is fine as an opinion ig but rly weak for supposedly genius satire. a real criticism of hippies might be, for example, that they idolized the abstract ideal of freedom but were still mostly imperial white people whos idea of freedom was often self-centered rather then having any understanding of the shape of global power...but if zappa criticized that, the hypocrisy might be a bit too obvious!

This is genuinely one of the worst albums I've ever listened to. It's a pretentious type of modern-impressionism reminiscent of the Dada movement. But the thing is you can't be pretentious and bad. It's just objectively bad. What sucks the most is that the band really seemed like they had a message, but dropped the ball on every song. I felt nothing but annoyance listening to this album, even as I related to the lyrics. All I could think about was how I could be listening to better artists who said it better. No favorite song.

A question for the 1,001 Albums committee: why do you hate me?

Feels like someone just discovered sound fx, or a racoon got loose in the recording studio.

Apology for missing the point, that this is satirical and experimental. But it’s just the run out groove turned into a whole album. I Get from reading the background that this is a supposed satire on what was happening at the time. But it just sounds aloof, that they think they are clever, as no one else is as aware and informed as them, but was the joke to take the piss out of anything resembling musical talent by showing none? (They may be talented but to my simple ears I can’t tell from this). Probably would have worked as a sketch on a comedy programme better, because for me as an album it’s awful and just plain shit. Can they actually write songs? Humorous?? lyrics and sound collage to the most basic of song structure that seems to have been knocked up on the spot, damn this is straining the idea of must hear music for me, I want the time back… next.

Een soort satirisch album. Satire werkt een stuk beter als het actueel is. Dit is uit 1968. Afgeven op hippies is al meer dan een halve eeuw niet meer relevant. Wat blijft er dan over? Niet zo heel veel. Schijtlollig puberaal geëmmer over platjes met afwisselend flarden van muziek en een soort anti-muziek. Heliumstemmetjes, willekeurige overgangen, gekraak en gepiep. Hihi hoho kijk naar mij ik ben zo lekker random. Eén van onze liedjes heet 'Hot Poop' hihi hoho. Dan ga ik grappig lullen over de producer terwijl ik stiekem zelf de producer ben hihi hoho raap me op. Er is een kans dat dit stiekem geniaal is, als je er een soort studie bij pakt inclusief bronvermeldingen en referenties, maar daar hebben we nu even geen tijd voor. Ik ben hier echt veel te zuur voor. Tussen de 1 en 2 sterren. Hou het maar op 1.

Man Zappa sure showed those hippies! Unlistenable and unpleasant boomer shite masquerading as lame satire that was apparently cutting-edge and biting 50 years ago.

The Mothers of Invention’s We're Only In It For The Money is such a wack show. Its like the JPEGMAFIA of the 60’s, except Peggy makes good music. This is just so unbelievably cluttered. If thats what they were going for, kudos I guess, but it was a horrible listening experience, as I didn’t get anything out of it, and the every other 30 second interlude was just stupid. All in all, We're Only In It For The Money is a horrible. Best Song: Flower Punk Worst Song: Nasal Retentive Calliope Music

Juvenile crap

Uhm, if this is a joke, I don't get it. If it's music, I don't get it either.

Okay this was just actual noise.

So what if my asshole brother revered Frank Zappa, holding his every creation as the pinnacle of music deemed to be good and worthwhile? So what? I fucking hate this shit and I'm way cooler than you, bro.

“I'm completely stoned / I'm hippy and I'm trippy / I'm a gypsy on my own / I'll stay a week and get the crabs and Take a bus back home.” That’s all I can say. It’s like Zappa was attempting to take the most drug fueled parts of the Beatles and wash it down with a speed ball and a bottle of French Absinthe. Van Gogh wasn’t making an artistic statement when chopped of his own ear, he was listening to this album. Pass…

Albums like these are why people hate shit like this or why people give up.

What on God's green earth am I listening to? This is horrible and nonsensical and artistically worthless in my view. It's like a bunch of strung-out ferrets invaded a recording studio and proceeded to muck around with unknown gadgets to make random noise. (Apologies to ferrets, as this is not intended to offend you.) What a waste of my time. Why is this drivel a part of a list like this?

Even as a joke album, We're Only In It For The Money is a pile of hot, steaming garbage. Meandering and obnoxious, the music of the album seems to require the listener to be actively tripping on LSD or Shrooms to understand a single thing that's going on, and I simply have not fried enough of my brain cells to consider these toilet sounds 'music'

This music is art with a purpose. Such a well crafted piece of social commentary that sounded ahead of its time. 5/5

## Overview *We're Only In It For The Money* stands as Frank Zappa's most pointed satirical statement and arguably The Mothers Of Invention's masterpiece of 1960s cultural commentary. Released at the height of the Summer of Love, the album was a deliberate counter-punch to the prevailing hippie ethos, packaged as a parody of The Beatles' *Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band*—complete with a thunderstorm-drenched photo shoot that cost Zappa $4,000 (approximately $33,700 today) to create as a "direct negative" of The Beatles' iconic cover . --- ## Lyrics & Themes ### Satirical Targets Zappa's lyrics operate as weapons of mass deconstruction, targeting: **The Hippie Movement:** Songs like "Who Needs The Peace Corps?" and "Flower Punk" eviscerate the counterculture with surgical precision. "Flower Punk" reworks the garage rock standard "Hey Joe" to depict a naive youth heading to San Francisco to "join a psychedelic rock band," mocking the commodification of rebellion . Zappa later explained his stance: "Hippies were pretty stupid... anybody who impugns the process, whether it's a peace march or love beads or whatever it is—that person is the enemy" . **Political Hypocrisy:** The album refuses easy partisan alignment. Zappa portrays both left-wing and right-wing politics as "prisoners of the same narrow-minded, superficial phoniness" . "Concentration Moon"—featuring the famous whispered threat from engineer Gary Kellgren about erasing all of Zappa's masters—evokes concentration camps lurking beneath American suburban normalcy . **Suburban Conformity:** "Mom & Dad" tells the story of parents who "killed her too" after their daughter runs away, while "Bow Tie Daddy" depicts an alcoholic Lincoln-driving patriarch in denial. These tracks explore the generational warfare and parental cluelessness that fueled youth rebellion. **Sexual Repression & Liberation:** "Harry, You're A Beast"—quoting Lenny Bruce's routine "To Is A Preposition, Come Is A Verb"—features backward-masked lyrics ("Don't come in me") and attacks American womanhood as "phony on top... phony underneath" . Meanwhile, "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" envisions a future where "you won't even be ashamed if you are fat"—remarkably prescient of modern body positivity movements . **The "Other People":** "Mother People" serves as the album's manifesto: "We are the other people / You're the other people too." Zappa positions himself as spokesman for "the freaks—imaginative outsiders who didn't fit comfortably into any group" . --- ## Music & Composition ### Structural Complexity The album showcases Zappa's sophisticated musical architecture beneath its satirical surface: - **Modal Complexity:** Tracks employ multiple modal scales simultaneously. "Who Needs The Peace Corps?" shifts between C Mixolydian, C Lydian, F# minor/Dorian, A Mixolydian, and F Lydian within a single song . - **Rhythmic Innovation:** "What's The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?" features abrupt meter changes including 7/8 time signatures and tempo shifts that destabilize the listener . "Flower Punk" uses complex patterns of "4 bars of a fast 5 (2–3), followed by 4 bars of 7 (2–2–3)" . - **Collage Technique:** The album pioneered musique concrète approaches in rock—songs are abbreviated, interrupted by dialogue segments, orchestral fragments (lifted from Zappa's *Lumpy Gravy*), and sonic non-sequiturs that deliberately fracture continuity . ### Production Techniques Zappa employed experimental recording methods including tape manipulation. Several tracks were sped up by a minor third for the original release—"Lonely Little Girl" and "Mother People" among them—creating an unnatural, slightly frantic quality . The 1984 remix (which replaced original bass and drum parts with new recordings by Arthur Barrow and Chad Wackerman) proved controversial, leading Zappa to restore the 1968 original for subsequent CD releases . --- ## Production & Sound The album's sonic landscape is intentionally jarring: - **The "SNORKS":** Dick Barber's mysterious "snorks" (nasal vocalizations) appear throughout, adding absurdist texture - **Cameo Appearances:** Eric Clapton provides spoken word interruptions ("Are you hung up?"), while Jimi Hendrix participated in the cover photo shoot and gifted Zappa one of his burnt Stratocasters - **Orchestral Interludes:** Segments conducted by Sid Sharp provide unexpected moments of quasi-classical beauty amid the chaos --- ## Cultural Impact & Influence ### Immediate Reception The album was revolutionary for its willingness to attack the counterculture from within. While peers like The Velvet Underground were celebrated for embracing underground aesthetics, Zappa dared to suggest the entire movement was "really stupid" . This earned him significant criticism—hippies, as Zappa noted, "always take themselves too seriously" . ### Censorship Controversy MGM Records censored multiple tracks without Zappa's knowledge or permission: - "Absolutely Free": The line "I don't do publicity balling for you anymore" had "balling" removed, altering the meaning entirely - "Let's Make The Water Turn Black": The reference to "Mama, with her apron and her pad" was cut because an executive mistook "pad" for a sanitary napkin rather than a waitress's order pad - "Concentration Moon": Gary Kellgren's dialogue was re-edited to falsely suggest he called The Velvet Underground "Frank Zappa's group" Upon learning of these alterations, Zappa declined a Grammy award for the album, stating: "I prefer that the award be presented to the guy who modified this record, because what you're hearing is more reflective of his work than mine" . ### Legacy The album established Zappa as rock's premier musical satirist and influenced generations of artists willing to critique their own scenes—paving the way for punk's self-examination and alternative comedy's meta-humor. Its collage techniques prefigured sampling culture, while its political cynicism resonated through subsequent decades of cultural commentary. --- ## Pros & Cons ### **Pros** | Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | **Uncompromising Satire** | Fearless critique of 1960s sacred cows; refuses to pander to either left or right | | **Musical Sophistication** | Complex harmonies, modal shifts, and rhythmic innovation beneath the comedy | | **Production Innovation** | Pioneering use of collage, musique concrète, and tape manipulation in rock | | **Conceptual Cohesion** | Unified vision from cover art to final track; "Phase One of Lumpy Gravy" continuity | | **Timeless Relevance** | Predicted body positivity debates, political polarization, and performative activism | | **Historical Documentation** | Captures the tension between genuine counterculture and its commercialized imitation | ### **Cons** | Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | **Accessibility** | Deliberately abrasive; the collage structure frustrates listeners seeking traditional songs | | **Cynicism Overload** | No relief from satire—every moment is ironic, which can exhaust some listeners | | **Dated References** | Specific 1960s cultural targets (Peace Corps, "Hey Joe," particular political figures) require historical context | | **Censorship Damage** | Original artistic vision compromised by MGM's edits (partially corrected in later releases) | | **Deliberately "Ugly" Sound** | Tape speed manipulation and abrasive textures are intentional but off-putting | | **Misinterpretation Risk** | Zappa's attacks on hippies were often mistaken for conservative alignment rather than anarchic individualism | --- ## Final Assessment *We're Only In It For The Money* remains one of rock's most audacious achievements—a concept album that critiques the very concept of concept albums, a countercultural document that attacks the counterculture, and a musically sophisticated work disguised as chaotic satire. It captures Frank Zappa at his most focused and ferocious, using The Mothers Of Invention as his instrument for cultural surgery. The album's greatest strength is its refusal to offer comfort. Unlike *Sgt. Pepper*, which invited listeners into a colorful fantasy, Zappa's parody drags listeners through a thunderstorm of uncomfortable truths about conformity, commercialization, and human phoniness. It's not always pleasant listening, but it's essential—an uncompromising document from an artist who understood that sometimes the most revolutionary act is telling revolutionaries they're full of shit.

One of Zappa’s sharpest albums lyrically, delivering a scathing, satirical indictment of the hippie movement centred in Haight-Ashbury. In typical Zappa fashion, it’s highly experimental, filled with odd time signatures, strange sound bites, and unusual instrumentation. There’s still enough conventional melody, however, to keep it from becoming too jarring. “What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body?” is the standout for me, and I love the line “Some say your nose, some say your toes, I think it’s your mind”.

This is a classic underground 60’s album that requires an understanding of that decade to appreciate. Yes: something is being asked of you here. And it’s worth it, because the decade was the starting point for any music you listen to today and the touchstone for your modern politics as well. The album is experimental but enjoyable. So it’s not experimental in the “Revolution #9” kind of way but in the… well, in the “We’re Only in it for the Money” kind of way, because truly there’s nothing else like this out there. The parody and the critique (sometimes blistering) cuts in all directions. As it turns out, there are a lot of ways to be phony - whether part of the older or younger generation. Most directly, Zappa is addressing what he sees around him in California circa the Summer of Love in 1967. Also: I love the Beatles. Zappa’s critique of the Hippie In Name Only culture, as well as the conservative anti-hippie culture, in no way disuades me from loving the Beatles and recognizing their tremendous achievements as well. Not even sure anything besides the cover parodies them here. Such a deserving 5/5 but I also get why your modern ears may ask “whaaaat?” Just let that be with curiosity instead of dismissive criticism.

This album deserves to be on this list! I feel like I am often saying the opposite, so I want to lead with that thought. Not only are TMOI at the top of their innovative game musically, they offer some of the most unique criticism of their times. 99.9% of the artists at the time are taking their shots at the establishment, at abuse of power, hypocrisy by government, older folks, etc., but with rare voice, TMOI offer criticism of their peers that is witty and accurate. The music has a satirical whimsey, that makes the point without sacrificing innovation and aesthetic punch. Fabulous album and experience!

The best of the Mothers albums and one of the best Zappa albums. This album parodies everything and that's part of the fun

10/10 would weird again!

A bit of counter-cultural ribaldry, we could use something like this today.

Elvis' best

This rocks. To start I'll say I agree with this album philosophically, I think that there's entirely too much commercialism, phonies, and aesthetic signifiers in the hippie movement. There are two types of weird, the type that's cute and fun and makes you unique. I'm weird I like funky music and where funky clothes and say funny things. Then theres the weird that Zappa represents, keeping bugs as pets, using crystals instead of deodorant, spending a week in a cave in the woods subsisting on LSD and Cheetos. The type of weird that makes you unattractive, an actual outcast. The Beatles don't represent bringing psychadelic weirdness to the mainstream. They represent bringing normies to the weird spaces, and when normies enter weird spaces they feel the need to normalize and rationalize it. To this Zappa says no. This music is weird, it's complicated and won't fall into neat repeating loops like you want it to. You can't sing along. You try to capture the music, describe it, wrap your head around it, and it fights you. Anyways, musically this is awesome. You have to view it as a patchwork of sounds, melodies and bights, because as soon as you hear something you like it could be gone. I have a soft spot for music like that. This album gives you a lot of that "What am I hearing" feeling. It's awesome I listened to it multiple times. The mothers of Invention are great on the instrumentals Zappa asks a lot of them and they deliver.

Zappa is the best

Super

Great stuff.

zappa zoals ik hem graag heb : sneren uitdelen naar links, rechts en midden...zonder respect voor heilige en minder heilige huisjes... top plaat

Super strange, weird, funky. Loved it. Zappa is the man

Frank Zappa is a complex figure. Growing up he was important to. As I got older I realized that a lot of his takes are that of an asshole. That being said, his creativity and ability is undeniable. I love this record. It sounds more like the angry observations of a misfit than whatever he became later. The hippie generation is a bit of a sacred cow for rockers. It amazes me that he had the audacity to make fun while it was happening. Also, this record is thoroughly engaging, from the melodies, to the noises, the weird voices and production. What more do you want honestly?

My personal top #1 of the 1001 list

Album 963 of 1089 The Mothers Of Invention - We're Only In It For The Money (1968) Rating : 4.5 / 5 I’ve long enjoyed this one. The silliness Zappa brings here is perfectly fine by me - in fact, it’s part of what first drew me to him. I enjoy his more “serious” musical ventures just as much, but this album showcases the early Zappa I got to know: sharp, sarcastic, goofy, but still backed by real musical vision and a band full of top-tier players who are clearly in on the joke. Standouts for me have always been “Let’s Make the Water Turn Black” and “Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance” - the latter honestly deserves a spot on everybody’s playlist. Beneath all the humor and chaos, there’s real craft here: tight arrangements, clever transitions, and that unmistakable Zappa touch that mixes parody with genuine talent. My opinion of this album definitely differs from many - some folks dismiss it as too bizarre, too snarky, too “out there.” But that’s what makes music great. There’s something for everyone, and for me, this particular brand of Zappa weirdness just hits the spot. A fun, inventive, and flat-out entertaining album that still holds up.

also only in it for the $

I dunno why people hate this album so much, I liked it a lot.

freaky and great.

Hot shit, that's good!

Yes!!!!!!! I'm 112 albums into this experience, and for the first time I'm listening to a truly great record that I've never heard before! I had a friend try to turn me on to Zappa years ago, but I must not have been ready for it. So glad I got this one yesterday. The mix of competent musicianship (ignore the bad reviews on this score; they don't have a clue) and broad, eclectic humor reminds me of Ween and NoFX. The sound collage stuff reminds me of Olivia Tremor Control and the Microphones. The scattershot, mini-movie feel to the sequencing feels like a precursor to the best moments in experimental rock to come, from Tom Waits to Radiohead to Black Midi. Happily giving this 5 stars, and looking forward to listening to it again and again!

What a pleasure to listen to. That was so much fun. The music was great, the lyrics we're silly. I thought it was amazing! It's been a while now since I've been able to award my coveted 5 stars but they've earned it!

I can't explain it, but I love this. It's like it scratches my brain in the best way.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G It was an experience. Frank Zappa was a genius of its time. Clever, funny, political, irreverend, random, and fresh. Fav lyrics: What's the ugliest part of your body Fav music: Flower punk Fav song overall: Take your clothes off when you dance

Man, Ariel Pink has seriously cramped on Frank Zappa's swag this whole time, hasn't he? Anyway, I'd only really been familiar with Zappa's work scoring the theme song for "Duckman" before this. Figures that such an eccentric personality would jump at the chance to score a show like Duckman. Needless to say, I loved this.

- .... 5 stars just for the title "The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny" ..... Sorry, folks; it's art existing in a commercial world. Sometimes, creativity hurts at first .... -

I didn’t have to listen to this again to give it five stars because it’s one of my favourite albums. But I listened again anyway… because it’s one of my favourite albums! Capturing a very sixties sound, yet utterly cynical about the sixties (“Flower Power sucks!”). Cynical and sarcastic yet with some of zappas most direct political and social points that feel quite emotional (“ All your children are poor unfortunate victims of lies you believe”). Full of ideas, crazy, funny and some times beautiful music. And with the themes of American Authoritarianism that wind through the album it kind of feels more relevant than ever!

Hreat

Masterpiece!

4.5

I was surprised to see this album here. Loved it for many years. Classic Zappa. I’d be curious to read what first time listeners in 2025 would make of it. Well ahead of its time. A constantly evolving and interesting anthropological journey into 60’s America.

Zappa at his best in the 1960s - it's a hilarious comedy and parody of the hippy movement and the music scene. I haven't listened to it for years and I forgot how great this album is. But it's not just the comedy, it's also the pioneer editing and production that makes it a great album. A close 5 star album.

I think I might be one of the only people that really enjoys the Mothers Of Invention albums 😬

Zappa's answer to the hippie movement. Irreverent, childish, innovative, boundary pushing at times.