Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Well. That was certainly an interesting listen. I went into this album with a worry, but also a bit of hope. I had heard people call this album nonsense, which made me fear another Throbbing Gristle or Liars situation. However, Frank Zappa is a fairly iconic and respected figure. I mean, he has a Guilty Gear character named after him! There has to be something special about this guy, right? Well, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by this album. Sure, there are definitely some noisy and unpleasant parts of this album. However, in comparison to some of the 1/5s that I've given, I respect this album and the vision behind it. There's an overarching theme and points to be made. Do I agree with all of them? Not fully, but I can see what these guys were trying to say. I mean, "your mind is the ugliest part of your body,"? I get it. I also didn't hate the sound all of the time. There are some songs on here that, while certainly weird, were enjoyable to listen to. The chaos does lean towards something like The Residents at some points, but at other times it feels more controlled like System of a Down (my favorite band). Overall, while it has its problems, I would say that listening to this album was an overall positive experience that I don't regret. I can see why this is on here! 3/5.
Interesting. Can't say I've heard anything just like this. Not a four star though.
Was at least very short.
Classic
What a trippy wild album. This felt like something Tim and Eric would make if they were around back then. Dug it.
I think Frank Zappa was rather over-rated. And this album exemplifies this. While it may have been able to stir the pot on release, I don't think it has lasted well in the decades since its release.
Weird
I don't hate this, and i thought i would. And i think i would have been really into it at the time. If it was now the late 60s, it'd be a 5 star. Now though we're 60 years down the road. It's still a nice solid 3 though, for the social commentary and the interesting way it's said.
Had some decent parts but overall kinda weird
Either you like Zappa or you don’t- I do
Such a strange album, from one of the fathers of strange Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention. But it's not so strange that it's bad. As a parody or satire of Sgt Pepper, it's pretty good. Put the albums side by side or back to back - and watch how this one ebbs and flows, even abruptly twists and turns. Sgt Pepper is not that different. It's just that Zappa goes with irreverent lyrics and themes. But when he/they really go after hippie culture or either side of the political spectrum, it is quite clever and enjoyable. Case in point Who Needs the Peace Corps (pretty good beat and oh the lyrics - "I will love everyone, I will love the police as they kick the s%*t out of me ... I will go to a house where there is a rock and roll band because the groups all live together ... and I will stay there with them and I will get the crabs but I won't care."), Absolutely Free (satire at its finest, just listen), Flower Punk (a direct takedown), The Idiot Bastard Son (yikes, but listen close). There's also some songs or song combos that have such weird musical twists and turns or themes but it just works - Concentration Moon, Telephone Conversation to Bow Tie Daddy (there's supposed to be a link there right?), Harry You're a Beast to What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (the first one doing more experimental splicing like the Beatles whereas the second one is the most melodic on the album...at least the first half), Lonely Little Girl to Take Your Clothes Off and Dance (both catchy and off-kilter in their own way, seem to fit together). I've written a lot, because there are things to pay attention to and to love about this album. Don't just cast it aside as too strange. But still, it remains rather strange and when you're not listening so intently, it can be off-putting. I think that's what kept me from a 4.
Pretty bizarre. Seems like parody of the 60s music at the time, kinda scathing. Not great to listen to though, which I guess is kind of the point? 2.7.
This has a “I’m being hypnotized into being a 60s cult member“ vibe. That said it’s pleasant just scattered? 3/5
Some super weird shit 2.5
i have this record and i like to hold it and stroke it and look at all the silly faces if you play it from start to finish and let the big silly thing just wash over you its actually one of the better zappa records; one of the few cohesive ones in a catalogue of about 70, but it is not a p o s t r o p h e (') ding ding dingding ding di di ding ding
I like weird; this was interesting and I didn’t hate it, but I also think I probably won’t listen through again.
Creative vision from Zappa, catchy yet satirical. I can't say I love the sound but its cultural significance and execution is strong
many a true word --
kinda cool and yet not my fave
Heel raar album..? wel prima
Sjove tekster, men umiddelbart tror jeg at jeg misser en masse musikalske og lyriske referencer, fordi jeg ikke rigtigt kender Sgt. Pepper's... 🤷♂️
Pretty cool, but not something I’d go back to for fun. I get it and really appreciate being introduced to their stuff for sure.
Herrajumala, minähän jaksan kuunnella tätä - ja erityisesti sanoituksia!? Hipit ovat tämänkin päivän näkökulmasta huvittava maalitaulu, tai ainakin lapsellisena ihmisenä minua naurattaa, ja LP on musiikillisesti huomattavan hillitty - tai ainakin ironisissa keskiaikaisuuksissaan ja näppäryyksissään riittävän utilitaristinen. Poikkeuksellisesti olen siis valmis arvioimaan tätä enemmänkin komediana: 3.
Mais t'es un vrai déglingo Frank Zappa ma parole. Ma parole.
A bit too experimental
obviously it was experimental and satirical - the creativity is up there, but the cohesiveness of the project is lacking.
This is from a little before my time and a light year away in my cosmos. Even though I had heard of The Mothers and Frank Zappa as eclectic musical freaks, I have to confess it was only in the context of Dweezil and Moon Zappa and of Terry Bozio as the drummer for Missing Persons. I imagined, or I got the impression, that The Mothers were more high brow jazz/prog, but listening to this record I don't know where to begin contextualizing them, other that being convoluted in a counter-counter-culture conundrum of absurdity. I would hardly call this high minded prog rock, rather a series of skits on satirical social commentary. It doesn't make me want to tap my toes and strum a guitar, rather I feel I need to go punch a hippie.
Frank Zappa is an artist who I like more when I’m not listening to him. I like the idea of Frank Zappa. I like the idea of non-conformist, complex, satirical music and a lifetime of work dedicated to it. I like his willingness to be political and silly and impenetrable. Yet, I never really enjoy listening to his music very much. Now having said that, I like a lot of the sounds and music on this album, and I don’t mind noise or disparate elements in music. A lot of the lyrics are interesting and funny. Yet the album feels entirely like a parody, mocking psychedelic rock, and I’m left wondering, is there any joy in the music itself? Or is joy only present in the lampooning of this music? If the latter, I find it difficult to enjoy the album as anything more than a joke.
This is by far the most talented weirdness I’ve ever heard. I’m not even sure where to start with this. This seems like it could be the soundtrack to a life in the day of Hunter S Thompson. It’s just that freaking weird.
Not as good as Ruben & the Jets.
Weird as fuck
Funny little album. Zappa went on to make better things
Frank Zappa and co rebutting Sergeant Pepper, hey? Interesting, had occasionally unpleasant mixes of sounds. Hot Poop was appropriately named. Glad I've heard it once, the mockery of 60s sensibilities was fine but didn't leave me with much to connect with.
Weird and chaotic with lyrics that mock the hippy movement, as well as the police and The Beatles. Underneath it the arrangements are quite interesting. That Frank Zappa could generate 3 albums worth of these 2 minutes songs shows he's got a lot to say. Not for me, but a brave release for 1968.
We just received Zappa's debut Freak Out the other day, so yet another early Zappa record that has the same satirical, parody, nursery rhyme type of singing seems to be too much and too soon, and this is from a self-professed Zappa fanboy too. As I mentioned in my review of Freak Out, I think there are far better albums in his repertoire that could have been chosen for this list since there are many others that showcase his guitar playing and song-writing brilliance much better and this satire shit gets old fast. This gets a bump to three stars, only because he has so many other better albums that weren't on this list.
musical acid rock.
Cool album, really dig the psychedelic sound, but I'm not on nearly enough acid to fully enjoy it.
I really want to appreciate Zappa's music because I appreciate him as a person and his decades long effort fighting censorship. I did enjoy Hot Rats given to me earlier by the generator. This is a tougher sell. Maybe in 1968 it hit pretty hard and I would have been entertained and amused. At this distance in time, though, it is just kind of boring. It's not trash, though, and possibly does have a place on this list. Best songs: Absolutely Free and Mother People.
occasionally some music broke out and it was acceptable. the rest of it reminded me of SHACKs internal monologue.
Satirical genius with some laugh out loud moments but maybe not that many catchy song hooks. In reading about this album, I found it interesting to learn of Zappa’s social circles (i.e. Lenny Bruce, Hendrix) and the contemporaries he despised (i.e. The Beatles, Velvet Underground) around the time this album was recorded/released. That album cover parody deserves a bonus star.
I really liked the words
So weird
This was.... strange... I really looked forward to this one when I saw it on the list, as I absolutely love Frank Zappa's solo work. Somehow, I'm extremely hard pressed to even call most of this album music. The short and scattered parts that were music, mostly sounded great. But I'm not even sure what the rest was. I considered work such as the entirety of Joe's Garage an absolute masterpiece, including all of the weird sounds, voice-overs, etc. But this was just too much, unfortunately. Or too little. Or too ??? Who knows, really.
Absolutely insane and then more so when you contextualize it for the time
Zappa sure is a weirdo and I'm glad weirdos exist and are represented on this list. I'm also glad someone is dunking on all the hippies because someone needed to do it. But I don't need to hear it more than once.
There's some interesting material on this album. It's satire at its base, though, which is regrettable. Satire can be art in its own right, but sometimes it has its head too far up its own ass, too focused on taking the piss out of something else to bring anything of substance itself. This album walks that fine line. There are moments of brilliance, musically and humoristically. But for all the fleeting moments that sound like the work of inspired musicians, far too much of this sounds like a bunch of edgy, jaded teens were given recording equipment. Zappa was clearly a visionary but his vision is through a worldview that I don't subscribe to. Still, a fun listen, just not one that I'll be rushing back to.
I’m quite the Zappa fan. And I really like the sarcasm and the fact that this album was in part a response to him particularly not liking one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time. But as I’ve listened to this many times through the years some of the initial shock value has slowly worn off. Had this been my first ride, I would probably raise my score a bit.
One of those albums where id like to see why it was on here. Seems almost beetlsey?
Very strange, and I don't really typically like these kids of albums, but I was strangely entertained. Not enough to listen again, but still, it was....fine. Kind of liked "Let's Make the Water Turn Black".
Saw Frank Zappa, rolled my eyes, but started listening anyway. And, actually, while this is not really music I would listen to again, from a lyrics standpoint, this has been quite amusing and witty. I'm pleasantly surprised. Well done! 3/5
This hits differently when staring at a white ceiling with a changing pattern.
This is quite clever- ever changing, comical, nonsensical and satirically making points about the current state of US society in the 60s. You can pick melodies and references fleetingly before it changes to something completely different. FlowerPunk is an example- funny and poking fun at the Hippy culture. But all this of course makes it dated and just an intellectual exercise- not enjoyable in a musical way.
Rock psicodélico
Has some of its moment, but much like "Ruben and the Jets", it suffers from the quirks of the Zappa-sound.
Frank Zappa has always had a sense of humor about him. The original US cover doesn't make it clear, but based on the European cover you can tell it's a larp on the Beatles. Specifically, the commercialization of hippie culture, as perpetuated by the Beatles. It's an incredibly sarcastic record that clearly wants to make you laugh. They also want to make a point, but it's mostly for a laugh. Not only that, but the Mothers of Invention are actually quite a talented band. Their ability to hone in on psychedelic rock and play as a unit is impressive, particularly on Absolutely Free. The lacking parts of this record happen to be rooted in their cynicism, as they never take any part of the album too seriously before leaning heavy into a satirical joke. Any effort towards sincere artistic expression is brick-walled by making fun of hippies. Aged like milk, I'm afraid. Despite this, I think this is probably the best that a satirical record could be. We are lucky to see Frank Zappa's more serious work in other releases, but this one is still well done.
***** al titolo!
So much of this is a hoot. But it's also 55 years ago and I have almost no relation to anything they're talking about / making fun of. Still, though, glad it exists.
I have this album and I have enjoyed some of it, some of the time. I will always retain a fondness for 'The Idiot Bastard Son' and a couple of other tracks, but there lurks at the heart of this album a suspicion that poisons the well somewhat. The suspicion? That Frank Zappa, despite many documented protestations to the contrary, was not a music lover. Only rarely did he apply his talent with sincerity to the creation of art. Even when he gets close, a fatal imperative to scrawl a moustache over the Mona Lisa takes hold. Zappa was never much of a satirist or surrealist - the overriding impression is that of a bitter, unpleasant misanthrope. Still, Jimmy Carl Black is on this album so that's worth a star on its own.
funny album, not just there to make a point, sounds decent too
I was rather looking forward to more from The Mothers after enjoying most of Freak Out a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, I found this one a bit tedious. Not particularly interesting sound wise and not particularly funny nor profound words wise. It seems like these guys had some fun making it but that doesn't necessarily translate to fun for us what listen.
Has to have been written while high. Probably best listened to when high. I do not get high. Therefore, mid levels of enjoyment.
Kinda weird but yeah sure
AJ: 19 songs, 39 minutes, lol.
I do like Zappa, but this is definitely an earlier iteration of his stuff. Not quite as exciting as some of his later albums
Obviously cool. At times annoying. Makes Aerial Pink less impressive.
Weird at
I respect Zappa more than I like him
Pretty fascinating historical artifact. Sure, it has dated, but I enjoy the anarchy, spite and inventiveness. And some of it is still pretty good.
Absolutely mental but I didn't dislike it overall.... I liked that they took the piss out of the Beatles
3.75 I hope my girlfriend doesn't disown me for this but I kind of liked this album. It was meta, and provocative. They dissed themselves and everyone else around them. It's not the kind of thing I would listen to on a daily basis, but I think it's kind of a slice of time that was weird but interesting.
This was fun, but the songs were too short and insubstantial
It's delightfully weird now, and I can't imagine how insane it sounded circa 1968. It parodies Sgt. Pepper, as if the album cover doesn't make that abundantly clear. There's a freshness to it that doesn't feel like some other albums that make attempts to be weird just for weird sake. It's an overall joy, and I may want to bump it up a star or two after repeat listens. But that's me, I'm all for albums that take me on a new journey.
Kind of funny
This is certainly a different side of Zappa to Hot Rats. For what essentially seems like one long piss-take it's impressively well-realised, musically, and meshes together nicely as one piece of work. It's also genuinely funny at times and generally entertaining, though I'm unlikely to return to it much - I suspect the jokes and random interludes would lose their lustre after repeated listens.
Lekker blije '60s muziek. Beetje vreemd, maar ik kan er wel naar luisteren. Opvallend zijn de enorm korte nummers van nog geen 2 minuutjes. ***
Love what I've heard from Zappa (admittedly not enough). This album is wild and weird and eclectic but all across it you can hear the creativity and social commentary.
I can't say that I've ever really "gotten" Frank Zappa - I would never deny that he was influential and important, but I've never been able to connect with his music. Although it was an interesting listen, this album was no exception. Many of the lyrics were funny and insightful, particularly the song "Flower Punk." Listening with headphones is also highly recommened as the left and right channels are played with quite a bit, and the effect is very cool. Although this album wasn't really for me, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre and/or enjoys social satire. Standout Tracks: "Flower Punk," "Who Needs The Peace Corps?" "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance"
Spoko parodia, ale męcząca
I know smart people adore this but I found it almost immediately tedious. There is something admirably antisocial about setting out so aggressively to put down everyone, but being against everything mainstream doesn't mean you're right. Closing a relatively short LP where no other song is over 3 and a half minutes with 6 and a half minutes of intolerable noise garbage sort of sums it up. Call it a two and a half star for me, and round it up for historical significance and general audacity.
Yeah… it’s Zappa and all… it’s just too much for me.
Weird.
I am starting to hear and understand more of Zappa's humor, which is dark, satirical, and biting...all of which I love dearly. I know that there are many devoted fans of Frank Zappa in so many ways, and I know I'm extraordinarily late to that party. His music is on its own path, no doubt, and that's very hard to do well. Mixing music and comedy is always tricky for me--can't quite explain it, but it can quickly annoy me--but at least he brings to that mix musicianship that is way above most. I do get what an amazing, multifaceted, and talented musician he was. There is a ton of his work to which I've never listened, and I think it's worth it for me to check it out.
It’s too wired but I like it to an extent
Rrrraaaarrr
This is such a weird combination of good and annoying that I don't know how to rate it. The smugness is off the charts and it's sort of terrible musically, but there is often something there that makes me want to listen again.
Listening to a Zappa album is always a trip with unexpected moments of brilliance. But a lot of eye rolling too.
A very odd album which is almost 50% sound and talking tracks, and not music per se, but engaging as you don’t know what to expect. It is almost nothing you could expect from Zappa and the Jazz fusion the group is known for.
Á fyrstu sekúndunum skynjaði ég það að þetta hljyti að vera með því skrýtnasta sem ég hef hlustað á. Í lokin gúglaði ég bandið og varð núll hissa. Herra Zappa var þarna. Það hlaut bara að vera. Áhugavert, en þarf ekki endurhlustun nema ég fari að taka ofskynjunarlyf.
Mielipide: :D Tosi kokeellista hippumusiikkia 60-luvulta Mukana intiaani
Remember, kids: when you're listening to silence, you're listening to not-Zappa. Also, the wisdom of Zappa is still appropriate today: steer clear of San Francisco. Loving the police while they kick the shit out of you is an activity that has aged like wine. And if you don't have an Indian in your group, get one! What is wrong with you? Welcome the Dance Hall of Chopped-Up-Cabbage Music... doo wop doo wop. You need a makeover! The palimpsest of sound that is called an album speaks one eternal truth to me: hippies suck in every galaxy.
Frank Zappa made a lot of music, I mean a lot of music. Some amazing, some ok and some well just bad. This album spans of those, it's interesting to listen to once maybe twice but that's about it for me and I'll just listen to a few tracks.
I was expecting a little bit of everything and I wasn't wrong. For as experimental as it was, there were still some highlights. Not sure how to rate an album like this.
It started off pretty strong. I'm thinking that Zappa didn't like Hippies very much. But the back half of the album sort devolved into something that was too experimental for me. But the good outweight the bad, I think. Tough one to rate.
Interesting sounds by Zappa. This is one that will take more time to get to know better.
Even more experimental than I thought it’d be. Neat for 1968 but sonically it actually isn’t very interesting, just delay manipulation and pitch shifting, likely via tape. Probably novel at the time but now the results aren’t special.
Avante garde satire done in an enjoyable way. I wouldn't listen again, first time wasn't bad.
Enjoyed
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: What’s the ugliest part of your body?
Entertaining if a bit cynical. It's interesting to hear the musical parodies. They're good enough to easily identify what genre/song/etc they're going after.
Stellar homage to Sgt. Peppers. First song sounds pretty techy for the 60s lol. Didn’t get to read about this album, but I’m 100% certain it’s all just making fun of the Beatles - and I’m here for it lol
I loved this. It was very entertaining.
The forever difficult-to-nail-down Zappa and his instrumental monsters have here for us a most intensely head-scratching and fun album.
Not an easy listen but one I would like to do again.
Wau. Interesting and ahead of its time. But not for me to listen daily.
Kuulostaa lähinnä siltä, että keskenkasvuiset kakarat on päästetty studioon leikkimään. Onko joku aikalaisvitsi, en tiedä. Oli mitä vaan niin en valitettavasti ymmärrä. 2/5
It's giving schizophrenia.
i'll start with the positive in that i thought the production was great. But in general i found it unpleasant for 2 reasons. The claim to satirise counter culture just sounds like a cover for a sarcastic and mean spirited piss take that was snooty and empty. secondly, they forgot to make any actual tunes.
Frank Zappa was a genius, however... satire\art-performance can be hard to listen to.
the invention of Stereo drove a lot of people crazy.
The best way I can describe this is an egomaniacal schizophrenic shitpost. I liked Hot Rats from Frank Zappa but this was a mess. Another reviewer described this as “that secret track you find at the end of an album that’s just the band talking and messing around and maybe some inside jokes, except a whole album of that” and I find that extremely accurate. There’s zero flow, Zero cohesion, zero melody, and nearly zero music. That was probably the point, as Zappa was into making some kinds of grandiose artistic statements, but this is just a guy thinking he’s above it all making “”music”” that no one else can understand because they’re just not on his God level of layered nuance and political commentary and vibes, man. This is garbage disguised as enlightened commentary or satire disguised as trash. ⭐️.5
soll ja alles humoristisch sein, aber die "Klänge" irritieren doch sehr.
A bad day to have ears
I was excited for a split second thinking I’d got The Beetles, instead I got whatever this is, just a bit of a mess of an album, there are some light hearted tracks on this so I’ll give it a 2, but it barely gets a 2
Absolutely Free delay
Not to my taste. Some of the music is great but the vocals made it more a comedy album.
I guess these are joke songs, but they weren't funny. Swing and a miss.
Va niquer tes morts Frank Zappa
I'm not fully sure how I feel about this album some of the songs have amazing elements to them and some of the social comintary is on point but there are some parts of this album that are just bad. It committed to hard to the Beatles slander at point without any of the good elements of the Beatles. I don't know if that point makes sense but I just don't love or like this record. I feel like I want to give it a 3 but I also want to give it a 1 at the same time so a 2 it is .
Wasn’t for me
I honestly can’t tell if this is some kind of avant-garde masterpiece or if the band was just having a laugh by recording random chatter and noise. Listening to it is absolute insanity, it’s a total sensory overload of high-pitched voices, weird time changes, and chaotic sound effects that feels like a massive prank on the whole 60s scene.
While Zappa’s talent for composition shines a bit more than on Freak Out!, the album still relies too heavily on mostly-played-straight “parodies” of boring 60s song tropes accompanied by Zappa’s cynical but mostly witless lyrics that make him look more like an annoying child than the intellectual satirist he sees himself as. With an odd musical detour here and there to keep the “experimental” label Freak Out! got by throwing shit at the wall for its last couple of songs. Hot Rats this is not.
super experimental, lots of interesting samples, not really my style
I can't tell if Frank Zappa would be a fun hang or an insufferable one, but I appreciate the irony that propels We're Only In It For the Money. That's about it, though. My limited exposure to his music in the past didn't hook me, and neither did this.
Too experimental for me
An incredibly creative artistic statement satirising every assumption people had about 1960s culture, this would absolutely scare the hoes and there are few tracks I enjoyed
fattar noll och har inte tid att läsa på :c
Mitä helvettiä tää on, todella huonoa opiskelumusaa, todella flower power
It's a hell lotta noise despite understanding the messages behind the song. The one with least noise and good bgm is Mother People, imo. Everything else puts me on edge with the overlapping of vocals and sounds.
Frank Zappa is a name I feel like I’ve heard since birth. He’s supposedly a genius, but I haven’t really delved into his music. I think I’ve been afraid to. I’m afraid that if I listen to his music, I’ll hate it and therefore not be cool. I don’t know why I feel that way. I’ve got nothing to lose, really. I’ve never been cool. Zappa was part of a band called The Mothers of Invention. Apparently, the band was formed before he joined, but they asked him to join after their guitarist left. He apparently said I’ll play with you but we have to record only my music. Another band member left, but the rest were okay with it, and then the Mothers were off. We’re Only In It for the Money is the band’s third album, and it’s a concept album, as their first two were. IF you can't tell by the very Sgt. Pepper's album cover, Zappa is a cheeky fellow who writes very satirical lyrics. Let’s dive in and see if everyone’s been right all of these years, and I’m not cool. Oh, I just saw the album has 19 tracks, but it is only 39 minutes long. That could be good news. Plus, after listening, I can say the album came out in 1968 and was very reflective of that time, though a lot of the lyrics still have meaning today. Right off the bat, there are a lot of skits or interstitials in between the songs. I have no idea what they are about for the most part. Most seem to threaten Zappa's life. Track 3 is Concentration Moon, and it's an interesting song as it both satirizes the hippies, or the left, and targets the authority or the right-wingers. Hippies go to San Francisco to jump on a bandwagon of love & cops beat up or kill the hippies for essentially being hippies. It seems like Zappa believes most hippies weren’t sincere in their beliefs, but he also believes that hippies shouldn’t be hassled by the government just because they aren’t living as the squares would have them live. Track 4 is Mom and Dad, and the lyrics are very interesting. It's about “plastic” parents not loving their kids. That era’s parents weren't the lovey-dovey type, I’m betting. A lot of the men probably saw a ton of horrifying things during WWII, and in that era, I'm sure the only way they thought to deal with it was to drink, which Zappa points out in the song. Track 6 is Bow Tie Daddy, and I like this song. It's almost a jingle. How this album got to number 30 on the Billboard albums chart, I just don't know. The music on this album sounds weird. And for some reason, Zappa's voice is pitched higher in a lot of songs. This seems less rock and roll and more jazzy Weird Al, though the songs aren't parodies of other songs. I think this may be one of the few albums where I enjoy the lyrics more than the music. Or maybe an album where I understand the lyrics better than I do the music. Track 10 is Flower Punk, and this actually is a parody song of Jimi Hendrix's Hey Joe, except the line " Hey Joe" is "Hey Punk." Again, Zappa's voice is pitch-shifted, and he sounds just a notch or two below what the Chipmunks sound like. I don't get it. For a second, the song devolves into a Wild Thing parody. I don't think it's a shot at Hendrix or anything. I think it's just an homage. Track 15 is Lonely Little Girl, and it’s about how kids in the 60s grew up lonely because parents didn’t know what their kids were going through. Parents raised in the 40s and 50s had no frame of reference as to what was affecting their children in the 60s. There was a radical difference between 1948 and 1968. I wonder if Zappa would look back in time and have some sympathy for those same parents 20 years after this album was made? At the end of the day, most were doing the best they could with what they had. Track 16 is Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance and it's an interesting song. It's about how in the future, every evil will be accepted, and there will be no shame for anything you do. Everything will be good and allowed. It's like Zappa was speaking about today, or at least a very near future. It seems we live in a time where no one has any shame. If someone is wrong, they don't apologize. They just double down on being wrong. Projecting strength makes things right! No, it makes you look like an idiot. I think once we get to the age where all these TikTok “stars” and “influencers” are raising kids, then it truly will be a free-for-all. Zappa was about 80 years too early. Ugh, this album depressed me. Plus, I just couldn’t get into the music. I have no idea how this became popular. It’s not my bag, baby. I definitely think the lyrics are great and almost prescient. They still speak to a lot of things going on today. It seems society may be just as lost today as it was in 1968. Though back then, there at least seemed to be a real reason for the trouble. Today, it's just billionaires keeping us idiots fighting, so they just get richer and richer. There are some days when nuclear annihilation doesn't seem like such a bad end, huh? But I digress. One thing I do know is that I’m not cool because I don’t get Frank Zappa, and I don’t recommend this album. Well, I recommend the lyrical content, but as a listening experience, it’s not fun.
Nothing special, Bruno vibes fs
I get the impression that this album has not aged well, especially as its satire grows more out of date and the once-innovative sound effects have grown more mundane. I don't think that there is much here that appeals to the 21st-century listener. This is a relic, and moreover not a very enjoyable one. But man, what an interesting album. Favorite track: "Absolutely Free"
Eu peguei a vibe and I appreciate artists that make music for the music as an art and not for the people, but I would rather not listen to this again lol. It’s those art paintings that are super conceptual and interesting but you wouldn’t hang one at home
Seems like this album could've been a little more subtle no? The only song that really sticks out is Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, that song bopped
I'm giving this a bonus star for the surprisingly biting social commentary of "Ugliest Part of Your Body". Otherwise, this is a solid 1-star album.
Well that was weird
Zappa îs tough. HIs later work became popular in the late 70's and 80's where he was still exploring but had a better craft - once he left Mothers. This is a fun satirical album that does not age well listening to it almost 60 years later. Would be more relevant at its time.
no se entiende nada
Sometimes, Zappa's wacky in a way that makes me laugh and gives me energy... this time, I'm just exhausted. I just don't get it, Frank. I'm sure it makes total sense to you as a subversive concept album or whatever, and I love that for you, but I'm gonna sit this one out.
anti-society, and freak out.
First real song gave me very high expectations but feels like they ran out of ideas throughout and tried too hard to be weird. Started it at 5 stars for me, how did it fail?
*insert Gattuso gif "Sometimes Maybe Good, Sometimes Maybe Shit"
Whatever zappa
I figured a Zappa record would be coming at some point. I love that there is a song that features the word "discorporate" and they are clearly doing their own, inventive, crazy thing. But I think it is more fun to play than listen too.
It's got innovation and witty lyrics, but as a contemporary Rolling Stone reviewer noted at the time, the shock and wit front-load the experience — subsequent listens lose value fast. The melodies aren't something that makes me want to come back to this often.
i was expecting worse i guess. i share his hippy sentiment
Stupid, experimental. 2.
It had everything to be a hell of an album about politics and society. But it turned out to be a politics and society album about hell.
Album thinks it’s too smart for its own good
Pretty psychedelic.
2/5
Well.... I didnt hate it and I borderline enjoyed most of it. The stuff I didnt like was the noise, got tiring after a while. But I will say this is definitely my favorite Frank Zappa project so far.
⭐️⭐️ kinda knew what i was getting into with another Zappa album. yes, this was weird, but it was also kinda uninteresting too? since i didn't consider this unlistenable, it gets a 2
Un desafío a la paciencia
This was…weird. A Beatles parody, sort of? It wasn’t awful, but I can’t see myself returning to listen to any of this.
Odd, very odd
Lite väl plojigt. Inte särskilt behaglig lyssning heller.
Pallade inte riktigt galenskapen
extrem dryg ironisk kille-energi. hatar. typ en sån kille som bara pratar med andra killar!
Never heard of them and this was not great. On later research I found out Frank Zappa is involved. I quite like Frank Zappa, I however don't really like this.
Certainly experimental, but there is better Zappa. Doubt I'd listen again, but i wasn't clawing my ears off
This could have been good, but they decided to make it as annoying as possible.
Truthfully, I really don't like listening to this, but there's so many legit crappy psychedelic albums on this 1001 Albums list that I couldn't help but laugh at a few of the more biting satirical tracks. I actually belly laughed at a couple of lines from "Who Needs the Peace Corps" and "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?"
Kinda fun, mostly dookie.
Je savais que Frank Zappa était du genre ~expérimental~, donc je savais un minimum à quoi m'attendre, mais holy shit. J'apprécie l'angle moqueur et les clins d'œil (Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, etc.) et "l'art" derrière l'œuvre, mais définitivement pas un album que j'écoutais for funsies, contrairement à d'autres chansons de Zappa. Chanson préférée et mention honorable : Flower Punk, parce que j'ai reconnu la ref à Hendrix et "Hey Joe" et ça m'a procuré un petit sentiment de fierté.
vraiment cool que ton album soit satirique. ça rend pas l'expérience moins pénible pour moi cependant chanson préférée : Let's Make The Water Turn Black mentions honorables : les paroles et delivery of "Do you think that my pants are too tight? / Do you think that I'm creepy?" (Mother People) m’ont fait rire pendant une bonne minute
I don't like weird for the sake of weird
It has to be the least enjoyable psychedelic rock album from this list so far
It does have a track called “hot poop.” So it has that going for it which is nice.
eh
Weird as hell.
I love Frank Zappa. But I’m not going to lie, I don’t even think that he really writes that good of music most of the time. Like it’s definitely good, it’s definitely experimental, but not often is his stuff mind blowing all that being said, I didn’t really like this album that much. It’s cute, there are good songs on it. But I think Joe’s garage is much stronger, and even say, play your damn guitar is a more interesting listen.
Absurd, chaotic album. Not my favorite.
wow this is a lot. not really sure what else to say
Opening minute or so I thought, this seems interesting. But woah the albumn as a whole is real difficult listening and can't see myself choosing to go back to this.
Album 61 Top 3 "favorites" off the album: Mother People, The Idiot Bastard Son, Concentration Moon I did not consent to an ASMR experience, and I do not like it. No, seriously. Get this man out of my ear. I thought I was having a stroke when track 3 hit because it started with the ASMR again and the same soundbyte from the preceding track. After that awful sensory experience, we go into mildly ridiculous lyrics about real issues, and then it got serious. And then we went back into "what is going on," because what *is* going on? This album is kind of whiplash in musical form. Have I said that about an album before? I feel like there was one other way near the beginning of my listening. This is overstimulation in sound form. This belongs in Smiling Friends. Glep would listen to this on his tablet. STOP THE ASMR PLEASE. "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music" had something that sounded like the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō. After a few minutes of reading, I found that this is more Zappa. That explains a lot. ENOUGH WITH THE ASMR ALREADY. The infantilization of women on this album is crazy. SITAR?! After more reading, this does a pretty good job of illustrating the political extremes (explains the whiplash). THIS LICC SIGHTED IN THE FIELD?!?!? (Mother People) Overall, I... had fun listening to it, actually. It took some reflection to find it in me, but it's like watching a shitty movie, except I had no expectations at all which means I wasn't able to be disappointed. It's getting a low rating, but understand that it's given with affection and the intention of coming back.
This list has already presented me with Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica, which is a Zappa produced album. That album was extremely experimental, but in a way that made it completely awful in almost every respect. In contrast, this album is significantly more listenable, it's largely quite tuneful, and even though it's also experimental and psychedelic, there's more compositional skill on display (in general). However, there's still a lot of random noises/effects/voices that don't make any sense to me, and add absolutely nothing to the music. Parts are, similarly, just unpleasant crap. In the actual lyrical bits, it seems like he's just repeatedly mocking hippies. It feels like a really odd critique - particularly having read about the recording of Trout Mask Replica - a lot of the things he mocks here (like the band all living in a house together), is true of that album?! This just makes me think he's just poking fun for the sake of it and it feels quite false and pointless. I'm going to rate this higher than Beefheart on the basis it is actually tuneful (largely), but that's pretty much all it has going for it. Not a fan. I don't think Zappa is for me.
This just feels bad. Incoherent message, incoherent music and incoherent flow. The last song is probably what people think the noise breaks I enjoy sound like. Tbh it has some good moments that I could dig into the layers and get comfy but it's mostly just random sounds thrown together. Apparently you need to read a whole book to understand this song. High 1/Low 2
Self-indulgent garbage. Still some interesting elements which prevent it getting a 1, but it's close.
Strangely fun at times and just outright strange at others. At first I was like wtf but some of it grew on me. Definitely an album that could have been upexperienced differently with some type of stimulant - would be an even wilder ride!
Drugs are one hell of a drug. This album feels like experiencing another person’s fever dream; a lot of random shit followed by something coherent, then back to more random shit. If Zappa Et.al were trying to capture a stream of consciousness in musical form they nailed it.
Insufferably smug and neither as funny nor as clever as it reckons
Ganske køddent, sikkert gøy hvis man fordype seg litt meir i da
I like Frank Zappa, but this is a very silly album and not in a good way.
I know this is supposed to be satire and experimental but it’s a bit too literal for my tastes. The songs are not really subversive as they are just Zappa doing a “look at me I’m <thing> and I say the dumb shit that <thing> says!” This was probably fairly wild for the time but it’s tame by todays standards. Extra point for naming a track (I wouldn’t call it a song) “Hot Poop”
A mix of tolerable melodies, lyrics straight from an acid trip, and random noises. It was interesting to listen to mostly because I had no idea what nonsense was coming next, but you’re out of your mind if you think I’ll ever listen to this again
heyyy this wasn't as bad as everyone kept making it out to be. I thought the lyrics were kind of quirky and the whole vibe of the album was just comical, I think maybe a 3 is a bit generous so will round down to a 2.
Also art…phew
This feels pretty dated. It's satire making fun of how lazy and oversaturated a lot of psychedelic rock was at the time. I think it was probably something that needed to be said at the time. That being said, making a parody of bad music is still bad music. So yeah, not a lot to enjoy here.
The kind of music geeky twelve-year-old boys who play D&D would make.
I just didn't understand this album. I hate to word it like this, but this sounded like a lot of noise at times.
I've always appreciated Frank Zappa as an ideas man. He was always able to articulate his feelings and views is a manner that would interest and intrigue others, using humour to make serious points. Basically, a right-on and intelligent bloke. However, musically I just don't get it. Random snippets of noodling and indulgence. And "We're only in it.." confirms that. The Emperor's New Clothes of modern music.
Political. Psychedelic. I prefer music with less madrigal vibes and more…melody.
Heavy sigh. What’s the point of this? It’s not clever enough to be parody.
That's not my taste in music
ehhh not great was not a fan of the style (meant to criticize the music industry). It was nice to listen to as a part of 1001 albums but is not a daily driver when It comes to listening nor would it be great in the backround.
This is. Really Bad. This isn't good. The only redeeming factor is the little bit of jazzy instrumental sprinkled in around the beginning
Adding a star because it makes fun of psychedelia. This sucks though
Should have been high for this. Enjoyed Bow Tie Daddy more than I should have while sober, though.
I probably would have loved this album when I was 12. But I’ve always had a resistance to Zappa, even though I’ve loved a lot of culture that shares DNA with the Mothers of Invention. Either way, this Rocky Horror cum They Might Be Giants concept album is a little exhausting when you’re 44.
2- Stars (4/15)
This is #day524 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… the sheer weirdness of this record is overwhelming. I understand both the intent and the execution, but... I'm fairly certain, though, that it might have been fun for its time. We'll see what else The Mothers have in store down the road. For now, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day525.
I've always liked Frank Zappa more for the person he was and less his music. This album reaffirmed that. I think they were trying to make fun of the record industry at the time but forgot to include some tunes we'd actually wanna listen to.
1.53
I find this mildly amusing. And I do get some of the cultural critique although I don’t think it’s that sharp or insightful. If anything, it made me appreciate the artistry of the Beatles and other 60’s bands even more.
The whole “both sides are bad thing” gets on my nerves. There were moments where I liked the lyrics or thought it was funny, but as a whole I found the album grating. Idk even when it’s satire I don’t want to sit through all that noise. And I really didn’t like all the whispery bits, but that’s just a me thing. Fav song: What’s The Ugliest Part of Your Body? Least fav: Nasal Retentive Calliope Music
Sometimes it was funny and funky music but mostly it was annoying noises. There’s definitely a way to do satire that’s still fun to listen to- this isn’t it. Favourite song: What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body Least: Nasal Retentive Calliope Music
There were some decent parts but maybe a little too much focus on invention
I dont understand the Sgt Peppers connection.
This is like unfunny satire. The noise tracks scattered throughout bothered me. This album was certainly different from some of the others on this list, but I did not particularly enjoy it
Experimental rock that went a little too experimental. Can’t say I ever acquired a taste for Frank’s music.
Nope
Ranged from quite fun to unbearable from track to track
I've always wanted to like Frank Zappa much more than I have ever actually been able to. Irreverence seems all well and good . . . until it regularly crosses a line over into irritation. There were plenty of times in his career when Zappa was able to walk this delicate balance and remain on the right side of that line. Unfortunately, this album is NOT one of those times.
#210/1001. The music of Frank Zappa vs. my interests: Humour? Check. Talented musicians? Check. Inventive? Check. Nerdy? You bet. Yet somehow I never was and probably never will be a huge Zappa fan. Too nerdy for a nerd? Does good musicanship mean showing off, you know can't do that on stage anymore stuff, and if it does why does it put me off? That's probably how they wanted to happen, and I should be cool enough to know this and to dig the sound nevertheless, but perhaps they predict that I'm so cool and reinvent and change their sound because of that...you know a never ending cycle of hot rats eating their tales (miss spelled on porpoise). I think I'm getting old though since every time I hear a Zappa album again, it seems to get better. Or the world, me included is catching up. For a first listen to this album, let's start with a 2.
Alleine das Cover. Vielleicht wirklich alleine das Cover. Der Inhalt hat mich jetzt nicht aus den Socken gehauen. War mir zu experimentell.
Puh, das war harter Stoff
Rating : 4/10 This is not the worst thing ever, it's a weird and interesting attempt at a satire of the hippie psych sound and culture permeating the times and made as a comedy album. But it's not very enjoyable and I would really rather just listen to some quality classic psychedelic pop, rock tunes. Might just have an interesting place in the discussion of 60's music history though. And it's probably better than a lot of copycats of the sounds of the era
fine. to be honest it didn't hold my attention enough to really listen for the satire it purported to have.
Wickedly silly but lacking lengthy meaningful musical sections. Difficult to imagine when this would ever get played.
I guess I can see why this might be an album I should listen to before I die, but c'mon. I'm a cynical person, but this level of cynicism is hard for even me to stomach. It's a lot easier to parody and make fun of people than it is to have original ideas. Feels lazy and a little mean-spirited. I'll never get this 40 minutes of my life back, and I wish I could. 2/5 Highlights: Bow Tie Daddy What's The Ugliest Part Of Your Body? Lonely Little Girl Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
What even is this!?
Weird stuff
Man könnte das ALbum als "interessant" betiteln. Ein Mix aus verschiedenen Instrumenten und Samples. Nicht sehr eingängig. 2/5
This one went straight over my head. I get that it's satire and that he's making a statement. I know Frank Zappa was iconoclastic, but this just doesn't resonate with me.
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon by David McGowan tries to make the case that the American 1960s music scene in Laurel Canyon was somehow engineered by the CIA. He points to some interesting, if not mind-blowing, connections of some rock icons to the government. For example, Jim Morrison's father was in command of naval forces at the Gulf of Tonkin in August of 1964 when reported attacks on U.S. destroyers led to a significant escalation of military involvement in Vietnam. Frank Zappa was cited as well for his father's work at the Edgewood Arsenal's Army Chemical Center, ninety miles north of Washington, D.C. Zappa attributes his various childhood illnesses to mustard gas exposure. His father also gave him mercury to play with. Zappa died at age 52 of prostate cancer. In my mind, McGowan's Weird Scenes does not make the case that the CIA was behind the Laurel Canyon scene. Just as We're Only In It For The Money does not make a case of its vitality. I give Frank Zappa kudos for his wit and musicianship, but this album does not do it for me.
That was something. About what I expected really. This leaned more toward the weird/ comedy side of Zappa I felt, rather than the musical side. Not really my preference.
like so not for me but like lyrically clever and rebellion music. Felt more like a comedy album than anything
Intense creative expression that is lost on me.
Started off quite interesting with ’Hung up’. Almost thought we were going to get something extremely before its time. Unfortunately the album wasn’t quite that. The first few songs felt different, and certainly a bit quirky, but as it progressed it started to become much more flimsy and silly. ’What’s the ugliest part of your body’ was probably the epitome of that. And ’Hot poop’? Please. In the end the record felt unusual (maybe progressive?) for its time, but it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. Strong 2.
Maybe this was scathing criticism of the pop culture of the ’60s, but I don’t really get it. They seemed to set out to create an album that couldn’t be commercially successful, and they don’t seem to have succeeded. It’s like a mishmash of The Beatles and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The satirical lyrics are hit or miss, but some of the songs are quite fun. A particular favourite was “What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body?” Not really an album I want to come back to, but not one you should judge by its music only. Weak 2.
ужас
The drug budget for this must have been insane
I'm sorry, this one is a big no from me. I'm not sure what this is trying to say and I don't care to find out. Goofy and quirky for quirks sake
The actual songs were fine. Everything else was weird and terrible and the last track was horrific
Weird stuff.
This is the 10th album 1001 albums has served me to review, and the 4th from the year 1968. Getting a real feel for that year! This is wacky and clever and annoying in equal measure. Since I’m not a fan of wacky or annoying, it’s a 2 from me.
Dlaczego ta płyta brzmi jakby Alvin Wiewiórka obrażał wszystko, co kocham? Momentami bardzo melodyjna, czasami wręcz asłuchalna, niedojrzała satyra człowieka, któremu się wydaje, że jest lepszy od innych. I tak, niektóre utwory są chwytliwe. I tak, niektóre teksty są zabawne. Ale jako całość odrzuca mnie od siebie jak nadpsuty owoc. 4.5/10
Þetta er eiginlega skemmtilegast þegar þeir leyfa sér að spila heil lög, en þau eru samt ekkert sérstök. Þetta gerir mjög lítið fyrir mig, ólíkt mörgu sem Zappa gerði.
It’s pretty funny but hard to listen to because of the harsh noise +1 star for least being funny
What an absolutely bizarre album. And very annoying, that too. Still, I give Zappa and crew credit for the eclecticism of it, throwing all kinds of musical styles in a blender and coming up with something wholly original. I can see how this influenced both Dr. Demento style novelty songs and the 80's/90's They Might Be Giants albums. But, God, a little goes a long way and that last "song" was unlistenable. Ridiculously cynical and nasty towards late 60's hippie idealism and a lot less funny than they think they were.
4.5/10 I generally approve of albums that are a little offbeat, but this just tried way too hard to be funny without offering much else. And it wasn't that funny. I'm sure there are interesting ideas on it.
Bardzo eksperymentalne
Not a huge fan and not listening
Yeah, I can tell. Shit sounds like a Youtube Poop most of the time.
ZAPPA ENDLICH LOSIS MAL freumi uf de weirdibaffi seeehr weirdi baffi! jz gad chli beatles es isch uf sini art na spannend aber vill chani nöd ahfange es het halt scho au sehr en lustige humor flower punk hani na cool gfunde aber de schluss het mich sooo abglenkt und überstimuliert dass es echt unagnehm gsi isch ussert dass es weird isch und alles, find ich selte parts wo mier iwie mehrwert gebet weiss nöd will ich de zappa eig na en coole find gits es 2 I guess?
ok, sicher künstlerisch wertvoll - aber ich verstehe es nicht.
Ja, sehr avantgardistisch aber ein Kind der Zeit.
In a week that has also included a review of Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats", today's attention is turned to Zappa's 'classic album', 1968's "We're Only In It For The Money". While it's widely regarded as one of Zappa's finest, my personal reaction to it varies from indifference to outright intolerance, with today's listen falling into the former category. For me, the album's satirical humour has not aged well. What was once hailed as brilliant social commentary now comes across as a series of unfunny skits. While I acknowledge the immense creativity and skill required to produce such deliberately off-kilter music, the joke wears thin and quickly becomes tiresome. The album begins promisingly, if a bit strange, but soon descends into what feels like a farce. Perhaps the fault is mine, though Zappa himself would likely dismiss such a critique by saying, "You're too stupid to get it!". Despite owning the album, I rarely listen to it. It was the first of Zappa's albums that I listened to many years ago, and probably the primary reason why I'm wary of dipping into his large catalogue of music. In my opinion, the album's most enduring quality is the album art, which remains genuinely funny. Lastly, the single, sustained note that fades out at the end of the last track, 'Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny', is a great joke at the expense of the massive final chord of the Beatles' 'A Day in the Life', It makes me smile if I make it that far into the album. Two stars. Side one 1 "Are You Hung Up?" (3/5) 2 "Who Needs the Peace Corps?" (3/5) 3 "Concentration Moon" (2/5) 4 "Mom & Dad" (3/5) 5 "Telephone Conversation" (included in "Bow Tie Daddy" on the original LP) (3/5) 6 "Bow Tie Daddy" (3/5) 7 "Harry, You're a Beast" (3/5) 8 "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" (3/5) 9 "Absolutely Free" (2/5) 10 "Flower Punk" (2/5) 11 "Hot Poop" (1/5) Side two 1 "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music" (1/5) 2 "Let's Make the Water Turn Black" (2/5) 3 "The Idiot Bastard Son" (2/5) 4 "Lonely Little Girl" (listed as "It's His Voice on the Radio" on the original LP sleeve) (2/5) 5 "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" (2/5) 6 "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? (Reprise)" (1/5) 7 "Mother People" (2/5) 8 "The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny" (1/5) Total - 41 Average - 2.16 114/1001 60/114 albums reviewed were new to me.
I honestly have no words, weird?
Nah 2.5/5
Much like I said of the last Mothers album, this is one that I found interesting but didn't particularly like. It was like a weird trip, and you never knew what was going to happen next. That kept it engaging, but didn't really make it a good listen. I want to take a second to note the title and artwork; "We're Only In It for the Money" is certainly a title for what I can only presume to be a complete commercial nightmare. There are no clear singles, no pop structures, and nothing that would make the casual listener want to buy the album save the novelty. They put it under a parody of the Sgt Pepper's cover picture, but dingier in a way. It all adds up to show this album is not something to be taken seriously at face value. Getting to the music... yeah, it's out there. It keeps your attention just by being strange and experimental. I have to assume either Zappa was trying his hardest to make it weird, was incredibly high and thought it was coherent music, or just is strange enough to like it himself. Either way, I guess he succeeded. For me, it was a bit too much. I didn't hate it, but it was hard to enjoy it other then to marvel at its weirdness. I can't say I liked this one even if I found it intriguing. Probably won't be listening to it again. But, I give it credit for being different and unique. Overall: 2/5
This must be an acquired taste that I have not acquired
div. Stile (Zappa), 1968 -> 1-2
So freaking strange. 1.5/5
I didn’t get through all it. It was ok
You have to expect weird when you go into a Zappa album. But also some really excellent music. This one skews more to the weird, and so while there are some enjoyable sections, and I got a laugh out of some of the attacks on flower power hippies, the random noise making and whispering didn’t do it for me. Ultimately I’d point you toward other “weird” works like Captain Beefheart before this
This was an odd one. I feel like the last track was just the band laughing at me for having listened to this whole thing as if it was one big joke. 2/5
This album felt like a fever dream (and also ahead of its time). Still didn’t love it though
On one hand I appreciate some of the innovation on this record, it feels like a concept album that has been created to flow from song to song, musically it's got its moments, but would I come back to it and listen to it regularly, definitely not, it feels like once you hear the satirical lyrics they aren't appealing enough to have on repeat.
The music is cool, but it's just out there stuff. It's hard to really get into.
This is just an astounding album for multiple reasons, and very few of them are good. I know Frank Zappa can make good music, I’ve heard him do it before, so why he chose to just deliberately make this bad on purpose is a choice that leaves me scratching my head wondering why. When viewed through the lens of a shit-poster, this album becomes better. It’s still not good, but it’s still better than some other music I’ve heard so far. I’m able to pick some favorites, so it’s not a complete loss. I thought “Flower Punk” and “Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance” were alright. Just weird enough to not be overtly annoying, and fine overall as tunes. But as a whole, the music, skits, and overall vibe are a net negative on this one. The random sound effects, entire songs being unfunny skits, occasional music played backward, and other deliberate artistic choices that are weird for the sake of being weird work on some albums, but not here. This is the musical equivalent of going to a modern art museum and admiring a banana taped to the wall. It might be for some people, maybe, but it’s not for me. Sorry Muffin Man, you glorious little oddity, maybe next time.
CAUTION: Album listenable ONLY UNDER PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LISTEN TO IT SOBER!!! No fr what in the fuck is this goofster ahhhhh
Overall 2/5 Lyrics 2/5 (loaded with satire and criticism) Music 1/5 (cuz typical 60s pop music style) Creativity 4/5 Mothers of Invention sound like the Monty Python version of The Beatles, reflecting satirically on everything in the 60s (especially Hippies). Not really fair to only judge it by musical quality cuz it's dogshit in that regard, but I've rarely heard an entire album loaded with cynicism and satire to this degree. It even has ASMR, *sigh*.... Now I know why Frank Zappa was seen as a menace from early on 😂.
I found this incredible dull
What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? I like. A few others are OK. The reset would be OK only if I was on mushrooms.
WTF? Incomprehensible. Thought I had an open mind about music but I couldn't get into it.
I feel like I’ve been forced to consume drugs.
I think Frank Zappa is an incredibly brilliant artist, though I find myself rarely enjoying his music. I respect it, but generally it is not for me. Two songs I pulled out that I found enjoyable (many of the songs have super smart lyrics, etc., just not my jam): "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body" and "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance." My first two-star rating. Two stars for the music. Five stars for the entire package as art/commentary.
I’m convinced that being stoned is a prerequisite for listening to this album. Sadly, I’m not.
Ny ei sekoilu maistunu
Nyt oli oudon puoleinen levy ⭐️⭐️
Avant garde for sure. Lots of experimental sounds. Not really pleasurable to listen too although it has some interesting moments. Also too goofy and absurd for my taste.
2/5
Not the best of Frank Zappa thats for sure.
Jaysus , the acid was strong with these folks
Not for me - too much experimental
I get what this is going for and respect the vision. That level of cynical mockery is a tough needle to thread for me, and in this case I didn't enjoy it. I think worth listening to but I most definitely won't be returning to it.
I would not call this an album but an artistic sound artifact. Interesting period piece that gives you an idea what they were thinking about during this time. Horrible to listen to.
Tekstuniverset er interessant, og der er nogle fine numre imellem. Lidt 50'er-inspireret a la What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body. Men meget er bare psykedelisk støj.
I feel like I'm supposed to get Zappa, I'm supposed to like Zappa, but that hasn't happened in decades of occasionally trying.
Not the worst thing on the list, but oof. 2.
Very odd and unlike many albums I have heard for better at times but mostly for worse. I just didn’t get into the music itself and the skits/bits weren’t entertaining enough to overcome this to me. I appreciate them having some fun but I just don’t see myself wanting to listen to this regularly. Twice through was enough.
I fear I don’t get it, glad I heard it and won’t be listening again.
This is...something. I've never sat down to listen to Frank Zappa. I was always curious as he's got a reputation for weirdness. I even consider myself someone who has a decent tolerance for weirdness, and would even say I appreciate some outside-of-the-box approaches to music. But Mothers of Invention have a threshold for weirdness far beyond mine. As a whole record, it borders on unlistenable, but partially redeemed by a few songs. It kind of reminds me of what David Lynch is for tv and film. He's incredible when he's got a producer that's willing to rein him in a bit; I love his weirdness when it's a little bit constrained. I think Frank Zappa might be the David Lynch of music, because it's clear that he—and maybe only he—knows what he's doing, but I think this album would've been greatly improved by someone keeping him hedged in just a little. As it stands, this was pretty rough to get through, but not without at least a few merits. It has some kind of funny bits, and there are some songs that sort of stay organized like you'd expect an orthodox song to do. It's not like the Shaggs, where you wonder who forced these women to pick up instruments they clearly don't know how to play, but more like a hyper talented musician who just couldn't give a shit about writing something that anyone else should want to listen to. I'd liken it to what I imagine it might feel like to be stuck in someone else's bad acid trip. 1.8/5 I'd listen to this again before Destiny's Child though.
2 1/2 Not as bad as I thought it would be. A couple of good songs. It has the song that Mike put in his mix tapes.
I’m usually very high on Zappa cause I’m a huge fan. But this album was very exhausting and challenging, which says a lot cause the album is only 39mins. But the biggest problem is this feels so hypocritical. Let me explain, the main reason I like Zappa is two things; One, he tends to be a little silly and goofy which I’ve always liked cause it tricks you into thinking that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Second, his music tends to be intentionally challenging and either abstract or avant-garde. The way in which this album is hypocritical is in the fact that I think this album exposes the worst aspect of Zappa’s personality and musical personality, which is he DOES take himself seriously and he is the ultimate contrarian musically. So much of this album feels like a punishment to people to like popular simple music. Like it’s so angry and spiteful towards like good taste that it feels like he’s trying WAY TOO HARD. There are so many ideas or sounds on this album that I liked that I wished he had given more time to. But if he had done that he would’ve been making music that was too conventional for him. Which also points out this albums other flaw which is it feels narcissistic. Like this album feels like it was made to feed his ego and remind himself that he’s an avant-garde master. But again I think most of this album comes across as trying way too hard and not being whimsical or silly like I usually enjoy in Zappa’s music. That being said it’s nowhere near bad enough to be a 1. That’s for special pieces of garbage or garbage people. No this album is a very disappointing and unfunny 2. Sorry Frank, still love ya.
Interesting piece. Not particularly enjoyable, but very impressive for the time. I couldn't imagine listening to this in 1968. Cool effects and stuff, flower punk with the overlaying voices was certainly interesting.
Really weird, laughed about the lyrics at times
Smart, and funny…exhaustingly. The intelligence and humor are too disconnected. The musicality would be better served in a more conventional context, and would make it easier to get a crossed the point he’s trying to make. Cool sounds though. 2.5/5
I really, really want to like this album. I like a good amount of Zappa and appreciate even more than I enjoy; he's been an omnipresent figure in my life since I was a kid, so I forever have a soft spot for him. I think this album is pretty fascinating from a historical standpoint, and *some* of the messaging isn't too far off, but I've just never dug listening to it all that much. If I'm in the mood for rocking Zappa, funny Zappa, or experimental Zappa, I think he's succeeded far better in all of these areas on other releases. I personally think his disdain for the style of music he's mocking is a bit of a hindrance; in my opinion, musical satire works best when the artist clearly has some form of love, reverence, or respect for the source material. I understand why most *true* Zappa heads love it and I think it's a worthy inclusion in this book; it's just one I've consistently struggled to enjoy. 2/5
Htjela sam braniti Zappu ovdje ali ne ide. Izuzetno bolno slušanje. Na momente zvuči kao proto-Mr. Bungle pa zato dvije zvjezdice, inače je katastrofa.
A hippie circus dream. Sounds like an 8 year old playing with the recorder and an indie storytelling songs. This is not ordinary music. Its experimental art
Entiendo la intención crítica y paródica del álbum, pero siento que todos los temas se tratan de una manera demasiado obvia y que los recursos utilizados son muy reiterativos. Prácticamente todo el álbum podría haberse encapsulado en un solo tema. Disfruté de los momentos más experimentales de noise music y spoken word, pero en general, para un álbum que se posiciona con la idea de criticar a otras personas, músicos y colectivos culturales, no me pareció para nada brillante. Aún así, no lo considero un mal álbum.
Its my first day here and this was the album I got. This was interesting. One second I was starting to vibe to the music the next my ears were kind of suffering with annoying noises and burping sounds. Favorites: Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance Not terrible, but hard to enjoy: 2.5/5
Certainly ahead of it’s time but not good
Weird af
Far too weird for me.
I wanted to give it one star, but I have a feeling this was all a big joke.
From the cover and album name, seems like a not-so-subtle jab at the Beatles. So I don't know if this should be judged based on how well it satirizes the Beatles' music or how good it actually sounds. Either way it sounded fine but was kind of dumb at times.
3/10 - the cover art is like sgt peppers but the music is completely different. Every song is very dissimilar and crazy. It was not very good but was intriguing