Reviews (page 5 of 8)
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.
This album is hot poop.
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”
Note to self: listen to this again after Sgt Pepper
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.
:/ highlights - take your clothes off when you dance
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
I get it. Fuck the industry and all that. Zappa was an incredibly smart dude. But I’ve just never been a fan of the music as music; only a symbol.
The bands name is extremely ironic but necessary is the one thing this album isn’t. I can’t get in to it, it’s psychedelic just for the sake of it. 4.1/10
I like the weirdness usually but something about this was a little off
Bit too experimental?
While I respect what Zappa accomplished and the lyrics are fun and message poignant, from a pure listening perspective, it's pretty rough. I like Zappa a lot, and a lot of his other parody, satirical songs have a lot of musical talent in them, but this feels more like a bunch of musicians fucking around in the studio and laughing at hippies, which while fair, doesn't make for a good audio experience.
Wat een vage, trippy shit. Wel grappige teksten. Maar niks voor mij
If ADHD was an album
It’s weird as you’d expect a Zappa album to be. Must hear before you die? Nah 1001 album worthy: no 97:178
Well talk about a mood swing. When this artwork popped up for me I thought for a split second that I finally got my first Beatles album. Sadly, I was wrong. I guess I'm happy in a way that I've heard this record (and never will again), but it really was a slog. I know Frank Zappa and Howard Stern had mutual respect for one another, but I never know how much Howard had to have been influenced by this album. It seemed more like a comedy album than a music one. And unfortunately it wasn't all that funny.
My problem with this is that it's too close in sound to the things it's parodying (which I also tend not to like), so it's not satisfying musically. And it's not funny enough to succeed on that front either.
why
Not my cup of tea
I get it, it's satire....right?
Maybe a one star. But it's not baad bad, it's just too experimental for my taste.
It's ok, GOOFY AF!
Track 11 said it best - "Hot Poop" 2 ⭐️
This is a tough listen. Not really enjoyable at all, but I /think/ that's what it's trying to be
Um álbum ótimo disfarçado de álbum ruim. Os elementos anédoticos não me pegam muito, pois já disse em outra review que não ligo pra humor em música. Gosto da atitude sardónica e caustica do Zappa de criticar e zombar de tudo e todos. É uma atitude comendável, mas musicalmente, o disco deixa muito a desejar. Muitas partes são ótimas, mas como um todo, não consigo me imaginar ouvindo-o inteiro novamente. 2/5
DNF - tapped out after the fourth song. Clearly had something to say, but not being of the 60s I couldn't decipher it. I also didn't want to, because the music itself was booooring
I understand this album was in protest to societal issues, but at least make it enjoyable??
2.5
Maybe I shouldn't have been so afraid of this album. It's not unlistenable, but it's hard for me to take it seriously. Honestly it's kinda like listening to a comedy album. It's almost too easy to just dismiss it because of that. "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?", "Let's Make the Water Turn Black", and "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" But then there's "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music" and "The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny" which are pretty much musique concrète, which I personally have a hard tine finding a point in them. The rest is kinda mindless silly nonsense to me. It feels a Monty Python album that just isn't all that funny. 5.55 ★★½
Psychedelia for the sake of being psychedelic and experimental. Not my prefered thing. 2.5 stars
If Frank Zappa was born in 2000 he probably would have made a meme page or become a twitter troll. Since neither of those things existed, he had to give us this crap instead
unfortunately not for me, i like the 60s sound but it's generally too silly in a way that doesn't make me feel joy (and i like a lot of silly music). having said that, ugliest part of your body is a certified classic
2.5
Interesting and experimental, but obnoxious and grating in that it feels like I'm getting harrassed by minions for 40 minutes so it all ends up being pretty unlistenable to me, sorry
This was odd. Not unexpected for Zappa, but odd nonetheless. And not really good.
OK dude, I get it, you hate hippies.
One of the few satirical concept albums I think I've ever heard. Targeting both political parties, the hippie subculture, and psychedelic rock as a whole (that album cover reference is too on-the-nose), the Frank Zappa-led Mothers of Invention get experimental with it here too. The editing and recording is notable and probably the main reason this album is included in this list. Utilizing "musique concrète" as they call it, you'll notice a strange collage of sounds all throughout, most notably this overarching warped dialogue that's featured prominently. Hard not to admit that the above makes the whole thing sound disjointed though. Also felt that the group focused a little too much on the hippie slander, started to feel a tad overdone at points. Some marks for the experimentalism, though. Side note: the personnel notes for this album were objectively hilarious
Uhhhh, meh. A couple decent moments here and there, but overall this album is not for me. The are some Zappa albums I love, but this ain’t one of ‘em.
Frank, I love ya, but…
weird
I had always heard Frank Zappa was an insane individual and this record is proof. Complete chaotic mess of an album. It's like the Beatles - White Album on crack which makes sense with the album cover being a play on Sgt. Pepper. What a weird and wild ride though. It's absolutely mental but I wasn't bored with it. Mom's fave song title got to be "Hot Poop" but prob disappointed it was just Zappa whispering some paranoia about the sound engineers and not a bathroom scene with...never mind. I watched the movie "200 Motels" written and directed by Zappa and it's a good follower to this record. Both are pure lunacy and what too much touring can do to a band. Need more acid and spaghetti. And yes, pants too tight on several songs cause sounds like leads ball's are being crushed. Don't know if I will ever listen to this again but probably for the trip...1.5 stars.
Not much of a fan
Mothers of 60s arse
If I ever get the urge to experience a fever dream without the pesky illness to go with it, I'll just throw this album on.
I hate this so much. I despise the insincerity and utter contempt for the audience shown here. It feels like an entire album of "Screw you for listening to this." Feeling that contempt, I've decided to stop listening to it.
Liked it at first, but kept repeating the same joke/point.
This album perfectly describes psychedelics or psych rock because I would have to be under the influence to thoroughly enjoy it.
I am a Beatles fan, half a left wing but also sometimes conservative, a 60s rock enjoyer who actually tried to dress like a hippie, and this album successfully attacked all my weakness. if i can travel back in time to see a Frank Zappa concert, i would like to be that stupid with a flare gun. 2/5
Didn't enjoy it. I guess it's meant to be artsy, but seriously, wtf. Obviously Zappa is a great guitar player, but he is so much better elsewhere. This is a stupid parody that forgets that music is meant to entertain. Where is the beauty, where is the tune, and where is the irony promised? This just seems like a parody of parodies. It doesn't have the cynical, dry humour of Tom Lehrer, and doesn't do justice to the strangeness of Tom Waits because it's trying so hard to be funny that it isn't working. Yeah. I like mocking hippies too. But can we be smarter about it please?
Some people got high and recorded some absolute bollocks, yet some how instruments got played so in some ways impressive but not really entertaining.
I like it more than the other psych rock albums I’ve heard so far. It still sucks and I will never listen to it again
Eksperimenterende psykrock, en blandet landhandel, sgt pepper
Hørte tre sanger. Nei takk. Ikke for meg.
Tenker 68ernes versjon av oslo/berlin løkka peeps digget dette hardt mens de røyket økologiske rever og spiste kabaret med banan.
Jaime le da un 3 ( le gusta lo experimental) Nuria le da un 2 ( no le gusta lo experimental)
Let's give this album one song to be anti-cop, but you know who really needs to be taken down a peg? Those damn hippies. So the rest of the album will be making fun of hippies. This is good satire.
No for me
I want to like this more than I did. A few very good bits. A lot of not so much bits. Impressive they were doing this concurrent with Sgt Peppers, they were ahead of their time, for sure.
I’m sure this was biting satire at the time, but it doesn’t really hold up and was a tough listen. Borderline 1 for me but I’ll bump it up because I appreciate what they’re going for. Definitely prefer the “Hot Rats” Zappa era
1.9 Didnt really connect with me. Maybe I'm not smart enough to get it, maybe time has just passed by on this album.
It’s certainly an interesting album. I’m glad I heard it but I don’t see putting it on again..
1. Complete waste of time 2. What? 3. What? 4. What? Why? 5. Ridiculous I can't go one by one anymore. I read the Wikipedia article. I understand the joke, but I don't think it's a great joke. Or at least I'm so far removed in time or uneducated about the times/events being satirized, the joke isn't relevant to me. The music isn't very enjoyable by itself and because the joke is lost on me, I'm not enjoying this album at all. I think even if I heard this when it was relevant, I wouldn't care for the music the messaging comes wrapped in. Too many backwards passages, weird hard left/right panning, strange noises, nonsensical spoken word passages for me to be able to enjoy this.
That was a very.... strange... album.
A unique work and learning experience but nothing something I imagine Liston frequently
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. 2/5
This is what I would call "clever rock." It's created simply for the purpose of the artist showing how clever he/she is. It does not mean it is bad music but I am sure the parody of 60's rock played a lot better in the 1960's. I don't know what The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny is, other than just noise. I don't have a ton of feedback on this one, other than I have no idea why I had to hear this album and would be shocked if I ever subjected myself to this again.
Very strange. Nice production values. He doesn't like the police, but who does? Nothing that needs to be heard again. No breaks between songs, Flower Punk is a highlight.
You can tell this is a Frank Zappa side project.
I read a review calling this album "aggressively juvenile," and honestly, that says all you need to know. It's chaotic, satirical, and weird for the sake of being weird. Whether that's brilliant or annoying depends entirely on you.
what just happened here...
I'm all for political commentary in music, but this whole thing just felt like a mess. It's noisy and weird and lacks structure and general pleasantness. And framing your album around dissing another band feels kind of immature. Isn't making money a hopeful part of any profession, including creating art? Does that mean it's the "only" part? Anyway, I'm not going to pretend to know all of the Beatles' motivations for Sgt. Pepper, but it's a beautiful piece of art compared to whatever this is. And if you're going to make fun of hippies (which I'm not necessarily opposed to, even as a hippie at heart), then make better music than them.
Too much jive on this one, Frank.
This is one of those albums where you really have to try to appreciate the reason the album was made and the genius of Zappa. That said still a rough listen. Zappa is a great artist, but just not his best.
Thoughts before listening: Frank Zappa has always been more appealing in theory than in practice to me. He's a great guitar player and arranger with some absolutely killer songs, but he's also weird in a way that can be more grating than enjoyable. I don't really know his Mothers of Invention era songs as well as the later solo work. Review: Okay, I think I've made the right choice in avoiding the Mothers of Invention era of Zappa's career. This album is full of his satirical, joke songs with none of the guitar heroics that would make it easier to ignore his tendency for eye roll inducing tracks on later albums. This album is all eye rolling. While I can certainly enjoy some social commentary and poking fun at hippies/hipsters, it could at least have been delivered in an enjoyable format. Outside of a few songs, this album isn't it. 2-stars
Not for me. Too fiddly. Didn't really hit a groove at any point.
Loud and noisy, did not really like this one
this album is full of half baked ideas and random noises. at one point i had to pull over because i thought something was wrong with my car but it was just the violently annoying sounds Frank decided to put on the record. the last song on the record is 6 and a half minutes of random sounds and yet somehow it sounds more coherent that some other parts of the record. i appreciate that it is satire and the few song ideas that feel more fleshed out arent bad but overall this was more annoying that enlightening. +1/2 star for the album cover
I like Frank Zappa, but I don’t get this. I tried. There were decent moments that raised it up, but not enough of those.
This sounds more like one of those BBC Sound Effects recordings than an album you would turn to for pure pleasure. It's just noise, tbh.
Odd but not terrible to listen to
I like Frank Zappa but... What the hell was that? I'll add one star because the lyrics were funny.
There's some neat psychedelia stuff on here, given it's Frank Zappa and friends, but then there's some avant-garde stuff that feels unnecessary. Appreciate the concept though I didn't read into it much.
This is really annoying, I’m not sure if it’s pretentious or just stupid…but saying all that - I do quite like it as a one off listen.
This rides hard on anti-establishment themes. Even themes that rail on those who are anti-establishment. I’m not sure I can take an ethos seriously that just laughs at other ethoses. The nihilism is tempting but doesn’t sit well in the end. Unfortunately, cynicism is masking musicality here. Imagine what they could do with an eighth of a teaspoon of caring.
Well. Ok then.
Not a fan sorry hombre zapato
A few good parts mixed in but mostly noisy garbage. The good parts I would give a 4 star to, the bad parts negative stars.
Excellent musicians with dogshit material. The satire feels more like jealous pontification from someone who never fit in. Its just too silly to take seriously.....but that's what Zappa wanted maybe?
I'm sure I already had this. Is there really two of these on here?
Tried something but missed nearly completely
a little too strange even for me; and that's saying something :-)
I think I should be more present than I am for an album such as this, as it's more of a play than music really. I have heard some funny Zappa stuff later, but this wasn't it.
Most of this album sounds like bad radio jingles. How stoned were they?
Well this album is what you get when you let someone high on drugs record. The positive is that the album was not offensive. This should not be on this list.
It’s a bit weird, actually scratch that a fair amount weird. It seems that he was stoned the entire album
nope. I get that it's supposed to be satire/criticism of society/culture at the time but this comes across now as pretentious (lyrics) and painful music. the final track was awful. 1.5 stars
The cover made me think of the Beatles. So I expected it to sound the same. Loved the satire lyrics in “What’s the ugliest part of your body”. Loved the sneering.
Although the vibes are sometimes there, Its also pure choas. I did like the humour that was in this album but this sort of music is not for me
Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: 👸🤴🤶👼👲🎅🥷🕵️♀️👩⚕️👷🧑🎓👩🏫🧑⚖️👩🌾🧑🚒🧔🏽♂️🧔🏽♂️🧔🏽♂️🧔🏽♂️🧔🏽♂️👩🔧🧑🍳🧑🏭👩💼🧑🔬👩💻👩🎨🧑🎤🧑✈️👩🚀🧕🤵♂️🦸♀️🤰🦹🧙♀️🧝♀️🤹♀️👩🦼💃 Produktion: 😲🙂👌 Musik: 🙃☮︎🚫𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Wertung: 🍉🍉/5
Frank Zappa is something of a solitary figure in the music of the last ~100 years. One could argue with good reason he is a musical genius... but the products of genius are not always aesthetic successes. That’s about how I feel about this album. I love the satirizing of late 60s counterculture and the apparent shots taken at Sgt Pepper’s (beyond the obvious with the album cover). The use of musique concrète and the structure of the album overall is interesting and feels ahead of its time. At the same time, the actual music here feels pretty dated and isn’t particularly enjoyable. I’m not really sure what to make of this as a result. It’s interesting and clever and I appreciate it as art, but don’t think it’s very “good” as a musical release. I also don’t think it’s Zappa’s best work. 4.5/10…?
I've heard worse but it's not really that great... from what i read it's value lies in it's satire of hippie culture, which i guess is historically significant in a way... but the music really don't contribute that much so i wouldn't categorize it as musically important. I still like Frank Zappa and there are allot of good and experimental music by him like "Black Pages", "Apostrophe" and "Peaches in Regalia". Experimental music don't have to consist of only of ideas that only appeal to a small audience. The best experimental artists are the ones that invite regular listeners to expand their horizon's in my opinion.
Interesting take on the 60's psychedelic rock and hippie scene. Sometimes too satirical to make it enjoyable. Not sure when the right time to listen back to this will be. 2.5
Had trouble with this one
Very strange, but I guess we know that going into it. Never could get to into Zappa. A shame, really.
A pastiche of late 60s rock, particularly the Beatles. Zappa is definitely underrated, but this is pretty mediocre.
This is mad, but pretty far out for 1968. Feels almost sample-y, Avalanches with the dropping in of the spoken word bits, phone conversations etc. It's definitely striking, but musically it's pretty ropey. 2/5.
188/1001
This is a thing that exists.
Я не спился и не стал наркоманом. А для шуток есть стендапы.
Maso
uhhhhhhhhhhh well that was a trip. I don't know if it was a good one, but it was definitely a trip.
The guy is definitely talented, but I wouldn't call this music.
Psychedelic weird shit
Rock psicodélico. Demasiada psicodelia y ácido para mi gusto. Un 2.
guy who is definitely not trying really hard to be cool
Honestly, I like Zappa, but this album just is way too noisy and amusical for me... Maybe my brain is just to small for this kind of music.
I understand what they're trying to achieve with the album: social commentary on contemporary pop music using subversive and interesting lyrics. Glad I heard it once, don't need to again.
Interesting at least. Some stuff is not very good on this. Will I listen to again: 5%
Unbearable jumpy with the only cohesive trait: to be against the establishment. But this ain‘t enough, Frank.
Understood and enjoyed much more than freak out
Very weird. All singing about being dirty hippies
I know how much this influenced some of my favorite bands (esp. Butthole Surfers), but I can't get into it. Not sure why.
At least this was short?
I’ve never been sure about Zappa. The documentary “Zappa” was fascinating, but generally his music is too weird for my tastes.
Definitely one of the albums of all time
About 4,000 times more fun to make than to listen to. It scrapes into the twos for being interesting, I guess, but it's basically a bunch of loons messing about in a recording studio and making people pay to sit through it.
Frank Zappa and his mates are great musicians, no doubt about that. They are inventive, they are technically great. But all in all I never found their music interesting. They don't tie it all together to make great songs.
OK, this is not specifically a bad musical album, but it's also not really actuallya musical album in my view. It's really cleanly produced, and it's very inventive, and with 19 tracks in under 40 minutes you don't have to wait very long for a new one if you don't like the one you are listening to ... but it sounds like ideas that are waiting to turn into songs. I was struggling between 1 and 2 stars, but I don't hate this, and it's not bland and boring, and there are enough moments of good music and Zappa's guitar work to tip it into 2 stars, just. Just.
Ranges from OK to much less than OK. Zappa just ain't for us he's too far up his own arse.
I certainly respect it, but it's way to weird and artsy for my liking.
To me this sounds like music made by people too afraid to try to make good music that people will actually like. By making this they can say "the sheep just don't get it, we're too smart for them." Then they never have to actually try to make music that people will unironically love, so they never risk failing. I'll give it an extra star because there is talent here. Unfortunately they were too cowardly to actually use that talent to make music for people who aren't trying hard to be "different."
This was my first Frank Zappa album, and barring other Frank Zappa entries in this project, it will be my last. Why do people like this junk?
It's somewhat clever, sure, but the mockery sounds too easy – if an artist mocks everything, is he actually mocking anything? And aren't hippies a pretty easy target? It all plays more zany/absurdist/incoherent than anything like profound social commentary or committed art. Maybe naming a song "Hot Poop" undercuts the seriousness with which a project is taken by listeners. No comment on whether FZ has standing to mock Sgt. Pepper's. Ironically, there are quite a few snatches of commercially viable pop ("Lonely Little Girl," eg) before the band intentionally distorts for, one assumes, whatever anarchic goals they thought they were pursuing. Just how many people really cared what Frank Zappa had to say back then? And wasn't he the one that cared most? That number, one suspects, has become vanishingly small today.
Some people have too much time on their hands.
When I think about Frank Zappa, I think of his early records, silly, experimental satires of pop culture, politics, hippies and general weirdness. Clearly, a concept album of a mixed bag of bad jokes of ideas and skits that are hit and miss, but you have to commend Zappa for taking this to the extreme and displaying his overwhelming "creativity". This is definitely not for everyone, personally I didn't mind it, it was irritating and dumb most of the time and juvenile stupidly funny other times. It's humor is very dated, but I'm as old as this album, so I get it, well sort of...
Very oddball album. Creepy vibes at times. Fits the era for sure.
#233. I'd never heard Frank Zappa's music before and didn't know what to expect, and yet somehow it was exactly what I expected anyway. 2/5: something