We're Only In It For The Money

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.

Tedious. Intended as a satire of hippiedom, the actual music on We’re Only In It For The Money is of the worst sort of the flower power plinky-plonky bullshit. The random noise is reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle’s exploration with noise and conversation when pioneering Industrial, but it’s done with much less purpose and as such is infinitely less compelling. Worst of all, it’s all done with such smugness. Satire at it’s best reveals our own follies and failings with a necessary humanity. It isn’t an excuse to tell everyone how clever you are, and it certainly shouldn’t be rubbing in how much more clever you are than everybody else. If you can’t recognise the material human reasons for why something needs satirising, you aren’t in a position to properly satirise it. If I’d been in the studio when they were recording it, I’d have had to stop myself physically attacking him for pulling the ‘The first word of this song is discorporate, it means to leave your body’ crap. I’ve seen people do that at open mic poetry nights, and they were always the ones who wrote the most overwrought, pretentious, vapid crap while thinking they were the smartest people in the room. I’m not going to accuse Zappa of not having talent or ideas, he was clearly a gifted guitarist and had lots of ideas. But I don’t think he was a great artist in the same way that I don’t think a lot of the Prog Rock era was great art, a lack of understanding of humanity and a lack of empathy for their subjects. If you compare Zappa to your great experimental novels, The Brothers Karamzov or Ulysses sure, they’re dense and complex but they’re also human. Or heck, compare We’re Only In It For The Money to White Light/White Heat; it’s just as noisy and experimental but Lou Reef had, under all of the posturing, an underlying sense of the humanity of his characters. Zappa feels like he’s satirising humanity as a whole because he doesn’t understand it

So fucking obnoxious.

Wonderfully weird

I'd give this a zero if I could. Unlistenable.

Some of these songs made me double take by the weirdness of it so for that 4/5

This album is super weird. And I appreciate it for its weirdness and creativity. But it's not the album I would pull out if I wanted to sit and enjoy myself.

Nope.

One of Zappa's best albums and the greatest of the early mothers.

it's fine, a little out there and not in a good way for me

With so much good Zappa to choose from it's a shame that this mediocre satire album gets recognition. Hippies certainly deserved the mockery but this is Zappa at hist most annoying, taking on the worst tendencies of the flower power psych pop he's parodying and combining it with his own worst tendencies for fussy over-writing and irritating instrumentation. Apostrophe, Joe's Garage, Roxy & Elsewhere, Zoot Allures, Jazz From Hell, Sheik Yerbouti...these are all far more deserving than this one, who's main value is as a reminder that even their contemporaries thought hippies sucked.

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

So, has anyone seen those images online where it says something like “Damn Homie! You Got The Whole Squad Laughing!” and it’s just people staring at you stonefaced? That’s my experience with this album. It’s bad satire that constantly thinks it’s making some kind of statement. Like yeah Frank, you showed them. I don’t know who the fuck “them” is (hippies I guess) or why half this album is animal noises and playing with your voice pitch until you sound like the missing fourth member of Alvin and the Chipmunks, but… you really stuck it to them. Also, “Nasal Retentive Calliope Music” and “The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny” are the most painful songs I ever heard. Literally cringeworthy. Like I actually physically cringed during both songs. And I mean that with no irony. Favorite track: lol no nothing here this time

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.

That was strange but I can see what they were going for. It was just too much of an inside joke for a previous generation that’s a little lost to time

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?

Frank Zappa is a hero and a legend. I love it.

I'm sure I already had this. Is there really two of these on here?

I know a lot of people love Zappa's music. I can't. I appreciate the man and all he stood for and the freedom he exuded and inspired. But I can't find any emotional connection to the sounds.

As weird as you'd expect

Tried something but missed nearly completely

a little too strange even for me; and that's saying something :-)

A strong early highlight for Zappa and his Mothers, and the only psychedelic rock classic I can think of that seems to hold the genre in such contempt. There are sneering condemnations of the performativity of hippie culture and the album title is an attack on psych pioneers selling out while the album cover seems to conversely criticise commercially successful artists capitalising on the street cred of the genre at the time, with both approaches diluting its integrity. And at the same time, it’s a funny and freaky collection of weird sounds, feedback, and pitch shifted vocals. It’s a bit front heavy, and not as fully realised or virtuosic as something like Hot Rats or Apostrophe, but it’s a lot of fun

Sorry, I love this.

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.

Ik vind dit allemaal best grappig en kwalitatief een stuk beter dan de meeste 'we maken er een potje van'-platen. Volle muzikale vrijheid en lekker veel steken onder water geven naar de maatschappij, naar hippies en naar andere popcultuur (de Beatles afzeiken, joehoe!). Voor mij als luisteraar vraagt het dat ik enigzins moet gaan opletten waar ze het allemaal over hebben. Dat kan natuurlijk nooit de bedoeling zijn. Toch ben ik deze keer mild voor Frank en zijn partners in crime. Dit is toch best origineel en vaardig in elkaar gestoken. Als je ervoor in de stemming bent kun je dit best vaker luisteren.

Eén grote amuzikale gimmick. Dacht dat dit een muzieklijstje was.

Bij het zien van de albumhoes weten we eigenlijk al voldoende: de maffe mothers of invention willen weer schijtlollig doen en een soort parodie maken op bestaande albums. Ze gebruiken hiervoor hun eigen psychedelische rare muziek. Naar teksten luister ik zoals gewoonlijk niet, dus wellicht dat daar allerlei leuke spitsvondigheden in zitten, maar die gaan aan mijn oor verloren. Ik vind het dan soms meer op een soort van Muppet Show lijken, dan dat ik dit serieus moet nemen. Ik heb gewoon geen zin in dit soort schijtlolligheid en heb niet de behoefte om hier open voor te staan. Enorme energievreter is die Zappa, zwaar overschat, dodelijk vermoeiend.

Satire has come a long way since 1968.

That was... something?

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

Well that was an experience. Once I found out it was made by Frank Zappa it made a lot more sense. Super weird, kinda fun, liked the shots at hippies, that was amusing. I think imma stick with a 3 but could be persuaded to give it a 4 if it just made a bit more sense. Overall weird mildly enjoyable listen.

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

Would give a zero if possible. No one likes Frank Zappa.

I get why people hate on hippies now

highlights: who needs the peace corps?, concentration moon, what’s the ugliest part of your body?, absolutely free (jun 10 2024)

Nah

my main complaint towards We're Only in It for the Money is one you've probably heard before: Zappa's critique of the flower power hippie is rendered toothless by his inherent arrogance towards the movement. maybe he was right about a lot of the hippies just being in it for Ass 'n' Grass and planning to ditch this and run a car dealership in San Bernardino, but goddammit, it's 1967. better things are supposed to at least look possible. in his mind, Frank Zappa is above this stupid flower power bullshit -- he's a composer, an artiste, he knows who fucking Stockhausen is, for God's sake. the tragedy is, Frank, that you are still selling to these flower power douchebags. they are buying your records, saying it's "far out" just like the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead fuckheads do. you'll figure out that your fans are also assholes in 1971 when they set a casino on fire/push you into an orchestra pit. outside of the lyrical content (i dunno if you could call the songs with words actual songs rather than little pasted together collages of pop), i think the musique concrete experiments hold up, but if i never hear that engineer whispering in the booth again i'd die happy. shout out Jimmy Carl Black, the Indian of the group.

This may have been important satire in 1968, but it's essentially "unlistenable" in 2024.

Album started off weird but tolerable, became progressively more annoying, but the insufferable final track ultimately dropped it down to 1-star level

Listened Before? Y I've heard this a few times. Didn't like it before, don't like it now. Edgelord comedy "rock" filled with shock attempts and fart jokes. Lame. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Who Needs The Peace Corps? (only because it's close to being an actual song).

Self-indulgent, but at the time, they had a point.

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

Intriguing but also very odd.

Ich hab's zweimal versucht und für mindestens dreimal zu wenig geraucht

I had actually heard a few of these songs before - goofy and strange and funny but this didn't grab me as heard as Freak Out did.

Insane album. You either love Frank Zappa or hate him, and I kind of love him. I love when you can never tell where a song will go, just close your eyes and let Daddy Zapp take you on a cruise.

Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: 👸🤴🤶👼👲🎅🥷🕵️‍♀️👩‍⚕️👷🧑‍🎓👩‍🏫🧑‍⚖️👩‍🌾🧑‍🚒🧔🏽‍♂️🧔🏽‍♂️🧔🏽‍♂️🧔🏽‍♂️🧔🏽‍♂️👩‍🔧🧑‍🍳🧑‍🏭👩‍💼🧑‍🔬👩‍💻👩‍🎨🧑‍🎤🧑‍✈️👩‍🚀🧕🤵‍♂️🦸‍♀️🤰🦹🧙‍♀️🧝‍♀️🤹‍♀️👩‍🦼💃 Produktion: 😲🙂👌 Musik: 🙃☮︎🚫𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Wertung: 🍉🍉/5

A psychedelic freak out by someone who hated drugs. Go figure.

I don’t like to generalize, I feel most musical projects are subjective and nuanced, but this “album” really just boils down to “weird for the sake of weird”. It feels like the rantings of a sarcastic 14 year old edgelord who thinks they are far more intelligent than anyone else in the world, I guess this is a time when someone who just insults everyone is considered to be groundbreaking? Dunno. But we certainly get it, this guy hates hippies. There’s a lot of jokes in here that continue that 14 year old line of thinking. Occasionally there’s some really interesting psychedelic music, but it’s certainly not densely packed. Parts of this album actually made me consider selling all my hifi equipment and cancelling my Apple Music subscription, it was so unenjoyable. This is not for me. 1 star.

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…?

Honestly, this is way more musical than I was led to believe it would be. Sure, it's not radio-friendly, but there's some wonderful musicianship here, the production is great, and it's genuinely goofy and sounds like they're having fun. I laughed multiple times. The least musical parts of this album are comparable to Revolution 9 or some bullshit that Pink Floyd put out and is seen as revolutionary for reasons beyond my understanding. I've tried listening to Beefheart and Zappa a few times over the years and found no entry point. Even when I found one or two songs I thoroughly enjoyed, it still wasn't an entry point into a deeper understanding of their larger catalogs. But this might actually do it for me. I have lots of respect for Zappa, and used to enjoy watching old interviews of him speaking out strongly in defense of free speech, but respect doesn't equate to enjoyment. Now I finally feel like I get some of the hype. That said, I don't expect this to go into my regular rotation. I might put one or two songs on a playlist though. I am genuinely glad I listened to this before I die.

I had never listened to Frank Zappa before. I find this was basically the 1960’s idea of avant-garde, which has lost its novelty over the decades.

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.

Sans aucun doute mon album préféré de tous les projets de Zappa à date. La musique, bien que souvent étrange, reste très accrocheuse. L'humour et la satire sont ultra bien faits. C'était vraiment un album divertissant. Pas le genre qu'on écouterait à tous les jours, mais vraiment une oeuvre bien faite et consistante. Aucunement monotone. 8/10

like many others have said, I think you had to be there.

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

Another genius at work

Had trouble with this one

Here’s an album I haven’t heard since I was like … 15… trippy. Very …. Trippy

Frabk showcases the time tested loathing of something you help create. I thunk it's especially funny knowing the Freaks became the boomers we have to deal with today. It's like they fell into a mirror machine and took the criticisms from Zappa too seriously.

Unpleasant to listen to. Songs aren't coherent enough to actually sound like music, just annoying noise.

Interesting

Just a bit out there for me

Very strange, but I guess we know that going into it. Never could get to into Zappa. A shame, really.

I like some Zappa but this is a bit off kilter. Interesting lyrics, lots of short tracks. If psychedelic rock and freeform jazz had a baby? Not many toe tappers in the first half, but Mom & Dad is a good one. Absolutely Free is also something approaching a pop song. There is some weird stuff on here. Nasal Retentive Calliope Music is basically noise - great title though. There's some pretty moments in the second half, often interspersed with disturbing sounds. By the end I find myself entranced and wondering what's coming next. And it's a noisy 6 and a half minute ambient track with maniacal laughter. That's the end. I think this record might genuinely haunt me. ***

Super weird shit

Awful.

A pastiche of late 60s rock, particularly the Beatles. Zappa is definitely underrated, but this is pretty mediocre.

One of the great Zappa albums. Its beatle baiting cover apparently impressed the Fab Four. Zappa was always somewhat ahead or apart of his time so this sounds like something from 1979 or 1983 One of the very few artists I’d accept more than one album on such a list.

Having suffered through a countless number of psychedelic "masterpieces" of the 60s as part of this 1001 albums list, I heartily concur with Frank Zappa the whole music scene was sorely in need of parodic skewering, which he has rightly accomplished. And I applaud that; I would much rather listen to this than (checks notes) Quicksilver Messenger Service or 13th Floor Elevators or Incredible String Band (or any of the dozen or so other similar albums on this list). There are a million ideas here, with time signature changes, classical allusions, snippets of all kinds of different genres, musique concrete tapes, ambitious musicianship, which makes it dangerously close to proto-prog rock (hock, spit), saved from the excesses of that terrible genre by embracing the ridiculousness of it all. You can't accuse Frank Zappa of not having a sense of humour, even if he isn't actually particularly funny. Barret Hansen (a.k.a. Dr Demento) praised the album in an April 1968 review for Rolling Stone, but concluded that while the initial listening may be significantly profound, due to the reliance on shock, subsequent listening may be reduced in value. That really succinctly describes the problem with this record for me; it is an impressive and surprising series of jokes which all sound very intricate, profound and intellectual on first exposure, they don't actually stand up to repeated listening. It is _less_ than the sum of its parts and inferior to much of Zappa's catalogue. It's just a historical curiosity. 2.5 stars.

Interesting

We're Only In It For The Money is crap. It's stupid, it's an awful listen, it's not cohesive or structured, it's random and gives me nothing I want from music. Frank Zappa can fuck off, 1.

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.

Zappa has a strange sense of humor. This is like a Dr. Demento show with nothing to laugh at or enjoy. Zappa was a genius in so many ways. But this is painful to listen to. Every time it starts to sound like music, he goes out of his way to ruin it. I’m sorry I gave this second chance. 1/5

188/1001

Meh

On one hand I admire someone who makes music that is uniquely them. This album sounds like it was trying to take the piss out of the Beatles, but it was just too weird for me.

musical acid rock.

This is a thing that exists.

9/10

are you hung up- 6 who needs the peace corps- 7 or 8 concentration moon- 6 or 7 mom and dad- 7 or 8 telephone conversation- that sure was a phone call bow tie daddy- 8 harry youre a beast- 7 whats the ugliest part of your body- 7 absolutely free- 7 flower punk- 6 or 7 hot poop- 7 nasal retentive calliope music- 7 or 8. real lets make the water turn black- 7 the idiot bastard son- 6 lonely little girl- 7 take your clothes off when you dance- 8 whats the ugliest part of your body reprise- 7 mother people- 6 or 7 chrome plated megaphone of destiny- honestly this is the funniest way to end this album. 7 👍 good job gang

Tolerated this while playing Isofarian Guard. Why are you trying my patience? There was one or two moments that I "enjoyed"...but I'm learning that Frank Zappa and his children are just not my favorites.

Interesting

Calling their most accessible (yet still not that accessible) album "We're Only In It For The Money" is a great bit

Geez, I already said Freak Out kinda sounded like a child of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (which this current album is parodying) But it was still a shock to see that they had pretty much recreated it's album art for We're Only In It For The Money. As for the album itself, I hate it. While Freak Out! had some good moments at the start, this one had no good moments at all. Every weird or unique thing it tries to do always comes across as jarring, annoying or both. And of course, you can't have a Mothers Of Invention album without the obligatory track of just nothing but laughing and random noises and this album has it. I like some weird albums but this one just proves the point i made in my Freak Out! review, Just because it's satire, doesn't mean it gets an excuse for being bad. Best Song: Lovely Little Girl Worst Song: The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny

Listening to this Zappa led The Mothers Of Invention record I'm struck by a thought I can't shake right around the time that "Who Needs the Peace Corps" is winding down. This sounds so solidly and ready to be on Sebadoh's early albums. Frankly, yes I said FRANKLY, despite the attention span zig and zag this is one of the most enjoyable Zappa led recordings I've heard. It has better sound quality and songcraft than a track off of Weed Forestin' or The Freed Man but you can hear how and where they fit together in a way that I find delightful. This comparison is a complement in both directions to be clear.

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

Alright, innit

Absolute shit. How can an album have 19 songs and still be under 40 mins? Let's just take a second to thank god it's only 40 minutes eh.

Я не спился и не стал наркоманом. А для шуток есть стендапы.

Kind of weird and disjointed. Almost a parody of other music.

What was that? If you like random noise and songs that you had to be there for, then this album is for you.

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.

Hot Poop would have made a great title track. We get it dude, you hate hippies.

You have to admire the creativity. Definite musical merit, but a challenging listen.

This is what you get when the only sober guy in the band is Frank Zappa — kind of funny at times, kind of beautiful at times, never really engaging the way I wish it was.

Nah this is dumb.

Psychedelic weird shit

Probably this has some cultural significance but I thought it was frigging stupid

What the heck was that?

I obviously don’t know music. I’m not a fan.

If you don't love this you don't know music.

avant-pop with political commentary

Rock psicodélico. Demasiada psicodelia y ácido para mi gusto. Un 2.

musical acid rock.

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.

Having never heard of this band or album and having no preconceived notions, I initially thought this was a sincere attempt at straightforward music. That illusion was probably shattered in less than a minute. I have to say that, as much as I always thought Zappa was too out there (and I had no idea at first that he was part of this), I really liked this album. I don't know if I'd listen to it often at all, but it made me laugh out loud a few times. It kind of reminded me of a long, catty Oompa Loompa screed. Definitely bizarre, but a better side of bizarre than for some of the albums I have experienced here.

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.

Well that was fucking weird. But it was weirdness that grew on me. I initially thought I was going to dislike it with the excessive talking and random noise, but I didn't and I can't really articulate why.

Don’t imagine they got much money for this.

Interesting at least. Some stuff is not very good on this. Will I listen to again: 5%

Whoa…. I listened to this album on a treadmill while doing an entire expert sudoku perfectly, taking pride in my concentration. And I imagined Zappa saying I wasn’t listening at all. I’m going to need some time with this.

Unbearable jumpy with the only cohesive trait: to be against the establishment. But this ain‘t enough, Frank.

Seriously, kill me now. Can I vote 0?

I’d love to see the music Zappa would have produced in the 2000s, such a visionary and artist in the truest sense. In saying that, this isn’t my favourite of his work.

I am a big fan of Frank Zappa. He draws on many influences and his satire and parody are on point. This is not my favorite by him or the Mothers but was still a fun listen. One needs to listen to this several times to get all the nuances and jokes, it's not just background music. It requires the listener's active participation to receive the full experience. Favorite of mine: "What's the Ugliest Part of your Body?". 'I think it's your mind', words of wisdom. It seems to fit a lot of folks. Whether you like him or hate him, agree or disagree, Frank was a genius.

Understood and enjoyed much more than freak out

Yeah, I'm not going to pretend I get anything that was at least prtially created by Frank Zappa. Most likely he was breaking genres that were gone years before I was even born. It's like trying to read Voltaire without knowing the context of his book. Just to much research involved trying to appreciate one guy. I'll politely refuse to do that.

Constant Craving is full on one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life. The rest of the album, solid wine bar songs sung by an S tier vocalist, but man, fucking Constant Craving will get ya every time

Cosa experimental horrible. Tomaron el Sgt. Pepper e hicieron una parodia psicodélica de él. Poco valor en este disco.

Certainly a masterpiece from Zappa and the Mothers. Brilliantly satirical, complex, innovative musical experimentation, and of course: controversy and censorship. Not everyone was ready for Zappa's scathing rebuke of both the mainstream and the counterculture of the time.

Arbitrary!

A bit too silly for me.

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.

This was kind of like if the Chipmunks did psychedelic hippie music. But I did find it very catchy and would definitely listen again!

Classic Zappa making fun of everyone else with something so high concept they wouldn't understand and then laughing at them for not getting it. The man is a loon, but a musical genius. It makes his music often difficult to listen through, but this was a good 33 minutes of joking on hippies AND the right and 6 minutes of N O I S E

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

A trippy experience that outlined the strength of Zappa early in his career.

100% Frank.

I really like it to start but all the weird cuts didn’t show off all the musicianship of the band

Ridiculous.

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.

Pretty wild stuff! I like it!

Imagine a sixties rap album where it's only skits. Crossed with Sgt Pepper. Immense fun to listen to, but not one that I need to go back to.

Awful

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.

This was trippy, and I guess it was supposed to be. There were many parts I just liked the music and the lyrics did not match the expectations perfectly. They’re like a 60s tenacious d but with a sound from the time. So many thoughts and I really can’t figure out what to rate so I guess I’m neutral.

The Mothers of Inventions huh? Never heard if these guys. 1968 I see Frank Zappa there and heard his name quite a bit in that first track. I don't really like zappa. There are some funny lyrics in here though. I rarely give 1 stars but I just can't with this. I'll listen to What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? cause that has almost 4 million plays then I'm out. 1 star.

This album didn't blow me away. I could see how it may have been more "mind-blowing" at the time, but, now, it just feels like a good, quirky album with good hooks but kooky lyrics. I do like it and would listen to it, again, and I do want to check out more Mothers of Invention Albums.

3 love Zappa but he goes a bit overboard with the random noises

interesting lyrics

Wouldn't surprise me if this was here only for the cover's bait and switch. The only notable thing about this album is that it made me appreciate kollaps by einstürzende neubauten more, at least they manage to make an interesting experimental noise album

Just a bit shite wasn't it

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.

Decent psychedelic rock, but not for me.

I'm not at all certain what I ingested to have that sort of hippie fever dream, but it was fun. Usually an album loses a star for me if I absolutely know I'll never listen to it again, and I'm neither a teenager nor do I possess enough drugs to take down an elephant, so I'm certain I won't likely ever fire this back up, but it's good in it's oddity. It's always sonically interesting, and the lyrics are often poignant and mature for their overall backdrop. There isn't a single song I'll think of as a single, but it's all pretty good.

Fun and Funky

Just weird for the sake of being weird, really not my thing.

Småkul platta. Inte jättebra låtar men det gör inget liksom.

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

Ranges from OK to much less than OK. Zappa just ain't for us he's too far up his own arse.

Interesting for a one time listen - clever and impeccably sounding but the nature of experimental noise is that it’s normally too clever for its own good. It does a good parody of hippie culture and its scathing review of Zappa’s peers but that doesn’t make want to hear it again.

I certainly respect it, but it's way to weird and artsy for my liking.

Not my kind of “music” at all.

I've had this on CD for a long time, coupled with Lumpy Gravy. It has its moments but it's not something I throw on for sheer pleasure. More of an audiophile attraction. I would never recommend Mothers or Beefheart to general music lovers.

3/5. Honestly kind of hard to rate this one. I mean, I did enjoy but it's always hard to tell with Zappa. I have listened to this one before and I didn't necessarily like it but on a later listen, I am getting some of the energy and statements, especially the commercially charged hippie movement, that sometimes is even present today. As far as the songs, super weird. I don't think I'd listen to it often but I do respect the weirdness. Is it an album I would recommend? Probably never. It was funny sometimes and it will probably go up or down in rating depending the day. It wasn't bad, interesting for sure, not really an album though. The short songs usually take away from it. Best Song: Who Needs The Peace Corps?, What's The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?, Let's Make The Water Turn Black

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

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

So odd

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."

3.5

Um disco interessante e experimental. No entanto, acho que Zappa produziu coisas mais complexas e melhores posteriormente.

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?

very odd

Начало похоже на Рокки-Хоррор, первые три трека Классный психодел, мне зашел, дослушала до конца

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.

1. hung up - 0 2. corpz - 0 3. moon - 0 4. dad - 0 5. phone - 0 6. daddy - 0 7. beazt - 0 8. body - 0 9. free - 1 10. punk - 1 11. poop - 0 12. nazal - 0 13. black - 0 14. zon - 0 15. girl - 0 16. dance - 0 17. body 2 - 0 18. people - 0 19. deztiny - 0

It's a rather interesting album. Some of the tracks aren't actually songs. I like the experimentation by The Mothers of Invention. Frank Zappa is also good here. Parts of the album were too weird or boring for me. 3 stars for "We're Only in it for the Money".

I suppose I was pleasantly surprised by this. It probably lands closer to Beatles than to Beefheart, which was a relief. I did smile a few times but the joke wore thin pretty quickly. Still all a bit too weird for me to really enjoy but there are some decent bits of music hidden amongst the all that “invention”.

Think I'm descovering something I vibe with that I didn't knew I vibe this much with before. You're a beast made me so uncomfortable I had to stop the listening tho. A good thing? a bad thing? I don't think it was well executed nor poingnant as the rest of the LP, saddens me that it sours what was being a perfect listening experience. I think the satire befomes a little bit snobish.

Zappa at his best. Some say it's your nose, some say it your toes, I say it's your mind.... 4/5

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

The longer this album goes on the more I like it. It's a bunch of dudes making fun of hippies in SF, and the lyrics are pretty funny. The songs are short and all interesting sounding, and they aren't taking themselves very seriously. They're also making fun of Sgt Peppers (?), which is one of my favorite albums but I love some satire. I wouldn't say that this was an incredible accomplishment of music, but it was definitely funny and I enjoyed listening to it. 8/10

i don't know what to make of this

Really hot , not m'y favorite but really Nice

I'm a huge Zappa fan but prefer his middle era material vs. the early material with the Mothers and the later "Jazz from Hell" material. This record isn't bad, but it's a bit gimmicky and hasn't aged particularly well. My favorite record is "Joe's Garage" and I strongly recommend checking that out if you want a different Zappa experience.

creative aber anstrengend

Sehr speziell. Das ist so schräg, dass es schon wieder toll ist. Ein ganzes Album wie „A Day In The Life“.

Who Needs the Peace Corps? What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?

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.

Honestly loved this. It was so weird and abstract.

This album is so unhinged and I'm fully on board. It's so weird, experimental and full of nonsense.

#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 Song added to playlist: Absolutely Free I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Very strange album but has a couple of stand out tracks

Alvin and the Chippunks

Fantastic early Frank Zappa album. It's making fun of everything that was going on at the time. Great songs with ironic lyrics commenting on the social and political situation at the time. I really like the album cover (with Jimi Hendrix)

Snyggt album cover. Som Beatles fast istället för att experimentera med hasch så tog de massa helium. Skämt åsido så var det intressant. Väldigt experimentellt, Zappa står (stod (rip)) med en tå över gränsen för mycket flum för min del. Han var dock en otroligt bra musiker och kompositör. När han väl skrev saker som inte är för kaosiga så var det riktigt bra. Denna skiva var väldigt snabb kändes som. Många roliga moment och han är även en bra textskrivare vars texter tillochmed jag dras till. Han tar upp många viktiga ämnen som fortfarande kan ha betydelse idag 60 år senare. Denna kommer jag nog lyssna på igen någon gång i framtiden. Det jag vet säkert är att Zappa kommer växa på mig, men just nu är det för mycket.

I get why it's influential, and I like zappa stuff, but this isn't the easiest thing to listen to with all the weird electronic noise

Weird

That was weirdly entertaining. 3 stars

Some of it I liked but also lost patience at times.

Over the top, even for Zappa.

I oscillated on this one, but in the end, I just don't like Zappa very much. (Sorry Dad).

this one was fun with a lil bit of asmr mixed in

Previously rated: Freak Out! (3/5) ********************* I'm glad I listened to this. It had its share of interesting moments - it got some chuckles out of me. Example: "There will come a time when you won't even be ashamed if you are fat." How prophetic! Some funny song titles too. And some words I didn't expect to hear from a 1968 album, including "kick the shit out of me" and "flower power sucks." The music, kind of all over the place. The last track was just random sounds, not very musical, and it was the longest track. Do I ever want or need to listen to it again? Probably not.

I don't understand, appreciate, nor care for Frank Zappa's psychedelic rock. This was a strange trip and a complete waste of my time. I want my 40 minutes back.

Zappa just seems like he's trying to be so counterculture and so opposite of anything mainstream that the average listener would have a hard time enjoying any of what they hear. This album is hard to listen to. 1 star for sticking to his gun throughout his career and another star for musicianship. Outside of that this is shit garbage.

5/7/24. Just wasn't a fan of this one. I typically appreciate weirdness and potentially controversial or political lyrics, but this one didn't strike a chord with me. It was a bit unique in its defense.

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

bem trippy e experimental pra epoca, gosteimas pode ter sido a maconha 5 estralas

Not for me

Loppu motivaatio kesken.

Ennen kun levy lähti soimaan, huomasin, että 60-luvun lopulta… tuumasin, että ettei vaan olis taas hippihörhöilyä ja niinhän se oli. Voihan hezuz sentään…

Sick of this experimental shit

I like there other album idk its weird and provactive if i was a teenager in the late sixties i would love it, but im not so its gettin 2 stars

While this album may be a little less casually listenable than Freak Out! while also having a far more vague message involved, this album still manages to blow the listener's socks off with its utter bizarro approach to music. It still has a lot of that doo-wop, tongue-n-cheek pop flavor, yes, but it also injects some hints of ketamine to really cause a sort of dreamlike effect that can go from being a bubbly wonderland to a nightmare in a matter of seconds, and that approach to music, especially for 1968, is not only nerve wracking, its flat out impressive. There are hardly any songs here that start at A and end at Z, but the snippets you do get of pop are not done poorly, as they are still incredibly thought out, catchy, and could swing with the best of the genre they satirize. You can tell Zappa does not hate the music he parodies, rather his inspiration from it takes him places very little others can even see coming, and it leads to not only great tunes, but an oddly thrilling narrative one can hardly piece together, some soundscapes straight out of a horror film of the future tucked in with some pixie dust to always ensure that you're willing to keep going. Sure, it's creepy, but it's also so playful about it that you often find yourself still loving what crumbs are given to you, and for an album to jump back and forth and do it all so well is easily commendable. I can't imagine turning most of this album on for any ol' reason, it still has this energy that very little even today could replicate, and for, again, 1968, that's amazing.

It’s unfortunate there isn’t a negative rating, because I would give a negative rating to this FZ album.

Parodie auf das Album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band der Beatles. Gelungen? Geschmackssache, schade, Frank Zappa machte später bessere Musik

last night i was really high and the noise my friends made sounds exactly like the goblins voices in the middle of the last music The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny.

erm what the sigma

I love Zappa but that guy must've been off a perc 24/7

Again, never heard of these guys. This is very interesting. Very 60's, experimental rock, psychedelic rock. I dig it.

Good Album and funny to listen to again.

Satire that's of its time. I'm never going to listen to this again.

This is such a difficult one. Some gold in there, but buried in some unlistenable pap. I don't the time or patience for another listen.

It feels like a big joke. Maybe it is. Either way, I didn’t really connect with it.

After a few minutes I wanted to stamp on my speakers, it was fucking awful. Then, bizarrely, your mind sort of adjusts to it and it's not quite as awful. I can't say that it ever reached the heights of me enjoying it, but I made it all the way through which seemed unlikely.

Some of the songs on here are unbearable. And others are enjoyable. Maybe I need to listen to this again. Overall I found this to be a bit too out there for me.

I’m really disappointed this album is on here. It sucks. It’s disrespectful to real musicians. It’s not even fun.

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

This album was so weird I loved it. From the album cover spoof on the beatles to the random 48 second interludes, this whole album was a wild journey that I'll probably never listen to again. Who needs the peace corp was definitely a standout

Funny and odd. Musical fringe style and not always easy to find pleasure in listening.

I love Zappa, struggled more with this than Freak Out or the slightly later stuff.

Before listening: Is this some sort of joke band? Like Spinal Tap or KISS? Looks like this album was released in 1968 so just a few years after Sgt Pepper and also around the same time the Rolling Stones copied Sgt Pepper with that Majesty album. After listening: I really don't know what to say. I came in kinda expecting to hate this album - everything about it seemed so silly. But then I found myself enjoying it. It was interesting and fun and didn't take itself too seriously. There were times when I felt that they were doing a bad impression of later Beatles McCartney, but I can look past that. I enjoyed this album, in fact, I feel like listening to it right now.

Несмешная шутка. Недоразумение.

Maybe one's just being a square but this sounds less profound or biting than indulgent and annoyingly preachy and self-satisfied with its own quippiness. They are trying too hard (taking themselves more seriously than the hippies they accuse of the same sin/crime). Comparing themselves to the Beatles (which is obvs what they are doing) is self-flattery of the rankest and least justifiable sort. And anyway mocking Sgt Peppers and Hey Joe is supposed to be blazingly original? One could see it being the most influential album of the week it came out, but can't even remotely credit editorial claim in book that this was one of the most influential albums of the second half of the 20th century. Perhaps it sought to call as much attention to itself as any other album ... And too bad FZ didn't let a few of the neat little melodies play out as pop songs, because after all he is a pop musician, not Howard Zinn or Ralph Nader or Lenny Bruce or ...

Worst of the list. ALL TIME

What *is* the ugliest part of your body?

I used to live them, but it hasnt aged well

A drug fueled 70s variety show, where instead of comedy skits, they sing about cop killings and how brainwashed we all are. I can see how that's influential to music, but not necessarily something I want to listen to.

LP

zappa is such a weirdo. i really liked this, was almost feeling a 9/10 at first, but the bit got a bit old towards the end (the last track is...trying). still very cool

This is early Zappa - the sarcasm is there, but the musical brilliance will develop in grand style as the years roll on. So much better styff coming!

I love the concept of Zappa and what he stood for, but his music just doesn't gain the same purchase.

Juvenile crap

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

Okay this was just actual noise.

There were moments, some bad, some very good. I feel there were more of the latter, so I'm going to give this 4 stars to this jazzy, psychedelic, anti-hippy, weirdness of an album.

I listened to this album so many times in high school and college that, even after not listening to it for at least 10 years, I was able to hum and sing along to every song. Great album. Satirical lyrics aside, Zappa was an excellent musical craftsman. These are really more like musical vignettes, but there's so much here in terms of melody, harmony, and instrumentation, mixing doo-wop with rock and jazz and everything in between. Excellent blast from the past.

Weiiird

Waus

It’s definitely Zappa! “What’s the ugliest part of your body” has been stuck in my brain ever since.

I thought I would hate it based on the reviews, but I got decently into this album. Interesting parody.

wtf

Theres Sgt peppers. Then there’s The Rolling Stones version that tries to be like it. And then there’s whatever the hell this is. Not really sure what to call it. Guttural noises, nonsensical talking, music that tries to be unique or cool but comes off like hot garbage. This is one of the worst albums in English I’ve had. 1.7/10

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

Frank Zappa is the pioneer of alternative rock. This proves. It is a great album but not one that I would put as a top of any lists. I appreciate that I was able to listen to it.

Bleh. Elska zappa en þetta fannst mér boring.

Don't like it.

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

Lmao

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.

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

I think this was necessary for musical growth, experimentation and development. But that dint mean I gits to like it.

conceptually interesting but extremely strange. not suited for easy listening and not catchy. tough to listen to casually but at least weird enough to be notable

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

I didn't hate this album but I don't like it much either. I did chuckle at a few of the songs and their political barbs and mocking. The whispering part was okay once but just stop it after that. 2 stars only because I did laugh at the cultural satire. Otherwise, maybe not forgettable but definitely not one I'll be picking up again.

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

Interesting. Can't say I've heard anything just like this. Not a four star though.

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

Was at least very short.

Too much stoned politics for me

At first I was like “wtf” but then … I ended up liking it. Experimental, interesting lyrics and themes, definitely not boring. Would listen to again.

Classic

Blech

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

What a trippy wild album. This felt like something Tim and Eric would make if they were around back then. Dug it.

Damn man, really funny to get this album before Sgt. Peppers, just so the cover reference doesn't make any sense. Maybe we'll get that tomorrow? This album is great, yet another banger from Zappa and his gang. It's really cool that he's such a talented musician that chose to make goofy albums like this, and it's crazy that some of the jokes are making me laugh some 50+ years later. "I'm gonna love the police while they beat the shit out of me" killed me. But yeah, once again, it's comedic stuff poking fun of hippies and counterculture, while also being competent, experimental music. Who's doing it like Zappa? Guy was truly one of one, so much so that I thought Captain Beefheart was an alter ego. Favorite tracks: Are You Hung Up, Who Needs the Peace Corps, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body, Absolutely Free, Flower Punk, The Idiot Bastard Son, The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny. Album art: A pointed spoof of the Beatles' Sgt. Peppers cover. Zappa standing near the front right with no pants, and to his right....Jimi Hendrix? Very cool collage of people, the lightning in the back is a nice touch too. And of course, spelling the word "Mothers" in fruits and veggies is also cool. This is a great cover. 4/5

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

I like Zappa, but even this was too out there for me.

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.

Interesting as hell. Not your usual listen. 4/5

This is worse than Trout Mask Replica.

The first real conceptual rock album? Biting satire and social commentary? Making fun of hippies (bums - bad karma thing to do)? This album has it all and is an absolute masterpiece. Zappa was a genius

What, in the blue blazes of fuck and all that is holy, is this?!? Madness. Not the band, the state of mind.

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

Best grappige stukjes, maar wel heel erg gefragmenteerd.

Weird

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

What a load of nonsense. Sounds like some talented people just decided to mess about and make stupid things that occasionally almost sound like they could be good.

Didn’t get it. Too much

I'm sure Frank and the gang had a great time making this but I for one didn't enjoy listening to it at all. I'm all for experimentation and weirdness but I'd at least like the music to not be shit. You can have weird stuff in a song or album but an album of weird shit and noises just isn't enjoyable.

Knew this would suck from the cover.

Silly to rate it like this because it clearly has ambitious, talent, and intelligence, but it felt like listening to a Monty Python/ Terry Gilliam skit for 40 minutes.

Way ahead of it's time. Other than the references I wouldn't have guessed this was from the 60s. Odd but interesting compositions. The overlapping voices were a bit of a drawback but overall I liked it and I need to check out more Zappa.