Freak Out!

I love me some frank and frank adjacent music. The sauce is here just maybe slightly muted. I feel like the other mothers band mates maybe wanted some serious music here. Still interesting musically but less help im a rock type songs. Still tons of satire just some serious moments. Lots of do wap stuff that was fun. I dont hear thay often but they do it well. And the closing track is wild. Maybe not an everyday listen for me but it does alot of cool stuff with production and recording tech. Its a cool album. Im less into it than main solo zappa stuff but its still quite good.

Utter shit

It's alright, a little annoying because of the general wackiness, not particularly weird despite what other reviews say 🤷‍♂️ okay got a bit weirder later...

2 - TERRIBLE

I've never done any hard drugs, but knowing the chaos that is my sober mind, I imagine this is what it would be like..

I like Zappa, BUT i don’t fancy his humor stuff. Of course humor is quite often present in his songs but at least maybe in later albums it was pari of more ambitious musical context. To me this is Zappa at his worst. The other star is mostly because it’s Zappa.

On its time this most likely would have been more impressive experience for me. Now 60 years later this is just album with outdated weirdness and overall approach. Regardless of that I kinda like this worth of two stars.

#466 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? 🤷‍♂️ It's been a long while since I've heard any of it, but it still strikes me as very surprising how psychedelic this album is. But wait! There's more! It's released in 1966!!! Freaky shite that's for sure. As far as the music goes, it's a bit too much on 60's pop rock for the most part, I'm sure it is satirical parody of said music or something, but I listen to albums for the music, not satire. It has it's moments, but they're a bit too few. Weak 3/5

Really not my jam

The healthiest mix of excellent melody and random bullshit. I love this. Such a vivid collection of songs. Help I'm a rock is so good and wowie Zowie aswell, bizzare. It can't happen here is weirdly charming and hypnotising. A concept album I guess? Would go 4.5 if I could.

I will not try to deny the influence and pure talent that is Frank Zappa, but I'd be lying to you if I said Freak Out! isn't yet another messy and all of the place Mothers of Invention album I could never fully get myself into. This album will go from some of the wonkiest songs you have ever heard to an actually heartfelt and quite charming track about love. I think this album is a testament to Zappa's range as an artist as well as all his other bandmates for matching his freak. For being a 1 hour debut released back in 1966, this project is a lot. I wish there were more tracks here I enjoyed but I won't lie it was pretty sparing to pick through the favorites here. I know I enjoy Zappa's music much better when he is solo, but I do really wish I could get down with a lot of this as the people who like it are very passionate. I hate to say it but Freak Out! is once again a lot of over the top 60s music, for better and for worse.

Too trippy and bizarre for me. It's the sort of 60s music that I actively dislike. I say music but it's not very "musical" at all. The first few tracks I actively disliked, but then I guess the rest were somewhat listenable - though again, I'm not a fan of "satire" albums. My fav was "Any Way the Wind Blows" 2/5

This album is very of it's time. They seem to be rebelling in the way a moody teenager would... they are lashing out at the only thing they know. The doo-wop songs are pretty mean-spirited. There are some ok musical ideas, but this isn't for me.

I like this one better than we're only in it for the money, but there aren't any tracks on this one I'd choose to sit down and listen to

i get what its going for but sorry frank this one doesnt hit the target

Social satire and jokes, but not required listening imo

I know this is a Zappa production that is well loved by a specific group of music nerds, but I unfortunately do not "get it" enough to be in that group (which must comprise, in my mind, of intersecting Ween and Beach Boys enjoyers). I just did not have the patience for this, nor do I have the patience for this kind of trolling music basically ever. I understand what an album like this is trying to do, but it's just not for me. The whole time I was listening, I was picturing the person at my local karaoke spot who would absolutely attempt any one of these songs and how not funny it would be. So yeah, this one just kind of irritated me...bummer. 1.5/5 Favorite tracks (if you could even call them that): Any Way The Wind Blows, Trouble Every Day

kakva albumčina! naginjao sam nekako četvorci, ali na zadnjoj pjesmi pomislio sam, jebote, petica. nevjerojatno koliko nešto može biti eksperimentalno a ugodno za slušanje, parodijski a opet kvalitetno. jebena 1966?! nevjerojatno. bitlsi mi djeluju još gluplje nakon što sam ovo odslušao. svakako mi je bilo puno bolje od prethodno odslušanog »we're only in it for the money«, koji mi je ostao u sjećanju kao da uzmeš s ovog albuma najčudnije dijelove s »help, i'm a rock« i razvučeš ih u čitav album. u svakom slučaju drage ću volje ponovo slušati

Are you fucking with me list? Are you really fucking with me like this? DNF Rating: 1/10 Stars: 1

Understand why it is on this list but not really my thing.

This is the debut album from the MOI, and it is classic kooky music from Frank Zappa. The album could reasonably be called a parody album of 1950s and 1960s music. I could do without the last two tracks, which are mostly talking and random noises. Overall it would have received a four-star rating if not for the end of the record. 3.5 stars.

This is the band of Frank Zappa! In all honesty, I don't know who Frank Zappa is, except that (1) Weird Al did a song based on him and (2) his kid is named Moon Unit, and they are usually credited with popularizing the "Valley Girl" sociolinguistic stereotype (except nowadays, most students have never even heard of this stereotype, so really I can throw out all my Frank Zappa knowledge). It seems Frank Zappa is a pretty weird guy. Good for him, I guess, but I'm not getting anything from listening to this. Maybe you had to be there. I bet he inspired Maureen from "Rent".

t’s the case with Hot Rats as it is with this, I could really sink into this album if you just shut up, Frank Zappa. All you do is come onto a track and sound like someone continuously smashing the next word in a predictive text. If ever there was ever someone’s music I felt I needed to put a paper bag over its head just to have sex with it, it would be his.

This is like The Monkees bred with musical theater in desperate need of mood stabilizers and fewer kazoos.

Felt like I was listening to an improv class that took too many drugs Is Susie Creamcheese okay?

ну вроде музыка прикольная и интересная, но голос вообще не нравится, поэтому 3.

Både noen opp- og nedturer her, men liker det gode veldig godt.

Mange av låtene er jo ganske ok, men jeg er ikke veldig fan av denne typen hippie/psych 60-talls. Har det samme forholdet til band som Love, blir aldri helt grepet. Så blir det jo litt artig med Zappa, for han blander dette "pene og pyntelige" med koko greier. Lavt på treeren.

Interesting seems a bit ahead of its time in way but also stuck to its time in other ways.

Most accurate title ever? First half was groovy and second half scared me and turned me into bits

Not bad introduction to me Zappa

I would have rated this slightly higher if it weren't for the almost 20 minutes of spoken word at the end. In spite of that however, this album by the Mothers of Invention is a laugh and a half, with absurd humour and quirky musicality to really entertain the listener in a way that I don't think you could find at the time outside of Frank Zappa's work. Very silly, yet still containing some heart to it.

Well, i expected a truly weird and surreal album - and surprisingly, it‘s not 100% that. Yes, there is a lot of experimentation on here. There‘s also a quiet frankly disturbing amount of kazoo on here. And yet, Freak Out is a tremendously exciting album. It‘s filled to the brim with ideas and thankfully, the band seemingly had no filter in tje studio. There are weird and intense jungle sounds, parody-like doo-woo ballads that show respect for the form but also don‘t take it too seriously, some truly funny lyrics (did anybody count how many times someone gets their car upholstered?), a vocal that sounds like an early attempt at a synth line and so much more. Inject it into my veins and write me a memoir about Suzie Creamcheese. (The album also has a fair share of puzzling lyrics. Of course they are singing about teenage girls. That will never stop being icky and inappropriate.)

This took, uh, a bit of a turn at "Help, I'm a Rock." I was kind of on board before that, though. It certainly wasn't boring! 3.5?

Album varies from cool to weird. There are some gems here, but mostly it’s satire I don’t know the relevance of. Still an interesting album to have listened to and read about. Favourites: Hungry Freaks Daddy, and Trouble Every Day

This does push the boundary of whether it is music or not, but on the whole it’s ok - it’s not as accessible as Hot Rats, but more music-y than We’re Only In It For The Money. What’s good is good, what’s more interested in freaking out the squares is less so, and on balance it’s pretty middling.

This is actually not bad, well, the first half at least. I get the cynicism and critique of the pop culture at that time, and the result is quite good. But then it drifts away into psychedelic drug dreams.

Oh boy. Some of these are really fun and interesting, where others only make sense if you're doing lots of drugs and want to feel like you're 'in on the joke'.

I did not get irritated by this album the way I did the other album I had, which was their second. This one was actually listenable for most of it. At the end it started getting a little off the rails for me. I'm gonna come right out and say I just don't get them or get Frank Zappa, and at this point in my life, I don't mind. There might have been a time I felt like I was missing something or missing out not getting in them/him, but not any longer. It definitely belongs on this list as an album you need to hear because of the influence it would have on later artists is very present ( as other reviewers have said) but, its not on the list of albums you need to hear TWICE.

A bit wacky at times, and the lyrics aren’t always great. Which is such a shame as I love the psychedelic vice. High 2

It amazes me that something this freewheeling and explorative came out in 1966. Even today acts like Ariel Pink and MGMT are still pulling at these threads. It’s hard to categorise so much of Freak Out! Any time that The Mothers of Invention arrive at a way of organising their sound, it shifts. The main theme (to my ears) is them mocking the common forms of music that people would have been very familiar with (and perhaps bored of) in the mid-1960s. Joke-y music can go one of two ways, it often falls flat because quality song writing and instrumentation has less importance placed on it than silly premises. A song like‘Motherly Love takes an extremely thin and silly premise and unnaturally stretches it out. This time round, for whatever reason it works on me. Much of the back end sounds improvised as they employ some impressive psychedelic production techniques. I have a high tolerance of “silly” experimental music so the story of Suzie Creamcheese, which includes random hoots, groans and animal noises, works on me - I’m sure it’ll bemuse a general audience. It’s not as good as Jazz Rock era Zappa but gets top marks for ingenuity and entertainment value.

The Mothers of Invention get a solid 3 from me, loved some of this but it was bit overlong and exhausting in it’s wackiness

This is a very 60s album It’s psychedelic, experimental, rock and roll, jazzy, it’s got 50s Doo Wop The first second had me on edge when I saw it was an hour but first three tracks are great. Wowie Zowie maybe not so, but Help, I’m a rock is pretty fun You can kind of tell they didn’t care, but also really caring about the music especially the last song/soundscape with all the phaser like effects. Kind of sad music doesn’t really get created in this way anymore where labels gamble on a group of weird music people. Admittedly that approach did lead to “sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit” music, this lands on good for me.

Had low expectations here but I was wrong, there are some good stuff here, quite avant garde and you have to select the songs but it's globally pleasant. Might enjoy it more when I'll be a grown ip

Frank Zappa has the worst kind of intelligence for me. Sneering and condescending. It sours everything he does. This record had loads of really decent music in it, but I can't get past being looked at down somebody's nose

really enjoyed We’re Only in It for the Money, even though that album somehow has a lower overall rating than this one. This just wasn’t nearly as interesting to me. It felt less focused, like Zappa was throwing random noises, goofy voices, and nonsense lyrics into every empty space just because he could. I know the chaos and satire are supposed to be part of the appeal, but most of it sounded more annoying than clever. There were a few decent musical ideas buried in there, especially when the band settled into something resembling an actual rock song. Then another strange sound effect or lyric would show up and pull me right back out of it. Maybe I’d feel differently if I’d heard this when it came out and could appreciate how unusual it was for 1966. Or maybe it wasn't unusual, depending on your state of mind.

I’ve revisited this one basically on the novelty of it all a few times. Surprisingly memorable. Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas mmmmmmmmmmmmmmminnesota

2.5★/5 07.29.2026

No me gustó nada. Apenas puedo rescatar alguna que otra parte instrumental.

Creative and very good. The last quarter hour is an other story. :)

Pretty neat album, you can definitely hear parts where future acts would take inspiration among some of the more odd and at times funny songs. Zappa is a musician that I'm not very familiar with, but I feel like this is solid introduction. Doesn't take itself super serious, but has some great sounding material as well.

Cream cheese, cream cheese, cream cheese! Wtf was this. Weird and not for me. 2/5

I’ve never believed Zappa didn’t do drugs.

Blind album, know the artist from another project. Were my ears tripping?

Like stumbling into a fever dream.. jarring, bewildering, yet captivating. It's rock... that needs help. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Hungry Freaks, Daddy - Any Way the Wind Blows - Trouble Every Day

I didn't know the band. OK music. OK album.

Garbage, should have been forgotten in the 60s. 1*

Wild

1966 - i can see why it was so politically charged - super wordy songs

Album has started strong; some great guitar solos, tambourine and kick drum combo always cool and fun lyrics to boot in "Hungry Freaks, Daddy". Bass is really interesting in this one too, with some reverberating wibble affect added. Hopefully the rest of the album will be on par with this. "I Ain't Got No Heart" also just as fun; loved the xylophone notes in time with the guitar and drums. Find I'm also quite partial to Zappa's vocals too, this deep, 'knowing' American voice which gives a juxtaposed serious edge to the absurd lyrics. "Who are The Brain Police?" felt ahead of it's time... that heavy opening section could easily have been on a track released today. Additionally, as someone who grew fond of that 60s weirdness through Pink Floyd's early work, I appreciated the mix of straight laced musicianship and weird sonic experimentation in this one too. "Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder" was hilarious. Genuinely, an incredible track that feels like it simultaneously embodies and patronizes music's most tired subject. And in 1966! Zappa really was smart and aware. He probably knew then that love songs would continue to be beaten like a dead horse forever. Similar can be said about "Motherly Love", funny. My comments run out of fuel by "How Could I Be Such A Fool", the album seems to be chock full of interesting musical arrangements, witty and absurd lyrics that consistently defy expectation and seem to exist almost as the most tasteful set of parodies imaginable for the time. Not all of it is something you could casually listen when the mood strikes for music, but, for sure, it is a musical experience that deeply deserves it's place on this list. Some more of my favourites from this: "Wowie Zowie", "Any Way The Wind Blows", "I'm Not Satisfied", "Trouble Every Day", "Help, I'm a Rock" (this one was also just hilarious, rather than listenable).

Whimsical rock

Lame. Zappa's a tool. Cheers.

Kul i början, lite väl mycket friktion mot slutet

Näää, det här är ju inte seriöst.

Lite väl flummigt.

Lite för experimentellt va

Wasn't my thing

It was fun! It was experimental in a way I liked Highlights: How could I be such a fool You didn’t try to call me (favorite)

Needed to edit because I wrote my first review before the last three songs (or maybe I wasn't paying good enough attention before that) and that's when things got real weird. Reminds me of Coraline. Suzy Creamcheese

Listening to this while already overstimulated in the airport was a bad choice. I liked the experimentation and like concept but it was pmo so bad

This is a weird fucking album. Beatles if they did every drug on earth and decided to try to terrify the listener. Good shit though.

It's not really meant to be taken seriously, and that's fine. I'm sure this was brilliant satire at the time. It just doesn't work for me, and that's also fine. I like music that sounds good.

I think this one was fine. It's a lot more rock-y compared to another Zappa and the Mothers album I've heard - Were Only In It For The Money. Though the last two songs, "Help I'm A Rock" and "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" still have a similar quality to the unhinged rock of We're Only In It... it was a bit of foreshadowing, I suppose. Definitely a lot more 'songs' here as well, the other album was less so. I think this one is a bit underwhelming other than a couple of songs, but I'm a big fan of the last two experimental songs. I'm already so infatuated with Suzy Creamcheese. I'd say if you were to listen to a Frank Zappa and a Mothers of Invention album I'd recommend Were Only In It For The Money over this one. This was fine, but lots of the middle stuff wasn't the greatest while the other one had me on my toes constantly, and was thrilling. p.s. I got this album 4 days after Were Only In It For The Money, which was a bit funny. Highlight Song/s: "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulders", "You Didn't Try To Call Me", "Any Way the Wind Blows", "Help, I'm A Rock" and "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet"

AMAZING ALBUM. Without this album, the idea of breaking musical rules would be destroyed. This is my fav mothers of invention album because of how classic and hardcore it is. Zappa however has some better solo work no doubt. But it was an amazing fun listen with good laughs and strange guitar and kazoo!!! love this album so much. This is honestly, one of the most important albums in music history.

Verschrikkelijk, niet afgeluisterd. Niet overal zuiver, beetje Beatles geluid

Half the songs on the album are hard to get through

Сара 3 Марко 3

It's a fun kind of weird. I keep meaning to check out more Zappa and Mothers

ugh, mostly unbearable.

#996. This would almost be interesting if it were an ironic piss-take filmed for YouTube or something, but no, they're dead serious. Frank Zappa considers himself one of the best, if not the best, musicians out there, and that is just a straight up delusional take. This shit is hot garbage. Is that a kazoo man? Can you guys kindly fuck all the way off, like all the way the fuck away from me? 1/5: Susie Creamcheese is a funny name, though.

Frank Zappa - клас. Якось мало його слухав, бо банально забував і не доходили руки. Його групи раніше не чув, цікаво. Зразу з першого треку Hungry Freaks, Daddy мені подобається. Звучить цікаво і сучасно. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here - шалена, не серйозна пісня, клас. Взагалі все досить весело і не напряжно. Гарний альбом.

Look. I liked my other Zappa album (hot rats) a hell of a lot. So much so I gave it 5 stars. Listening to this in 2026, I can't help but feel it's not possible to rate it out of its context. I'm sure, at the time this mockumentary of an album was hilarious to some. Genre wise: 60s psych, do-wop, noise, drone, jazz, rock and pop smash together on this record. It takes numerous shots at contemporary artists and America/popular culture in general. The tracks I like are "Trouble Every Day" "The Brain Police" and "Hungry Freaks Daddy". These are smart, satirical and experimental. Help I'm a rock was also a fun journey despite it's mad premise. The comedy/mockery/do-wop tracks outnumber the ones that land with me however making it an album I can't see me revisiting. I might chop out the nine or so tracks I actively dislike and make my own mini album. I'm sure Zappa would approve. I'm going to give it a 1 because there's no chance I'd willingly listen to this album again.

i get it, it's just not for me at all

8/10

8/10 - its weird. But in the good funny fuck you way Fav Lyric: Root Beer Heard before? ---–- ❌ Saved a Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? --–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? -- ✅ Album Cover -------hell yeah

fav songs: hungry freaks, daddy go cry on somebody else's shoulder chaos, garage, experimental(?) 50/100

Do I like Frank Zappa

Nope

I don't really know how to review this album. From the quite good to the utterly bizarre. Starts off a bit odd, turns into a bit of a decent doo-wop album for 4/5 tracks then descends into complete and utter nonsense. The last three tracks are just ridiculous. I'm giving it a very generous 3/5 for the middle section and making me laugh in parts.

This was awesome.. he sounds like Sandler in a few spots. Wacky stuff! I’ve said Zank Frappa again but no one can stop me from doing it again

this one is worse than the last one but i do like this just super freaky weird records. i just love the fact that people were like buying these records and really engaging with them... quite cerebral if you ask me (even tho the music is undoubtedly made by a stupid guy for an audience of stupid guys.) also did i mention yet that zappa's dad worked for the U.S. Department of Defense fucking Lockheed ... the guy was a mustard gas expert #cia #deepstate

This was a weird experience. First of I knew this album going in (or at least I thought I did). And the best tracks are still the songs I knew before, which are; “trouble everyday”, “help I’m a rock”, “wowie zowie”, “you didn’t try to call me”, “who are the brain police?”, and “hungry freaks, daddy”. All of those songs are great quintessential early psychedelic rock music. Here’s the main problem that I didn’t remember about this album. The vocals are not great, they are not terrible but they ALL have this almost sarcastic harmony delivery to them. Like they are not off putting until you’ve heard the 7th song with the same vocal delivery in the same tone and same sarcasm. I still really love this album but it’s not the untouchable masterpiece I thought it was. For example I’d say his best album by far is “Hot Rats”, but I genuinely thought this album was on that level. Unfortunately it’s not on that level at all. But it’s close it just needed more variety.

Very beatlezy alot amd it almost felt like the band from almost famous in a good way until that last track 😵

Ehhh not for me

Frank Zappa’s debut album skewers middle-class mores while also commenting on race relations and LBJ’s Great Society. It savages pop music conventions by providing us a bunch of pseudo pop-rock ready-mades. The end of the album is marked (marred?) by more experimental tracks not untypical of much of his career. Great satire…or bad pop? You decide. Bonus star for the fact that I’m betting that this didn’t sound much like anything else put out in 1965.

Respect to Frank Zappa but he’s not for me

Tracks felt more like they were just messing around & this is what they recorded, than an actual thought out album.

truly bizarre. all over the place but truly feels like its own. i knew of zappa's character before this is absolutely more than i could have expected. genuinely shocking and ahead of the curve now, i can't imagine how it felt in the 60s holy shit. the type of album that'll def grow with familiarity. H7.

When you cover this many genres, there's bound to be something that I don't like which is why this isn't getting a 5. However, it's weird enough that I'd feel bad giving it anything lower than a 4. I've got high hopes for the next Zappa album I come across.

There are moments where I can see how influential this record is and how important it is. However these are overshadowed by the weird and terrible moments where the experimentation takes a turn and no long becomes boundary pushing and instead esoteric and annoying. Most of all is the kazoo that can be found throughout some of the tracks. I hate kazoos 2/10

Fun and funky overall if a bit weird by the last two songs. Liked Any Way the Wind Blows best.

It's a bit much. Zappa 100% earns his spot on the list, and yet it is a hard listen

I can appreciate this album as being way ahead of its time. I didn’t enjoy it though.

Eh, Zappa thinks he's a lot cleverer than he actually is.

OK, that’s weird. And don’t forget, it was the sixties. Trouble Every Day and Help, I’m A Rock get Freak Out on the 1001 Must Hear List. Got some Weird Al vibes and bad jazz all in one. (2.38*s) The Mothers Of Invention were always a bit too weird for me. Blow your harmonica son!

Freak Out! is a fitting title for this haphazard conglomeration of silly songs and noises. The only track that is put together well is "Trouble Every Day" and I could tolerate "Help, I'm a Rock" purely for my geology background. The Monster Magnet having his way with Suzy Creamcheese made for a very strange finish to the album. The Mothers must have just timed it right and caught the attention of the 60s drug crowd, forming a cult following. Or maybe tricking their manager into thinking they were a blues band was inventive enough. Either way, I don't find their stuff at all worthy of a must listen thus far but I have heard Zappa is a multitalented instrumentalist. Frankly, I am wondering why you are here. Wowie zowie your brain is out there unpoliced amongst the stars and getting 1.23 of them for this record.

This so-called concept album is a hodgepodge of random parts. There are a couple straightforward pop rock songs, a couple of jokey satirical songs, couple weird experimental jams, and parts of everything in between. I get why The Mothers Of Invention may have made a splash and even curated a fanbase at the time, but the wackiness is pretty quickly played out for me. I'd imagine with Zappa every attempt to write something serious or enjoyable is undermined by the weirdness and randomness that he became famous for. Just when you start to vibe with something you get a kazoo interlude or something ridiculous to break you out of it for better or for worse. While the weirdness is fun at time I could have gone without 15 minutes of bullshit at the tail end of this album. Freak Out! is a mess which seems like exactly what The Mothers of Invention were going for. There are a couple songs I enjoyed (Trouble Every Day probably the best track) and I liked it marginally more than the prior MOI but this isn't something I need to come back to. While the weirdness Zappa continues to seem like one of those artists that isn't my thing but I appreciate him for what he is doing. I'm always down to explore the weirdness in art regardless of whether I like it or not. Glad to cross another one off the list and won't shy away from future Zappa/Mothers entries but won't be surprised if most of it doesn't stick the landing. 1.19 stars

Boy howdy. Some gems in the funky.

Another moment of excitement for the music dashed by the speak-singing vocals 😐

What on earth am I listening to?

My last 12 albums have included this one, from 1966, and a 1981 album from bauhaus, and ten - TEN - albums from the 70s. I am not yet to 1,000 records, but I have been forced to listen to more than 250 albums from the 70s. That is more albums than I have gotten from 1996 until 2026. I have had more albums form the 60s and 70s combined than I have from the 90s until now. I get it, art is subjective, but the bias in this project is exhausting. I'm sick to death of 60s and 70s rock that I've never heard of before. I'm not talking about Led Zeppelin albums, or Pink Floyd. Hell, I loathe The Rolling Stones, but I *understand* why they're on a list like this! but Do we really need THREE Tim Buckley albums? SIX albums from The Who? Also, this album sucks. We DEFINITELY don't need two albums of this self-indulgent, self-masturbatory bullshit

I don’t know what the infatuation is with reupholstering the seats of the car, but whatever it is, it makes for shitty music.

Another album that was really ahead of its time, although I would expect nothing less from Frank Zappa. When you think about what other bands were doing at the time, even the Beatles or the Stones weren't on this level yet. Most people weren' ready, but I think the underground was. And Zappa and his crew wasn't afraid to go there and tell the people, "I just want you to know, that I know, that you know... you know?".

frank out.

Naja

it’s fine

Fun & quirky but not something I would listen to over & over.

- Zappa doesn't care what you, me or anyone else thinks, nor should any artist when they're making something. - - Fuck you -

18 year old me might have been more tolerant of whatever it is that Zappa is trying to do here but the current version found in it a lot more eye-roll inducing than interesting.

I didn't expect much from this album, never been much of a Zappa guy, but I enjoyed it both times I listened to it. Still a bit much at times, but not terrible.

It seemed like a terrible 90s album, which I guess means it's 30 years ahead of its time....

Bien.

Better than the other Mothers of Invention album on the list, but it’s not a high bar.

whatever i wish i could give half stars i wouldve done two and a half

2/10 Was not a fan

Better than I remembered

There is some incredible easy to overlook work being done on this album. Zappa's guitar in the opener Hungry Freaks, Daddy is honestly amazing. I don't even care about the goofy singing or the kazoo, or the xylophone that's too loud, that solo slaps. I Ain't Got No Heart is also pretty good, and How a Could I Be Such a Fool? is excellent. Definitely much more intricate music than most of the artists in the mid-60s. The highs of this album are quite special, they rip my attention away from what I was doing to make sure I actually heard that correctly.

I weirdly enjoyed this

Not enough cream cheese

I don’t get it

Aw my first one star ! It’s weird to think this album is turning 60 years old this year - it certainly was ahead of its time. I like weird satirical music, in fact I like some music that was perhaps inspired by this. Did I like this though ? No … I didn’t. It was Frank Crappa.

He’s two-bit, pretentious, academic, and he can’t play his way out of anything. He can’t play rock ‘n’ roll because he’s a loser. And that’s why he dresses up funny. He’s not happy with himself, and I think he’s right.”

Greatly absurd album.

I wasn't familiar with this group, but could definitely hear the Frank Zappa influence.

I didn't think I would like this album. I... didn't, but I'll admit it was a more interesting experience than I expected. I really can't tell how much of this is Zappa just trolling for fun and how much of it is purposeful musical expansion and experimenting. I guess that's probably part of the point of the album? With that, it's also the most aggravating part to me. I like to know where the artist stands on being either sincere or obnoxious. I will say the band is top-notch, which if you're going to be obnoxious, you have to be able to back it up with talent, and there's no denying that this band isn't talented. I'll probably never listen to this again, but I'm open to hearing more of his stuff to try to get a better read on him.

A meh parody of sixties pop music that reads as misogynistic.

I love that this album continues to divide and confuse people. This was one of the first albums I ever received as a teenager (from my mom), along with Dark Side of the Moon and Houses of the Holy. The latter two were life changing, but it was the politics of Freak Out! that really set the bar for me. First off, Zappa and the Mothers were never hippies - they were rejected by the hippies, if anything. Second, I don't know any hippy people that listened to Varèse unless it's La Monte Young or Terry Riley or someone like that. Third, this album is more like a demented vaudeville/grand guignol of American society packaged as trendy psychedelic flower power music of the time, a movement that Frank HATED, and more so because he hated conformists and hypocrites of all kinds. You didn't come to Haight Ashbury to be part of a social movement, you came here as an excuse to not work, to get high, and sleep around. And YET, he was even more unforgiving to conformist people that led a traditional life because he felt that they had the largest superiority complex of all (I'm aware of the irony, Zappa was no saint either). In the end, I think he was just trying to call people out on their hypocrisy. Everything is attacked here: the government, the establishment, the trends, the mediocrity of American society, packaged in ironic music that gets weirder and more terrifying as it develops. Lots of doo-wop and bebop (two of his favorites), funny moments sure, but ugly (Motherly Love is just gross), and weird moments as all get-out. "Who Are the Brain Police?" scared me as a teen, and still does today. Still so true after 60 years (that "we" police our mind, not the powers that be). Sound collages, musique concrète, and lots of tape manipulation between this tight and crazy band. Genius studio work as well as musicianship Surprised a lot of these lines between the lyrics aren't memes yet, but Frank was really ahead of his time, though he was just getting started here. I honestly don't know why they didn't include Absolutely Free, Uncle Meat, and Weasels Ripped My Flesh in the book to showcase just how wild and intense and talented this band was, as this and the other Mothers album make them seem like a novelty act to the unsuspecting reader. This is the real deal. Love it or leave it. Proud to call myself a freak (inertly speaking), though I definitely have learned to be a nicer person since. There's no middle ground with Zappa. He already saw an America deteriorating, and it's amazing to listen to this 60 years later and learn that we haven't learned anything since Vietnam and Nixon. An all-time classic.

dasch früüüene zappa. ersti paar tracks sind huuere fun. au wenns afoch bitz unserious tönt. so motherly love? was machi mit dem song? wowie zowie isch etz au eeeehner uf de nervige siite. help im a rock oder de vorher isch huuuere fies hahha it cant happen here isch insaaaane nervig hahaha whattt

hahaha frank zappa ich lieb dich (also tbh v.a. für was er staht, mit sinere musig hani bis jz nöd vill chönne ahfange😭) hungry freaks fangt aber reecht geil ah, classy 60er-psychedelische rock für mich? find super het de donald duck döffe mitwürke bi dem album go cry on shoulder findi no cool, schöni harmonie! ich lieb dass es iwie e parodie vode beach boys isch aber halt actually schöne hindergrundgsang het how could I be such a fool actually no herzig?? wowie zowie suupertitel hahaha ganz ehrlich ich han sooo e gueti ziit, mega de 60er-sound wo ich gern han, eifach nochli mit quirk any way the wind blows isch suuper, erinneret mich chli ad beatles trouble everyday isch textlich reecht cool (zumindest das woni ghöre) help, I'm a rock isch ener das, woni erwartet han vom zappa KANSAS KANSAS DOODOODOODOODOO HAHAHAHA AMERICA IS WONDERFUL WONDERFULWONDERFULWONDERFULWONDERFULWONDERFUL alvin and the chipmunks?? bins album nomal am durreglose und han jz frfr how could I be such a fool öppe 6 mal hinderenand glost, RIESESONG au iwie am ahfang ener die verchlemmti(?) und trurigi stimmig und denn im refrain UND VOR ALLEM AM SCHLUSS so wie die befreiig, wo de "erzähler" endlich chan loslah, fantastische song bin weg dem churz uf 5er-kurs gsi aber das ischs album gsamthaft halt leider nöd hahaha ich find cool, hani mal es album vom zappa mal chönne richtig gnüsse/vlt au besser verstah (vor allem, wills halt echli "normaler" isch) WOBII ES ISCH WÜRKLI HUERE NÖCH AM 5I us irgeme grund findi jz eig au, dass help I'm a rock no slappt me gseht das album het vill in mier usglöst, momentan isches es 4i, vlt änderet sich das no

For this album I had the rare experience of listening to a physical copy. I was over at an old friend’s house and he happened to have the CD, so we listened to it together while I looked at the liner notes. I wish I hadn’t — they exposed the attitude behind this record. It’s dumb and lame. Sorry Zappa, I still respect your game and you did go on to get your subversion out in better ways. This just feels like something an edgy teenager would make. It’s clear he likes sounding like this but insists that it’s taking the piss or something. This actively annoyed me. I’m getting more annoyed thinking about it.

Sure thing man

definitely an odd album. loved some songs, disliked others. so it's a solid 3 as it's not as bad as the other ones out there. at least it's cohesive! favs: Go cry on somebody else's shoulder, Any way the wind blows. Everything else is just rubbish.

Perfect!

I’ve heard this before. I’m not a fan of Frank Zappa and have tried listening to the “right” one that a fan says will make me get it. I’ve listened to his 70s and 80s output most recently and it’s been many years since I heard this one, although someone recently did tell me I’d like this one since it’s 60s psych that I’m really into. The music is good and lacks some of the annoying prog elements of his 70s output but this has the energy of the most annoying theater kid. It’s like what you would get if Barenaked Ladies covered the Seeds, or the 13th Floor Elevators had Jerry Lewis sing. On the few songs where the vocals aren’t deliberately annoying and I’m starting to get into the music, they throw in a kazoo or slide whistle to remind you this is insincere clown music. I don’t need everything to be serious, but I feel like the band is making fun of me for listening to them. It’s so bad I can’t even give them credit for the good psych rock in the background.

Listened Before? Y Yep. It's Zappa. Weird, wild, and freaky. Not my cup of tea but I appreciate the creativity and before-its-time-ness. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Hungry Freaks, Daddy

Thought it was a Zappa rip off only to learn it was a Zappa original..... oops!

Probably very significant and an important influence for many subsequent musicians, but that doesn't mean I like it particularly. Seems a bit silly to me.

silly goofy

It is mind blowing to see 1966 and inspiring Sgt Peppers deserves a lot of credit. That’s about all the enjoyment I got from this one. It’s weird I agree with the positive and negative views of it. Rating: 1.8

This will be one of my unexpected favorites of 101-200, possibly the whole thing. I really enjoyed it! They covered a lot of sounds and loved the variety of styles. It was funny and smart. "It Couldn't Happen Here... I checked a couple times" and some of the protest songs were amazing. What a smart, talented guy and biggest thing of all... 1966! This came out BEFORE anything else psychedelic counterculture. 5 stars & would have loved to see them live.

a bit weird for my taste

Pretty bloody stupid. Even the parts that were pleasant musically were overtaken by off-key vocals that, while they might have been pretty amusing and pithy in context, just came across annoying and offputting to me now. And by the end it descended into something not much more than noise.

I don't know if tags work @moysauce but the surprising thing is that Frank is a total straight-edge guy. He also insisted all his bandmates were as straight laced as him. He's just a super odd fellow. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's weird, but it was definitely worth listening to.

I find Frank Zappa fascinating. He’s so extremely talented but then he’ll make these silly simple songs like the ones in this record. I can’t imagine the amount of drugs that were taken before writing this. The last song is such a trip. I can’t even imagine what was going through anyone’s head when recording/creating this. What purpose does this serve? To experience what they’re experiencing while on drugs?

WTF?

This is #day664 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… ah, the late '60s. Musically, I'm mostly fine with this record, but I'll never get the freaky, satirical, weird, parodic element in Zappa's work. It borders on annoying. I'm sure this must have been experimental for its time, but it's just not clicking with me. Maybe I'm being too serious. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day665.

Liked the lyrics on some of the songs. You wouldn't think they were talking about 'stuff from the past' 50 years ago.

Boy howdy. Some gems in the funky.

Surprisingly funky at times. 5/5

You are very smart and creative Frank, you have some incredible records. In 1966 this must have been mindblowing, I am not as sure how they stand up as fun listens now. I could think of four or five Zappa records I'd rank as 5s, but you were represented poorly by this list (save for Hot Rats)

- Couldn't do it, sorry

You Didn't Try To Call Me

J’aime bien le tout début Assez rapidement dans l’album je réalise que je n’aimerai pas tant que ça, dommage Any way the wind blows : bien Après j’avoue t’es en 66 et il y a ça qui sort t’es content It can’t happen here est énervante La dernière a des bons moments. Mais elle est insupportable au global 5/10

Probably the definitive counter-culture album given both its politics and parody of the earlier youth culture.

This is the music equivalent of when you check the Discord group and someone has posted a meme that you don't really find funny, so you feel like you wasted your time but it's not like you had anything better to do. Didn't hate it but very not for me.

Hahaha I love this. "I had to get my khaki's pressed!" "Susie? Susie Creamcheese?" "HELP I'M A COP! HELP I'M A COP!" "What makes you think that you're so fine that I would throw away the groovy life I lead??!?!?!" Yes, it's too long - it probably could have been a single album. But the satire of American youth culture, both "normie" and "freak," is thorough and biting and hilarious. A lot of criticism I see in the reviews here is that it's so cliche to make fun of "normie" people but - in 1966 that just wasn't being done. On top of that, there is a lot of really interesting music here, and not just on the bizarre tracks. The parodies of doo-wop and pop are excellent representatives of their genres, but also manage to throw in all sorts of sophisticated musical tricks. This is a great record that should be heard by everyone. FIVE STARS

Too much noise near the end but otherwise pretty good

There’s no need for this much synthesised cazoo or whatever that sound was. Some of it was cool, some of it aged like milk, on the whole I wouldn’t listen again. 2/5 Best Song: the closer had some really weird bits in it that I’m not sure how I felt about

What an album, i don't think it is The Mothers strongest, but i bet THE MAN won't put any others on here.

Hot trash covered in cream cheese

This is shit. 1/10 Top song None

Dit was echt een mega raar en freaky album. Het was weird en goed tegelijk. Ik heb er vaak om moeten lachen, ook toen de kazoos erbij kwamen. Wat is dat toch een raar instrument

Ugh. The last album I listened to by the Mothers of Invention was their third album, We’re Only in It for the Money. I hated it. I gave it 2 stars out of 5, and I’m not really sure why I was that gracious. Freak Out! is the debut album by the band, and it too is a concept album, one of the first concept albums in rock and roll. The album is a satire of pop culture at the time and the “freak scene” in Los Angeles. The freak scene was an underground, counterculture group of weirdos. I can get on board with Zappa thinking they were morons. Hopefully, the songs on this album will be better than on their third album, but I don’t have high hopes. The album is a double album of 15 songs with just over an hour of music, or whatever Zappa might call his creations. Track 1 is Hungry Freaks, Daddy. So far, so good. It kind of sounds like real music. The vocals are more or less spoken, but it’s better than being sped up to the Chipmunks style. Wow. There’s a reality good guitar solo after the kazoos make an appearance. Track 2 is I Ain’t Got No Heart and I’m finding that Zappa has a signature motif as it keeps popping up in his songs. I can’t explain it other than it's the same style of singing with a repeated melody. It was in the first track, and now it’s in this track. Truthfully, it kind of sounds like Zappa just kind of wings it. He comes up with something, calls it satire, and everyone thinks he’s a genius. I think Zappa would be a cult leader today. Track 4 is Go Cry on Somebody Else’s Shoulder and it’s in the style of an old school 50’s do wop song. Other than singing goofy and using a bad Hispanic accent, the song is just a doo wop song. I guess it’s making fun of the all the songs of this ilk. Some dude was always crying over a girl leaving him in the 50s. Track 5 is Motherly Love, and the song isn’t talking about a mother’s love, but the Mothers’ love. The kazoos have returned. This is one of the first songs I actually like from these guys. After looking into the lyrics a bit more, the band is asking the group’s female fans to give up all other love, except for the Mothers’ love. Now, that’s funny. Track 6 is How Could I Be Such a Fool, and it’s another parody song of all the songs about a boy getting his heart broken by a she-devil. I’m glad to find that the music on this album isn’t quite so out there. Beyond the first two songs, most of the music has been fine. It’s nothing mind-blowing, but at least it’s something to sink my teeth into. Track 7 is Wowie Zowie, and an xylophone, or a xylophone-type instrument, has made an appearance. It’s another song making fun of those bubblegum pop songs in the 50s and 60s. “I dream of you each mornin' (ooh) I dream of you each night (ooh) Just the other day I got so shook up (ooh-hoo) I had a flash in the afternoon.” That’s pretty funny. Track 9 is Any Way the Wind Blows and it’s one of the few personal songs Zappa wrote. He wrote it while he was thinking about divorcing his wife. The song is still a parody of breakup songs of that time, but in this case, it’s true to Zappa’s life. Track 10 is I’m Not Satisfied and it’s a really dark song about how life has mistreated the singer. It also mentions how no one would care if they were just not around anymore. The song was written during a really rough time in Zappa’s life and may give insight into what he was feeling at the time. This track and Any Way the Wind Blows might be the two realest tracks I’ve heard out of Zappa thus far. Though, to be fair, I’m two albums into his career. Track 12 is Trouble Every Day and it’s a good old 60s blues stomp with nice guitar sounds and a harmonica. The song is about Zappa watching TV and seeing all the racism and violence and how it’s sensationalized by the media. Before we had social media, the TV was really good at shaping the views of people, though on a lesser scale. Track 13 is Help, I’m a Rock and it’s about how society and the media have made us mindless and unfeeling rocks. As much as I can’t get into Zappa, his ideas and thoughts seemed way ahead of his time. Right now, it feels like we’re a nation of rocks. The music in this song is very experimental, which means it sounds insane. Track 15 is The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet, and it’s 12 minutes long. I’m not sure I can make this. Nope. It’s not for me. That sums up the whole listening experience for the Mothers of Invention. It’s just not for me. Maybe I will enjoy Zappa’s solo work. I wouldn’t recommend this album to my worst enemy, but I enjoyed it more than We’re Only In It for the Money.

this was fun

I am almost 730 albums into my listening project. I never really listened to Frank Zappa or the Mothers before. This is definitely interesting but perhaps not something I would put on again anytime soon.

Pretty lame

Wowie zowie indeed! Makes me think of my high school friend Jon Davenport, who turned me on to this album.

Frank Zappa and his fellas, those are some folks I'll tell ya what

It's a shitpost but the musicianship being legitimately good really sells the joke

there were some good parts, and I was ready to give it 3 stars until the last 2 songs. garbage.

I get it. ha. ha. ha.

Really good record. Psychedelic rock finest. Particular doo wop middle section though.

it had a moment, and certainly experimental

So much fun.

Yea… no

Not really for me

Altijd verrassend dergelijke experimentele muziek. Al ben ik niet zo crazy dat ik dit nog een keer ga luisteren

Not really my style.

Why are you booing me? I’m right

When this started I thought I would like this better, psychedelic rock style. And some of this is good but it does get too goofy for me when it doesn’t hit the political points.

First Zappa album I can appreciate. It's more structured in its song writing and has a nice mid 60's pop rock psychedelic sound.

Zappa is an acquired taste, one I never developed. I tried to understand him, I dove into his "best of" catalog, but came up empty every time. I hear he and his bandmates are quite the musicians, ok but you gotta write a good song for that to work in your favor. I've never been a fan of humor-rock, I like bands that crush it and don't try and weave in funny stuff to get you to pay attention to them. Political statements and kazoo don't mix. The most popular track, "Trouble Every Day" couldn't salvage the album. It's so dated and lame, but he literally cannot sing so you're adding insult to injury. This is pure crap. I can't imagine a scenario where I'd say, "let's throw on some Zappa". The fact that this got recorded and eventually made a Top 1001 playlist makes no sense - you have to ask if this is some kind of Twilight Zone episode or conspiracy, this should have never been heard after 1966. I admit I couldn't listen to every track. 1 star

I do enjoy Zappas comedic take on music. But I don’t always enjoy the music itself. This album isn’t too hard to listen to, apart from the closer, but I just don’t enjoy it as much as what comes later throughout the 70s

Zappa's debut is a mix of rock, doo-wop, and art rock - and is at turns tuneful, hilarious, and bewildering - attributes that would define much of his career. It's a strong debut and one of his better albums.

Whoop whoop

++: Hungry Freaks, Daddy, Who Are the Brain Police?, Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder, Motherly Love, Wowie Zowie, You Didn't Try to Call Me, Any Way the Wind Blows, Trouble Every Day, Help, I'm a Rock (Suite in Three Movements), The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet (Unfinished Ballet in Two Tableaux) +: I Ain't Got No Heart, How Could I Be Such a Fool, I'm Not Satisfied -: You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here 9,5/10

I sort of get it. Zappa might be somebody I appreciate from a distance. I wouldn’t seek it out, but it was still fun to listen to.

Empezó bien a secas, pero poco a poco fue empeorando hasta llegar a las últimas dos canciones, en específico la última parecía que estaba escuchando a Alvin y las ardillas. Leí en la reseña que ponen y la que escribieron las personas en que es una parodia/sátira, pero la verdad es que yo más bien lo sentí un robo.

Nope

Рили фрик аут

There were one or two tracks that had some merit, but it was routinely fucking dreadful otherwise. I really didn't enjoy it all. I made to turn it off before the end so I could award the obligatory 1 star!

It deserves 1 star but I did read that this was supposed to be satire so I'll bump it to 2. Can't believe Frank Zappa associated himself with this nonsense

No.

I'm sure this was groundbreaking back in the day but honestly I found this mostly unlistenable. There are a couple of decent tracks but not one I'll rush back to. Stupid hippies

A couple of ok moments. Overall not very good, but better than my 2s.

Its seriousness is couched in silliness, and vice versa. Pretentious sarcasm has its place, but an hour of it is exhausting. I admit that I can only evaluate art from my own perspective, but 60 years later, this sounds indistinguishable from "Schrodinger's Asshole," someone who is retroactively joking, sarcastic, or sincere depending on how it is perceived. That's probably due to the evolution of "The Discourse" in recent years, but it's hard to separate. Even ignoring that aspect, the album clearly doesn't want me to like it. Grating "sound collages," disconnected solos, ending on two different overindulgent B sides... this checks all my hate boxes possible under the technology of the time (we had not yet reached the abyss of thrash). And yet, it's not that bad. Outside the noise nonsense, it's still musically interesting, and the disconnect between music and lyrics does occasionally resonate in the way that Zappa wants me to believe it was meant to. Footnote: these songs (save one, that gives partial credit to a former band member) were all written EXCLUSIVELY by Zappa? If that's true, it makes a bit of sense. Maybe consult your rhythm section once in a while. If not, it makes a different kind of sense, because he would eventually absorb the entire band into his personal brand, and why would you credit the help?

Honestly, I'm all for experimental music and making a statement, but Freak Out felt underbaked and messy. The songs were not ultra memorable, and the lyrics were pretty blatant in their meanings with less finesse than I've come to expect of a FZ project. "We're Only in it for the Money" has more interesting songs and the social commentary is more refined. "Hot Rats" leans into experimental jazz fusion which is really fun. "Trout Mask Replica" (which was produced by FZ) have weird little ear worms that stay with you ("Fast and bulbous!") and leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment at the end. "Sheik Yerbouti" and "Apostrophe" both lean into catchy, memorable, and absurdist humor, with the latter also reflecting Frank's expansion in the realm of "concept albums" (Along with his album "Joe's Garage"). Again, while I appreciate that this was the point of inception for many of the diverging pieces of work I enjoy above, I can't say Freak Out was a particularly enjoyable listen. 2.4/5 -> 2/5

Just not a Frank Zappa person and this list is subjecting me to so much of him.

This record essentially set the stage in virtually every way for Zappa and the Mothers entire career. Stylistically, they hadn't "got there' yet (though I do think the doo-wop focus was intentional here), but they had the attitude and the chops to get wherever they wanted to go. Zappa did not care about or cater to the commercial or to pressure to write a hit. He cared about what was in his head and heart and how to get it on tape. This is an enjoyable example of that... but it's not particularly accessible and can be hard work to get through if one doesn't already have an appreciation of Zappa.

I actually liked this for the most part - I have some Zappa on my Playlists, but the last couple songs were the Zappa I was worried this album would be.

I tend to forget that Zappa was around in the mid 60's. It had to be extremely interesting to come across them in that time period. Unless you were in the counter culture you would probably HATE him. You can't deny they are great musicians. Even if you hate the weirdness of Zappa and the savage satire he brings lyrically, they are good at making music. Random kazoo noises included in that statement. Zappa is the bands you like influence. Or the band you like influence bands favorite. Either way Zappa was known to be a musician that people enjoyed and respected. OR hated and was annoyed by, he was fine with either really.

Album #84: Freak Out! - The Mothers of Invention Genre (W): Experimental rock Singles: How Could I Be Such a Fool? / Help, I’m a Rock (Third Movement: It Can’t Happen Here, Trouble Comin’ Every Day / Who Are The Brain Police?, Motherly Love / I Ain’t Got No Heart I have listened to this album twice before. Thoughts?: Even though this album is nonsense, it still has some pretty good songs. I liked the production techniques used in it as well. Other than that, I have very little room to praise. Favorite songs: Hungry Freaks, Daddy, Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder, Motherly Love, You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here

The album is generous with cringey vocals, left-field instrumentation, and trippy material. It's immediately weird, and the kind of satirical that reads as "fun, edgy!" at one moment and "please contact a professional?" in the next. (Approach any man from Baltimore who plays a kazoo and names his child Moon Unit with some caution.) A difficult album to rate. I was feeling a little stingy, but when I heard It Can't Happen Here I decided the Mothers were serious musicians and deserving of a standard grade. That was an excellent song for 2026, released in 1966. Maybe the weakness of this album is that it isn't weird enough.

The joke isn’t funny. Not sure what else to say…the troll album is just that a troll album but I’m sure Zappa felt self righteous. Teens all suck but the smug teen is the worst of them all. Why is Zappa a 26 yr old still angry he didn’t get the girl in HS?

The fuck is this? I sort of get it. If it was on, I wouldn’t close my ears, but I wouldn’t seek this out.

decent, a bit chaotic

Wow. Some songs were somewhat catchy but this album was just too weird for me.

Not having lived in the 60's, I recognize that my perception of Frank Zappa is through a lens of someone who cannot appreciate him in his time. Honestly I know more about him than his actual music. And while I can appreciate his disdain for the music industry and conventions, when he takes cheap shots at artists themselves or their talent, that always came across really douchey to me. I did my best to listen to this with an open mind. I liked Go Cry on Someone Elses' Shoulder. It's a far cry from your usual break up song and probably more realistic. But for every 'that's cool' moment I had, there were four times as many wtf moments. What is their obsession with the kazoo?? And again, maybe because I wasn't there in the 60s, perhaps there are nuances and details that are lost on me. But when all is said and done, this just wasn't enjoyable for me to listen to.

So strange, but somehow captivating. This was fascinating in the “I can’t look away” sort of way. Hard not to relish, in a way, how much this must have scared people in it’s time. Heck, the closing track scared me a little. Despite the avant-garde nature being it’s biggest strength, there was no lack of strong conventional elements present as well. All in all, the weirdness won me over. 1 listen Favorite Track: Trouble Every Day

Expectation: -> Never heard of band or album. After listening: -> Never heard of any of this. A bit psychadelic, some jukebox syle songs, too much talking, animal sounds(?), simulated sex. All in one place! Eh. This was teetering on my 2-3 line…with my four least favorite songs (if you want to call them that) pushing it down to 2. Track ranking: Cry Wowie Trouble Motherly Wind Fool Heart Call Satisfied Daddy Police Wondering Rock Happen Return

More 60s music, I still can't get into it, this is worse.

Frank Zappa was the Jon Stewart of the revolutionary 60s music scene: using his sharp wit and satire to comment on the culture, while also able to surprise you with a direct attack. Therefore: The album includes plenty of doo-wop sounds and sentiments, but always with satire. The message: the times they have a-changed and if you're still living in the (not so distant) past, that's...cute. The in-your-face cultural and political statements include the opening track "Hungry Freaks, Daddy," and also my favorite on the album "Trouble Every Day." As another review noted, that latter song is "sadly, always relevant." It truly is. “Trouble” may easily have been written yesterday, and yet this was 60 years ago. You may not appreciate this album if you don’t have some appreciation for chronology. When this album was released in July 1966 The Beatles hadn't yet released Revolver, Americans hadn't landed on the moon, and Jon Stewart was 3 years old.

Frank Zappa and MOI are essentially a bizarro band. The music is fantastic and in many cases simply better and more tightly performed than most popular music produced in their given genre. However, the lyrics and vibe produced by the band are unique and usually come from a very quirky place. It can sometimes be hard to distinguish homage and parody, it seems to me that rather than focusing on what they think is right or profound to say about a given topic, they opt for saying something interesting or unexpected. The result is very compelling and again, the music is excellent.

Hilariously the best song was "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder" which clearly is them trying to make fun of pop music

More Mothers Of Invention, more 1 star reviews. Didn't enjoy it much. Feel a little bad hitting another 1 star, but I want at least some distribution and not all 2-4 stars. So here we are. Abrasive and annoying, although very inventive/creative.

I was aware of Frank Zappa before this project but hadn't really listened to his music. I've been surprised by how dark and cynical it is. I quite liked this, the mixture of styles and ideas is impressive.

This was pretty fun

I guess some of it was "funny", but not funny ha-ha. Frank Zappa seems like a dick.

If you aren't familiar with the Mothers of Invention, they were Frank Zappa's band. They started out as a bar band called the Soul Giants who mostly covered R&B songs. But when Zappa joined the band, he convinced them to start playing his originals and changed the name of the band to the Mothers. If you know Frank Zappa, you know this album is going to be weird, and it definitely was. I know Zappa was super influential and this was a groundbreaking album at the time, but I just don't get Zappa or this album. Personally, it's not my thing. The songs that sounded like songs sounded very juvenile to me. The other stuff didn't even sound like songs. What's amazing to me is that Zappa evidently got Tom Wilson to sign the band under the impression that they were a white blues band, and when he heard the stuff that they were recording, he continued to just go with it. I understand why this album is on the list, but my personal preference is that it just isn't for me.

Well that freakin sucked

Finally its Zappa time! First time listening to The Mothers of Invention Music is okay Quite funny in parts But I dont really get it, probably 'cause I was not alive back then Ultimately, listening in 2026, it's not for me Wowie Zowie?

23/04/2026 I don't even know what I've just listened to. But what I do know is there is much worse on this list! Spotify listeners: 164.5k

Scattered thoughts: - "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder" had me laughing several times. Very funny parody of doo-wop. - The whole thing is actually pretty standard psych rock, produced well, sung well, and played well, with little bits of weirdness creeping in. Zappa always did just enough to show you he really could have been commercially successful, but just chose not to/avoided it intentionally. This album really exemplifies that. - "How Could I Be Such a Fool?" is great. Could totally see Teddy Pendergrass or somebody singing it. - The last three tracks are where things get really weird. "Help I'm a Rock" has this nervous free-form jazz energy. Still pretty funny, though, and same with the following a capella track (lol) especially "GONNA GET A TV DINNER AND COOK IT UP." "Monster Magnet," however, is so strange that it's somewhat scary, which I imagine was the intent. Overall, very enjoyable experimental rock record. Ween would not exist without stuff like this.

1 this sucks!

Overall, not a bad album. The first few seconds started off pretty nicely and then it kind of became a whole bunch of weird stuff. Then, it kind of just got back to normal, so it was pretty alright until the end and it became pretty chill.

Nothing wrong with this album, it's just a little uninteresting to me which seems unlikely on the surface given the cooky-ness and strangeness of the album. Fine not great, 2.5 rounded down because I wouldn't want to relisten to it right now

I did not need a 12 minute song whose most recurring phrase is a dairy product.

Whatevs

miss me with this psychadelic nonsense. Of all the stuff my father listened to when I was a kid, Frank Zappa was some of the hardest to listen to. I get it, you want to be weird, make a statement, and eschew what people assume music to be by making it wacky as fuck. In the 60's I'm sure it was poignant, but now? It does not age well. It's not a total loss, Zappa being one of the more listenable in the genre, for as little as that may mean for me.

Annoying psychedelic rock. Music snobs rave about Zappa but he’s just not for me. Talented musicians though!

Einige ganz gut aber zum Ende schon sehr Experimentel

I'm just too square for this record daddio.

I accidentally got this to play on shuffle mode when I asked Siri to play it on my phone. I'm not sure it would have made any more sense in the correct order. The Mothers are way out, maaaaaaan. Plenty of weird shit for sake of weird shit here, but there is some gems amongst the detritus. The latter songs become gradually more unhinged, to the point where 'The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet' fades out with the chant of 'Cream Cheese!! Cream Cheese!!!'. OK, Frank, whatever you think, buddy.........

Absolutely dreadful--how/why did this make the list?

Musically I enjoyed some of it.

A very funny album. It was certainly important in its day. It’s also entertaining when viewed in its historical context. Does the humor still work today? Do I want to listen to it again? I don’t think so. Still, I’m glad I listened to the album. 4/5

Basically the start of the psychedelic era. Super influential and the first double debut rock album. Pretty cool.

Not a big Zappa fan, so I don't see this through the same lens of idolization some do. It's supposed to be satirical, but the joke didn't age so it just plays as campy and doesn't land.

J’ai pas bien aimé, on sent le côté experimental qui est parfois difficile à apprécier. Mais ça va je sens que ça peut être un grower

Their first not Their best

My God this was awful

Zu viele Lieder die man nach 30 Sekunden schon skippen will aber noch 2 minuten laufen. Any way the wind blows ist stark. 2/5

2/5

it was interesting but honestly probs not for me

On est en 1966, et Frank Zappa débarque avec ce qui est, techniquement, le deuxième double album de l’histoire du rock soit juste après le Blonde On Blonde de Dylan. Je vais être honnête, je ne sais vraiment pas sur quel pied danser avec ce truc. Car Freak Out! c'est le genre de disque qui me donne envie de hurler au génie pur, tout en ayant une envie furieuse de balancer ma platine par la fenêtre en criant "Mais c'est quoi ce bordel ?". Un pur sentiment de WTF, comme disent les gamins de l'an 2000. Déjà, l'anecdote sur le nom du groupe me fait marrer. Ils s'appelaient juste "The Mothers", mais MGM, la maison de disques, a commencé à flipper grave. Ils avaient peur que les DJ pensent que c'était une insulte aux mères de famille américaines. Ils ont donc forcé l'ajout du "Of Invention". Zappa, avec son ironie habituelle, a dû bien rigoler en voyant que le label pensait que le nom était le problème, alors que la musique allait traumatiser toute une génération de ménagères. Freak Out! est un concept satirique total où d'un côté, on a des morceaux qui ressemblent presque à de la pop gentillette, comme "Go Cry On Somebody Else’s Shoulder" et de l'autre, on a on des morceaux comme "Who Are The Brain Police ?", un truc glauque, antiautoritaire, qui te donne l'impression que ton cerveau est en train de fondre sur le tapis. Et c'est là que le génie pointe le bout de son nez car il est incroyablement complexe derrière l’apparente folie. "How Could I Be Such A Fool ?" est une chanson d’amour, certes, mais arrangée de façon tellement sophistiquée qu'on sent déjà le futur compositeur de jazz-fusion pointer le bout de sa moustache. Mais tout n'est pas rose car il y a aussi l'autre côté de la médaille. Le côté "Expérience" qui vire au calvaire. Quand on arrive sur la face quatre du vinyle original, on tombe sur "The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet". Douze minutes d’expérimentations sonores et de bruitages et c'est là que le WTF l’emporte. C’est audacieux, c’est historique, c’est tout ce que vous voulez, mais au bout d’un moment, j’ai juste envie que ça s’arrête. Zappa affirmait à l'époque : "Je ne prenais pas de drogues". Franchement, Frank, à d'autres. Même si c’est vrai – et on sait qu’il était un maniaque du contrôle sobre – ça rend le truc encore plus effrayant. Être capable de produire un truc aussi déglingué sans aide chimique, ça demande une dose de folie naturelle assez inquiétante. L'album essaie de capturer l'essence de la culture "freak" de la Côte Ouest. C’est radical, provocateur, et ça n’a absolument aucune limite. Des titres comme "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" ou "Trouble Every Day" montrent que Zappa n’était pas juste là pour faire du bruit, il avait des choses à dire sur la société américaine, sur la police et sur l'hypocrisie ambiante. Mais malgré toute l'importance historique du bidule, je reste sur ma faim. C’est un album qu'il faut avoir entendu, c'est indéniable. C’est un monument de l’underground qui a ouvert des portes que personne n’osait même regarder. C’est la naissance d’un compositeur hors norme qui allait passer sa vie à casser les codes. Pourtant, l'écoute intégrale reste une épreuve. C'est fascinant cinq minutes, épuisant les dix suivantes, brillant par éclairs, puis profondément irritant. C'est l'album qui invente le rock expérimental tout en se foutant de la gueule du rock. Au final, je lui colle un 3 sur 5. C’est la note de la contradiction. C'est trop important pour mettre moins, mais c’est trop "particulier" pour mériter plus dans mon cœur. C’est une expérience de vie, un rite de passage. Mais une fois que tu as survécu à "The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet", tu as surtout envie de mettre un disque de silence pour te remettre les neurones en place. Alors Freak Out! ? Génial ? Oui. Insupportable ? Souvent. WTZ (What The Zappa) ? Absolument Freak Out! c’est le premier jet d’une carrière qui allait devenir légendaire. C'est un album à écouter pour la culture et pour comprendre d'où vient tout le bordel qui a suivi dans les années 70.

8/10

Disgusting!!!

Had always been hesitant about the Mothers but needn’t have been! Some of it is mighty silly but it’s balanced out with some really nice playing. Overall a winner. Added “Trouble Every Day” to the playlist.

Smart music deliberately done in the dumbest way possible. Nice to see the state of shitposting back in 1966 was the exact same that it is now.

Brilliant.

Quite some time ago, I wrote about how Arcade Fire’s “Funeral” album was a loving ode to the dynamics of growing up in suburbia. It felt like a bike ride at midnight through a placid, idle neighborhood. Well that means “Freak Out!” is a dilapidated ice cream van on fire, barreling through those suburban streets with its horn blaring loudly. The Mothers Of Invention make it *abundantly* clear how obviously dumb modern American society is. This record is kinda like Jim Carey’s portrayal of the Grinch, a goblin grasping with insecurity by snapping in and out of sanity, change voices and making noises seemingly at random. “Go Cry On Somebody Else’s Shoulder” is an absurdist version of a doo-wop song. It’s post-doo-wop. It’s future-doo-wop. Does that make it rockabilly? Maybe. Zappa is doing some sort of laughable French accent too? This song is tinged with a tongue-in-cheek irony that is so ahead of its time. This could be a 100 gecs song if it got a new coat of paint today, I’m dead serious. But sometimes this album gets too into character, like a high school theater play. The satire gets to be on the nose. MOI forget that a little tact and subversion are necessary ingredients in satire. The lyrics in “You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here” are a good example of why some listeners wince at this record. This album isn’t under the influence of anything. It’s precise and cogent, despite its sprawling, hectic, dissonant nature. It probably broke a lot of molds and a lot of listeners minds in 1966. That being said, nothing on here is a perfectly timeless statement. Nothing said on here can be extrapolated for much more than a satire of the times. “Freak Out!” is both genuine and insincere. And no matter how you experience this project, you will NOT be ready for its last two songs. Let’s give this the lightest 4/5. This is “music” like how the yellow goop that comes out of a machine and gets poured onto your nachos is “cheese”.

Una locura total, es pop rock pero con una vuelta de tuerca que lo hace más progresivo (antes de que exista) y avant-garde, sin dudas las últimas 3 canciones son el lado más lisérgico y esquizofrénico del disco, y todo en 1966, Zappa prometía y cumplió.

the beginning was decent, even had some pretty good songs. holy smokes though that might be the worst last three songs of an album i have ever heard.

Neat hearing some super early Zappa before he completely found his footing but this just wasn't nearly as original and entertaining as some of his later stuff.

Zappa is a tour de force in music, and this is a great pastiche of 60s culture. It’s much more effective than We’re Only In It For The Money, but is still very much of its time.

Awesome debut, just not my favorite Zappa/Mothers album. More of a later Zappa kinda guy.

The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out! (1966) On Day 111, I encountered an album that is quite literally one hell of a joke. I have to give it props because it perfectly achieves what it intends to be: a total mockery of Jazz and US pop culture. It honestly doesn't sound like a 60s album it feels decades ahead of its time in terms of "experimental" production and sheer audacity. However, the last song left me thinking like WTF 😂. While the satirical noir and the doodad wizardry are impressive, it’s not something I’ll be actively hunting for or revisiting anytime soon. It’s a tuff and clever piece of history. A respectable 3/5 for the audacity.

2.5/5

im sorry frank zappa i love u but maybe we should stick to instrumental jazz highlights: none listen to hot rats instead 1.5/5

Good but outdated

Weird and psychedelic in more ways than one. Honestly, I think Zappa has made a lot of bullshit music, sometimes even intentionally so, but he made so much that there's still as many gems in his discography as in any good musician's. This is one of those gems. Key tracks: Hungry Freaks, Daddy Who Are the Brain Police?

This album was so impressive. It's difficult to create a piece of parody art that is still enjoyable beyond its primary purpose and this album does exactly that. I don't know how much of this I will relisten to, but its getting 4 stars because of how impressive it was.

Sounds like a parody. 3/10

I love Frank Zappa. This being his debut is insane. He practically found a band that would take them, and said here play my music, no more RnB covers. And this was born. I think a record exec had moved the tracklist around, and figured "Who Are the Brain Police?" is too fucking scary without having the comedic doo-wop ballad "Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder" right after. This album is intense but catchy. It sounds sinister, I think of factory smoke when listening to this, and picture the lyrics as a cartoon in my head. Sometimes it makes the avant garde aspects suddenly make sense. Or perhaps I've just listened to this and studied it too many times. The horns "How Could I Be Such a Fool" are such a nice touch. Now that I think about it all of this album has instrument or riff choices that just satisfy my ears. "Wowie Zowie" was apparently a huge favorite with the record execs toddlers. Well it's a huge favorite with me too, such an earworm. Minnesota shoutout in "Help, I'm a Rock" is so cool. Frank's proto-rap on "Trouble Every Day" is really neat. As is the song's lyrics. Also this album was an inspiration for Sgt. Peppers. Then Zappa would parody the cover of that album.

One extra star for it being Frank Zappa and having influence. Otherwise has not stood the test of time.

Pretty bad really.

Appreciate the instrumentals, nice 60s and 70s psychedelic vibes. The vocals were to funky and artsy. Not for me.

Come on man. There's SO much great music out there, and this is already the second Zappa album I had to endure? That kind of "humor" (and also the music) has aged so poorly that it is almost painful to listen to.

Meio maluco das ideias? Sim, mas gostei

This was weird.

Ahead of its time? Yes. Sucks? Also yes.

Another weird release from Zappa. If this album was released 10 years later, I'd rate it 1 star less, but for 1966, it's pretty good. It's very listenable, despite it being odd, but that's just a lot of Zappa, it seems.

Somente e tão somente Frank Zappa consegue ser maluco e eficiente Um álbum que beira várias cascatas, psicodélico, folk, rock, tudo junto e misturados abaixo de guitarras estridentes do Mothers, e entoações graves da palavra "Yeah". Maluco, pirado e muito bom de ouvir, com algumas ressalvas. HIGHLIGHTS: Hungry Freaks Daddy, Motherly Love, Im not Satisfied, Any way the wind blows, The return of the son of Monster Magnet 9/10

Freak out? Fuck off!

I've tried multiple times, but I could never get into Frank Zappa's stuff. Even when this album was explained in detail in my History of Rock and Roll class in college, I still couldn't really enjoy it, just too weird for me. There's some interesting stuff musically, so I don't wanna bury it, so I'll give it a low end 3/5

Cannot condone their pedophilic lyrics nor actions.

(79/100)

this sounded like a panic attack when i’m overwhelmed

A lot of artists I like cite Frank Zappa as an influence. I knew this would be weird, but I've listened to one of his classics, "Hot Rats" and really enjoyed it. This was a bit too much for me. It was like if 50s doo-wop was made on mushrooms, and not in the "we made this creatively psychedelic way" but in the "we made it obnoxious" way

Some of it is just too silly for me but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Favorites: How Could I Be Such a Fool, Wowie Zowie, Any Way the Wind Blows, Trouble Every Day Would I listen to it again: Probably not

A fun weirdo romp through 50’s/60’s blues/doowop/rock and roll.

I really wanted to like this, but I just didn't. It was a lot of goofy vocals on top of mediocre music and in the end I was just glad it was over. I recognize that Zappa was a huge pioneer in the sphere of avant garde music, and I do appreciate that, but I just didn't get this album. One star.

I was prepared to hate this album even though I did not hate Hot Rats and gave it a "3." Having never heard anything by Frank Zappa before, I was not sure if Hot Rats was essential. I think Freak Out is a better album and I did not hate it. Did I dislike the last two tracks and would have possibly given this a "5" if the Mothers of Invention had any sort of editorial restraint and didn't feel the need to end this album with three unclever songs that were obviously fueled by drugs? Yes, I did not enjoy the last three tracks. The 12 tracks before those two were pretty good and I could feel the satire coming through clearly. It was entertaining. I enjoyed the songs that are clearly a satire of 60's music genres. I can see where Weird Al got some of his ideas from. The Mothers of Invention are clearly very talented. I think this is the album from Frank Zappa I would recommend and is a worthy addition to this book. My favorite tracks: Hungry Freaks, Daddy Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder Motherly Love Wowie Zowie You Didn't Try to Call Me Anyway the Wind Blows You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here

More tame in places, weird as a fish and a fun listen! This and Joe's Garage are now in my musics, thank you 1001! :)

Satire is all well and good but this albums satire is lost on me as a present day listener and doesn't have much else going for it.

freaky indeedy

That was a wild ride. Im sure there is merit somewhere and if i'm feeling masochistic i might have another go but it sounded like absolue nonsense forst time around

This album deserves a spot in a museum. I know it was somewhat supposed to be satire, but the first couple tracks sound like pretty standard psychedelia of the time. By the middle of the album it takes a turn and things start to get weird with some of the do-wop rock n' roll stuff. By the end the wheels fall completely off and the album descends into absurdity. Taken by themselves I feel like none of these songs are stand-outs, but as a whole this album is a super effective art piece and absolutely accomplishes what it sets out to do - mocking pop-culture and taking the listening on one wild one.

Freak Out starts off pretty psychedelic, then hits on some strange doo-wop, and then ends in pure insanity. It really has everything I want in a Zappa record; it’s weird, it’s satirical, and it’s full of his wit and humour.

Pretty solid. I'll say 3.5 round down.