Freak Out!

My tolerance for strained "wow we're so weird and wacky" music is basically at zero. There's lots of unusual music I enjoy, like Slim Cessna's Auto Club, but that has an internal coherence to it that is satisfying and has depth. Frank Zappa music sounds like a beginners improv group getting their sillies out before class. I understand a lot of this is Dadaist "don't take it so seriously, man" and maybe I am taking like too seriously, but it falls on my ears with all the pleasantry of a grackle.

Sjokk og vantro, æ har det nok ikke i mæ å bli et Zappahode. Kæm skulle trodd!

Pretty innovative for 1966. Sgt Pepper comes out the following year so maybe it was just the time these psychedelia albums came out. Was growing tired of this towards the end. 2.5/5. Raising to a 3.

Another album and band I had never heard of. Loved it! Reminded me of parquet courts is some weird way.

It lost me at the beginning, but it started coming around towards the end. 2.5/5

Surprised this was ‘60’s sounded more 80’s

Crazy 60’s freak out

Frank Zappa is so weird

As you might expect from Zappa, a crazy mix of late 60s rock, satire of 60s American 'pop' and stuff that is mad experimental. It reminded me of a trip to the Tate modern, interesting but generally confusing and not something I want to do every day.

who knew satire music could be so interesting

Day678 - hits all the marks of being a must listen. strange , fun and smart

I freaked out when I heard this.

Weird as expected. Doo-woppy? Fucking tapped lyrical experience. Interesting choice ending an album where every other song is 3-5 mins with a 12 minute song about cream cheese.

This album made me feel like I’m stuck in an elevator while having a bad trip of LSD. Production is top tier, a bit on the weird side but a good listen. The pace is a bit slow at first but it just works. Oldie but goodie

This one might take a couple of listens - the lyrics seem unbelievably juvenile but the music is great. The sort of 50's swing mixed with psych rock works strangely well. But I never really landed on whether I liked it or not.

Zappa is always interesting

When I was a student a Zappa loving goth told me people are either Zappa people or Beefheart people. I'm definitely a Beefheart person by some margin. I quite like the sound of this one and there are some great tracks like I'm Not Satisfied and Trouble Every Day but its occasional Zappa patented arch tone can be a stone cold drag. Let's listen to The Fugs instead next time.

Not good.

Not for me. I get what they are doing, but it’s not my thing.

Seems like they set out to make something quirky and esoteric without considering if the music would actually benefit from it (it didn't)

Frank Zappa. Fucking weirdos.

certainly innivative in many forms, but too cynical for my taste

Funky 60’s pop

Seriously moving, this album is great and it dawned on me that I don’t know much of this Zappa band. I need to get more Mothers of Invention in my ears. Wowie Zowie was a stand out, fun song. I also don’t care about shaved legs. This album is melting pot of genres, tongue, and cheek pop.

imagine thinking you signed a white blues rock outfit and receving this double lengthed tape? And pressing it. Absurd and ahead of it's time. A sarcastic commentary on LA and American culture. A debut albut. It's incredible.

Always something interesting with Zappa - there are some fun songs early on, but the extended "musique concrete" section at the end reduces the likelyhood of revisiting.

Weird for weird's sake. Maybe I'm too old, maybe I'm not old enough? I'm into very few novelty acts. Bonzo dog band, and that's kinda my limit.

From the first track, this was very groovy and evocative of its time. I also heard a kazoo. So I gave myself over to the images of daisies and pink and yellow swirls that suddenly filled my head, and tried to enjoy the experience. However, I'm not quite sure I ever worked out what journey, or concept, we were supposed to be following. The 50s rock n roll songs definitely wandered into spoof-sounding territory: Wowie Zowie could have belonged in The Little Shop of Horrors or Rocky Horror. Small peeve that there were a lot of rhythm changes mid-song: stop-start tracks annoy me a bit. Some tracks were just trying too hard to be odd (track 3!) and the last track lost me all together (cream cheeeeese!) I feel a bit bemused, but that's Zappa, I guess. I can't agree with the top review which states this was ahead of its time - to me, it screams 1966. Overall, a 3 it is, but I'm glad I had an excuse to listen to it. I think.

I don't know how to feel about liking this. But I do. It's extremely innovative and experimental, especially for 1966! Frank Zappa was truly a trendsetter! 4⭐️

I've got a sweet spot for The Mothers of Invention

Good Zappa.

They're better when they don't sing

Enjoyable instrumentals and fun satire. Not bad

Bonkers but I enjoyed the varying instrumentation. Feels a bit like a band created in a fever dream.

Quite wacky, especially for 1966. Didn’t offend me but not massively memorable. Healthy use of glockenspiel.

It was fun. I guess it was far out when it came out but nowadays it sounds like early Frank Zappa (and the Mothers) and it is fun.

Not my thing per se. I can hear why people would like it, as it is well produced, and has some nice licks, but doesn't land with me.

I hear this as a comedy album. It's lyrics are constantly ironic, subversive, and flippant. But Zappa is such a brilliant musician that the parody extends into and through the music itself. He has his way with one sub-genre after another. He's so good, in fact, that, like Andy Kaufmann, or Pee-Wee Herman, it becomes difficult to identify the boundaries between artist and character. As with all comedy, time renders the subjects less familiar and therefore the parody even harder to identify and follow. Because it isn't timeless, I can't give it five stars. It's still an absolutely brilliant work.

good satire is always so sick to here. love it

Lyder meget satirisk men det er vidst meningen. Meget tidstypisk og jeg kan jo godt lide 60’er musik. Men det bliver lidt ensformigt

this is the first band that I have never even heard of, so that's exciting. based on the cover and the year, I'm guessing this is going to be a psychedelic moment. Hungry Freaks, Daddy: interesting, not sure what to think about it. it's pretty bad but it feels like it's in an intentional confrontational way, like proto-punk? it has political lyrics as well which makes me think this album is on here because it was influential in that way, if that's the case that's super neat. I Ain't Got No Heart: again, not something I would really listen to but they keep making choices that are so interesting for an album from the 60's (the pig squealing and screaming guitars at the end???). Who Are The Brain Police?: throwing this one to my "extremely bad songs to trip to" playlist immediately. strange strange track Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder: pretty standard doo-wop ballad type deal but it definitely feels like it's ironic + poking fun at the genre, especially the last verse Motherly Love: maybe writing a song about dating/fucking a barely 18 year old girl by comparing it to a parent-child relationship is not the move. especially not a boring song How Could I Be Such A Fool: decent one. I can't really get into the sound of it but there's something there for sure. Wowie Zowie: this is such a stupid song lol. "I don't even care if you shave your legs" feminist icon + very generous of him You Didn't Try To Call Me: what happened to all the experimental stuff at the start of the album? sounds like the Price is Right theme song but it builds into something really cool about halfway through Anyway The Wind Blows: this one's catchy, easy to listen to I'm Not Satisfied: "maybe I'll just kill myself, I just don't care no more" real shit. it's like darksided Billy Joel. interesting track You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here: one of the dorkiest songs I've ever heard. kazoo solo. YEEUHHH! Trouble Every Day: harmonica loud as hell in the mix. not sure the political analysis holds up today but it's dope how it cements the song in its time. he had a little bit of white guilt before having a little bit of white guilt was cool. Help, I'm A Rock: dude sounds like the sample from Mercy by Kanye. this is maybe an insane thing to say but I can see the through-line from this to something like Chat Pile today. It Can't Happen Here: when people tell me they have ADHD this is what I imagine is going on inside their brain. I respect the experimentation even though I hate it. pretty objectively one of the worst songs I've ever heard The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet: 12.5 minute song, locking in. this is the craziest sheet of lyrics I've ever seen, bro is post-verbal. it is truly just noises but I guess every other song is too. second addition to my "extremely bad songs to trip to" playlist conflicted on this album. I didn't actually enjoy a single song on here but I enjoyed getting to hear it and I appreciate it for what it is. it pushes boundaries and provokes in a lot of ways, and there's experimentation on here that telegraphs so many different directions that music ended up going in. it's the first record I've gotten that feels like it's genuinely influential and moving the culture forward instead of just a collection of good songs from a point in time. cool stuff __ SCORE: 3/10 ADDED TO (my actual) PLAYLIST: --

I get this is supposed to be quirky and silly but I just found it annoying. 2/5

irgendwia sehr unmelodischi songs mit mangmol ganz random grüsch element, text au ned so deep

No Zappa album is 5 stars but all have something wild and cool enough to be 3 to 4 stars. His commentary of social and political issues still holds up.

Love me some Zappa, but I need to be in the mood to get a little weird, and it got REALLY weird towards the end. 4.5⭐️

Didn't think I was going to like this. I remember hating "We're Only in it for the Money" and just didn't get it - figured this would more of the same. I enjoyed this listen though. Interesting psychedelia/experimental stuff going on here. The last two tracks are a LITTLE out there, but I could see people Freak Out! over them.

Thoroughly enjoyed this weird, often goofy but well executed 60s psych rock album. Equal parts sincere and satirical, never taking itself too seriously. The music is consistently excellent and the deconstruction of typical musical tropes is refreshing and often funny. Really hard to believe they were doing this over 50 years ago. There's a lot of fun details/bits throughout and I could see myself coming back to this now and then.

It's Zappa.

Det er bedre end det andet album, der dukkede op med dem. Der er en klar happy-60'ervibe i mange numre. Teksterne kan egentligt også noget, men alligevel er det ikke rigtigt noget, jeg ender med at falde for.

Interesting album, important for music history, but often very annoying. I mean there is a song that has kazoo in it. It is all too long, I don't need half of what is there, but it is a swing and I respect the ambition, I embrace the weird sounds, the trying. I don't like it, but it is better than when they are trying to emulate what is popular at the time.

Once I realized I was in for a Zappa album I steeled myself for grating wackiness. I'm struck by how accessible this is. For something that is satirizing popular music genres, it executes those genres very well and I can imagine if people heard some of these songs in isolation, they could have earnestly enjoyed them without realizing he was taking the piss. Random thoughts: Go Cry On Someone Else's Shoulder sounds like the beginning of that Crystals song Any Way the Wind Blows is cool. Who Are the Brain Police? creates an interesting atmosphere They lift the melody from Sherry Baby for the end of Wowie Zowie Help, I'm a Rock is hypnotic It's too kooky for me by the last two tracks, It Can't Happen Here and The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet but it's solid up til then. This is a hard-and-fast 3.5 out of 5 for me. Quite solid. I don't want to undersell it, because I do enjoy it, but I hit a wall with this stuff.

Très intéressant ! C’est les origines de Zappa, dans le fond. La première moitié est pas mal plus dans la tradition du rock psychédélique, je dirais (c’est la fin des années 60, quand même). Ce n’est pas encore le Zappa qui fera du rock quelques années plus tard. La deuxième moitié est beaucoup plus expérimentale, avec pratiquement aucun instruments, seulement des voix traitées. Spécial, mais à réécouter.

I can hear the experimental element throughout the album which I enjoyed. I can see that this album was definitely out of place in its era which makes it that much more awesome to me. Plus I like the originality and the message within it so I’m impressed with them. I do think the sound is at times jarring which is stopping me from rating it super high.

weird but not terrible 2/5

This was a bit insane, for the most part I liked that

Best Song: Anyway The Wind Blows. A short song with some structure. Worst Song: Wowie Zowie. Really just an annoying chorus. Overall: One of those albums where it feels like the musicians are probably having more fun than anyone listening to the album. Good for them, not so great for us.

I will henceforth be known as Suzy Creamcheese. No questions will be taken at this time.

I mean...it's good to know that performative quirkiness wasn't invented by us millennials and has been around since the 60s, when these guys did it. Nothing feels inventive here, just whimsical...the few listenable songs are ultimately dull and forgettable. Michael Gira allegedly formed Swans soon after seeing Zappa live...as he wanted to create music which was "exact opposite" of whatever noodling Frank was doing that day.

Cool album, some good songwriting and that 60’s “freak out the squares” vibe which I quite enjoy. Not as bogged down in guitar solos as some of his other stuff. Made me think about how the weed they smoked was nowhere near as strong as the weed we have now. They had blocks of plant matter full of stems and seeds, but they was appeh.

FUCK this

if I made this I probably wouldn’t release it idk

at least it was interesting ?

much less freak than i expected and i felt the freaking going on in the pop songs was very bearable and often did not take away from the songs, kinda cool to think about this coming out in 66. i do feel like zappa's tendency towards being epic and random kazoo for the lolz pancake bacon swag can be kinda annoying but im glad they mostly kept that bullshit to the last few songs and particularly the final song which didnt really detract from the album that much to me though i was not happy to have to listen to it Fav song: Anyway the Wind Blows

Frank Zappa was a prophet

Super fedt tidligt psykedelisk rock/blues consept album.

As a Zappa fan i am likely biased. Love this debut album. It is like it spans decades - from 50’s doowop shebop tupe aomgs, theough 60’s psychedelia (with a dose of loathing for the hippies), to standard Zappa tropes. Its a well balanced album compared to some if his and not too much of the long experimental stuff that can grate on me a bit.

OK, I sort of know what to expect now whenever the Mothers of Invention/Frank Zappa comes up. Expect the weird, expect the satire and wittiness. It turns out that this was the group's debut album and there's a LOT here. I know it's not the primary focus here, but there is some good song construction here despite the zaniness. It does a fairly good job mimicking popular music from the time whilst satirizing stuff like the American school system, teenage love, and protest culture. You won't find me arguing against the idea that this album is groundbreaking and foundational in any way. But as per usual, we've also got a lengthy & chaotic sound collage in the album's final track. Who is Suzy Creamcheese?

Слишком экспериментально для меня. 5 из 10.

Frank Zappa before he was famous. And as can be expected from Zappa, simply excellent.

I wasn’t looking forward to this when it popped up; I remembered the other Mothers of Invention album from quite a while ago (Only In It For The Money?) being pretty weird and abrasive, although I didn’t hate it. Actually, this isn’t bad at all, and refreshingly creative. The style jumps around wildly. There are kazoos. At this point in this project (some 700 albums in), anything that feels distinct and unusual is welcome. …okay, I had written all that about halfway through, but it does get weird at the end.

Incentive indeed - these mothers surprised me

Lots of silliness, but a lot of fun too!

Udsyret nok. Trouble every day var fed nok. Blues rock med en overraskende tempo skift til sidst

Det er weird n’ wacky. Et sjovt lyt, og helt klart et album der har været betydningsfuldt for udviklingen af musik. Men det komme ikke i rotation her

A bit dated, but I thought this was a kind of clever album with some interesting music.

I appreciate what the band was trying to do with this album but I found the songs consistently annoying

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. So many great tracks! I especially liked these on my first listen: Who Are The Brain Police?, Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder, Motherly Love, How Could I Be Such A Fool, Wowie Zowie, Any Way The Wind Blows, You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here, Help, I'm A Rock (great one!!!), The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet (the cream cheese song) That's a lot of tracks! Edit Mar 27 2026: 5 --> 4. I haven't played this album *as* much. Maybe if I play it more in the future I will bump it up more

Cancer to the ears. This is metaverse level unnecessary. The kinda shit you'd hear while being trained to withstand torture.

I just don't get it.

I always want to like Zappa. And some of this album was good. Not great, but good, as in I could listen to the whole thing. Except for the last track. I’m just going to pretend that doesn’t exist.

The rating is not about my love of the music, but more about the style and influence of a debut album of a band and the era in which it was released.

Some of it sounds good, but it just feels kind of weird for weird sake and I don’t need to hear it again

Not my favorite Zappa album but I do love me some weird.

awful! heard elementary school bands that are better

Listening as I write notes on ancient Rome and reading from my laptop. Major clashing of times. Recently my curiosity for psychedelic rock has consumed me, so being given this album as the first felt like some sort of fate. What I loved in this album are the funny voices. Other people have said this album is a comedy, and yeah I understand. It's funky and fun, what can I hate about that? Although I have to admit there were a few skips for me.. Whats wrong with cream cheese :'(

*Freak Out!*, the 1966 debut album by The Mothers of Invention, is a landmark work that shattered conventions of what rock music could be. Masterminded by Frank Zappa, it is a satirical, ambitious, and wildly eclectic double album that combines social critique with avant-garde experimentation . For a quick overview, the table below captures the core aspects of the album. | Aspect | Summary | | :--- | :--- | | **🎵 Music & Style** | A satirical mix of doo-wop, R&B, blues, and pop, juxtaposed with avant-garde sound collages and musique concrète . | | **💡 Themes & Lyrics** | A cynical satire of consumerism, conformity, "straight" society, and the education system, while celebrating individual freaks . | | **🎙️ Production** | Produced by Tom Wilson; known for its innovative, sometimes chaotic studio techniques created on a relatively small budget . | | **✨ Influence & Legacy** | A major influence on The Beatles' *Sgt. Pepper*; one of rock's first concept albums and first double-LP debuts . | ### 🎵 Music and Production The album's music is a purposeful collision of styles, reflecting Zappa's dual love for 1950s rhythm and blues and 20th-century classical avant-garde. * **Satirical Pop Songs**: The first half of the album features short, catchy songs that meticulously mimic and skewer popular genres of the time. Tracks like "Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder" are perfect doo-wop pastiches, while "How Could I Be Such a Fool" incorporates Motown and Mexican trumpet flourishes . The intent was to expose the banality of mainstream pop through exaggeratedly accurate replication . * **Avant-Garde Experiments**: The second half descends into more experimental territory. "Help, I'm a Rock" is a droning, repetitive suite with layered vocal chaos, and the 12-minute finale, "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet," is an unfinished ballet of percussive jams and studio improvisation featuring a large group of "freaks" . Zappa cited influences like Edgard Varèse, using the studio as an instrument to create revolutionary soundscapes . * **The Production Story**: Producer Tom Wilson signed the band under the impression they were a white blues band after hearing "Trouble Every Day" . The story goes that he was shocked when they began recording the bizarre "Who Are the Brain Police?" but ultimately championed Zappa's vision to the label, securing a double-album format . The production, while ambitious, was reportedly completed quickly and on a modest budget . ### 💡 Themes and Lyrics Zappa's lyrics serve as a sharp social critique, targeting the hypocrisy and conformity of mid-60s America with equal opportunity scorn. * **Social Satire**: The album opens with a direct attack on the establishment in "Hungry Freaks, Daddy," lambasting the educational system and "Mr. America" . "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here" mocks the superficiality of the social scene and even the band's own audience . * **Cynicism and Parody**: Love songs are not about romance but about heartless transactions ("I Ain't Got No Heart") or cynical send-ups ("Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder") . The tone is consistently sarcastic and distrustful of sentimentality. * **Serious Commentary**: Amid the parody, "Trouble Every Day" stands out as a serious, blues-based commentary on the Watts riots of 1965, with Zappa expressing frustration with media sensationalism of racial violence . ### ✨ Influence and Legacy *Freak Out!* was commercially unsuccessful but became massively influential. * **Pioneering Format**: It was the first rock double album consisting entirely of new material and is frequently cited as one of the very first concept albums, presenting a unified satirical vision rather than a collection of singles . * **Musical Impact**: Its influence on other musicians was immediate. Paul McCartney has been quoted as calling *Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band* The Beatles' attempt at their own *Freak Out!* . It also paved the way for experimental and progressive rock . ### Pros and Cons Here is a balanced look at the album's strengths and weaknesses. | Pros | Cons | | :--- | :--- | | **Historical Importance**: A groundbreaking and fearless debut that expanded the possibilities of the rock album format . | **Inconsistent Tone**: The shift from parody pop to avant-garde experimentation can be jarring and may not appeal to listeners seeking a cohesive experience . | | **Satirical Brilliance**: The songwriting is clever, funny, and sharp, effectively critiquing social norms with intelligence . | **Deliberately Unpolished**: The vocal performances are often intentionally off-key or nasal, and the production can sound dated or chaotic, which may frustrate some listeners . | | **Creative Ambition**: The sheer scope and willingness to experiment, from complex vocal arrangements to tape manipulation, remains impressive . | **Unfinished Feel**: Zappa himself noted that the final track, "Monster Magnet," was unfinished due to budget constraints, which can make it feel like an extended, directionless jam . | ### Final Verdict *Freak Out!* is an essential listen for anyone interested in the history of rock music. It is not necessarily an "easy" album to enjoy, as its humor is cynical and its experiments challenging. However, its creativity, intelligence, and sheer audacity are undeniable. It established Frank Zappa as a unique and uncompromising voice whose influence resonates to this day.

When I first started listening to this album thought I was going to hate it l, but I liked it more and more as it went on liked how weird it was. It is very 60s felt bit like was in Austin powers are some points think it’s definitely an album you have to listen to a few times to really appreciate

The lyrics that aren't gibberish are fantastic. The songs need stronger voices and music, they sound a bit weak. I hope the later albums improve because I enjoy this.

Guess i had to be there. It’s avant garde I hear you, it’s fundamental purpose to push boundaries, challenge convention etc etc etc. yes I know the rational. Tell me it’s groundbreaking if you want to, sure tell me Zappas innovative if you like, but I still think it’s a poor excuse,. I don’t from this have any belief that they can write a half decent song it’s just recycled 2nd rate tunes from the previous 10 years that are just vehicles to show oh how witty they are about the then current culture, as if above it when they are slap bang in the middle of it. There maybe the odd social comment but it ain't exactly high literature or challenging, more high school humour. As said maybe I needed to be there, but 2 MOI albums and think they're just a bit shit. I just don’t need to hear this again. 1 Star ( would have been 2 but this is so well regarded that hearing it I like it even less).

This album rocks. Its so cool to hear Zappa's songwriting in the traditions and styles of the 50s and 60s especially compared to his later music. Loved this

Very weird in a very good way. I feel rather smart that I figured out it was satire without having to look at the Wikipedia page.

Zappa is not my thing. Its just noise to my ears.

This album, released in 1966, was way ahead of its time—as are most of Frank Zappa's works. From sophisticated picking to kazoo melodies, from orchestral arrangements to pure chaos, The Mothers of Invention use the entire palette and play it with great timing. For me, it's not quite top notch, but it's certainly a very good and very influential album.

What is this?

Actually got into this after a ropey start. Quite cute!

Surprised that I like this

Good album had never heard it but it was experimental an conceptual but solid as a rock genre. Good guitar play and overall compositions

This album was weird, but not in a fun way. Being so early saves it from a 1 star

This one isn't for me. Musically it was ok and fun, but Zappa's voice is not good.

I think the word is tedious. This album absolutely needs to be on this list. Part of the reason I'm going through this list is to force myself to listen to these "important" albums, and I'm glad I did because there is some interesting aspects of this album. But man. Its a lot. That last song especially. Ugh.

I'm really not sure what to make of this. After the first track I hated it. Off key droningz kazoos. But it grew on me. Then I got to the last three tracks and I was back to hating it.

I can't put my finger on exactly why but this didn't work for me at all. The singing and the music both feel off somehow. Like I have heard this before but cleaner and more my style.

A couple decent songs. Most of the songs just sound like parody songs though. There’s some sort of inherent insincerity to Zappa that makes this thing a total drag to listen to.

I love the fact that everytime that I listen to some Zappa album, I ended up with a "???" sign in my head. It feels good and weird at the same time. It leaves you with questions, but no doubts at all. That's a reminder: music can be as much confusing as comfortable. Very good!

Not for me 1/5

Expérimental, on dirait juste une bande de potes qui s'amusent à faire des bruits dans tous les sens (YEAH) On respire le blues, on critique un peu la société américaine (normal) Jusqu'à la troisième "partie" de l'album où on rentre dans le côté vraiment "Freak Out!" de l'album Et ça porte bien son nom : Je suis freaked out!

Début un peu chelou mais on commence à s'amuser avec la musique mid-album, c'est pas dans mon style musical général. J'aime pas vraiment les paroles et parties chantées (genre ils chantent mal) Album bien produit en vrai mais un peu long à force (surtout la fin). Musique pref : "Anyway the wind blows" Pires musiques : "Help I'm a rock", "Can't happen here" + dernière track wsh c'est quoi ça. On dirait juste qu'ils se prennent pas au sérieux dommage. 2/5 (pour la dernière track qui dure une éternité et j'ai pas vraiment aimé overall)

"Help me i'm a rock" est très très freaky !! It cant happen here chelou aussi euh 12 min c'est long et freaky la à part les musiques freaky/bizzare (qui correspondent au titre ducoup ça va) jtrouve ça pas mal, musique/chant/parole bien, respect les anciens

Quelques sons très typiques de la période vibe beatles bowie etc Quelques trucs originaux sympa avec de bonnes idées qui ont surtout été reprises plus tard, mais les cris de singe c'est de trop

Hungry Freaks, Daddy - 5/5 I Ain't Got No Heart - 4/5 Who Are the Brain Police? - 3/5 Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder - 5/5 Motherly Love - 4/5 How Could I Be Such a Fool - 4/5 Wowie Zowie - 3/5 You Didn't Try to Call Me - 4/5 Any Way the Wind Blows - 5/5 I'm Not Satisfied - 3/5 You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here - 4/5 Trouble Every Day - 3/5 Help, I'm A Rock - 4/5 The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet - 3/5 Average score: 3.9/5 (rounding up)

This is hilarious....this band has everything to do with Frank Zappa. Nuff said.

I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think Frank Zappa is brilliant...and so prescient! I own several of his albums, but not this one, although I've seen it before.

Interesting sound but not something I'd listen to again

Not a fan, don't like the vocals.

Psychedelic rock at its peak

Getting an extra star for I guess historical significance. I didn't really have any patience this playthrough so everything just rubbed me the wrong way from the many kazoo fills to the accent/impression that Frank Zappa does I just think this one is overrated. I don't think there's some extra smart secret layer to it.

Frank Zappa weirdness. Those last three songs are fucking insane for 1966

Capolavoro. Pensare che è uscito nel 66...

Favorite: The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet and How could I be such a fool Hungry Freaks, Daddy - I don't think I really like this song but it's got a lot of very interesting things going on it. I don't love the guitars with the elevator music or his voice in some of it so I hope that doesn't persist through the whole album. I Ain't Got No Heart - Already like this way better than the last song What are the brain police? and Go cry on someone else's shoulder - I'm starting to enjoy this album, there are still some odd choices that I don't like but it's still interesting. This album does not seem like it's from the 60s After this point it kind of stays the same for the rest of the album. Help I'm a rock - This song goes back to being weird and I don't think I like it again but it's again still interesting and definitely better than the first few tracks of the album. The return of the son of the monster Magnet - "Susie Cream Cheese, Honey" (I adore this). This feels less like a song and more like a thought experiment but I vibe.

You laugh you go to hell. I can’t believe this is the 2nd Zappa album I get in a row and this album is just significantly WORSE than the last one I got…

Weird band, like the first half of the album was just bland, uninspired 60s music, but then to just make nonsensual music at the end that was such a delight to listen to is incredible. Likely will be the worst artist on the list.

Is it too much? Of course But it’s too much of a good thing

Weird album

I respect the chaos, but it’s giving “theater kids discover LSD.” Some songs slap, others feel like they’re actively bullying me for listening. Historic, sure, but I’m not rushing back.

FREAK OUT! features well arranged psychedelica music but it is ruined by the toddler-esque rants of the cynical idiot in Frank Zappa. And trust me, I GET his satire, but I just think he was overly cynical and wrong. Aside from all of that, Mothers of Invention, was pivotal as a seed of the proto punk movement that set the stage for anti-establishment whining both lyrically and in three chord structure that would prevail in the 70s. So an all-time album from a historical point of view, but not from an artistic achievement point of view. I respect that Frank Zappa took experimental risks, it's just that is cynicism and contempt is not for me. Of course the British loved this more than the Americans. Two cynical peas in a pod that were perfectly matched for one another. And if you haven't guessed by now, I would not have put this on the list.

Zappa is one of the handful of artists who deserve a few entries on this list. This is a good introduction though the compilation ‘strictly commercial’ is probably the best introduction to Zappa, followed by strictly classical. Now for Zappa freaks every album bootleg and live recording should be on the must listen. This, Hot Rats, Apostrophe and maybe Joe’s Garage (plus the yellow shark) or Broadway the Hard Way and we’ve had we’re only in it for the money, are the ones. Zappa bands would get better, though this is a crack unit anyway, and would experiment more but this is a great debut. The trick with Zappa is to ignore the juvenile lyrics (which he never really grows out of). Zappa saw lyrics as something to get commercial recognition, realising that the music market didn’t like instrumentals that much. So what’s going on underneath, a mixture of doo wop , rock and roll, reluctant jazz and avant-garde European post modern music, is the ore in the mine of Zappa. 4 stars.

I find Zappa frequently undercuts his ability to rock with being willfully and smugly clever. And it was apparent from this first album. I like that the band is a pretty good 60s garage band, and the garage rock (Motherly Love) or doo-wop (Go Cry On Someone Else's Shoulder) influences are fun. The satirical content is high, although the creeping misogyny sits poorly. The whole thing could use a tighter edit (even Zappa agreed that The Return of The Son of Monster Magnet is unfinished). I guess it was pretty innovative at the time to include cut-ups and musique concrete, and even satire in rock was a new idea at the time, but I still find it hard to sit through sometimes. It's hard to dance to, you know? Too much talk, not enough trousers.

I don't think you can truly appreciate this album without a sense of humour! Without knowing much about this album beforehand, I'm guessing that a lot of it is satire, and it's done really well. It was a psychedelic trip and a really fun one, man! Liked Songs Added Hungry Freaks, Daddy Wowee Zowee Trouble Everyday

I could see why it's a standout for psych music, but not my thing.

Okay I enjoyed this more than I planned to. I don’t get this guy

This is some real hippie shit.

Okay this album is really funny. And progressive for its time (still in many ways)! The music itself tends to be pretty enjoyable too, although most of it I wouldn't listen to outside of the album. But still, it's really pretty good.

Just unfortunately did not click with me - felt like listening to an inside joke I wasn't a part of. Which is a shame, I really want to like Zappa!

I knew going into this I liked it, but I wasn't expecting to give it a 5! The debut album of Zappa and the Mothers is full of really great psychedelic blues-garage rock and some really nice experimental tape stuff as well, and it's all tied together by the super dry and sarcastic lyrics about American society and the San Francisco freak scene. This is the kind of stuff that really shows how generational of an artist Frank Zappa was.

This legitimately sounded like a bunch of 60s stoner friends got together in their mom’s garage and started fucking around and being silly instead of actually trying to make good music. What the hell was this? Also, Trouble Every Day was a pretty good blues rock song that did not fit in with anything else on it, but it certainly got me to listen to two more songs in a desperate moment of hopium before officially tapping out.

I know it's a satire, I get what it's going for, but man is this a *rough* listen if you're not part of its exact target audience. Not a fan of 60s rock? Well this is straight 60slop with a shitload of kazoos and absolute vocal fuckery! On the lyrical side there's quite a bit of depth, I can tell this Zappa guy is based, but again his sense of humour is so wacky that the album falls apart entirely if you don't vibe with it. It gets a 2 star because I do see how this could be a great album to the right people, but I'm personally very far removed from Zappa's wave.

Nothing quite like an album that makes me think and laugh at the same time. The satire is so pointed and just excellent. It really blew me away that this came out when it did. I thought it might be a 5 on first listen, but I do think some of the "bits" go on a bit too long. I also read that Zappa was not able to do everything he wanted to on this album, which makes sense.

Started off OK and got progressively less listenable, which is fine, that's what it was doing. Mission accomplished.

At some point a weird lil guy like Frank Zappa, either through longevity or by inspiring more mainstream acts, gets described as making “challenging music” instead of just being a weird lil guy. Weird lil guys are critically important, but the shine wears off when they become “challenging musicians” instead, so I’m always going into Zappa vehicles braced against whatever sucker punch is coming and there it is: a call and response in the melody with a kazoo on track one. Weird lil guys forever, but also probably only one listen per

After listening to Trout Mask Whatever yesterday I was really scared of More Frank Zappa but this was.....fine. 2.5

This album is as annoying as it is ahead of it's time. Top Tracks: Wowie Zowie, Help, I'm a Rock

Always had mixed feelings about this album, it's packed with incredible ideas, sharp social commentary, and musical innovation, but it's also deliberately abrasive and exhausting. Although I can appreciate the satire, the psychedelic songs and soundscapes and the obvious sixties pop/rock sound, I never could listen to the whole album in once, and still can't today. Zappa's vision was often more intellectually impressive than emotionally engaging, and so it was with this album. But I did it, once, and never again. 4/5

I am sure this was probably a mind blowing “freaking out the normals” during its heyday. But in spite of all the intelligent things I’ve read of Zappa, god, this album is just “check out out how wild and zany we are! Are you freak out yet?!”

This is how I imagined a West Coast college sounded in the 1960s. 3 stars.

A difficult one to rate, as it is very much a mixed bag. In the balance, I kinda like it though.

Not for me. 1/5

Not a fan

Not to be taken seriously, but also to be taken seriously.

1. daddy - 1.5 2. heart - 1.5 3. police - 1.5 4. Cry - 2 5. Love - 1 6. Fool - 1.5 7. Wowie -0 8. Call - 1 9. Wind - 0 10. Satisfied - 1 11. Wondering - 1.5 12. Trouble - 1.5 13. Help - 1 14. Here - 0 15. Monster - 1

Great

Eh, not for me.

fin, når ikke at høre så meget. ca. 2-3 stykker. Og så blev de træls. 2!

Crazy weird ass 60's rock. Some songs are ok for that year, but the second and last song are COMPLETELY weird. Smells like cigarrets, alcohol and LSD, like a good 60's rock band. Wouldn't listen again I guess

It’s adventurous, challenging and groundbreaking but also a bit jokey - more Bonzo’s than Beefheart. Maybe that’s a good thing, but I’m not sure it’s intended. When in the mood, I can enjoy the music but Zappa’s vocals can grate a bit. Not something I ever really need to put on, but I’m glad it exists.

Off the cuff remark: I saw some of the Mothers of Invention, sadly after Zappa died and they were interesting. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would with the exception of the last track which tested my resolve. At times it's remarkably silly, but tight and fun. Standout track: possibly You Didn't Try to Call Me. Further listens might change this? Revisit?: I think I may have to

Huh, made me realize I know about Zappa, but I don't know his music that well. Groovy guitars are more grounded in familiar pop song formats than I realized. Some of the songs & lyrics are embarrassingly current almost 60 years later (e.g. "Trouble Every Day")

it was all right but the ending interstitals were FUCKING ANNOYING

I guess I thought Frank Zappa was like…a novelty guy? And so since this has Frank Zappa I thought it was like a joke band? Guess I was (mostly) wrong and this was sooooo great. Some of the nonsensical droning does go on a litttttle long for my tastes, but I have to give it a pass because drugs.

I like Frank. And there are some good songs on this one. But the album I grew up on was We're Only In It For The Money! Still - this rates at least 4 stars.

Not for me Clive

Meh. A little better than the other Mothers album this list already served up, but not by much. More doo-wop-y than I was expecting. The more Frank Zappa I hear the more of a fan I am of them as a musician/guitarist/composer and less of a fan of them as a singer/vocalist/lyricist.

Funny, during my high school Zappa phase, this was just fine. Nowadays it’s still fine but better than the last Zappa which I had previously loved. I hope my biographer is getting all this.

About halfway through, I thought that this was actually pretty interesting and fun to listen to. They were trying out different stuff, and hitting on different styles of music. By the end, this was off the rails. Evens out to a 3, I suppose.

Weird shit. My mind is debating with itself whether I liked it or hated it, so I’m settling on an undecided 3 stars.

I thought it was kind of dumb at first as it struck me as a Sha-Na-Na-esque novelty album. I gave it a little more consideration and thought back to the The Velvet Underground's poppier experiments and the twee music of the 80s and 90s that struck me as a particularly effective foil against the aggressive music of the punk underground. I suspect that The Mothers had similar motives with Freak Out! Maybe they wanted to shake up the underground a bit with some pop music styles from a decade ago and lyrics that satirize the current political and social movements. It's weird.

This is the freak out. The opening salvo of the insanity that zappa becomes.

So, uh, that was interesting. It's a little difficult to rate something I didn't particularly like, per se, but found entertaining in a very strange way. The only song I could say I really liked was Trouble Every Day, most likely because it was a pretty straightforward blues rock song. There were other tracks I somewhat enjoyed, but not to a very high level. The rest... I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about them, other than that I didn't really like them. That said, the value here doesn't come from how good/likeable the songs are; it's about what is happening, both in the songs and outside them. This is just an off-the-wall album in many ways. It's progressive in some aspects, regressive in others. There are doo-wop breakdowns and weird experimental sections that go on for seemingly longer than they should. The lyrical content goes from nonsensical to point-blank honesty. How to even describe the instrumentation? I'll just note it features a kazoo heavily on certain tracks. Can't say I've listened to an album that had that before. Perhaps the wildest thing they do is slip in the standard rock song in the midst of all the craziness. Through it all, you can hear some of the ways it would influence later artists, and I'm sure it helped many of them to take more risks. In all, it's a good inclusion on the list. Definitely something people should hear and experience. But there's not really a lot of what I'd call "good" music there for me to rate it all that high. Also taking a few points away for the length-- it's pretty long, not really in a way that makes it a better listen. Overall: 2.2/5

This is such a great find, dig the era and dig the genre. Worth the listen and in context of the time, solid.

Increasingly, I think I love the idea of Zappa more than his actual music, especially the early stuff. When the music you're parodying has disappeared from culture, does your parody have any value? IronicallyI got more from the later experimental sound pieces than from many of the actual songs. Didn't appall me, but just fundamentally a bit dull. A high 2.

Better than Coldplay

The other Zappa albums, or indeed Mothers of Inventions albums, that I’ve heard have all sounded quite bad to my uncultured little ears, so I think it makes sense that I had very low expectations for this album. However, for the most part, it was actually pretty decent! It’s still quite tongue in cheek anti-pop, but actually does sound like music here, rather than the incoherent noise from the other albums. And I did find it quite catchy too. It’s still not an album I’d spend money on, but nowhere near as bad as I’d expected.

4/10 - It is very 60s, and it is from the 60s. It kind of sounds like patrick from spongebob helped make this album. Why they screaming about cream cheese so much in the last song

More mediocre pretentious Zappa crap. Doesn’t need to be on list

I've dealt with a share of bizarre, experimental rock from Frank Zappa. It was a matter of time before I checked out the band he was in prior, The Mothers of Invention. A rotating cavalcade of musicians, the Mothers are considered one of the bigger names in California's late 1960s underground scene. Their debut record, often cited as one of the first concept albums, certainly lives up to its title. Freak Out! starts innocent enough with the rather kooky, playful pastiches of doo wop and rhythm and blues. It's pretty evident that not only did everyone in the band play rather competently for these compositions, but Zappa loved taking the piss out of American pop culture. Whether it's the message of love from the hippies on "I Ain't Got No Heart", the sappy teenage romance on "Go Cry on Someone Else's Shoulder", or the purveying oxymorons that come with the doo wop tunes on "Wowie Zowie", there was a good variety and execution in the parodies they offered. As the album goes on, the band slowly descends into sheer madness. The final two tracks, "It Can't Happen Here" and "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet", are some of the weirdest tracks I've heard on my journey. The former is an a cappella track that ironically foreshadows the rise of the counterculture, while the latter is a 12-minute sound collage illustrating someone going insane. Funny enough, the latter track wasn't even the finished product according to Zappa, as it was meant to be much longer. Make no mistake, Freak Out! is a strange record. It does go on for a rather long time, and I imagine it would get unsettling for some people, especially towards the end. But it is unique and helped usher in one of the most creative forces to have walked the earth.

An important, influential album that I won’t spin many more times in my life. Great place to start for a budding Zappa fan but whatever it is you find appealing to your tastes in this album, you will get more of in later releases. 3.5/ 5

meh

I had a friend in high school who was really into Zappa. I just did not get why. As an adult, I grew a respect for his musicianship and that of the people he chose to work with, so I was happy to see this pop up so I could listen with the respect I’ve grown to have. I guess adult respect is not what this album needs. Holy crap. It’s just as juvenile and annoying as it was to me back in high school. It’s the musical equivalent of giggling teenagers in my store. And here’s something I never thought I would say in a review… enough with the fucking kazoos already.

Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention were doing things no one else was in 1966. It was like they were shoving a big middle finger up the British Invasion arse and I totally dig it. Double debut album, a side length ending trip fest, who does this, the only one who could. The great Frank Zappa. Way ahead of their time.

Bad stuff here

Frank Zappa-led experimental rock. Standout is "Trouble Every Day" with the harmonica before the next track "Help, I'm A Rock" where it gets off the rails and through the end is really weird.

Zappa was a low rent lyricist and pseudo intellectual.

An interesting album that didn’t quite hit the mark in terms of what I normally listen to, but it was a good opportunity to listen to unique novelty albums.

A quirky and experimental debut that mixes pop parody, satire, and avant-garde into a wild cocktail. It’s both entertaining and culturally important, but at times a bit too chaotic for me to fully embrace. 4/5

Fun rock stuff but didn’t really standout for me

Maybe it needs a few listens....

I think I like the idea/concept of Frank Zappa better than I like the actual music, LOL. It wasn't bad though; it's entertaining for the length of the album but I wouldn't want to listen to much more than this, or listen to this too often.

I guess I am not in a mood for experimental albums.

The doo-wop ones always remind me of Tom Lehrer, but I don't have much use for the psychedelic ones outside of maybe Hungry Freaks, Daddy.

Not for me. This was a struggle.

Today I learned that edgy ironic hipsters were already a thing back in the 60s – and that they were exactly as cringey as their modern counterparts. Parody is funny if it’s one or two songs at the end of an album. If most of your album - especially your first album as a band - is based on mocking other bands... well, you’re not funny, you’re just annoying, and you only prove that you spend a very unhealthy amount of time thinking about what other people do. Musically speaking, this album was a just a whole lot of nothing for me. It tries to be experimental, but with far less success than other bands of the same time period. The psych-rock parts are not particulary well done, and haven’t aged well. I didn’t care much for the lyrics either. Maybe it’s just not my kind of humor. Parody in music has never been something I find particularly funny. Listening to this album felt like being forced to watch a long one-man show by a stand-up comedian who never makes you laugh. I'm sure some people found it hilarious... but for me it was mainly cringey. I'll give it a 2* for originality, but I have zero interest in this kind of music.

So fucking bad lol

I wish I were a fan, but I am just not. I can totally recognize the influence the album had but I don't really like it tbh

I went through a couple of Zappa phases when I was younger. I had an older neighborhood friend who was into him and would play the albums for me, and then again in my own album collecting days. I liked many of the albums as “different” and “interesting” but I never really listened closely. I think I’d only heard this record once before, and mostly liked it. I really like the first couple of sides, and the third and fourth not as much due to lack of clear song structure. Overall an enjoyable listen, but not one I’ll seek out to play again. A solid 4 stars. And like others have noted, an amazing achievement for 1966!!

2/5 psychedelic rock. Mostly just weird and not good music.

Nice record. Sometimes a bit too freaky for me but Zappa knows exactly what he’s doing.

i mean the music isn't really that good but it's so delightfully weird and unpredictable that i kind of loved it

Groovy and a good amount for weird. Not sure if it was supposed to be funny but certainly made me internally chuckle.

Some drugs must have been involved in this... It is quite interesting but a bit exhausting after a while.

I'm not familiar with the Mothers early work. This is pretty good.

A foundational record for a number of reasons. While it's certainly not the polished version of avant-garde pop music for the time, Freak Out showed a lot of aspiring musicians what the limits of their creativity could be.

Glad I gave this a chance--there's some cool and funny stuff here. As I said about Hendrix yesterday, tho, I'm always going to appreciate Zappa in theory more than I do in practice.

Genuinely the worst album I've ever heard even if many of the songs are listenable

I love psychedelic rock generally and ought to appreciate Zappa more, but this album is unbearably pretentious and trying too hard to be clever. A low 3 which the last track nearly brought down to a 2.

Definitely glad I heard this but probably would never listen again. 3.75

Very experimental 60’s psych rock. ‘Freak Out’ is kind of a good title for this… Was ok; maybe a little too trippy/eclectic for my taste.

Fun, will return.

Love the mothers

I’ve never actively listened to Zappa. I loved this!!! It’s hilarious and it sounds great and the musicianship is excellent. Stand outs ‘go cry on someone else’s shoulder’, ‘trouble every day’ wowie zowie. So good.

The opening track, "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" is basically where sweet leaf by sabbath ripped from. Kinda wild. It's crazy that this is 1966, ahead of it's time in some ways but really dated in other ways.

It took me until the 3rd track to realise what this was. It's satire. Satire of the state of music in the 60s, but also of the state of music before the 60s, and the state of music in the future. Ridiculously hilarious lyrics, funny instrument choices (Kazoos wtf), strange singing and harmonies. I can understand disliking it, its not for everyone, and I even considered giving this a 1, but I can't cos I appreciate what The Mothers of Invention were trying to do. As a result, solid 3/5

If I was 14 and just getting into experimental music, I'd see the value of this much more than I do now I'd sample the hell outta this though

Sometimes o.k. or even fun but often and especially on sides 3 and 4 way too weird to be listenable for me. 1,5

They're fucking around and I'm finding out

Fucking crazy and weird. I like crazy weird music, and I like Frank Zappa, but I wasn't blown away by this one. Not terrible though.

I was going to write a long, considered review, but ultimately it comes down to this: I will never listen to this album again, and if it wasn't for this project I wouldn't have listened to the whole thing.

A fever dream of an album, from some alternate 1960s timeline. At times downright scary (Who Are The Brain Police?) and others beautiful (How Could I Be Such A Fool) but it's all full of fascinating little details. Anyway The Wind Blows is brilliant, crystal chimes echoing the guitars. We get full on blues rock on Trouble Every Day. No one is safe from their satirical jabs. Help I'm A Rock opts for surrealism, and It Can't Happen Here is jazzy before devolving into doo wop a capella? The closing track begins with an almost indescribable rhythm. Part art rock, part bad trip. There's no real melodies or lyrics, but snatches of insane voices and chopped up, dissonant percussion that Autechre would be proud of. I begin to start questioning my sanity. Five stars.

Thank god zappa’s dead

I'm loving the collision of sounds between 60's rock and Frank Zappa experimentation on this album. There's no better way to start the day than with Zappa's satire, weird chromatic melodies, and kazoos. 4/5

I listened to this for another list and the gimmick-y aspects of it really turned me off. I didn't care for it at all. 1.5/5

Groupe inconnu, mais second album avec Frank Zappa après 'Hot rats' que j'avais assez apprécié (noté 3/5). 'Hot rats' est en grande partie instrumental et plutôt jazz/rock. 'Freak out' n'a pas cette chance, le chant est omniprésent. Et pas très inspirant ... L'accompagnement est parfois original, mais lassant sur la longueur. Et trop masqué par le chant (je ne parle même pas du kazoo, une horreur). Aucune envie de l'écouter une seconde fois. =>2/5

7/16/25. Didn't know this was Frank Zappa until a couple songs in. Always crazy, hilarious lyrics with amazing instrumentals and obscure song structures. In for a treat with anything he touches.

I prefer Zappa's solo catalogue, still pretty nice though

This was another album where I found parts that sounded fantastic, but there were other parts that sounded a little too "out there". Another 3.5 if it were possible.

Funnier than I remembered!

Always heard of group, never listened. Was fun brand of various weird, until last song or two. Those are but harder to return to. Overall, wasn't disappointed

i love this album. it's obviously not going to be everyone's tea, but i do think this is probably the most accessible zappa/mothers album. it was my first exposure to them years ago and i kind of fell in love with it. it's a bit goofy and zany and there's lots of quirky shit on here, but when push comes to shove, it's really fun and really strong musically. to me, 'trouble every day' and 'any way the wind blows' are terrific. true to the album's name, there are some really fun 'freak out' sections on here, but also it's a freaky album (in a 1960s sense, an album for Freaks). yeah man, this is the good stuff.

like it or not, this is invention

I appreciate what Frank Zappa achieved, but I admit I skipped ahead in some of the later songs because it's not 1966 anymore.

I like to think that someday I'll appreciate Zappa. So many people with great taste in music have tried to convince me that I'm an idiot, but I don't get it. Never have, but I'll keep trying. There were a couple of good songs on this album, Trouble Every Day, foe instance. The second half was far more interesting too me than the more poppy first half. I know that it is on several top list and I should give it another listen, but it is so damn long. Maybe someday.

Didn't really enjoy but I could tell the musicians have lots of talent.

3/5

Weird, incohesive, bonkers, yet entertaining.

I can see how this influenced a lot of comedy and experimental work. Always knew who Frank Zappa was but didn’t listen to his works, it’s pretty good.

I do not like Frank Zappa as a singer on a lot of these tracks

This is like ok haha. Not really for me. "Motherly Love" was fucking weird.

Favorites: Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder, motherly love, anyway the wind blows, You're probably wondering why I'm here, help I'm a rock, it can't happen here, The Return of the son of monster magnet So weird, hell yeah.

7/10

There was something quite unhinged that I actually liked about this album… probably because I listened to it when I was also feeling unhinged

I love most Zappa, and this is a really fun ridiculous album with a bunch of classics. This is not the Zappa I'll usually reach for, but it's still fantastic.

als je zo kunt debuteren, ben je goed bezig.. een amalgaam aan stijlen, satirische teksten over hippies (die nog maar net opkwamen)... en dan nog een dubbelLP op de koop toe...

Hippy Freakout album. I absolutely loathed the last track.

Not one I will listen to again. Strange.

You can tell this is the first Zappa record, but there are still flashes of utter genius found throughout. A little too rooted in traditional 60s psych for me, but tracks like Trouble Every Day and Who Are The Brain Police really show how forward thinking and ahead of its time some of the ideas on this album were. There’s better Zappa records out there though by far.

Tf is this 1.75/5

I enjoyed this, its quite tame but I imagine it was a bit radical in the day.

It's a decent album, not as divisive as other Frank Zappa's records. This one actually sounds a little too normal. It wouldn't be on this list if Zappa's name was not attached to it.

Must've seemed hipper and wittier back in the day because today it's evident how hard they were trying to be both. Like the Smothers Brothers who also seemed tame, despite their reptuation for subversivenes. Cheech and Chong also seem a fair comp – it's moderately amusing at best, and really not heavy at all. oo many horns and strings and obvious and goofy effects (oompa-loompa vocals and kazoos) on “Your’e Probably Wondering.” All of it reads corny today. One can't be an anarchist (or whatever it is they're trying to be when doing lame satires of '50s doo-wop). More than boundary-blurring or -breadking, just feels overbearing, like their parents' music almost, and overindulgent. Maybe bonus points for having a song called "Wowie Zowie" decades before Pavement, but definitely not too many points.

Frank Zappa the early years. Pretty much what I would expect from this, but some moments of fun like the parodical Go Cry On Someone Else's Shoulder and the tracks that followed it. On the other hand, I mostly found the tracks ugly and annoying, It Can't Happen Here most of all. Some have accused them of trying to hard to provoke, which maybe they are. Taking a kinder view, they might genuinely have wanted to make the weirdest sounds that they could, but for whatever reason that they made them, I don't want to listen. Did not enjoy this.

Sounds like something the Muppets would do as a skit. But I like the Muppets.

The Z man starts as he means to go on. You can see the start of his orchestration with a much bigger sound than you would expect from a not-so-popular off-beat combo. Great stuff.

The Temu Rolling Stones

It's pretty good, just not my thing.

Frank Zappa’s music is amazing…when Frank Zappa isn’t singing over it.

Fiyah fiyah fiyah liv frank zappa 4 eva

It could have been written and recorded today.

There were a few silly songs that made me chuckle, interesting sounds, but nothing was really that catchy for me. Listened to on a hot spring walk, so i was slightly distracted by the sun blaring me x.x

What is wrong with this guy lol

This started out ok…and then went downhill.

A strange combo of fairly straightforward pop songs, or at least attempts at them, plus some weird shit that was often unlistenable. This must have been pretty wild when it came out in 1966. Not my fave of his by a long shot.

Maybe 3.5? I didn’t have time to listen multiple times today but I’d come back to it

Album 808 of 1089 The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out! (1966) Rating : 5 / 5 What an awesome album. Frank has been a longtime favorite so this one isn't unfamiliar to me. One of the earlier concept albums, it is a satirical expression of Zappa's perception of American pop culture and the nascent freak scene of Los Angeles. Even on this debut album I see and hear themes and styles which were later prevalent on some of his solo albums - a couple which are among my all-time favorites. An amazing fusion of doo-wop, blues, avant-garde along with his sometimes sarcastic and biting commentary. It has been called “a miracle of nature” and “a freaking brilliant, sarcastic sendup of society” and I won't argue with that.

Not sure what to make of this one, but seems to be ahead of its time. Some interesting songs, humor, and commentary throughout.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🩷💊🩻 Production: 🎧😐👍 Music: 🧠🤡🤔 Rating: 🤯🤯🤯/5

Off it’s face

After the first three songs, I was prepared to skip through the rest of the album as fast as I could. Then came the next eight tracks, which I found to be fun and worthy of the good reputation this album has garnered over the years. But the closing numbers were a disappointment. I suspect that the songs I like on this album share Zappa's influence, and the songs I did not like belong more or less to Captain Beefheart.

wouldn’t say i liked a single song on this album. defintely can see it being the foundation for psychedelic and avant- garde music but its a little too out there for me. some cool sounds and lyrics tho very interesting. zappa being zappa. help, i’m a rock.

I was optimistic about this one and then the song “who are the brain police” came on and it was just screechy noise. Then it gets a bit better and more listenable but it wasn’t anything special. “Help I’m a rock” is also awful. The last song being almost 13 minutes as well!?! Not a fan, glad this one is done and I absolutely didn’t need to hear this one.

Overall: 7/10 Well, I was dreading getting to Zappa cause I've always heard how strange his music is and I've been a little weary of it. It's just as strange as I expected but I don't think I needed to be worried. I didn't do too much research so I don't know if this is considered his most accessible album or not but the weirdest thing about it was the mixing of genres. There's a lot of psychedelic rock but also some influence from groups like The Four Seasons. The lyrics are also totally out there. I actually found the weirdest songs to be the most charming and will probably be the ones I come back to the most. Overall, this is a fun time. I didn't love it like I was hoping but I also think this is an album you need to let sit with you for a while and listen to multiple times to really appreciate. Fav Song: Help, I'm a Rock Least Fav Song: It Can't Happen Here

Some tracks on this record were so painful to listen to that this was the first record I had to skip tracks on. I understand what this record was going for. The genres that they tried to satirize just made some tracks awful to listen to. I think this record is probably important with the messages that it brings throughout each track, the experimental sounds (that didn't age too well, in my opinion), and the freedom of being able to clown on other genres of music. I found that "It Can't Happen Here" to be particularly relevant to today. Favourite Track(s): Anyway The Wind Blows Least Favourite Track(s): Help, I'm a Rock

Musically, these guys were every bit as good as the Animals and the whole British Invasion sound, but they chose to mock it in a way that is both hilarious and genius.

A surrealist freakout, lampooning every facet of American popular (counter)culture until Zappa decides to flip the switch into a not-so-desultory philippic about the Watts riots. Watch the rats across the floor. But what makes the record buzz as well as it does is that you feel a real kinship to the heart-stricken, sad sack caricatures Zappa creates. How could your heart not ache alongside the loser in You Didn't Try To Call Me? There's a universality in Getting Over It. Strangely, the album's modern reference point might be 69 Love Songs, earnestness breaking through something disguised as an intellectual exercise. The tightrope act falls apart with the D-Side sound collages, avant garde experiments that, I don't know, get the spirit but lose the feeling? I'm sure the Suzy Creamcheese bit was enlightening for John, Paul and the gang after a few tabs of LSD, or an especially good meditation session with the Maharishi. A little harder to connect on a Monday afternoon at my office job with only acetaminophen and caffeine currently working their magic.

t's amazing how an album that's so offbeat can be so dull to listen to, it's like the band decided to be weird for the sake of being weird and totally forgot to make actually interesting music. Each song just seems to drone on and on, and I wound up only being able to get about halfway through it before shutting it off, and even then I was forcing myself through each song. Absolutely terrible.

I've come to the conclusion I just don't love Frank Zappa. This is musically intersting. Lots of variation within this album. But dang the vocals are just cheeks. I'm glad it's over.

Of course Frank gets 5 stars. I wish I could hear it again for the first time.

Loaded with satire and with tongues planted firmly in cheeks, this is an absolute gas from start to finish. It's mainly doo-wop, frat and garage rock but along the way there is plenty of experimentation and imagination with social commentary on tracks like the genuinely frightening 'Who are the Brain Police' and quick fire lyrics on 'Trouble Everyday'. It's not a perfect album but it is highly listenable and surprisingly commercial.

Absolutely mad but in a beautiful way

Intelligent invention. Love this album.

Whacky, man. Out there whacky. This may have blown my circuits.

Wowie zowie, I freaked out!

Meh me moc zappa neba

Heard of the band but it's my first time listening to them. It did give me a bit of a headache but then at times I was amazed how they managed to create this shitpost of an album back in the 60s. So even though I didn't enjoy the music I do appreciate it 2/5

Good

Eh this doesn't really do it for me. There are some cool moments that I found enjoyable but overall feel like it was a miss. First exposure to this band though I am familiar with Frank Zappa's solo stuff. It does seem groundbreaking/unique though. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)

One of the least enjoyable last 3 minutes or so of an album I’ve had. The rest was fine. 2.75 Stars

Zappa is another artist I have been meaning to check out, really haven't listened to much of his stuff before this. I was kind of surprised to see this album came out in 1966, but listening to it you can tell. This seems like something important more for what it laid the foundation for, not something that was that great on its own. Most of this sounds like psychedelia for psychedelia's sake. I'm sure it terrified our grandparents.

I. don't get on with Zappa's music. I get it - the sarcasm and humour. He's just constantly taking the mickey out of mainstream and oip music, demonstrating how easy it is. But it quickly wears thin, because, great musician though he undoubtedly is, it's just not very pleasant or satisfying to listen to. I'd prefer him to just 'play it straight'. The first track could be a perfectly acceptable tune but he deliberately subverts it. It's just tedious.

Frank zappa

Frank zappa en baladas? Descubriendo un mjndo nuevo

I didn't know what to expect with this, knowing that Frank Zappa was in the band. It ended up kind of sounding like 60s music that isn't afraid to have fun and be funny. Not bad...

I went into this expecting weird nonsense, and I definitely got that, but I also got a lot more really solid music that I didn't expect. The satire and the zaniness were peak, and the music was just behind.

😖

Mixture of styles - 50s rock, psychedelic, etc. A few noteworthy songs- wowie zowie, help I’m a rock.

Ihan kai passelia musisointia, ei tee mieli kuunnella uudelleen.

Sonically good, but nowhere close to how good Frank would get down the road.

Man the 60s were not good

Wat. Sucks

Okaish

Sympathetic to this brand of strange

Okay...I kind of dig the cynical lyrics, but musicaly, it is so so. I have never understood the hype around Zappa.

Old album… I didn’t like it