Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out
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CD Details
Artist: Frank Zappa & The Mothers of InventionBrand: ZAPPA,FRANK
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1995-05-02
Music Label: Zappa Records
Soundtracks:
- Hungry Freaks, Daddy
- I Ain't Got No Heart
- Who Are The Brain Police?
- Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder
- Motherly Love
- How Could I Be Such A Fool
- Wowie Zowie
- You Didn't Try To Call Me
- Any Way The Wind Blows
- I'm Not Satisfied
- You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here
- Trouble Every Day
- Help, I'm A Rock
- It Can't Happen Here
- The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet
Music reviews of Freak Out
Music Review: Fun, pleasant, accessible pop with some experimenta. 85/100
Rating: 4 Stars
This 1995 release has excellent sound quality. As my first introduction to anything by Frank Zappa, I have to say that I found the music mostly pleasant and accessible pop. There are 1950s influences at times (do wop kind of stuff). Some songs bear an influence from British rock group Cream, it seems to me. In any case, this album is FUN, but it does get experimental...veers from pop to jazzy stuff. Some of it is silly and some of it is serious. Overall this is a good listen. CD runs to 60:29 minutes.
The best track:
Help, I'm a rock - a hypnotic jam. Sort of a simple, funky jazzy rhythm to it. Cool song, which features the piano. A fun track with silly lyrics. Has some cool scatting too. Later you hear what may be intended to sound like demon groans (or maybe that's just me!). I could see people baulking at this kind of material...you do need a certain sense of humour to appreciate it.
The next best songs (on 2nd listen):
Any way the wind blows - pleasant song with nice bassy parts. Has some quick note picking on the guitar. Glassy percussion. Catchy.
You're probably wondering why I'm here - catchy, especially the chorus part. Glassy percussion. Bassy. Has harmonies. You hear something that sounds like a kazoo one time, I think. Good.
Trouble everyday - has a bluesy groove, with good lead guitar...it sounds jangly...there's a guitar lick which I like which reminds me of David Bowie's later song "Rebel rebel". Harmonica features. Also good is the doubled up vocals. Lyrics aren't absurd here...they have a social conscience, like the opening track on this album.
Most experimental tracks:
It can't happen here - a capella either side of a jazzy interlude. Track is a vocal soundscape which does amuse at times. E.g. the intro is funny...in a desperate sort of way. You hear instruments like cymbals and the piano. Hmmm...the phrase "acdc" is used here. Only mention that because my favourite rock band of all time is AC/DC.
The return of the son of monster magnet - a monster 12:17 minutes in length. This is pretty much the band only playing for their own pleasure, without regard to any listening audience (Captain Beefheart's "Trout mask replica" takes that philosophy to its extreme...a fact which alienated me from the album...but some people rate it extremely highly. Zappa gets the balance right on his album though, I think). Maybe you could describe the intro to this song as Beach Boys in Hell (maybe I'm thinking of Beach Boys tracks like "Wild honey"...set in Hell). Spacey sounds, experimental sounds. Jungle rhythms. Singing as a form of jazz music. Chimp noises and sexual noises ("Help, I'm a rock" first introduces these elements into the album). Jazzy at times too, with the piano and cymbals featuring. Many may find this last track, especially, self-indulgent. Personally, I found it less antagonizing than the worst excesses of "Trout mask replica"...in fact, there is hardly anything on that album which is appealing as anything on this album. Reviewed TMR at this site.
The Cream sounding tracks:
I ain't got no heart - has a nice, Creamy type mood and vocals. Vocalist sounds like the Other singer in Cream (not clear on who that would be...Baker?). Brassy, dual vocals. Catchy.
How could I be such a fool? - Vocals reminiscent of Cream again. Pleasant sound, with with nice lead guitar bits. . NIce brassy parts...trumpet? Guitar is nicely melodic. Interesting percussion...xylophone? Cymbals and some glassy sounding percussion features.
I'm not satisfied - piano, brassy at times. Occasional harmonising. Guitar picks notes...nice lead guitar playing at times. Xylophone type percussion features again. Backing vocals bring to mind that Cream singer, I think.
1950s influenced songs:
Go cry on somebody else's shoulder - a 50s style tribute...do wop, Sha Na Na harmonising type territory...good contrast between bass vocals and high end vocals. Metal instrument percussion. Might be the first track where the singer tries on a Mexican type accent. Nice song.
Wowie zowie - 1950s type sound...the song title is sung to the tune of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons' classic "Sherry" for the outro. Nice xylophone playing...or maybe it's a glockenspiel...dunno...something of the sort. Poppy music with harmonising; quirky lyrics and singing, at times. Another fun track.
Distinctly 1960s sounding song:
Motherly love - guitar sounds a little jangly, in that 1960s style (there are lots of examples of this sound in 1960s compilations of now rare songs...e.g. Nuggets, Back from the grave, and Pebbles). You hear a kazoo type instrument again, at times. Metal percussion also features again.
The rest:
Hungry freaks, daddy - pointed social commentary with the lyrics and dual vocals at times. Good guitar playing...seems biased to the left hand speaker...that kind of faux stereo effect found during this era. Singers have an "average Joe" vibe to them. Sort of catchy song, with nice metal percussion appearing on this, the first track of the album.
Who are the brain police - moody music with quirky lyrics and dual vocals. Nice bassy sound. You do get discordant noises at times. Kazoo appears...for the first, but not last time on this album, I think.
You didn't try to call me - pleasant, with sort of country sounding lead guitar at times. Dual vocals sometimes. That Mexican type accent reappears again here...lyrics are amusing at the end. Brassy at times.
Recommendations:
I'm not a huge fan of Cream, but I do think that "Wheels of fire" is an all time classic album (reviewed here at this site by me).
If you like more experimental type stuff, the extreme end of that would be Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's "Trout mask replica".
In the arty but pleasant realm or punk, I like Wire's first three albums...their 3rd is their best, in my view, but no longer punk.
For jazzy type punk-rock, I like the debut of Australian punk pioneers Radio Birdman, which is "Radios appear". They were fans of The Stooges. "Fun house" by The Stooges does get jammy/jazzy for the second half of it.
Description of Freak Out
IMPORTED FROM JAPAN BY RYKODISCThis collector?s dream set completes our 20-disc series of limited edition Frank Zappa Japanese imports. Packaged in deluxe mini-album jacket sleeves, these 10 classic albums are packaged to re-create the original vinyl packaging in miniaturized form!
"This is the voice of your conscience, baby..." The recording debut of the Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention is a brilliantly wicked counter-strike to the flower power sensibilities prevalent at the time of it's release in 1966. Arguably rock music's first true "concept album," Zappa's aural collage mashes together chunks of psychedelic guitars, outspoken political commentary, cultural satire, and avant-garde musical sensibilities, and then hides it all under cleverly crafted pop melodies. Not diminished in the slightest by the passage of time, Freak Out! remains as vital and relevant today as it was in the 1960's. --Andrew Boscardin
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