Posted by KB on 2/9/2018 to
Reviews In Brief
Every couple of years I revisit early
Frank Zappa releases. Being a fan of his genius and guitar playing on
his 70's and 80's albums I tend to forget where he got started. So out
came "Freak Out!", "Absolutely Free" and "We're Only In It For the
Money". It's easy to dismiss some of the material as un-listenable or
non-music if you take it just as it is ignoring the social commentary.
"We're Only In It For the Money", in my humble opinion, is brilliant satire. It is a total piss off to the Beatles phenomena, hippy culture, generation gaps, pop music and materialism. From the Sgt Pepper-ish cover, to sarcasm on that albums materials, to poking fun at the studio effects and artsy production of that album. It almost makes one feel guilty for liking Sgt Pepper, or any popular band of that era. There is foreshadowing to the style of music he'll release later and an intro to the pop culture skewering to come. Nothing is safe. Not even his own ego and personification or his fellow Mothers.
Again, this isn't for everyone and most will toss it off as just self indulgent weirdness. However, if you are a student of pop music and a discerning listener (or arrogant pompous one like moi) you should dust this off and give it a go. There are a few guaranteed chuckles to be had.
Favorite Songs: Are You Hung Up?, Concentrated Moon, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body, Flower Punk
"We're Only In It For the Money", in my humble opinion, is brilliant satire. It is a total piss off to the Beatles phenomena, hippy culture, generation gaps, pop music and materialism. From the Sgt Pepper-ish cover, to sarcasm on that albums materials, to poking fun at the studio effects and artsy production of that album. It almost makes one feel guilty for liking Sgt Pepper, or any popular band of that era. There is foreshadowing to the style of music he'll release later and an intro to the pop culture skewering to come. Nothing is safe. Not even his own ego and personification or his fellow Mothers.
Again, this isn't for everyone and most will toss it off as just self indulgent weirdness. However, if you are a student of pop music and a discerning listener (or arrogant pompous one like moi) you should dust this off and give it a go. There are a few guaranteed chuckles to be had.
Favorite Songs: Are You Hung Up?, Concentrated Moon, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body, Flower Punk
