FRANK ZAPPA
Review written by Daniel Rose. Please also visit his website.
This album was Zappa's debut. Despite the name Freak Out! it is anything but freaky. The album is a mixture of rock and doo-wop. It is simple, catchy music, with bighty and challenging lyrics. It is said to be the first "concept album" of all time, whether it is or not is irrelevent, because the music is great and it is fun and quirky. The first side of the album is essentially packed with doo-wop and slow rock love songs. Hungry Freaks, Daddy opens the album, it is a great riff and the lyrics are very punchy. My favourite song on the album is next, I Ain't Got No Heart, this version is light years better than the version that later appeared on Tinseltown Rebellion, Ray Collins vocal style is instantly recognisable, he has a smooth and powerful voice. It is a great mock-love song with strong lyrics and great horn-play. Other highlights of side one include the super pop song Wowie Zowie, which is an upbeat pop song with quirky piano play and funny lyrics. The the love ballad You Didn't Try To Call Me is another instant hit, Zappa keeps on playing on the 1950's style of writing. The self-marketing Motherly Love is good fun and a clever arrangement, the lyrics are again good fun . The second side of Freak Out! is far more experimental and includes the Zappa classic Any Way The Wind Blows which is a quick paced version of the song that was recorded on so many Zappa albums in so many different styles, this is not the best version of the track but it is such a good basic song that it is still really listenable. Trouble Every Day was apparently written by Zappa to sum up his feelings about the raceriots in California at the time, it is an exceptional track with sharp satirical lyrics and an almost Rolling Stones like sound. I'm Not Satisfied is one of my favourite tracks on the album it is a straight forward rock song, but works really well. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here is a lyric driven eccentric and easily likeable affair, the tempo is upbeat and fun. The last three songs on the album unfortunately descend into a mellee of pretentious noises and sounds, that slightly spoils the album. Freak Out! is a very good album, it's refreshing, contains great songs and lyrics and only really falls down because of the poor end to the album. The doo-wop influence on the album is unmistakeable, Zappa is creating an interesting parody of this style of music that he was so captivated by, as well as using straight forward rock riffs and avante-garde sound samplings. Rating: 84%
Frank Zappa's third album release of his career was the Money album, this is arguably Zappa's greatest album. There is definitely something special about this record, the first time that I listened to it, I knew that I loved it. I then played it back another thirty times. As a whole this album is superb. It balances fine tunes, exceptional lyrics and captivating musicianship. That diagnosis though is too scientific to fully explain why it is so good. The album just runs so smoothly and it is perfectly imperfect. It is a side-swipe at the hippie movement and drug-taking. It challenges all the concepts floating around at the time, such as free love and free drugs. Zappa's critique is scathing, witty and to the point. He rubbishes the "flower power" movement and does it in style with great music. Again like Freak Out, the social context of the album is not themost important aspect to me. The most important thing is that the music is good and the songs are intersesting. This is more experimental than Freak Out but not quite as strange as Absolutely Free, the music is more original and individually stylised thanFreak Out! which has it's roots in doo-wop. Money really starts with Who Needs The Peace Corps?, the lyrics on this song are outstanding, Zappa takes a massive swipe at hippies in this track. He takes the micky out of nearly every aspect of their being. The song is catchy and fun he aims to demonstrate that their is nothing redeeming about the hippy movement in that it evolves around drugs and laziness, he shows this up very well. Next comes Concentration Moon a beatles sounding track that could have been John Lennon's and Mom and Dad reminding me of "Bohemian Rhapsody." Bow Tie Daddy and Harry You're A Beast could have and should have been longer because the tunes are so good, unfortunately they take up only about 2 minutes in total. Absolutely Free is another great song on side one it is a parody . Side two goes from strength to strength. Let's Make The Water Turn Black is as good a pop song as you are ever likely to hear the beat is so catchy and lyrics are brilliant, Take Your Clothes Off... is a great song it sticks out in my mind as one of the greatest songs ever written by Zappa, who cares what the lyrics mean it sounds so good that it does not really matter, and the closing track Mother People is awesome in its construction and delivery and another Zappa clasic. What an album! Better than Freak Out! by a fair difference. In fact it is better than pretty much anything else i have ever heard, it encapulates great music, lively lyrics and originality in a way that few others have ever managed to do, the album could have been longer, but that is only a faint criticism. Rating: 92% Now this is Collins talking.
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