Zappa
12-20-2003, 05:01 PM
Allow me to start by saying that for those of you unfamiliar with the work of Frank Zappa, that this is a fairly good place to start, but doesn't really represent anything but his 1960s sound. This sound is guitar rock with a twist, self-proclaimed "freak rock." Frank Zappa's earlier records were full of character, probably more than any other era of his work. They were full of very daring musical and lyrical statements, especially for the 1960s. The basic sound of the album is hard to sum up, but when I review the individual tracks it should become more clear. "Freak Out!," FZ's first record, is perhaps the most daring and original debut albums in the history of rock 'n' roll. In fact, the liner notes declare on multiple occasions that it has "no commercial potential." This is notable because most debuts are at least a little poppy, so the artists can make the label happy with them before they really go far out and experiment with their next record. Also, "Freak Out!" was not only a double LP debut (can anyone think of any other band that would start by releasing two LPs/CDs of material on their first go around?), but it was the first rock double LP of all time. It also gets the label of "first rock concept album" fairly often, but this isn't something I think is really fair to assert.
<p>Straight from the liner notes, The Mothers of Invention on this particular recording are, in addition Frank, Ray Collins on lead vocals, harmonica, tambourine, finger cymbals, bobby pin & tweezers, Jim Black on drums (also sings in some foreign language), Roy Estrada on bass & guitarron; boy soprano, and Elliot Ingber on alternate lead & rhythm guitar with clear white light. This is without a doubt Frank Zappa's least musically proficient group, but one of the more interesting ones. Jim Black and Roy Estrada especially are very peculiar characters. The lineup is complimented by a horn section on various tunes, and many of Frank's friends on the last tune (more on that later).
<p> "Freak Out!" is interesting in that the liner notes include comments from Frank Zappa on every tune (with the exception of one). I will include all of these comments in quotes, and if i have any thing to add I will put that after in bold. All bolded words in the quotes are bolded in the liner notes, so they must be important. Here we go:
<p>1. "Hungry Freaks Daddy... (3:27) was written for Carl Orestes Franzoni. He is freaky down to his toe nails. Some day he will live next door to you and your lawn will die. Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about Senior Prom and go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts. Some of you like pep rallies and plastic robots who tell you what to read. Forget I mentioned it. This song has no message. Rise for the flag salute." This is a pretty straightforward rocker whose lyrics sum up what Frank is talking about in the quote there. It's a great song. 10/5
<p>2. "I Ain't Got No Heart... (2:33) is a summary of my feelings in social-sexual relationships" This is a wonderful tune about a feeling of fed-upness with the media's potrayal of love. It features great vocals from Ray, and a neat trumpet part. It ends with shouting and dry-heaving, hinting at what's to come. 10/5
<p>3. "Who Are The Brain Police?...(3:33) At Five o'clock in the morning someone kept singing this inmy mind and making me write it down. I will admit to being frightened when I finally played it out land and sang the words." This is MUCH freakier than the last two tunes, and almost feels out of place. The way it hits you is just perfect for the scheme of the record, and I wouldn't have it in any other spot. Frank sings lead vocals, and he sounds deranged. It has a kazoo solo which is quite awesome. I love it, what can I say? 10/5
<p>4. "Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder...(3:39) is very greasy. You should not listen to it. You should wear it on your hair." This is a doo-wop song that is about as tongue in cheek as possible. It's very silly, and very outstanding. Jim Black delivers some comical spoken parts about '60s teenager things. 10/5
<p>5. "Motherly Love... (2:43) is a body commercial for the band. It is sung during live performances to advise the female audience members of potential delights to be derived from social contact with us folks. Trivial poop." This is about groupies, like Frank so articulately stated. It's sort of bluesy, and it's nice. Frank sings lead vocal again, and he advertises quite well. If I were a woman, and they played this at their show, I'd take up the offer. 10/5
<p>6."How Could I Be Such a Fool...(2:11) is based on a modified nanigo rhythm. We call it Motown Waltz. It stays in 3/4 time throughout, but shifts in accents occur from section to section. AS an American teen-ager (as an American), this means nothing to you. (I always wondered if I could write a love song." The quote describes the song quite well. It is a love song, and probably my favorite of the less freaky tunes on the album. It's really quite pretty. I love Ray's voice, and I love this song. 20/5
<p>7."Wowie Zowie...(2:51) is carefully designed to suck the 12 year old listener into our camp. I like the piano and xylophone accompaniment in the second chorus. It is cheerful. It is harmelss. Woolly Bull. Little Richard says he likes it." This is a pop song, but it's a wonderfully written and arranged pop-song. The vocal parts sound funny, and some of the lyrics are comical. It's fun and upbeat, and the quote definitely describes it well. 8/5
<p>8."You Didn't Try to Call Me...(3:16) was written to describe a situation in which Pamel Zarubica found herself last spring. (Wowie Zowie is what she says when she's not grouchy...would would guess it could inspire a song? No one would guess. None of you are perceptive enough. Why are you reading this?) The formal structure of You Didn't Try to Call me is not revolutionary, bu tit is interesting. You don't care" This is another great rock tune, almost as good as "How Could I Be Such a Fool." The horn section shines on this one, and the lyrics are also good. I really love the arrangement, it's great. If you didn't gather already, it's about a guy who waits for a girl to call him, and she doesn't. 15/5
<p>9. "Any Way The Wind Blows...(2:54) is a song I wrote about three years ago when I was considering divorce. If I had never gotten divorced, this piece of trivial nonsense would never have been recorded. It is included in this collection because, in a nutshell, kids it is....how shall I say it?...it is intellectually and emotionally ACCESSIBLE for you. Hah! Maybe it is even right down your alley!" I really enjoy this tune. The piano parts are good, and I like the guitar riff. Ray Collins records another flawless performance. 10/5
<p>10."I'm Not Satisfied...(2:38) is okay and safe and was designed that way on purpose." This is a tune uncharacteristic of Frank Zappa. It's much darker in the lyric than most of his work. It is, however, a great, great song. Frank sings lead on this one again, and I like Ray's vocal harmony accompaniment. 10/5
<p>11. "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here...(3:38)" Yeah, so Frank didn't write anything about this one. Not really sure why. It is a turning point in the record, beginning to really usher in the FREAKINESS of the 3 part suite at the end. It is basically a direct attack on audience member(s), with the lyrics bashing teenage stereotypes of the time. It's one of my favorite songs of all time. 20/5
<p>12. "Trouble Every Day...(5:49) is how I feel about racial unrest in general and the Watts situation in particular. It was written during the Watts riot as it developed. I shopped it briefly all over Hollywood but no one would touch it...everybody worries so much about not getting airplay. My, my." This is another great tune featuring Frank on vocals. It's got a bluesy background, with harmonica and jangling guitars. There are lots of words, delivered in a rhyming, almost rap-ish fashion. It's socially relevant, as described in the quote, and it basically arrives at the conclusion that racism is completely appalling earlier than most had figured this out. 10/5
<p>Straight from the liner notes, The Mothers of Invention on this particular recording are, in addition Frank, Ray Collins on lead vocals, harmonica, tambourine, finger cymbals, bobby pin & tweezers, Jim Black on drums (also sings in some foreign language), Roy Estrada on bass & guitarron; boy soprano, and Elliot Ingber on alternate lead & rhythm guitar with clear white light. This is without a doubt Frank Zappa's least musically proficient group, but one of the more interesting ones. Jim Black and Roy Estrada especially are very peculiar characters. The lineup is complimented by a horn section on various tunes, and many of Frank's friends on the last tune (more on that later).
<p> "Freak Out!" is interesting in that the liner notes include comments from Frank Zappa on every tune (with the exception of one). I will include all of these comments in quotes, and if i have any thing to add I will put that after in bold. All bolded words in the quotes are bolded in the liner notes, so they must be important. Here we go:
<p>1. "Hungry Freaks Daddy... (3:27) was written for Carl Orestes Franzoni. He is freaky down to his toe nails. Some day he will live next door to you and your lawn will die. Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about Senior Prom and go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts. Some of you like pep rallies and plastic robots who tell you what to read. Forget I mentioned it. This song has no message. Rise for the flag salute." This is a pretty straightforward rocker whose lyrics sum up what Frank is talking about in the quote there. It's a great song. 10/5
<p>2. "I Ain't Got No Heart... (2:33) is a summary of my feelings in social-sexual relationships" This is a wonderful tune about a feeling of fed-upness with the media's potrayal of love. It features great vocals from Ray, and a neat trumpet part. It ends with shouting and dry-heaving, hinting at what's to come. 10/5
<p>3. "Who Are The Brain Police?...(3:33) At Five o'clock in the morning someone kept singing this inmy mind and making me write it down. I will admit to being frightened when I finally played it out land and sang the words." This is MUCH freakier than the last two tunes, and almost feels out of place. The way it hits you is just perfect for the scheme of the record, and I wouldn't have it in any other spot. Frank sings lead vocals, and he sounds deranged. It has a kazoo solo which is quite awesome. I love it, what can I say? 10/5
<p>4. "Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder...(3:39) is very greasy. You should not listen to it. You should wear it on your hair." This is a doo-wop song that is about as tongue in cheek as possible. It's very silly, and very outstanding. Jim Black delivers some comical spoken parts about '60s teenager things. 10/5
<p>5. "Motherly Love... (2:43) is a body commercial for the band. It is sung during live performances to advise the female audience members of potential delights to be derived from social contact with us folks. Trivial poop." This is about groupies, like Frank so articulately stated. It's sort of bluesy, and it's nice. Frank sings lead vocal again, and he advertises quite well. If I were a woman, and they played this at their show, I'd take up the offer. 10/5
<p>6."How Could I Be Such a Fool...(2:11) is based on a modified nanigo rhythm. We call it Motown Waltz. It stays in 3/4 time throughout, but shifts in accents occur from section to section. AS an American teen-ager (as an American), this means nothing to you. (I always wondered if I could write a love song." The quote describes the song quite well. It is a love song, and probably my favorite of the less freaky tunes on the album. It's really quite pretty. I love Ray's voice, and I love this song. 20/5
<p>7."Wowie Zowie...(2:51) is carefully designed to suck the 12 year old listener into our camp. I like the piano and xylophone accompaniment in the second chorus. It is cheerful. It is harmelss. Woolly Bull. Little Richard says he likes it." This is a pop song, but it's a wonderfully written and arranged pop-song. The vocal parts sound funny, and some of the lyrics are comical. It's fun and upbeat, and the quote definitely describes it well. 8/5
<p>8."You Didn't Try to Call Me...(3:16) was written to describe a situation in which Pamel Zarubica found herself last spring. (Wowie Zowie is what she says when she's not grouchy...would would guess it could inspire a song? No one would guess. None of you are perceptive enough. Why are you reading this?) The formal structure of You Didn't Try to Call me is not revolutionary, bu tit is interesting. You don't care" This is another great rock tune, almost as good as "How Could I Be Such a Fool." The horn section shines on this one, and the lyrics are also good. I really love the arrangement, it's great. If you didn't gather already, it's about a guy who waits for a girl to call him, and she doesn't. 15/5
<p>9. "Any Way The Wind Blows...(2:54) is a song I wrote about three years ago when I was considering divorce. If I had never gotten divorced, this piece of trivial nonsense would never have been recorded. It is included in this collection because, in a nutshell, kids it is....how shall I say it?...it is intellectually and emotionally ACCESSIBLE for you. Hah! Maybe it is even right down your alley!" I really enjoy this tune. The piano parts are good, and I like the guitar riff. Ray Collins records another flawless performance. 10/5
<p>10."I'm Not Satisfied...(2:38) is okay and safe and was designed that way on purpose." This is a tune uncharacteristic of Frank Zappa. It's much darker in the lyric than most of his work. It is, however, a great, great song. Frank sings lead on this one again, and I like Ray's vocal harmony accompaniment. 10/5
<p>11. "You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here...(3:38)" Yeah, so Frank didn't write anything about this one. Not really sure why. It is a turning point in the record, beginning to really usher in the FREAKINESS of the 3 part suite at the end. It is basically a direct attack on audience member(s), with the lyrics bashing teenage stereotypes of the time. It's one of my favorite songs of all time. 20/5
<p>12. "Trouble Every Day...(5:49) is how I feel about racial unrest in general and the Watts situation in particular. It was written during the Watts riot as it developed. I shopped it briefly all over Hollywood but no one would touch it...everybody worries so much about not getting airplay. My, my." This is another great tune featuring Frank on vocals. It's got a bluesy background, with harmonica and jangling guitars. There are lots of words, delivered in a rhyming, almost rap-ish fashion. It's socially relevant, as described in the quote, and it basically arrives at the conclusion that racism is completely appalling earlier than most had figured this out. 10/5