Absolutely Free

Freak Out! "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 al...	We're Only in It for the Money The Mothers of Invention answer the sentiments of the suits, the suburb dwellers, and flower children of the 60's with a big fat raspberry. Considered by many to be the Mothers' (and some would say Zappa's) best album, We're Only in it for the Money deals with harsh subject matte...	Uncle Meat The soundtrack for a film that remained incomplete for over a decade, Uncle Meat is one of the finest albums produced by Zappa and the original Mothers of Invention. Showcasing every facet of the band, Uncle Meat is filled with quirky Zappa instrumentals like the title track and ...	Hot Rats Frank Zappa's first solo album, Hot Rats is a far-cry from the da-da adventures and audio collages of the original Mothers of Invention. Mostly instrumental and filled with long jams between Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty and Ian Underwood, this slickly-produced album--one of the first 16...	Burnt Weeny Sandwich Japanese limited edition reissue of 1969 album, packaged in a miniature gatefold LP sleeve.
Lumpy Gravy Imported from Japan by Rykodisc. Packaged in deluxe mini-album jacket sleeves, these 10 classic albums by rock legend FRANK ZAPPA are now available as limited edition Japanese Imports! These packages re-create the original vinyl packaging in miniaturized form!	The Grand Wazoo Japanese exclusive reissue of 1973 album, packaged in a miniature LP sleeve.	Weasels Ripped My Flesh	One Size Fits All The pinnacle of his jazz-rock work of the early '70s, One Size Fits All boasts some of the most memorable songs of Frank Zappa's career performed by one of the most beloved Mothers of Invention lineups ever assembled. This cast of musicians' musicians--including George Duke, Ruth...	Chunga's Revenge Japanese limited edition reissue of 1970 album, packaged in a miniature gatefold LP sleeve.

Absolutely Priceless
My first exposure to Frank Zappa was a release of "Flower Punk" on an early Mothers anthology. Fast, repetitive music with a bunch of sped up voices, it didn't really grab me then, though part of that could have been due to my crappy little no-fidelity wall mounted 1967 record player, and the song taken out of context of the original album. Shortly after, I heard tracks from Absolutely Free, and it was love at first listen. This was largely because of the Stravinsky, whose ballets "The Firebird", "Petrushka" and "Rite of Spring" I'd been listening to religiously, wondering if I was the only weirdo who loved both that and Cream, The Who, Led Zeppelin, etc. Apparently not: I heard snippets from ALL THREE of those Stravinsky ballets in the songs Status Back Baby and The Duke of Prunes. And for a bonus, there was the excerpt from Holst's The Planets (which I'd grown up on) right before the instrumental of Call Any Vegetable. I realized, this guy is serious.... and fooling people everywhere into believing he isn't. I became a rabid fan on the spot. Here in the age of what David Bowie might call "Tap Water" music, it's hard to appreciate the impact and significance of these early (1965-67) Mothers recordings. Indeed, it's amazing they even got financed, recorded and released. It was just a very different time, and some very tuned-in persons of influence realized there were people who NEEDED to hear this stuff, both because it had something to say and because no one else was saying it in such a shatteringly original and determinedly crafted manner. Yes, Plastic People, the opening track, sounds sloppy and badly sung at first listen; later, you realize the changes and time-shifts were unheard of in rock, though not that unusual in jazz or theatre. On repeated listenings, one further realizes the overall theatricality of the album, right through the opus Brown Shoes Don't Make It, a blistering work in both composition and social comment. The sense of sloppiness is maintained throughout the work (Zappa's options of musicians at the time were limited), but the keen craftsmanship applied somehow overcomes it. That, and the whole irreverent, satirical, who-gives-a-smurf attitude which became a trademark of this early work.... and endured in later servings. Yes, it's a bit dated; there are references to people, places (Pandora's Box?) and long gone cultural ideosyncracies that mean nothing to most people now. But as a second studio outing by the man who would become the Igor Stravinsky/Spike Jones of rock, take it in directions no one else would touch, tap into and exploit the unique talents of people he worked with and make people like me realize it was not only okay, but genuinely COOL, to like more than one kind of music.... Absolutely Free stands as its own classification of masterpiece. Warts and all. Music history was never this fun!

Zappa Rocks!
I can't say Absolutely Free is the best Mothers album. That is because We're Only in it For the Money is. Otherwise, you can't do any better!

Lightyears beyond the average person's comprehension
This is my favorite Zappa album. I'm actually not a huge Zappa fan, but I love the early mother of invention. I hate to use an overused hackney phrase but...this album was ahead of its time. At a time when every music artist was trying to sell out to the flower power crowd, Zapppa, a true hippy, in the truest sense of the word, was criticizing them for being hypocrites. Although the following album we're only in it for the money delves into that a lot more. I loooove how this album opens: "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the united states. Doo doo do do do doo do doo. He's been sick!" "Plastic people: What a great opening track. Zappa ZAPS the wannabe hippies as he speaks and sings the lyrics of this song. He spares nobody, not even the loyal listener. "You think we're singing about someone else, but YOU'RE PLASTIC PEOPLE!" Zappa was such a genius and the mothers such a large and talented band that they could have made some beautiful classical music, which Zappa of course eventually did. The Duke of Prunes: Haha Zappa isn't trying to make a point in this one, he is just sooo drugged up. I assume, heck I could be wrong and it's just that Zappa is that clever. "A moonbeam thru the prune, in june reveals your chest/ I see your lovely beans and in that magic go cart I bite your neck. The cheese I have for you my dear is real and very new! Amnesia vivace is a instrumental interlude we're really still in the Duke of Prunes song. The mothers show their unimaginable knowledge of odd and unusual time signatures. The duke regains his chops is a continuation of the duke of prunes song. "Prunes, if they are a fresh prune, know no cheese!" How true. Then they break into this amazing tribute to the Supremes. "My prune is yours, my love! My cheese burns for you! My baby prune..." Call any vegetable: Again amazing. The mothers are playing tons of instruments in various time signatures. Things really get awesome in the bridge. Psychedelic, eerie, relaxing, experimental, discordant, beautiful. "No one will know if you don't want to let them know/call and their come to you covered in goo/vegetables dream of responding to you." Invocation& ritual dance of pumpkin etc is another amazing interlude that divides the vegetable song just like the last suite. Soft cell conclusion is the last part of the vegetable song. I think it's implied by now but there is some amazing experimental use of instruments here. The next two tracks are out of place bonus tracks. Still fun but not really part of the album. We return to the album with America drinks. Hilarious opening. A cool lounge kind of song that is just wonderfully written and this laid back approach makes it new. It then moves into more experimental musical mayhem. Status back baby is like a Beach boys parody. Satirizes the sanguine pollyanna high school be true to your school type song. Yeah that's it. Uncle bernie's farm. Again, hilarious satire of America consumerism, I guess. That's what I get from it anyway. I just know it's another fun track. Son of Suzy Creamcheese. Okay track, not my favorite. Its short so no big deal. Brown shoes don't make it. This is the centerpiece of the album. Wow. That about sums it up. It's like one of those rock opera songs that were popular in the sixties only in Zappa style. This means that no one will be spared and Zappa will say whatever he wants to regardless of how controversial. You really have to hear this: "His wifes attending an orchard show she squealed for a week to get him to go/But back in the bed his teenage queen is rocking and rolling and acting obscene" / "Only 13 and she knows how to nasty/she's a dirty young mind, corrupted corroded/ well she's 13 today and I hear she gets loaded/ If she were my daughter I'd...smother my daughter in chocolate syrup and strap her on again..." Hahaha. So wrong but so right. America drinks and goes home is a great closing number. It's that same lounge song from before but now in a traditional lounge atmosphere complete with the sound of laughter and merrymaking in the background. "Nice to see you Bob, hows the gun, hows the kids? I crack up every time. Anyway, if you're a fan of 60s music or avant gard dada music(Zappa wouldn't like it if I called it that would he?) you will love this.

Absolutely brilliant
The first time I listened to this I didn't like it. It's definitely not one of those albums you just casually listen to. But once I absorbed all of the lyrics and themes expressed in this album, I recognized it for its brilliance and its humor. It mocks its own "freakiness" by such asides as "Think this'll sell in New York?" as it covers themes ranging from reaching out to lonely people to the phoniness of society and its politicians to the dullness of everyday life to underage sex. One of the funniest and most brilliant albums I've ever listened to.

Absolute Garbage
Thankfully this was not my first Zappa album or I may not have bought another. Zappa shows his disdain for the ignorant listening public with Absolutely Free which is only slightly better than Were Only In It For the money. If your a first time Zappa listener start with Zoot Allures. Live at the Fillmore East, Joe's Garage or Roxy and elsewhere. At least then you'll here some of the best R&R guitar soloing ever recorded. Freak Out was possibly the best debut album ever recorded but man did he ever go downhill, although briefly, from there. Even Sheik Yerbouti and Ruben and the Jets would be better choices.