The Zappa curve goes like this: 1- "I am scared of his work", 2- "really? Is this what passes for great?" 3- "it's kind of growing on me" and finally 4- "Frank Zappa is a genius and everyone I know will learn and understand this fact"
Also.....A: "What is this shit?" B: "Prolly a good idea not to eat the yellow snow" C: "Well fuck, HOT RATS is actually a good record"... The Three Crooked Steps in Zappadom... Rejection, Denial and finally Begrudging Acceptance.....
I would not be surprised if this video creates another generation of Zappa fans. He's been gaining popularity over the past few years and Abby's assessment is DAMN GOOD! ..and she's not afraid to call out what she doesn't like!!!! THAT takes guts when you are talking about Zappa. Normally I never make secondary comments on most videos but this was GREAT and the enthusiasm Abby put into this deserves recognition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
zappa had been on national television and was considered a musical savant but it's strange to think his first album is a two record set whereas arthur lee's love in the time of "forever changes" couldn't pull that off. i bought two beautiful silver box sets from frank zappa himself of "freak out" trough maybe "apostrophe" and sold them for next to nothing...total stupidity on my part! i haven't listened to this record since i was your age possibly!
This series is called Double album december not because she covers two albums per week, not because she covers double albums, but actually she has doubled her work load this month. Thank you Abby Cream Cheese! Hope you didn't have any problem with the Brain Police or with the son of Monster Magnet this episode
Bold choice to go from one video talking about a Frank Zappa/Mothers album to the very next video to be about a Lou Reed/Velvets album. I’m just obsessed with the fact that they hated each other for whatever reason.
LOL me too! it's like when you meet someone who's just like you and can't stand them. lou was super petty and a known contrarian, and frank was frank. so i totally see that happening with them
Never heard that, but i guess it makes sense. Reed is raw rock, simplifying music as much as possible. And Zappa was constantly mocking rock'n'roll, showing how above everything else he musically was, thus creating a very elitist fan base.
Hahaha I love your reactions, dear Lady! Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention are the very definition of an acid-trip. Listen to it watching Alice In Wonderland and it all makes sense. Ironically, Frank himself never used psychedelics himself. I think personally that is probably not true, at least regarding psychedelics, but well that's the story. Instead he smoked himself to death on nicotine. Frank, I would have opted for the psychedelics.
Jimmy Carl Black was a good friend of mine, I played with him once and with his sons Geronimo and Darrel for years. He had so many great stories. You knocked it out of the park. But neither the Vox Continental nor the Mellotron are electric pianos. It was either a Fender Rhodes or a Wirlitzer piano.
Whether I liked Zappa’s music or not, and I do love it, I would always have major respect for him for testifying against the PMRC in Congress. One of only three people in the music biz who did so.
The others were Snyder from Twisted Sister and John Denver. The dumbass Senators probably thought that they had an ally, but they hadn't heard Denver's work with "The Mitchell Trio".
I remember a few years ago when I was obsessed with this album. I managed to get a warped uk copy with a generic sleeve which barely played (for free). Just when it was being test-played in the shop a guy with sideburns came in with two huge shopping bags full of records, he asked “is that freak out?” And pulled out an original mono US copy (which was my holy grail at the time). A few months later when that copy was put out for sale in the shop my dad helped me out by trading in some records to get it. He now works at that shop and I now own that copy of freak out.
I used to work part time at the local record shop pre-pandemic, and it was on Sunday when it was usually the slowest, so we could throw on the weirder stuff without having to worry about scaring off the bigger crowds. I had just started my Zappa deep dive and got the reissue of Freak Out! and we threw it on in the shop. My friend Laura and I just completely lost it about half way into "Help I'm a Rock". We were silently doing separate tasks, absorbed into whatever we were sorting, and just looked up at the same time, locked eyes, and just started crying with laughter. I had to hold onto the racks to stop from falling over
In the 2000s, the Muffin Men from Liverpool regularly toured german clubs, they are an amazing Zappa tribute band. On quite a few of their tours they had Jimmy Carl Black with them, who lived in southern Germany then. It was probably the third time he was in the line up and somehow he seemed to remember a friend and me attending the earlier concerts, because he came over to shake our hands. We had a beer and a very nice chat with him, he also signed my 200 motels LP. I'll never forget him and that chat. Not long after, he sadly passed away. So RIP FZ and JCB.
14:08 to clarify, at the time an "electric piano" would have been something like the fender Rhodes that Billy Preston played on the rooftop, where striking the keys made a hammer hit a piece of wire next to a pickup, which was then amplified. This produces a sound not unlike a piano, but more mellow and metallic. This wording is confused by the fact that these days when most people say "electric piano" they mean a digital piano which just plays pre-recorded samples, and the fact that makers of both electric and electronic (yes there is a difference) can't for the life of them seem to call them by the right names. A mello-tron, by contrast had loops of tape insided which produced a single note each. Playing the keys would press a playhead up to each strip to produce the sound.
good points all, not to get too persnickety, but I would describe that which the Rhodes' hammers hit as more of a rod or bar. Wire would not be as stable and would need tuning. One of the major plusses of a Rhodes is its stability, also making it great for touring
@@steevvvippch5589 You're absolutely right, wire is probably the wrong word to describe what's under the hood of a Rhodes. Wikipedia calls it a tine. That'll be what I'll go with from now on.
@@JesusGomez-ob2qtin just about every possible way. the epitome of overrated. to say he's underrated is just nonsense. he was like a broadway stage show full of lame politics and terrible cheap comedy. "music" 😂
@@JesusGomez-ob2qt What is crazy is people saying he was a "genius" despite at least half of his albums is pretty average to say the least. Many albums are vastly overrated like Joe's Garage, his uninspired jazz fusion albums like Grand Wazoo or even other ones like Apostrophe or Overnite sensation. Lyrics are terrible most of the time or just childishly offensive. In my opinion he made great, creative albums in his early career but most of the rest is mid, pretty forgettable or simply not good.
Hi Abigail, Thank you for your review of Freak Out!, the very first album I had ever bought, I bought it in 1966, I was 12 years old, and I bought it with money I made shining shoes. I bought it specifically at the time because as a 12 year old I thought a double album for the price of a single album was a prudent purchase. It was the best purchase I ever made. The album completely transformed me. I became a deep Zappa freak, seeing him in many, many concerts and loving most of his work. I still have all my original Zappa albums. When you referenced "Trouble Every Day," you were correct about it but missed the line "I know I'm not Black, but I sometimes wish I wasn't White." For 1966 that was a powerful line, and it played a role in shaping my political and social sensibilities. The other thing you missed is that "Help, I'm a Rock" and "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" are deeply influenced by and shaped by his adoration of the composer Edgar Varese. My interest in classical music became shaped by his love of Varese, and he quotes Varese on the album liner notes - "The present day composer refuses to die". Zappa was a rock and roll artist with a deep affinity to classical composition, a deep knowledge of blues, jazz, and all things musical. He once said that the universe is a musical note. And one of the most amazing things is that he did not use drugs and fought censorship in all forms. He went up against Tipper Gore when she lobbied Congress to censor musical lyrics. And he played a role in the Czeck's Velvet Revolution to kick out the Russians, and he was adored by Vascel Havel (who wanted him in the Czeck Republic's newly formed government). Try the Czeck group Plastic People of the Universe, who named themselves after his number "Plastic People". And check out "Hot Rats," especially "Willie The Pimp" and "The Gumbo Variations". Again, thank you for your review. I could go on and on and on, but 'nuff said for now. Regards, Robert
Love The Frank Zappa Produced GTO's album Permanent Damage. Jeff Beck , Ry Cooder & Lowell George all feature on it & the world famous Pamela Des Barres ( Miss Pamela ) was a member.
Sounds like a great concept idea for a movie. The Source Family albums from that period have that same pimitive hypnotic vibe.The Slits from the UK captured some of that as well.
My high school friend Sand bought this album when it first came out. We loved it. One of our best friends (Steve) played lead guitar in a band and they played "Trouble Coming Everyday" all the time. Sand and I had a Light Show Company "Satori Light Show" the summer when this album came out. I remember one Sat. night at the Balboa Yatch Club in Newport Beach, CA Steve's Band was playing and we did the light show. Sand and I were on the scaffolding behind the band with our strobe light flashing, our pitre dishes w/ food coloring and colored lights sloshing around and the light boxes with mixed XMas lights blinking. Very Psychedelic. When the band played "Trouble" the dance floor was crowded and unruly, every body was either drunk our stoned, so the band decided to do the long version of Trouble. That was trouble. Sand and I partied so hard on the Scaffolding we had food coloring all over the stage and on a large expensive painting on the wall behind us. The band, Sand, me and a few friends in the crowd cleaned the place up as best as we could. We all got paid and we had no compaints! I think we were all 17 and 18 at the time.
"Cheepnis" from Roxy and Elsewhere. Love the deep background you come up with for this channel, but to fully appreciate the time (and in this case humor) of the experience you really had to have been there. Frank's stuff was so out of the universe up until to that time it was more than just groundbreaking. His was a vitally important voice that remains sooo relevant today.
I just finished typing my comment saying this basically. A very "you had to be there" scene. And I am nowhere near old enough to really have been there but it has that whole vibe
I like 'Freak Out!' ,but, the next 2: 'Absolutely Free', and 'We're Only In It For The Money' and the trio of 70's albums: 'Overnite Sensation', 'Apostrophe' and 'One Size Fits All' are my favourites.
When it comes to Zappa, I like Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, and Hot Rats. Freak Out I just couldn't get into, but Zappa did ultimately prove himself to be a truly groundbreaking composer. It took me a long time to get into more progressive styles of music, but once I dug into Zappa I was hooked. He was hugely prolific and his body of work has its share of misses among the hits, but it's definitely worth digging into and taking the ride.
i mean, they're not and you know they're not. My fave is either Roxy and elsewhere or uncle meat. But those mentioned albums are awesome. The only Zappa albums I don't play often are Francesco zappa, the man from utopia (although i still like it) Honestly, they're all great. @@Alix777.
@@Zappaisgod4983 No they aren't. I'm a Zappa fan but not a fanboy. Some of his albums are simply not as inspired as others, with overly long, self-indulgent, bloated songs. For example I hate his jazz fusion period, Hot Rats and Grand Wazoo are totally uninspired and boring to me. Some other albums are not as bad but pretty overrated.
I can't tell whether you're agreeing with me or the OG poster... Yes, zappa was up his own ass sometimes. Still made more amazing music than most people though@@Alix777.
Dear Abby. I pretty much agree with your assessment. Now: Frank Zappa was a composer. In all genres of music. He also happened to use stuff like silly lyrics and silly noises. If there's anyone I've read about as much or more than The Beatles it's Zappa. I hope you can listen to my 'No Commercial Potential' playlist. It really is an introduction to all that Zappa did. Also, even without having to listen to everything, you would totally learn a lot from and thoroughly enjoy his 1989 book: The Real Frank Zappa Book. I strongly urge you to get that book. It's a very easy read and endlessly entertaining.
THANK YOU for this!!! As A life long Zappa freak, I feel deeply known by you and your opinions about Freak Out… first album I ever owned at 5 years old! And you mentioned Music Concrete in reference to Zappa. Sooo great. I’m a forever fan of your channel now.
The part where you mimed the Suzy Creamcheese part was PRICELESS. I could have you do the entire section. "Suzy" is all over Uncle Meat, she's great on that one (although it's Pamela Z, not the one on Freak Out. I never knew until your video that it was two separate Suzy Creamcheeses!!!
Must admit I knew very little of Zappa`s work, so this video is useful in that way. My own personal favourite Double Album is (By a long way) "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".
@@davidellis5141 If you don`t already know it, then, in my view David, you are in for a treat! For me, it is full of musical invention and holds listeners interest through all Four sides. I have original UK pressing on `Charisma` record label.
Great album. Love all the music from The Mothers, all his 70's solo albums, his instrumental symphonic, guitar and synclavier albums. Something very positive was that Zappa helped put future great Rock, Progressive and Avant Garde musicians in the public eye, such as Captain Beefheart, Jean-Luc Ponty, Flo & Eddie, Terry Bozzio, George Duke, Chester Thompson, Aynsley Dunbar, Ruth & Ian Underwood, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Adrian Belew, Patrick O'Hearn, Chad Wackerman, Steve Vai, etc. The first four Mothers albums are very interesting, they were one of those albums that broke the rules of pop music with experimentation, sarcasm, socio-cultural criticism, criticism of the music industry and the government with "Freak Out" (1966), "Absolutely Free" (1967), "We' re Only in It for the Money" (1968), and "Uncle Meat" (1969). I found a couple of Zappa's quotes interesting like: _ "Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass." _ "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." _ "If you wind up with a boring, miserable life because you listened to your mother, your Dad, your priest, to some guy on television, to any of the people telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it." _ "Take the Kama Sutra. How many people died from the Kama Sutra as opposed to the Bible? Who wins?" _ "Rock’n’Roll isn’t a mind expander, it’s a pants expander!" _ "Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible." _ "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it’s not open." Thank you for reading this comment, and goodbye.
Tom Wilson seems like he had some of the same gift that John Hammond Sr. had---having the golden ears to recognizing rare talent and the smarts to let those artists do their thing. Landing the Mothers of Invention and Velvet Underground is no small feat. A shame he isn't around to receive the accolades he deserved, even if he was tripping or phoning his love interests in the control room while the music was being made. Props to Verve as well for trusting him.
huge props to tom for putting his job on the line for both of those artists. dylan, S&G, the mothers, VU, his resume doesn't lie! there was a method to his madness. i only wish verve kept that authenticity up
Love this one! This is major record for me. An important soundtrack to some formative years and explains a lot about me. I like other zappas more these days but this shit is in my cells. I was totally pumping my fist and saying "hell yeah!" (literally) when you said the thingy about "Ain't Got No Heart" and Cream. As someone who's been honing their shower/karaoke Jack Bruce since early adolescence, I've thought the same thing since the first time I heard it. But I guess I never did the math and just always assumed, since I heard it later, it came after "Dance the Night Away" which it sounds EXACTLY FUCKING LIKE! Love it when a puzzle comes together. Grazie!
I was a baby drummer in '67 playing in a garage band that actually practticed in a garage, kind of Joe's Garage scenario. Any way, the older brother of our front man had this and a couple of the original albums that we borrowed. I was immediately hooked on Frank. His music had so much humor and made me feel smarter than the other kids. From Frank I decided being a hippie would not be a good life choice, but being freak was and remains just fine.
Thank you thank you thank you Abby for your take on one of the most influential and ground breaking albums ever frank and the mothers showed other musicians that it was ok to take chances and be different thank you again for reviewing the best in the world luv ya
I have been paying at least some attention to music criticism, or commentary, since around 1967, and I find your reviews to be the most useful. Thanks for your hard work.
This was fun. Not my favorite due to the Wrecking Crew (they wrecked it). For my favorite album you'll have to go 7 years ahead which is another doubler: Roxy & Elsewhere, a live album consisting of pure musical excellence. It's Jazz rock fusion with another Mothers line-up. That band was tight. … "Do you like monster movies?" … Many of the songs don't even have a studio version, so this is it. Best live album I've ever heard.
Finally got around to watching this happy to know that now I’m know as “The Zappa Guy”. Also you said something about pretencious pricks, hope I didn’t come off as one of them. But good video and nice review.
DANG!!!! Love that pressing! That puppy has been around! As a pretty big Zappa fan...I can never corral my favorite period however, I think ( for me ) everything from say, 1975 (or so ) on back is what I love the most NOW. Subject to CHANGE AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE! Thank you for covering Frank!
Abby I love your content! You do a great job of researching the albums! Yes on this LP I love the doo wop spoofs. And "Anyway The Wind Blows" could have easily been on the charts back then. I hadn't listened to this album in years. It's really a monumental LP. Thanks!
You have to have a sense of humor with your love of music to enjoy Frank Zappa, and you do Abby. Wonderful review of Freak Out! The first Zappa album I heard at age 14 was We’re Only In It For The Money, and it blew my mind! I think you would love it, it’s so funny and no ultra long Monster Magnet tracks. With your outfit and makeup in this video, I thought I was staring into the eyes of Suzy Creamcheese herself, great job Abby!
My intro to FZ was Let's Make the Water Turn Black when I was about 12-13. It changed my understanding of what music could be. I then got the album it was from (We're Only... etc.) and I honestly think it expanded my mind. Also yes, Abby's look here is the creamiest of cheese.
You should consider doing one on FZ’s chum - although their relationship was a fractious one - Captain Beefheart; specifically his (and the Magic Band’s) 1969 album Trout Mask Replica. Love your channel btw.
Great job Abby! I fell in love with Frank at the age of five in 1968! thanks to my older brother George for introducing me to Zappa. I think this is easily the most informative and entertaining video you have done. Thank you!
This video made me go finally check out the album and man I wish I had checked this out when I first heard about it years ago when I started getting into music. Masterpiece imo
Great job covering Zappa! I'd love to see your impressions of more of his music. "Hot Rats" was the intro Zappa album for me. I also love "Burnt Weeny Sandwich", there's some gorgeous songs on that one.
Wow! You gave me a new appreciation for this incredible, ground-breaking record by the creative genius, Frank Zappa. I purchased this album when it was first released more than a half century ago. (Yes ... I'm an old geezer) I actually saw the original Mothers of Invention live in Greenwich Village, NYC when they were first starting out. I'm really impressed with your appreciation of Frank's music and your attention to detail for such a young woman. I think that qualifies you for membership in the United Mutations. I really enjoy your sense of humor and am now going to subscribe to your channel. Well done!
@@abigaildevoe I was probably 17 years old and had gone on a trip with my mother to NYC in the Spring/Summer of 1967. I was a very square & skinny teenager with short hair and glasses. Innocent as a wide eyed toddler. (the antithesis of all that Frank Zappa stood for}. And yet I was always attracted to all things weird. A friend had given me a copy of Freak Out and i was immediately hooked. When my mother and I got to our hotel room, I sprawled out on the bed, and began perusing a copy of the New York Times newspaper to see what was going on regarding entertainment at the time. I was surprised to see that the Mothers were appearing in Greenwich Village at the Garrick Theater. I asked my mother if I could go to see them while she went shopping. She agreed, and so we took a cab to the Village. We got out in front of the Garrick, and she went off shopping, while I anxiously approached the Theater. Lo and Behold, there was Frank and the Mothers standing casually in front of the theater, before the show began. They looked like a group of pirates that had just landed from another planet. I walked past them, and took a seat near the back of the narrow little theater. There were probably not more than 20 people in attendance. In a few minutes Frank came walking down the aisle towards the dinky elevated stage. Then the other Mothers entered the building from the back and took their places on the stage. They ignored us, taking their time tuning their instruments and checking things out, and then began to play some of the songs from Freak Out and the newer album Absolutely Free. At one point, they suddenly stopped playing, and sat down on their amplifiers and just stared at us for an uncomfortably lengthy period of time. Then they went into a long instrumental, each member taking an extended solo. Frank's guitar solo was brilliant. At another point, they stopped playing again, and pelted us with grapes. Finally the show ended, and I exited the theater, and waited for my mother to return. We took a cab back to the hotel, and I have to tell you I was glad to return to my safe and boring little life, after what I had just experienced. But seriously, I remain a fan of Frank's music, and thank goodness he left an endless body of work, much of which is available right here on UA-cam!
Hey lady, remember my comment. Zappa albums become like a friend for life. Get back to me when you can argue about who was Franks best drummer. I’ll tell you when I was 18 I bought the album You are what you is by accident. I still listen to it a lot 25 years later. Great content as a hard core fan this was fun watching😉
That double album does have the distinction of being the first ever debut album to be double and, if it was released just two weeks previously, it would've been the first ever rock double album. Bob Dylan's Blond on Blond was released a week before, making that the first rock double album.
Abigail this is a fabulous breakdown of this album delivered in a entertaining way , I couldn't of done it better my self . Two whole discs of this shit !
When you give yourself some time, settle into Absolutely Free. It’s a nightmare, but “in a good way” as you say. Real grooves and hooks and creepy scenarios, and Suzie returns!
I second this. Absolutely Free is the next step up from Freak Out! musically speaking. Each side of AF is its own self-contained suite, and the first suite references some early 20th century orchestral works (as well as Louie, Louie) which foreshadows what Zappa would end up doing later in his career. You get an even greater sense that his ambitions are struggling against their confines. There's also plenty of that classic Mothers improv which makes the songs feel more spontaneous and personal.
Fortunately this album made the cutout bin by the late 60s. My teenage hands drawn automatically to that cover, well I still have a copy, love the jam.
Like always Abby, your hair, makeup, jewelry & clothing take your commentary to the next level. I was curious, do you have as many vintage clothes and jewelry as you do record albums? If you do, maybe for a future video give a tour of those things with a little history, when acquired, etc., as I think that could be interesting as well.
@@abigaildevoe Well that comes as no surprise, as you have an amazing fashion sense, especially for someone so young. I've stated it before, but I tune in more to see your fashion choices and overall look and how well it matches the record and era in question. So you probably would have done rather well with a fashion channel, as I'm normally not that into fashion in general. But your look and the time periods you normally represent are the only ones in history I ever found interesting and you bring them to life.
I absolutely enjoy your presentations which are so entertaining to me. I have spent a lifetime going through FZ's catalogue (hardly 50%) and never hear him covered via podcast, I'd like to thank you for that alone. You never disappoint, and I always look forward to your next show. Your professionalism and journalistic integrity are impressive. As a studied musician, your presentations are accurate, well thought out, executed and eclectic! Thank you, Miss Abigail. I am so glad you can get into Zappa, he has so much more after... oh, and I am one of those who likes Revolution 9 too...
Great review/overview. This is one of my all time favorites and also a great album for a clearing a party. If this doesn't work, Trout Mask Replica surely will. 🤪
That was fantastic. I actually learned some stuff when I thought I knew everything there was to know. Love how you noted the similarities to stuff like "Iron Man". (for me, the cool trippy little end jam of "Lovely Rita" is totally "Freak Out"). You have a great ear. With Frank: no one likes it all, and you are not obliged to like it all. For you, I would have advised "We're Only In It For The Money" totally, that's the one I am dying to hear your thoughts about! Also, "Uncle Meat" and "burnt weenie sandwich" have some of his most beautiful music, those are recordings from 67-69, released in 69 and 70. For a thousand reasons, "We're Only In It For The Money" is made for this channel (and much more digestable than Freak Out! both sides are great movies for the ear!!!!)
McCartney did cite Freak Out! as an influence on Sgt. Pepper's, which is ironic since Zappa pretty much shat on the Beatles with We're Only in It for the Money.
@@devinmorse9112 he didn't "shit" all over The Beatles with We're Only in It for the Money, he parodied the cover; the music (lyrics, actually) parody "flower power". In interviews from 1967, he has virtually only nice stuff to say about The Beatles, going so far as to say how they "saved" rock & roll. he also spent the rest of his life talking about how he had always liked "I Am The Walrus". In at least one 1967 interview, he says he likes "Pepper". The fan adulation for them always annoyed him, but as he said in 1967: "I actually like a lot of what The Beatles do." Certainly The Beatles didn't feel crapped on, nor did Beatle fans (like me) who had the album.
@@TTM9691 Fair enough. I didn’t know about his comments from 1967. To be honest it seems like his opinions varied. Just from what I’ve read, the title We're Only in It for the Money was his critique of the Beatles at the time. "The Aesthetics of Freakery" interview by Mike Bourne, DownBeat Yearbook, 1971: "[O]n the day that that album was released, the thing that escaped everybody was the fact that it was designed to show that the Beatles were only in it for the money, not that we were. … You know, they never once questioned that the Beatles might be anything other than directly descended from heaven. And I personally felt for a long time that they were extremely plastic, and flat-out commercial." "The Top 100 Albums Of The Last 20 Years," Rolling Stone, August 27, 1987: "Sgt. Pepper was okay … but just the whole aroma of what the Beatles were was something that never really caught my fancy. I got the impression from what was going on at the time that they were only in it for the money-and that was a pretty unpopular view to hold."
I still have this album, though the grooves are pretty much worn off. I saw Frank in concert 2 times, amazing! Franks fans are hard core, When you found someone that knew Zappa, you knew they were cool.
EXCELLENT revue!! You found things about Zappa I never knew and I've been following Frank since 1971!! Great job on research (did you visit The Muffin Utility Research Kitchen? -never mind) You picking up on Who Are the Brain Police Iron Man and Cream influence were something I never picked up on. SPOT ON girl!!! You may have done better to pick Were Only In it For the Money as gateway to Zappa. From my perspective Freak Out and Absolutely Free were unrefined Zappa albums. Fun but inconsistent. WOIIFTM is where he gets his Satire/Experimental/Freeform/Guitar Chops in full gear. All in a folk rock electronic groove. A must listen from early Mothers. Enjoy the exploration- I think you may get hooked!!
It has been so long since I have actually listened to this album. I bought it on cassette a long time ago and no longer have it, I loved it. It was my first introduction to Zappa. Any way the wind blows is a top notch song though, I look it up on youtube occasionally, it often just plays in my head out of nowhere.
It is winter people so let us not forget Uncle Frank's warning "Watch out where the huskies go, And don't you eat that yellow snow!" Hahaha. I just wanted to say those awesome earrings are a perfect match for your own eyes, Abby. I thought I had double vision there for moment! 😉Another brilliant double bonus review.
Class album! After the Ryko and Universal reissues it was a pleasant surprise hearing the original loud, raw vinyl mix of the MOFO edition - same as that of this Verve LP. I wonder if Frank ever had an extended cut of Monster Magnet in the archives.
Almost forgot... there's a Zappa freakout outtake called groupie bang bang... Couldn't use it because of a Beatles reference that could've gotten him sued...give it a listen..
When I was 7, my dad brought home Mothermania, and played it constantly for weeks (along with all the other great albums of that time, Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, The Incredible String Band, etc.). Hot Rats soon followed, then a little later Chunga's Revenge. By my teens, I was buying older recordings (by then) like Apostrophe and We're Only In It For the Money, and newer albums from Zoot Allures forward.
Now this is gonna be some of that goody good cheese moustache beer colorful mr. Groak had a ball at the dinner. The problem is that what I just said could perfectly be a Frank Zappa lyric.
I grew up hearing Zappa on vinyl. I was probably at the ripe age of 6-7 when I was singing along with "Muffin Man". Thats my short and sweet contribution to my Zappa experience, although it goes much deeper. Unrelated question, I was wondering if you had a copy of Blue Bell Knoll by Cocteau Twins. I'd really like your perspective on that as I tend to enjoy how you go into details on the thought process and what the bands were going through at the time of writing and recording. I feel it's their masterpiece, especially the song "Cico Buff". Best wishes, and happy holidays!
I would never expect Mario Kart 64 to be mentioned on a review of an album by any artist... BUT - it makes sense!!! That's why I love this channel. Whatever Abe chooses to talk about, I know I'll never hear it the same way again.
It’s amazing how early this release is and way ahead of its time. “Freak Out” still sounds fresh and your always hearing something different every time you listen to it today. In general, early Mothers recordings are in a category of free form rock or what some will call, “Free Rock”. It was a short lived genre, executed by few bands of the era, such as Beefheart and Airplane for example. Freak Out is a true masterpiece, an always changing soundscape.
That was a great unbiased review. If a person is a long time Zappa fan... it usually means they're AT LEAST 55 years old.lol... um... being a long time Zappa fan, I'm still willing to see the album through a younger person's eyes. And of course, it would be unlikely that everyone would thing EVERYTHING on Freak Out was perfect.Not even Frank was happy with the album only 2 years later. There are many interviews with him where he sayd the first 3 albums were only ok. I think Frank was hard on himself and the imperfections of those early albums are a large part of their charm.
I got my moms copy. She met Frank in NYC on the tour for the album. Its amazing and I've loved it ever since. Tip...don't close the lid while playing the album as it adds unwanted resonance to the needle. Great work.
that's super cool! as someone who lost her copy of the pulp fiction soundtrack to a falling picture frame and a lid-less turntable, i will ALWAYS put that lid down
Once you understand Zappa you will realize it is all pure unrestrained joy. Unable to express what he was all about inside because of his reserved nature he let it out through his music.
I'd heard so much about Zappa in high school - and heard his funny "Valley Girl" song as a young 'un in the early 80s starring his daughter Moon - but didn't hear any of his albums until college when on a whim I bought Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Even by Zappa standards it's bizarre and it's still probably my fave. I also agree Zappa fans can be utterly insufferable WELL AAAACTUALLY types who need to take it down *several* notches. But also, being a fan means you probably like a certain era or style of his music and not others. I find his 80s music still brilliant but too soulless and technical to really enjoy. Other fans absolutely love his 80s work. I enjoy the aggressively weird WTF early 70s stuff and his orchestrated works. There's something for everyone!
I love it all but for some reason I have a special spot for ... 200 Motels!!! I dare you to do a review of this "sophisticated mess". A double LP review would be awesome, a movie reaction would be epic!
Your channel is very interesting. Frank and his family go way back, I’m impressed by the album you have here. I too am an album collector myself. Though I’ve been around for 50 some years there are still some albums I’ve missed I’m sure. The editing here you did a great job. - Thomas ✌️
what’s your favorite thing in the Zappa Extended Universe? song? band? happening?? comment below!
life advice, don't eat the yellow snow, such a wise wise man
This album, Hot Rats, that super weird acid trip meets Big Band style jazz from The Great Wazoo and Joe's Garage
The GTO's
From this album You Didn't Try to Call Me, not from this album Watermelon in Easter Hay, Band: the later mid 70's lineups of The Mothers.
Moon Zappa singin in valley girl song !!!
The Zappa curve goes like this: 1- "I am scared of his work", 2- "really? Is this what passes for great?" 3- "it's kind of growing on me" and finally 4- "Frank Zappa is a genius and everyone I know will learn and understand this fact"
i speedran all these stages of grief in record time
In 4 daze,@@abigaildevoe?
You nailed it!
Also.....A: "What is this shit?" B: "Prolly a good idea not to eat the yellow snow" C: "Well fuck, HOT RATS is actually a good record"... The Three Crooked Steps in Zappadom... Rejection, Denial and finally Begrudging Acceptance.....
5. Is that really Jean Luc Ponty?
I would not be surprised if this video creates another generation of Zappa fans. He's been gaining popularity over the past few years and Abby's assessment is DAMN GOOD! ..and she's not afraid to call out what she doesn't like!!!! THAT takes guts when you are talking about Zappa. Normally I never make secondary comments on most videos but this was GREAT and the enthusiasm Abby put into this deserves recognition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yep 🤠
and it will be one of the highest viewed on her channel.
The `Bonzo Dog Band" gave a titular homage to the `Magnet` track by naming their 1969 short film "The Adventures of the Son of Exploding Sausage".
The present day vinyl collector refuses to die....
zappa had been on national television and was considered a musical savant but it's strange to think his first album is a two record set whereas arthur lee's love in the time of "forever changes" couldn't pull that off. i bought two beautiful silver box sets from frank zappa himself of "freak out" trough maybe "apostrophe" and sold them for next to nothing...total stupidity on my part! i haven't listened to this record since i was your age possibly!
This series is called Double album december not because she covers two albums per week, not because she covers double albums, but actually she has doubled her work load this month. Thank you Abby Cream Cheese! Hope you didn't have any problem with the Brain Police or with the son of Monster Magnet this episode
Bold choice to go from one video talking about a Frank Zappa/Mothers album to the very next video to be about a Lou Reed/Velvets album. I’m just obsessed with the fact that they hated each other for whatever reason.
LOL me too! it's like when you meet someone who's just like you and can't stand them. lou was super petty and a known contrarian, and frank was frank. so i totally see that happening with them
Never heard that, but i guess it makes sense. Reed is raw rock, simplifying music as much as possible. And Zappa was constantly mocking rock'n'roll, showing how above everything else he musically was, thus creating a very elitist fan base.
the FZ - Bowie interactions were amusing
Now you might be ready for
“We’re Only in it For the Money”.
Hahaha I love your reactions, dear Lady! Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention are the very definition of an acid-trip. Listen to it watching Alice In Wonderland and it all makes sense.
Ironically, Frank himself never used psychedelics himself. I think personally that is probably not true, at least regarding psychedelics, but well that's the story.
Instead he smoked himself to death on nicotine. Frank, I would have opted for the psychedelics.
Jimmy Carl Black was a good friend of mine, I played with him once and with his sons Geronimo and Darrel for years. He had so many great stories. You knocked it out of the park. But neither the Vox Continental nor the Mellotron are electric pianos. It was either a Fender Rhodes or a Wirlitzer piano.
Wow right on! It's a Rhodes for sure! Are you from Texas?
Would love to hear some Jimmy stories. He was the best drummer ever! And the Indian of the group! Lol
Yes, I lived in El Paso for years.
@@colingillis5989 You can find many interviews with him here on UA-cam.
Didn't Jimmy start a house painting and carpentry business with Arthur Brown in the 80s? A crazy world indeed!
Whether I liked Zappa’s music or not, and I do love it, I would always have major respect for him for testifying against the PMRC in Congress. One of only three people in the music biz who did so.
Frank's Crossfire debate against John Lofton in 1986 is the stuff of legend.
Indeed it was
The others were Snyder from Twisted Sister and John Denver. The dumbass Senators probably thought that they had an ally, but they hadn't heard Denver's work with "The Mitchell Trio".
I remember a few years ago when I was obsessed with this album. I managed to get a warped uk copy with a generic sleeve which barely played (for free). Just when it was being test-played in the shop a guy with sideburns came in with two huge shopping bags full of records, he asked “is that freak out?” And pulled out an original mono US copy (which was my holy grail at the time). A few months later when that copy was put out for sale in the shop my dad helped me out by trading in some records to get it. He now works at that shop and I now own that copy of freak out.
I used to work part time at the local record shop pre-pandemic, and it was on Sunday when it was usually the slowest, so we could throw on the weirder stuff without having to worry about scaring off the bigger crowds.
I had just started my Zappa deep dive and got the reissue of Freak Out! and we threw it on in the shop. My friend Laura and I just completely lost it about half way into "Help I'm a Rock". We were silently doing separate tasks, absorbed into whatever we were sorting, and just looked up at the same time, locked eyes, and just started crying with laughter. I had to hold onto the racks to stop from falling over
In the 2000s, the Muffin Men from Liverpool regularly toured german clubs, they are an amazing Zappa tribute band. On quite a few of their tours they had Jimmy Carl Black with them, who lived in southern Germany then. It was probably the third time he was in the line up and somehow he seemed to remember a friend and me attending the earlier concerts, because he came over to shake our hands. We had a beer and a very nice chat with him, he also signed my 200 motels LP. I'll never forget him and that chat. Not long after, he sadly passed away. So RIP FZ and JCB.
wasn't he the Indian of the group?
@@almishti Yes, he was and in fact he was the original founder of the Mothers, FZ was asked to join and kinda took over
14:08 to clarify, at the time an "electric piano" would have been something like the fender Rhodes that Billy Preston played on the rooftop, where striking the keys made a hammer hit a piece of wire next to a pickup, which was then amplified. This produces a sound not unlike a piano, but more mellow and metallic. This wording is confused by the fact that these days when most people say "electric piano" they mean a digital piano which just plays pre-recorded samples, and the fact that makers of both electric and electronic (yes there is a difference) can't for the life of them seem to call them by the right names. A mello-tron, by contrast had loops of tape insided which produced a single note each. Playing the keys would press a playhead up to each strip to produce the sound.
good points all, not to get too persnickety, but I would describe that which the Rhodes' hammers hit as more of a rod or bar. Wire would not be as stable and would need tuning. One of the major plusses of a Rhodes is its stability, also making it great for touring
@@steevvvippch5589 You're absolutely right, wire is probably the wrong word to describe what's under the hood of a Rhodes. Wikipedia calls it a tine. That'll be what I'll go with from now on.
Finally frank zappa!!! Criminally underrated
i think overlooked should be the new underrated
You mean overrated?
@Alix777. in what way is he overrated? You can not like his work but to say he's overrated is kinda crazy
@@JesusGomez-ob2qtin just about every possible way. the epitome of overrated. to say he's underrated is just nonsense. he was like a broadway stage show full of lame politics and terrible cheap comedy. "music" 😂
@@JesusGomez-ob2qt What is crazy is people saying he was a "genius" despite at least half of his albums is pretty average to say the least. Many albums are vastly overrated like Joe's Garage, his uninspired jazz fusion albums like Grand Wazoo or even other ones like Apostrophe or Overnite sensation. Lyrics are terrible most of the time or just childishly offensive. In my opinion he made great, creative albums in his early career but most of the rest is mid, pretty forgettable or simply not good.
Hi Abigail, Thank you for your review of Freak Out!, the very first album I had ever bought, I bought it in 1966, I was 12 years old, and I bought it with money I made shining shoes. I bought it specifically at the time because as a 12 year old I thought a double album for the price of a single album was a prudent purchase. It was the best purchase I ever made. The album completely transformed me. I became a deep Zappa freak, seeing him in many, many concerts and loving most of his work. I still have all my original Zappa albums. When you referenced "Trouble Every Day," you were correct about it but missed the line "I know I'm not Black, but I sometimes wish I wasn't White." For 1966 that was a powerful line, and it played a role in shaping my political and social sensibilities. The other thing you missed is that "Help, I'm a Rock" and "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" are deeply influenced by and shaped by his adoration of the composer Edgar Varese. My interest in classical music became shaped by his love of Varese, and he quotes Varese on the album liner notes - "The present day composer refuses to die". Zappa was a rock and roll artist with a deep affinity to classical composition, a deep knowledge of blues, jazz, and all things musical. He once said that the universe is a musical note. And one of the most amazing things is that he did not use drugs and fought censorship in all forms. He went up against Tipper Gore when she lobbied Congress to censor musical lyrics. And he played a role in the Czeck's Velvet Revolution to kick out the Russians, and he was adored by Vascel Havel (who wanted him in the Czeck Republic's newly formed government). Try the Czeck group Plastic People of the Universe, who named themselves after his number "Plastic People". And check out "Hot Rats," especially "Willie The Pimp" and "The Gumbo Variations". Again, thank you for your review. I could go on and on and on, but 'nuff said for now. Regards, Robert
Love The Frank Zappa Produced GTO's album Permanent Damage. Jeff Beck , Ry Cooder & Lowell George all feature on it & the world famous Pamela Des Barres ( Miss Pamela ) was a member.
i LOVE the GTOs, would sell my soul for a copy of permanent damage. it’s 30 minutes of girls just having fun!
Sounds like a great concept idea for a movie. The Source Family albums from that period have that same pimitive hypnotic vibe.The Slits from the UK captured some of that as well.
I found a mint copy a few years ago for $40. Slaps so hard, I can’t get enough of the GTOs
My high school friend Sand bought this album when it first came out. We loved it. One of our best friends (Steve) played lead guitar in a band and they played "Trouble Coming Everyday" all the time. Sand and I had a Light Show Company "Satori Light Show" the summer when this album came out. I remember one Sat. night at the Balboa Yatch Club in Newport Beach, CA Steve's Band was playing and we did the light show.
Sand and I were on the scaffolding behind the band with our strobe light flashing, our pitre dishes w/ food coloring and colored lights sloshing around and the light boxes with mixed XMas lights blinking. Very Psychedelic. When the band played "Trouble" the dance floor was crowded and unruly, every body was either drunk our stoned, so the band decided to do the long version of Trouble. That was trouble. Sand and I partied so hard on the Scaffolding we had food coloring all over the stage and on a large expensive painting on the wall behind us. The band, Sand, me and a few friends in the crowd cleaned the place up as best as we could. We all got paid and we had no compaints! I think we were all 17 and 18 at the time.
"Cheepnis" from Roxy and Elsewhere. Love the deep background you come up with for this channel, but to fully appreciate the time (and in this case humor) of the experience you really had to have been there. Frank's stuff was so out of the universe up until to that time it was more than just groundbreaking. His was a vitally important voice that remains sooo relevant today.
I just finished typing my comment saying this basically. A very "you had to be there" scene. And I am nowhere near old enough to really have been there but it has that whole vibe
I like 'Freak Out!' ,but, the next 2: 'Absolutely Free', and 'We're Only In It For The Money' and the trio of 70's albums: 'Overnite Sensation', 'Apostrophe' and 'One Size Fits All' are my favourites.
I agree. Revolution 9 was my favorite track on the White Album. Love the hair. 🙂
Been listening to this stuff for almost 50 years and never picked up on the Cream, Sabbath, Doors, etc. comparisons. Very perceptive.
Holy crap I was literally in the middle of listening to freak out! and saw this was posted, crazy stuff
It's psychedelic
This is the first time I've seen one of your videos. I think I'm in love.
Another Band From L A was my gateway drug into FZ land. . . and still one of my favorites.
YES!!!!! That, and Live Fillmore East June '71 are my 2 all-time favorite Zappa albums!!! 🙌🏽
Haa dee aahddy aaah daaah......
I'm coming over shortly
Because I am a portly
You promised you could fit me
In a fifty dollar suit
When it comes to Zappa, I like Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, and Hot Rats. Freak Out I just couldn't get into, but Zappa did ultimately prove himself to be a truly groundbreaking composer. It took me a long time to get into more progressive styles of music, but once I dug into Zappa I was hooked. He was hugely prolific and his body of work has its share of misses among the hits, but it's definitely worth digging into and taking the ride.
Worst Zappa albums
i mean, they're not and you know they're not. My fave is either Roxy and elsewhere or uncle meat. But those mentioned albums are awesome. The only Zappa albums I don't play often are Francesco zappa, the man from utopia (although i still like it) Honestly, they're all great. @@Alix777.
@@Zappaisgod4983 No they aren't. I'm a Zappa fan but not a fanboy. Some of his albums are simply not as inspired as others, with overly long, self-indulgent, bloated songs. For example I hate his jazz fusion period, Hot Rats and Grand Wazoo are totally uninspired and boring to me. Some other albums are not as bad but pretty overrated.
I can't tell whether you're agreeing with me or the OG poster... Yes, zappa was up his own ass sometimes. Still made more amazing music than most people though@@Alix777.
Also, i LOVE his Jazz fusion period
@@Alix777.
Dear Abby. I pretty much agree with your assessment. Now:
Frank Zappa was a composer. In all genres of music. He also happened to use stuff like silly lyrics and silly noises. If there's anyone I've read about as much or more than The Beatles it's Zappa. I hope you can listen to my 'No Commercial Potential' playlist. It really is an introduction to all that Zappa did.
Also, even without having to listen to everything, you would totally learn a lot from and thoroughly enjoy his 1989 book: The Real Frank Zappa Book. I strongly urge you to get that book. It's a very easy read and endlessly entertaining.
Dear Abby, Nice thumb as always. LOVE it. Love YOU. Perhaps next time...In Photoshop: Filter > Stylize > Solarize 🌞👍
THANK YOU for this!!! As A life long Zappa freak, I feel deeply known by you and your opinions about Freak Out… first album I ever owned at 5 years old! And you mentioned Music Concrete in reference to Zappa. Sooo great. I’m a forever fan of your channel now.
Finally someone who loves Revolution 9!
The part where you mimed the Suzy Creamcheese part was PRICELESS. I could have you do the entire section. "Suzy" is all over Uncle Meat, she's great on that one (although it's Pamela Z, not the one on Freak Out. I never knew until your video that it was two separate Suzy Creamcheeses!!!
And now I'm going home to stay with my mother! (Pig Snort) Ala Motorhead! 😂
Must admit I knew very little of Zappa`s work, so this video is useful in that way. My own personal favourite Double Album is (By a long way) "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".
If she thinks Freak Out is weird . . .
The Lamb was Jeff Buckleys favorite album. I just received my 75th anniversary Atlantic records edition & can't wait to spin it !
@@davidellis5141 If you don`t already know it, then, in my view David, you are in for a treat! For me, it is full of musical invention and holds listeners interest through all Four sides. I have original UK pressing on `Charisma` record label.
I bought this lp at wittwood shopping center in whittier ca. In 1966, loved this lp ever since.
Great album. Love all the music from The Mothers, all his 70's solo albums, his instrumental symphonic, guitar and synclavier albums.
Something very positive was that Zappa helped put future great Rock, Progressive and Avant Garde musicians in the public eye, such as Captain Beefheart, Jean-Luc Ponty, Flo & Eddie, Terry Bozzio, George Duke, Chester Thompson, Aynsley Dunbar, Ruth & Ian Underwood, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Adrian Belew, Patrick O'Hearn, Chad Wackerman, Steve Vai, etc.
The first four Mothers albums are very interesting, they were one of those albums that broke the rules of pop music with experimentation, sarcasm, socio-cultural criticism, criticism of the music industry and the government with "Freak Out" (1966), "Absolutely Free" (1967), "We' re Only in It for the Money" (1968), and "Uncle Meat" (1969).
I found a couple of Zappa's quotes interesting like:
_ "Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass."
_ "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read."
_ "If you wind up with a boring, miserable life because you listened to your mother, your Dad, your priest, to some guy on television, to any of the people telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it."
_ "Take the Kama Sutra. How many people died from the Kama Sutra as opposed to the Bible? Who wins?"
_ "Rock’n’Roll isn’t a mind expander, it’s a pants expander!"
_ "Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible."
_ "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it’s not open."
Thank you for reading this comment, and goodbye.
Tom Wilson seems like he had some of the same gift that John Hammond Sr. had---having the golden ears to recognizing rare talent and the smarts to let those artists do their thing. Landing the Mothers of Invention and Velvet Underground is no small feat. A shame he isn't around to receive the accolades he deserved, even if he was tripping or phoning his love interests in the control room while the music was being made. Props to Verve as well for trusting him.
huge props to tom for putting his job on the line for both of those artists. dylan, S&G, the mothers, VU, his resume doesn't lie! there was a method to his madness. i only wish verve kept that authenticity up
Once again you teach me new things about albums I thought I already knew... humbling. Thanks, Suzy, I mean Abby!
Love this one! This is major record for me. An important soundtrack to some formative years and explains a lot about me. I like other zappas more these days but this shit is in my cells.
I was totally pumping my fist and saying "hell yeah!" (literally) when you said the thingy about "Ain't Got No Heart" and Cream. As someone who's been honing their shower/karaoke Jack Bruce since early adolescence, I've thought the same thing since the first time I heard it. But I guess I never did the math and just always assumed, since I heard it later, it came after "Dance the Night Away" which it sounds EXACTLY FUCKING LIKE! Love it when a puzzle comes together. Grazie!
Brilliant album brilliant Zappa!
Groundbreaking
I was a baby drummer in '67 playing in a garage band that actually practticed in a garage, kind of Joe's Garage scenario. Any way, the older brother of our front man had this and a couple of the original albums that we borrowed. I was immediately hooked on Frank. His music had so much humor and made me feel smarter than the other kids. From Frank I decided being a hippie would not be a good life choice, but being freak was and remains just fine.
A Fabulous Furry Freak by any chance?
Thank you thank you thank you Abby for your take on one of the most influential and ground breaking albums ever frank and the mothers showed other musicians that it was ok to take chances and be different thank you again for reviewing the best in the world luv ya
I have been paying at least some attention to music criticism, or commentary, since around 1967, and I find your reviews to be the most useful. Thanks for your hard work.
This was fun. Not my favorite due to the Wrecking Crew (they wrecked it). For my favorite album you'll have to go 7 years ahead which is another doubler: Roxy & Elsewhere, a live album consisting of pure musical excellence. It's Jazz rock fusion with another Mothers line-up. That band was tight. … "Do you like monster movies?" … Many of the songs don't even have a studio version, so this is it. Best live album I've ever heard.
Finally got around to watching this happy to know that now I’m know as “The Zappa Guy”. Also you said something about pretencious pricks, hope I didn’t come off as one of them. But good video and nice review.
Freak Out Was My introduction To Frank Zappa!!!!! From that point onward ...I was hooked
!live your reviews!!
DANG!!!! Love that pressing! That puppy has been around! As a pretty big Zappa fan...I can never corral my favorite period however, I think ( for me ) everything from say, 1975 (or so ) on back is what I love the most NOW. Subject to CHANGE AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE! Thank you for covering Frank!
Rite of passage, Abby! Good job, I appreciate the candor throughout.
Everything about this (and you) is ridiculously wonderful 🥰 Thank you for your passion in putting this video all together.
Abby I love your content! You do a great job of researching the albums! Yes on this LP I love the doo wop spoofs. And "Anyway The Wind Blows" could have easily been on the charts back then. I hadn't listened to this album in years. It's really a monumental LP. Thanks!
Check out Frank's appearance on the Steve Allen show. You will not be disappointed. Well, maybe. But you'll be amazed.
You have to have a sense of humor with your love of music to enjoy Frank Zappa, and you do Abby. Wonderful review of Freak Out! The first Zappa album I heard at age 14 was We’re Only In It For The Money, and it blew my mind! I think you would love it, it’s so funny and no ultra long Monster Magnet tracks. With your outfit and makeup in this video, I thought I was staring into the eyes of Suzy Creamcheese herself, great job Abby!
My intro to FZ was Let's Make the Water Turn Black when I was about 12-13. It changed my understanding of what music could be. I then got the album it was from (We're Only... etc.) and I honestly think it expanded my mind. Also yes, Abby's look here is the creamiest of cheese.
That freakout transition where you freaked out had me rollin'! 🤣 Ok, but now you gotta do the Monkees or we riot! (Zappa connection expanded.....)
would have to wait until may but...monkees 100th episode special?
You should consider doing one on FZ’s chum - although their relationship was a fractious one - Captain Beefheart; specifically his (and the Magic Band’s) 1969 album Trout Mask Replica. Love your channel btw.
Great job Abby! I fell in love with Frank at the age of five in 1968! thanks to my older brother George for introducing me to Zappa. I think this is easily the most informative and entertaining video you have done. Thank you!
have you listened to Absolutely Free? 100% classic!
This video made me go finally check out the album and man I wish I had checked this out when I first heard about it years ago when I started getting into music. Masterpiece imo
Great job covering Zappa! I'd love to see your impressions of more of his music. "Hot Rats" was the intro Zappa album for me. I also love "Burnt Weeny Sandwich", there's some gorgeous songs on that one.
it’s not burnt weenie sandwich but you are gonna love next week
Wow! You gave me a new appreciation for this incredible, ground-breaking record by the creative genius, Frank Zappa. I purchased this album when it was first released more than a half century ago. (Yes ... I'm an old geezer) I actually saw the original Mothers of Invention live in Greenwich Village, NYC when they were first starting out. I'm really impressed with your appreciation of Frank's music and your attention to detail for such a young woman. I think that qualifies you for membership in the United Mutations. I really enjoy your sense of humor and am now going to subscribe to your channel. Well done!
Damn you went to the Garrick theater? Would love to hear those stories!
thank you so much, welcome to the long strange trip! it's so cool you saw the first lineup of the mothers. what was it like? did they heckle you?
@@abigaildevoe I was probably 17 years old and had gone on a trip with my mother to NYC in the Spring/Summer of 1967. I was a very square & skinny teenager with short hair and glasses. Innocent as a wide eyed toddler. (the antithesis of all that Frank Zappa stood for}. And yet I was always attracted to all things weird. A friend had given me a copy of Freak Out and i was immediately hooked. When my mother and I got to our hotel room, I sprawled out on the bed, and began perusing a copy of the New York Times newspaper to see what was going on regarding entertainment at the time. I was surprised to see that the Mothers were appearing in Greenwich Village at the Garrick Theater. I asked my mother if I could go to see them while she went shopping. She agreed, and so we took a cab to the Village. We got out in front of the Garrick, and she went off shopping, while I anxiously approached the Theater. Lo and Behold, there was Frank and the Mothers standing casually in front of the theater, before the show began. They looked like a group of pirates that had just landed from another planet. I walked past them, and took a seat near the back of the narrow little theater. There were probably not more than 20 people in attendance. In a few minutes Frank came walking down the aisle towards the dinky elevated stage. Then the other Mothers entered the building from the back and took their places on the stage. They ignored us, taking their time tuning their instruments and checking things out, and then began to play some of the songs from Freak Out and the newer album Absolutely Free. At one point, they suddenly stopped playing, and sat down on their amplifiers and just stared at us for an uncomfortably lengthy period of time. Then they went into a long instrumental, each member taking an extended solo. Frank's guitar solo was brilliant. At another point, they stopped playing again, and pelted us with grapes. Finally the show ended, and I exited the theater, and waited for my mother to return. We took a cab back to the hotel, and I have to tell you I was glad to return to my safe and boring little life, after what I had just experienced. But seriously, I remain a fan of Frank's music, and thank goodness he left an endless body of work, much of which is available right here on UA-cam!
@@colingillis5989 See my response to abigaildevoe for details of my experience.
Just on time, Zappa's birthday is coming up, December 21!
Great review about an album I've not spun my ears on yet but I'm going to sift through my dad's album collection in hopes of this gem.
Love your research! Was unaware of Black Sabbath and Kendrick Lamar connections and checked them out and - damn! Well done!
Hey lady, remember my comment. Zappa albums become like a friend for life. Get back to me when you can argue about who was Franks best drummer. I’ll tell you when I was 18 I bought the album You are what you is by accident. I still listen to it a lot 25 years later. Great content as a hard core fan this was fun watching😉
That double album does have the distinction of being the first ever debut album to be double and, if it was released just two weeks previously, it would've been the first ever rock double album. Bob Dylan's Blond on Blond was released a week before, making that the first rock double album.
A buddy of mine many years ago had a copy of Zoot Allures on 8 track in his truck and we’d listen to it often. I will have to check this one out soon.
Abigail this is a fabulous breakdown of this album delivered in a entertaining way , I couldn't of done it better my self . Two whole discs of this shit !
When you give yourself some time, settle into Absolutely Free. It’s a nightmare, but “in a good way” as you say. Real grooves and hooks and creepy scenarios, and Suzie returns!
I second this. Absolutely Free is the next step up from Freak Out! musically speaking. Each side of AF is its own self-contained suite, and the first suite references some early 20th century orchestral works (as well as Louie, Louie) which foreshadows what Zappa would end up doing later in his career. You get an even greater sense that his ambitions are struggling against their confines. There's also plenty of that classic Mothers improv which makes the songs feel more spontaneous and personal.
Fortunately this album made the cutout bin by the late 60s. My teenage hands drawn automatically to that cover, well I still have a copy, love the jam.
Like always Abby, your hair, makeup, jewelry & clothing take your commentary to the next level. I was curious, do you have as many vintage clothes and jewelry as you do record albums? If you do, maybe for a future video give a tour of those things with a little history, when acquired, etc., as I think that could be interesting as well.
haha fun fact: this was supposed to be a vintage fashion channel! the vinyl was a total happy accident. maybe someday…
@@abigaildevoe Well that comes as no surprise, as you have an amazing fashion sense, especially for someone so young. I've stated it before, but I tune in more to see your fashion choices and overall look and how well it matches the record and era in question. So you probably would have done rather well with a fashion channel, as I'm normally not that into fashion in general. But your look and the time periods you normally represent are the only ones in history I ever found interesting and you bring them to life.
I absolutely enjoy your presentations which are so entertaining to me. I have spent a lifetime going through FZ's catalogue (hardly 50%) and never hear him covered via podcast, I'd like to thank you for that alone. You never disappoint, and I always look forward to your next show. Your professionalism and journalistic integrity are impressive. As a studied musician, your presentations are accurate, well thought out, executed and eclectic! Thank you, Miss Abigail. I am so glad you can get into Zappa, he has so much more after... oh, and I am one of those who likes Revolution 9 too...
Great review/overview. This is one of my all time favorites and also a great album for a clearing a party. If this doesn't work, Trout Mask Replica surely will. 🤪
That was fantastic. I actually learned some stuff when I thought I knew everything there was to know. Love how you noted the similarities to stuff like "Iron Man". (for me, the cool trippy little end jam of "Lovely Rita" is totally "Freak Out"). You have a great ear. With Frank: no one likes it all, and you are not obliged to like it all. For you, I would have advised "We're Only In It For The Money" totally, that's the one I am dying to hear your thoughts about! Also, "Uncle Meat" and "burnt weenie sandwich" have some of his most beautiful music, those are recordings from 67-69, released in 69 and 70. For a thousand reasons, "We're Only In It For The Money" is made for this channel (and much more digestable than Freak Out! both sides are great movies for the ear!!!!)
McCartney did cite Freak Out! as an influence on Sgt. Pepper's, which is ironic since Zappa pretty much shat on the Beatles with We're Only in It for the Money.
@@devinmorse9112 he didn't "shit" all over The Beatles with We're Only in It for the Money, he parodied the cover; the music (lyrics, actually) parody "flower power". In interviews from 1967, he has virtually only nice stuff to say about The Beatles, going so far as to say how they "saved" rock & roll. he also spent the rest of his life talking about how he had always liked "I Am The Walrus". In at least one 1967 interview, he says he likes "Pepper". The fan adulation for them always annoyed him, but as he said in 1967: "I actually like a lot of what The Beatles do." Certainly The Beatles didn't feel crapped on, nor did Beatle fans (like me) who had the album.
@@TTM9691 Fair enough. I didn’t know about his comments from 1967. To be honest it seems like his opinions varied. Just from what I’ve read, the title We're Only in It for the Money was his critique of the Beatles at the time.
"The Aesthetics of Freakery" interview by Mike Bourne, DownBeat Yearbook, 1971: "[O]n the day that that album was released, the thing that escaped everybody was the fact that it was designed to show that the Beatles were only in it for the money, not that we were. … You know, they never once questioned that the Beatles might be anything other than directly descended from heaven. And I personally felt for a long time that they were extremely plastic, and flat-out commercial."
"The Top 100 Albums Of The Last 20 Years," Rolling Stone, August 27, 1987: "Sgt. Pepper was okay … but just the whole aroma of what the Beatles were was something that never really caught my fancy. I got the impression from what was going on at the time that they were only in it for the money-and that was a pretty unpopular view to hold."
I still have this album, though the grooves are pretty much worn off. I saw Frank in concert 2 times, amazing! Franks fans are hard core, When you found someone that knew Zappa, you knew they were cool.
EXCELLENT revue!! You found things about Zappa I never knew and I've been following Frank since 1971!! Great job on research (did you visit The Muffin Utility Research Kitchen? -never mind) You picking up on Who Are the Brain Police Iron Man and Cream influence were something I never picked up on. SPOT ON girl!!! You may have done better to pick
Were Only In it For the Money as gateway to Zappa. From my perspective Freak Out and Absolutely Free were unrefined Zappa albums. Fun but inconsistent. WOIIFTM is where he gets his Satire/Experimental/Freeform/Guitar Chops in full gear. All in a folk rock electronic groove. A must listen from early Mothers. Enjoy the exploration- I think you may get hooked!!
HI Abby. I was curious if you have any Chicago albums in your collection and if so which ones? ❤
Terry Kath is God! 🙌🏽
@@sugadelicsavagesoul8623 agreed!
It has been so long since I have actually listened to this album. I bought it on cassette a long time ago and no longer have it, I loved it. It was my first introduction to Zappa. Any way the wind blows is a top notch song though, I look it up on youtube occasionally, it often just plays in my head out of nowhere.
when these guys announced a freak out i didn't think that they
ACTUALLY WOULD FREAK OUT!
It is winter people so let us not forget Uncle Frank's warning "Watch out where the huskies go,
And don't you eat that yellow snow!" Hahaha. I just wanted to say those awesome earrings are a perfect match for your own eyes, Abby. I thought I had double vision there for moment! 😉Another brilliant double bonus review.
Class album! After the Ryko and Universal reissues it was a pleasant surprise hearing the original loud, raw vinyl mix of the MOFO edition - same as that of this Verve LP. I wonder if Frank ever had an extended cut of Monster Magnet in the archives.
Almost forgot... there's a Zappa freakout outtake called groupie bang bang... Couldn't use it because of a Beatles reference that could've gotten him sued...give it a listen..
I appear on Grant's Rock Warehaus channel and we have done deep dives on all the original Mother's albums so far along with a show on the GTO's.
When I was 7, my dad brought home Mothermania, and played it constantly for weeks (along with all the other great albums of that time, Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, The Incredible String Band, etc.). Hot Rats soon followed, then a little later Chunga's Revenge. By my teens, I was buying older recordings (by then) like Apostrophe and We're Only In It For the Money, and newer albums from Zoot Allures forward.
attack of the blue eye shadow. (looks good BTW)
I would say the early gateway Mother's album is We're Only In It For the Money. I agree with Apostrophe but I would also add Joe's Garage as well.
Now this is gonna be some of that goody good cheese moustache beer colorful mr. Groak had a ball at the dinner. The problem is that what I just said could perfectly be a Frank Zappa lyric.
I own every official album FRANK ZAPPA ever made, and FREAK OUT (bought when I was thirteen in 1966) is still my favorite after all these years!
I grew up hearing Zappa on vinyl. I was probably at the ripe age of 6-7 when I was singing along with "Muffin Man". Thats my short and sweet contribution to my Zappa experience, although it goes much deeper.
Unrelated question, I was wondering if you had a copy of Blue Bell Knoll by Cocteau Twins. I'd really like your perspective on that as I tend to enjoy how you go into details on the thought process and what the bands were going through at the time of writing and recording. I feel it's their masterpiece, especially the song "Cico Buff". Best wishes, and happy holidays!
I bought my copy when it came out and now own everything by Zappa I can get my hands on or afford. Jim
I would never expect Mario Kart 64 to be mentioned on a review of an album by any artist... BUT - it makes sense!!!
That's why I love this channel. Whatever Abe chooses to talk about, I know I'll never hear it the same way again.
It’s amazing how early this release is and way ahead of its time. “Freak Out” still sounds fresh and your always hearing something different every time you listen to it today. In general, early Mothers recordings are in a category of free form rock or what some will call, “Free Rock”. It was a short lived genre, executed by few bands of the era, such as Beefheart and Airplane for example. Freak Out is a true masterpiece, an always changing soundscape.
Don't forget Soft Machine!
Totally, definitely Soft Machine is in that sub-genre. Good call@@colingillis5989
That was a great unbiased review. If a person is a long time Zappa fan... it usually means they're AT LEAST 55 years old.lol... um... being a long time Zappa fan, I'm still willing to see the album through a younger person's eyes. And of course, it would be unlikely that everyone would thing EVERYTHING on Freak Out was perfect.Not even Frank was happy with the album only 2 years later. There are many interviews with him where he sayd the first 3 albums were only ok. I think Frank was hard on himself and the imperfections of those early albums are a large part of their charm.
I got my moms copy. She met Frank in NYC on the tour for the album. Its amazing and I've loved it ever since. Tip...don't close the lid while playing the album as it adds unwanted resonance to the needle. Great work.
that's super cool!
as someone who lost her copy of the pulp fiction soundtrack to a falling picture frame and a lid-less turntable, i will ALWAYS put that lid down
Once you understand Zappa you will realize it is all pure unrestrained joy. Unable to express what he was all about inside because of his reserved nature he let it out through his music.
I saw The Stinkfoot Orchestra last week. 15 piece Zappa tribute. Amazing show.
that’s the perfect name for a zappa tribute group lmao
I'd heard so much about Zappa in high school - and heard his funny "Valley Girl" song as a young 'un in the early 80s starring his daughter Moon - but didn't hear any of his albums until college when on a whim I bought Weasels Ripped My Flesh.
Even by Zappa standards it's bizarre and it's still probably my fave.
I also agree Zappa fans can be utterly insufferable WELL AAAACTUALLY types who need to take it down *several* notches. But also, being a fan means you probably like a certain era or style of his music and not others. I find his 80s music still brilliant but too soulless and technical to really enjoy. Other fans absolutely love his 80s work. I enjoy the aggressively weird WTF early 70s stuff and his orchestrated works. There's something for everyone!
Love those earrings!
I love it all but for some reason I have a special spot for ... 200 Motels!!!
I dare you to do a review of this "sophisticated mess". A double LP review would be awesome, a movie reaction would be epic!
Very well researched!
Your channel is very interesting. Frank and his family go way back, I’m impressed by the album you have here. I too am an album collector myself. Though I’ve been around for 50 some years there are still some albums I’ve missed I’m sure. The editing here you did a great job. - Thomas ✌️
thank you!
My first Frank! Hooked for ever!!!
I love Freak Out! I listen to it constantly