We’re Only in It for the Money

188/1001

Geez, I already said Freak Out kinda sounded like a child of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (which this current album is parodying) But it was still a shock to see that they had pretty much recreated it's album art for We're Only In It For The Money. As for the album itself, I hate it. While Freak Out! had some good moments at the start, this one had no good moments at all. Every weird or unique thing it tries to do always comes across as jarring, annoying or both. And of course, you can't have a Mothers Of Invention album without the obligatory track of just nothing but laughing and random noises and this album has it. I like some weird albums but this one just proves the point i made in my Freak Out! review, Just because it's satire, doesn't mean it gets an excuse for being bad.
Best Song: Lovely Little Girl
Worst Song: The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny

Well that was fucking weird. But it was weirdness that grew on me. I initially thought I was going to dislike it with the excessive talking and random noise, but I didn't and I can't really articulate why.

Very weird. All singing about being dirty hippies

Definitely one of the albums of all time

The fuck is this shit? It's not making any kind of statement, so it doesn't even feel like an art piece. It's just a bunch of stupid unfunny skits and noises that they've released and called an album. It's like the secret track you find at the end of a normal album where they're just messing about with a personal in-joke or two, only, you know, doing that for the whole thing. This is utterly embarrassing and they should all be ashamed of themselves.

Alvin and the Chippunks

While this album may be a little less casually listenable than Freak Out! while also having a far more vague message involved, this album still manages to blow the listener's socks off with its utter bizarro approach to music. It still has a lot of that doo-wop, tongue-n-cheek pop flavor, yes, but it also injects some hints of ketamine to really cause a sort of dreamlike effect that can go from being a bubbly wonderland to a nightmare in a matter of seconds, and that approach to music, especially for 1968, is not only nerve wracking, its flat out impressive. There are hardly any songs here that start at A and end at Z, but the snippets you do get of pop are not done poorly, as they are still incredibly thought out, catchy, and could swing with the best of the genre they satirize. You can tell Zappa does not hate the music he parodies, rather his inspiration from it takes him places very little others can even see coming, and it leads to not only great tunes, but an oddly thrilling narrative one can hardly piece together, some soundscapes straight out of a horror film of the future tucked in with some pixie dust to always ensure that you're willing to keep going. Sure, it's creepy, but it's also so playful about it that you often find yourself still loving what crumbs are given to you, and for an album to jump back and forth and do it all so well is easily commendable. I can't imagine turning most of this album on for any ol' reason, it still has this energy that very little even today could replicate, and for, again, 1968, that's amazing.

Несмешная шутка. Недоразумение.

WTF

This is the second Mothers of Invention album that I've reviewed. If this is anything like the first record, it's going to be super weird. Judging by the album art (which features Frank Zappa in a dress), I feel like I am right.

There are a few call backs to their satirical Doo Wop musical stylings throughout the album. Also, portions of Concentration Moon sounds like it was sung by Petey the Sexual Harassment Panda from South Park.... So does Bow Tie Daddy. What's with the constant whispering throughout the whole record?? This whole record is a concept of sorts. It all runs together into one huge fucked up acid trip.

When they decide to play music, it's actually good, such as in the song "Harry, You're a Beast". But half way through, they record someone snoring for 30 seconds, then play the rest of the song backwards. Clearly, as I said in my review of the first Mothers of Invention album I reviewed (Freak Out!), all of the drugs were consumed during the recording of this album. ALL OF THEM!!!

Favourite songs: Let's Make The Water Turn Black, Absolutely Free, Lonely Little Girl

Least favourite songs: Are You Hung Up?, Telephone Conversation, Hot Poop (fuck skits), Nasal Retentive Calliope Music, The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny (just noises and static).

2/5. I wasn't nearly high enough for that!!

Probably made more sense at the time

Warning: don't listen to this as background music. I did that the first two times and my reaction was "this is just weird" and occasional moments where the lyrics caught my attention and made me laugh. When I paid attention to the music and lyrics, it became clear why this album is on the list. Subversive (some of the lyrics might as well have been an early version of F%^& the Police), skewering hippy culture, and mocking the music of the day. Also really enjoy how each song flows into the next, and you gotta applaud the album cover. Favorite tracks: Who Needs the Peace Corps (love the "I will..." section), What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body (I laughed), Absolutely Free, Flower Punk (enjoyed this hippy-skewering fast version of Hey Joe: "Hey Punk, where you goin' with those beads around your neck? I'm goin' to the shrink so he can help me be a nervous wreck" - also like the Wild Thing reference followed by deranged overlapping speeches, including what sounds an awful lot like Minions). Weird stuff, but fascinating. Can't give it a 5 because it's just too weird, but I can definitely appreciate it and would listen again.

ohhhh lol this is a Frank Zappa project, got it. I only really know Zappa by reputation, so it surprised me to learn he was making stuff as far back as this. Interesting to see some hippy-punching coming from someone contemporary to that whole scene and who can't exactly be written off as a stuffy conservative of the time

Not entertaining

Too weird

Sjove tekster, men umiddelbart tror jeg at jeg misser en masse musikalske og lyriske referencer, fordi jeg ikke rigtigt kender Sgt. Pepper's... 🤷‍♂️

Frank Zappa is an artist who I like more when I’m not listening to him. I like the idea of Frank Zappa. I like the idea of non-conformist, complex, satirical music and a lifetime of work dedicated to it. I like his willingness to be political and silly and impenetrable. Yet, I never really enjoy listening to his music very much.

Now having said that, I like a lot of the sounds and music on this album, and I don’t mind noise or disparate elements in music. A lot of the lyrics are interesting and funny. Yet the album feels entirely like a parody, mocking psychedelic rock, and I’m left wondering, is there any joy in the music itself? Or is joy only present in the lampooning of this music? If the latter, I find it difficult to enjoy the album as anything more than a joke.

This might have been funny at the time*, but it sure as hell isn't now. Although admittedly it captures an irritating and cringeworthy side of the hippie dream that is probably best forgotten now.

*I doubt it was funny at the time.

At least they are honest in the album title...I don't know if they got the money, though.

I didn't enjoy it, but they deserve some credit for the experimentalism. This stuff is not enjoyable, but they are typically responsible for all the excellent music created after them. It's necessary to have someone on it for the money (and craziness) to enable others to do it better for the art (also for the money).