Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Zappa, Frank
Label: Rykodisc Records
Release: 1966
Rating: 4.5/5
Before the unhinged composer Frank Zappa hit the music scene in the mid-60s with his no less offbeat but brilliant backing band The Mothers Of Invention, rock music (still called rock’n’roll back then) was, among most of the music community of the day, still seen as teenage junk music with zero artistic connotation. The release of this album was a major turning point, one that helped bring about a radical shift both in the world of rock music and in the mindset of the musically “mature” crowd. Zappa had already recorded a few singles for various groups before his first album (these now live on the compilations “Cucamonga” (1998) and “For Collectors Only” (2003)), but with the debut “Freak Out!” he created one of the most ambitious albums in rock history. Today it counts as the second double album ever (after Bob Dylan’s “Blonde On Blonde”) and the first concept album in rock history. On top of that, it was miles ahead of its time, both musically and conceptually. Musically, it beat both art rock (a.k.a. progressive rock) and classic rock to the punch, while through its lyrics, with their blatant attack on social authorities and the music industry, it even outran the roar of punk rock.
Even back then, Zappa was a musical genius without equal, a top-notch composer, guitarist and satirist, positively bursting with spontaneous ideas. “Freak Out!” soaks up countless influences from avant-garde composers as well as rhythm and blues, and mashes it all together into a grotesque but brilliant mix of musical ideas. Stylistically, the album is split into four sections, or two parts. The first part covers satirical pop songs built on simple rhythm and blues, whose lyrics poke fun at the pop schmaltz of the day as well as at the state of American society. It’s something that would become one of his trademarks throughout Zappa’s career, winning him plenty of devoted followers and just as many haters. Frank and his Mothers Of Invention poured their enthusiasm for avant-garde and classical music, and their sneering at the pop “junk” of the time, into a blend of avant-garde expressions (which would stay a trademark later on too) mixed with the pop sound typical of the 60s, which they gleefully satirize in the lyrics. “Freak Out!” doesn’t actually sound all that off the wall musically, since the first twelve tracks on the album are built on rhythm and blues. Their weirdness lies mainly in the satirical and bizarre lyrics, the strange sounds and the backing vocals, which turn the album into a real “freak”.
The album opens with a non-conformist rallying cry called “Hungry Freaks, Daddy”, which instantly presents Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention as the mirror opposite of the teen pop idols of the time, mocking the romantic-pathetic teenage clichés that are still the trademark of what sells best in the music industry today. The irony of it all is that, despite his eternal opposition to the syrupy commercialism of the pop acts of the day, Zappa was actually an excellent pop songwriter. Even when he’s mercilessly scraping away at the guitar strings, he does it with subtle arrangements and a good feel for melody. In “I Ain’t Got No Heart” he openly pokes fun at the sugary love pop songs that were filling the charts back then. In the lyrics Zappa also often settles scores, cynically, with an American society founded on false morality, something that would always remain one of his signature themes. This first shows up on the at first psychedelic, then dissonant “Who Are The Brain Police?”, which satirizes the ossification and self-censorship of the American media. On “Go Cry On Somebody’s Else Shoulder” they pull off a great antithesis of the pathetic 60s pop schmaltz, with one of the most cynical lyrics I’ve ever heard. Ultra-cynical pieces like “Motherly Love”, “How Could I Be Such a Fool?”, “Wowie Zowie” and so on belong in the same category. The ultra-psychedelic “You’re Wondering Why I’m Here” sounds like yet another killer satire of the state of the music industry and of society at the time. Picture Barrett’s Pink Floyd mixed with Zappa’s lyrics, grotesque backing vocals and sound effects, led by the kazoo, or the “farty horn” as we’d say at home. “Anyway The Wind Blows” sounds like a sort of parody of The Beach Boys and is one more proof of Frank’s boundless cynicism toward the music scene of the day. “Trouble Every Day”, meanwhile, sounds like a grotesque parody of hillbilly rock with harmonica in the background. In the second part of the album, Zappa drops the pop structures and focuses on musique concrète, unmelodic dissonance, constantly shifting rhythms and studio sound effects. On the notorious “It Can’t Happen Here”, Zappa & co. vent to their hearts’ content at the expense of the small-mindedness of the American Midwest. With supremely witty backing-vocal acrobatics, they play around with elements of musique concrète. Here, in the lyrics and especially in the numerous narrations, Zappa lets off steam for the first time on a fictional character who would show up on his later works too. Suzy Creamcheese is Zappa’s portrait of a blonde Mormon girl who secretly became a groupie, and one of his many metaphors for showing American false morality. The closing madhouse is taken care of by the more than 12-minute “The Return Of the Son Of Monster Magnet”, an ultra-psychedelic orgy full of dissonant sound effects and grotesque backing vocals, covering humming, sobbing, shrieking, growling and mumbling by all sorts of animals, from peacocks and lions to monkeys, and even the American president, groupies and a few unidentified individuals. At the end comes a mass calling for Suzy Creamcheese, with even “Siberian hamsters” joining in (a quick vocal-overdubbing gag that would later become a favorite and frequent Zappa trick). If you weren’t shaking with laughter during the earlier tracks on the album, you’ll certainly be rolling on the floor at this grotesque and unexpected finale. One more thing that absolutely has to be pointed out about the album is the production, which is excellent for the 60s and confirms yet another of the many strengths of Frank’s albums.
“Freak Out!” is a groundbreaking album in many ways, both for Frank’s career and for rock music in general. The first concept album in history is now recognized as the grandfather of art rock, or the great-grandfather of progressive rock. It’s Zappa’s first project merging pop music with art music, in other words low and high musical culture. In it Zappa successfully plays with rock music clichés, spontaneously adds his own ideas and delivers the basic message: acceptance of difference and completely free individual expression. Zappa would spend most of his career developing and discovering new musical ideas, both musical and conceptual. But the cornerstone of his music was laid right here. Sure, Zappa went on to make far more sophisticated albums, but “Freak Out!” holds the blueprint for everything that followed in his incredibly colorful musical career. On top of that, few of Frank’s albums reflect the thrill of diverse expression so successfully. “Freak Out!” was, in many ways, a musical revolution. It’s the first example of art rock and, in my opinion, an album that no fan of experimental and progressive music should be without.
Lineup
Frank Zappa – vocals, guitar, harmonica, arranger, composer, conductor, cymbals, tambourine, orchestra
Plas Johnson – saxophone
Jimmy Carl Black – percussion, drums
Ray Collins – guitar, harmonica, cymbals, sound effects, tambourine, vocals, finger cymbals
Gene Estes – percussion
Roy Estrada – bass guitar, vocals, guitarron, soprano (vocals)
Elliot Ingber – guitar, rhythm guitar
Carol Kaye – bass guitar
Ruth Komanofff – percussion
John Rotella – percussion
Production
Tom Wilson
Tracklist
1. Hungry Freaks, Daddy? (3:27)
2. I Ain’t Got No Heart (2:30)
3. Who Are The Brain Police? (3:22)
4. Go Cry On Somebody Else’s Shoulder (3:31)
5. Motherly Love (2:45)
6. How Could I Be Such A Fool (2:12)
7. Wowie Zowie (2:45)
8. You Didn’t Try To Call Me (3:17)
9. Any Way The Wind Blows (2:52)
10. I’m Not Satisfied (2:37)
11. You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here (3:37)
12. Trouble Every Day (6:16)
13. Help I’m A Rock (8:37)
14. It Can’t Happen Here (3:56)
15. The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet (12:17)
Album length: 60:05
