THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: FREAK OUT!

With this I will begin to explore the musical world of the American musicians Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention. Frank Zappa made a lot of interesting stuff and back in 1966 his band "The Mothers of Invention" made their first record "Freak out!". Fourty-eight years have passed since they recorded this and you understand quite fast how innovative these pioneers were. 1966 was some years before progressive rock was a known phenomenon. Though is this too intelligent and too weird to be a hippie record.

Frank Zappa plays guitar, harmonica, cymbals, tambourine, sings and orchestrates, Plas Johnson plays saxophone, Jimmy Carl Black percussion and drums, Ray Collins plays guitar, harmonica, cymbals, sound effects, tambourine, sings and plays finger cymbals, Gene Estes plays percussion, Roy Estrada plays bass, guitarron and sings, Elliot Ingber plays guitar, Carol Kaye plays bass and Ruth Komanoff and John Rotella plays percussion. Those were the musicians present on the record and probably they were satisfied with what they did.

The Mothers of Invention here plays music of many forms. One big input is a typical rock'n'roll form which is an ingredient here. Many songs are simple rock songs with a rich and stupid clothing. "Hungry Freaks, Daddy" sounds a little like "The Rolling Stones" but they joke a lot too(7/10). "I ain't got no heart" starts in a typical sixties sound, a powerful feeling too (7/10). "Who are the brain Police?" then is a dark and experimental spaced track(6/10) and "Go cry on somebody else's shoulder" is like a fifties pop song, with parodic sound effects(6/10). "Motherly love" is a rough rock song(6/10) and "How could I be such a fool" is a fine little poetic song(7/10). "Wowie Zowie" has a funny touch a funny little text but the song as whole is a little weird(6/10) and You didn't try to call me" has quite beautiful passages and inspirations from different locations(7/10) and "Anyway the wind blows" is catchy and perhaps the finest track on this record, I like it(8/10). "I'm not satisfied" continues quite average(6/10) and "You're probably wondering why I'm here" is a funny song with a glad abnd weird melody that I like(7/10). "Trouble every day" then is a bit boring but tough(5/10) and then come the experimental parts without bit interest for me. "Help, I'm a rock" feels quite improvised(3/10) just as "It can't happen here" with a lot of sound effects which I'm not very interested in(3/10) and the same is easy to hear in the last track "The Return of the son of monster Magnet" which is very experimental and kind of contains too much to be enjoyable. The sounds do not make me feel comfortable at at(2/10).

Over all is the record an interesting statement in a historical time and many songs are enjoyable even if I had heard to pick personal favourites. But it's a good debut album by Frank Zappa where you at least will find parts interesting. Three stars!