THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: WE'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY

This is my favourite Zappa album, despite Freak Out! being acclaimed as more important. I saw this album in shops when it was released, and must admit the cover deterred me from buying it, although I already had Chunga's Revenge which I loved. But in this country (New Zealand) the cover was not gatefold, did not show the Sgt. Pepper parody, only the weird and party cross-dressed musicians, whose creativity and expertise was not apparent from their bizarre appearance. I was familiar with several of the tracks in later years, having compilations such as Mother's day etc. When I finally got a good original US pressing of this record in about 1991, I could fully appreciate the album as a cohesive whole. I love the flow of it, there is little deviation from a hard-hitting pastiche of human frailty, satire mixed with tragedy and comedy. The songs are sometimes clever pop/rock- Flower Punk, Absolutely Free, Mother People, sometimes experimental- Chrome Plated Megaphone and Nasal Retentive Calliope Music, and other hard to define genres of Zappa output. What gets me about this album, is that it is one album I love to listen to, from cover to cover. It really takes me on a trip that unveils a poetic beauty reminiscent of Kerouac's writing about America. It also is partly about the Love generation. Another thing, which seems rare in Frank Zappa music(perhaps the only other example I can think of is Uncle Remus), I find some parts of this album very touching. Idiot Bastard Son, for example, and parts of the instrumental pieces. Seems strange that the intellectual, satirical, politically active Frank, could actually write some very poignant, sensitive music. Anyway that's my take on it. I recommend it as one of the most important, if not the most important album that he made.