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

If you're someone like me-- practically two generations removed from the '60's and only ever hearing of Zappa in the context of "weird"-- do yourself a favor and check out We're Only In It For The Money right now. Yes, it's very weird, but in an infectious way, and is an absolutley inimitable tour de force of satircal charm... so long as you can stand a few freak-outs.

The music itself is very anacronistic, moving briskly through an eclectic parody of what sounds like a collection of '60's greatest hits. The musicianship is subtle but excellent, especially given the countless twists and turns of the tempo and dynamics. The tone is playful and manic, assisted by lots of psychedelic sound effects and electronic distortion-- which sounds great in this digital production.

The real show however, is the sardonic wit and style of Zappa, whose indictment of culture at the time is genuinly entertaining. You won't find any display's of his guitar virtuosity, but rather be constantly tickled by his lyrics and manipulated lyrics.

A unique master stroke of deep-nonsense.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 4 Lyrics/Vocals: 5 Style/Emotion/Replay: 5