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

* my first Zappa review *

It's always nice when colleagues are willing to donate their vinyl record collection to a student like me. To find two vinyls of Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention in those old boxes full of dusty vinyls is like hitting the jack-pot. I hadn't heard many Frank Zappa music, only Weasels Ripped my Flesh once at my brothers.

The cover-artwork of this 'We're only in it for the Money' is an attempt to criticize the Beatles. The composition of all parts of the fold-out cover is exactly the same as that of 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts club Band'. Very strange...

This '68 record is truly progressive as in 'innovative'. The album is extremely psychedelic with avant-garde like noises and bizarre song-writing. The vocals are always strange and never serious. Still this has a very likable effect and it's damn catchy. Exploring the possibilities of strange vocals is a key-element of this album. The composition is very progressive and has many new harmonies, great experimental rhythms and many different sounds. The style of the music goes from bizarre Canterbury to silly pop, with strange lyrics being the only factor that remains throughout the record. That the Mothers would evoke what would later become the Canterbury-style prog was a surprise for me. Listening to this record, it is has become clear where bands like Soft Machine, early Pink Floyd, Supersister and The United States of America got their inspiration. These early albums of Frank Zappa and crew are clearly very important for other musicians to feel free and go out and explore.

Conclusion. Well, this is one of the strongest and most progressive albums of 1968. In fact, the only record I would rate higher is that of The Unites States of America. We're Only in it for the Money is a very likable record, but the great amount of strange noised (mainly on side two of the record) still disturbs me at times. The recording is good for it's year of release. I will go with the strong four-star rating. Recommend to fans of psychedelic rock, avant-garde and Canterbury styled prog. Furthermore, it is essential to understand the progressive genre.

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