THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: FREAK OUT!

In my opinion June 27 1966 is the date when prog rock for the first time was revealed to the public. It was the date when Freak Out! was released. While still being influenced by contemporary music Zappa still created some dangerous far out music that would haunt him the rest of his career. Just that fact that his debut was a concept double album tells a lot about the album and the man behind it.

But beside the album being so special it also contains a great number of excellent tunes. From the fuzzy guitar opening of Hungry Freaks, Daddy to the weird 12+ minute closing song The Return of the Son of Monsters Magnet the album is pretty consistent. Some of my favorites are the psychedelic Who are the Brain Police, the doo wop inspired Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder, the quirky I'm Not Satisfied and the lyrically spot-on Trouble Every Day.

So while perhaps not the best prog album ever it was the first and therefore I think it belongs in every prog lovers collection.