THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: FREAK OUT!

(Considering this an album by THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION and not a FRANK ZAPPA album)

"Freak out!" was published in July 1966, much earlier than the considered first records of Progressive or even Psychedelic Rock; Frank ZAPPA founded this group in L.A. with a bunch of very talented musicians who shared his weird sense of humor and collaborated in creating this weird album. The style of THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION was different from anything launched by any Rock band ever: yes, the record has a strong "resemblance" (or maybe it was a shameless parody) to some Rock/Pop bands from the first half of the sixties, but in a very original way of mixing this vintage sometimes Rockabilly, sometimes even Surf Rock with a very interesting variety of original lyrics filled with comedy and a very elegant collection of musical arrangements in the background (violins, cellos, trumpets, tubas and some other musical instruments that weren't so usual in Rock music yet).

It is well known that Frank ZAPPA had immense creativity in composing music, with a huge influence of Edgard VARESE and Igor STRAVINSKY, and even when those influences had much more presence in future MOTHERS and ZAPPA solo albums than in "Freak Out!"; what I like the most about "Freak out!" is that it is not Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Jazz Rock, Pop Rock or Symphonic Rock, this was something absolutely different to any kind of music before and after.

Probably the most experimental part of the record is the second LP, while the 11 songs in the first record could seem silly and with influence in Pop Music, after "Trouble every day" everything turns extremely experimental and bizarre, especially in the 12-minute closing track "The return of the son of Monster Magnet", absolutely original for those times.

Probably not an indispensable record but definitely an extremely interesting and unique one.

SONG RATING: Hungry freaks, daddy, 4 I ain't got no heart, 3 Who are the brain police? 4 Go cry on somebody else's shoulder, 3 Motherly love, 4 How could I be such a fool? 4 Wowie Zowie, 4 You didn't try to call me, 3 Any way the wind blows, 4 I'm not satisfied, 4 You're probably wondering why I'm here, 4 Trouble every day, 5 Help, I'm a rock, 5 It can't happen here, 5 The return of the son of Monster Magnet, 5

AVERAGE: 4.07

PERCENTAGE: 81.33

ALBUM RATING: 4 stars

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