THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: ABSOLUTELY FREE

It's hard to over state the crucial importance of this LP in the development of "progressive rock." It's one of the very first LP's where the songs flow together in a coherent "album" structure, in fact it does so much more effectively than "Sgt. Pepper". And musically, I think it's fair to say the Mothers jazz/classical/rock fusion was far, far more influential on the development of prog than the acclaimed Beatles album.

Each side of the record works as an extended suite. Side one is mainly about plastic and vegetables, but uses these as metaphors for society. Side two is more blatantly "political", culminating in the epic "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", which is one of Zappa's most outstanding and controversial compositions. I can't believe anyone was willing to release it back in 1967! In it's own way it's just as extreme as the taboo subject matter the Velvet Underground was singing about at the time (teenage girls having sex with middle aged politicians! And "doing a nasty on the Whitehouse lawn!") "America Drinks" is another highlight, a very compelling jazzlike tune delivered in two versions -- first offbeat, later in a droll bar band arrangement (the latter version a fine example of Zappa's advanced editing and mixing techniques.)

One of Zappa's absolute best, essential listening!!!