This album's emphasis is on interconnected movements, every bit each side of the original vinyl LP comprises a mini-suite. It too features i of the most famous songs of Zappa's early on career, "Brown Shoes Don't Make It," a rail which has been described every bit a "condensed two-hour musical".
In the mass Necessity Is..., one-time Mothers of Invention band fellow member Ray Collins said that Absolutely Free is belike his favorite of the classic Mothers albums. This is Official Release #2.
The championship of "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" was inspired yesteryear an trial covered yesteryear Time reporter Hugh Sidey inwards 1966. The reporter correctly guessed something was upwardly when the fastidiously dressed President Lyndon B. Johnson made the fashion simulated pas of wearing brownish shoes alongside a grayness suit. LBJ flew to Vietnam for a surprise world relations see afterward that day.
In the songs "America Drinks together with Goes Home" together with "America Drinks", Zappa combines a empty-headed tune alongside nightclub audio effects to parody his experiences playing alongside drunken bar bands during the early on 1960s. Other songs recorded shortly after that used the same kinds of ideas include "On alongside the Show" yesteryear The Rolling Stones (released inwards 1967), "My Friend" yesteryear Jimi Hendrix (recorded inwards 1968, released inwards 1971) together with "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" yesteryear The Beatles (recorded inwards 1967 together with 1969, released inwards 1970).
"Plastic People" begins alongside a mock introduction of the President of the United States, who (along alongside his wife) tin exclusively recite the opening notes to "Louie, Louie". "Louie, Louie" is frequently interpolated inwards Zappa's compositions (other examples seem inwards the Uncle Meat together with Yellow Shark albums, amid others), together with when Zappa foremost began performing "Plastic People" unopen to 1965, the words were ready to the tune of "Louie, Louie".
It is non odd to honour melodies or scores from other composers inside the music of Frank Zappa. Absolutely Free is total of musical references to other compositions together with artists, including Igor Stravinsky.
For example, "Amnesia Vivace" begins alongside a collage of quotations from Stravinsky ballets: first, the band plays the "Ritual Action of the Ancestors" from The Rite of Spring, Part II; together with hence harpsichord together with chattering voices evoke the pounding Dance of the Adolescents inwards Part I, over which sax together with Zappa's vocalisation start quoting the bassoon tune at the real opening of the Rite together with happen into the lyrical Berceuse (also for bassoon) at the terminate of Stravinsky's The Firebird. The opening sequence of Petrouchka is quoted inwards the middle department of "Status Back Baby". "Soft-Sell Conclusion" ends alongside a version of the trombone tune that opens Stravinsky's "Marche Royale" from A Soldier's Tale.
The "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin", inwards the start of the saxophone solo (first cadence) quotes the trio straight from the 4th displace of Gustav Holst's The Planets, Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.
The tune to "The Duke of Prunes" is the dearest subject from Zappa's ain cinema grade to Run Home Slow.
Frank Zappa's liner notes for Freak Out! name-checked an enormous breadth of musical together with intellectual influences, together with he seemingly attempts to concealment them all on the 2nd Mothers of Invention album, Absolutely Free. Leaping from manner to manner without warning, the album has a freewheeling, almost schizophrenic quality, encompassing everything from complex mutations of "Louie, Louie" to jazz improvisations together with quotes from Stravinsky's Petrushka. It's made possible non exclusively yesteryear expanded instrumentation, exactly too Zappa's experiments alongside tape manipulation together with abrupt editing, culminating inwards an orchestrated mini-rock opera ("Brown Shoes Don't Make It") whose musical manner shifts every few lines, frequently inwards accordance alongside the lyrical content. In general, the lyrics hither are to a greater extent than given over to absurdity together with non sequiturs, alongside the feel that they're frequently business office of some soul framework of satirical symbols. But elsewhere, Zappa's satire too grows to a greater extent than explicitly social, ranting against commercial consumer civilization together with related themes of artificiality together with conformity. By turns hilarious, inscrutable, together with virtuosically complex, Absolutely Free is to a greater extent than hard to brand feel of than Freak Out!, partly because it lacks that album's careful pacing together with conceptual focus. But fifty-fifty if it isn't quite fully realized, Absolutely Free is however a fabulously inventive record, bursting at the seams alongside ideas that would coalesce into a masterpiece alongside Zappa's adjacent project.
When next upwardly a groovy debut, a band has to lead hold inwards consideration to non brand a rehash of the previous album. They too postulate to brand a tape that is capable of bettering the debut, which for most groups, is a hard feat. For The Mothers of Invention, the latter was non a work at all. In 1967, the magnificent follow-up to “Freak Out!” was released. Known every bit “Absolutely Free”, this tape takes all the elements from “Freak Out!” together with expands on it, exactly inwards a to a greater extent than condensed form.
With the improvements acquaint on “Absolutely Free”, it would live incorporated into 2 suites, “Absolutely Free” together with “The M.O.I. American Pageant”, both movements inwards “Underground Oratorios”. The foremost side, a zany suite consisting of songs dealing alongside the “Duke of Prunes”, showcasing Zappa’s composing skills, makes for an entertaining listen, together with from the foremost listen, is highly accessible. Side 2 is practically The Mothers playing inwards a bar, which from the start you lot tin run into a visual of sitting inwards a dimly-lit bar, fogged upwardly alongside cigarette smoke piece watching the bar band play their music for a few bucks.
The role of nightclub audio effects inwards the suite would live highly influential together with would live used over the years yesteryear artists such every bit Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, together with The Beatles. Also inwards the suite is i of Zappa’s well-known tunes, “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It”. The rail begins alongside an assail on the media together with American society, afterward transitioning to a bizarre tale of a metropolis official fantasizing virtually sexual intercourse alongside a minor. “America Drinks & Goes Home” ends the album perfectly: inwards absolute chaos. And for posterity, “Big Leg Emma” together with “Why Don’tcha Do Me Right?”, both extras on the reissue together with originally a single, are both decent, exactly lead hold no house on “Absolutely Free”. It’s unfortunate they were never released on an official album despite it called “a dumb elbow grease to brand dumb music to appeal to dumb teenagers”.
So, when searching for a foremost Zappa/Mothers tape to head to, banking corporation fit out “Absolutely Free”, it’ll live certain to larn a express mirth or 2 out of you lot together with maintain you lot entertained for the adjacent xl minutes. It’s Absolutely Perfect.
Tracks Listing
01. Plastic People (3:40)
02. The Duke Of Prunes (2:12)
03. Amnesia Vivace (1:01)
04. The Duke Regains His Chops (1:45)
05. Call Any Vegetable (2:19)
06. Invocation & Ritual Dance Of The Young Pumpkin (6:57)
07. Soft-Sell Conclusion & Ending Of Side #1 (1:40)
08. Big Leg Emma (2:32)
09. Why Don'tcha Do Me Right? (2:37)
10. America Drinks (1:52)
11. Status Back Baby (2:52)
12. Uncle Bernie's Farm (2:09)
13. Son Of Suzy Creamcheese (1:33)
14. Brown Shoes Don't Make It (7:26)
15. America Drinks & Goes Home (2:43)
Line-up / Musicians
- Frank Zappa / guitar, vocals, conductor, arranger & co-producer
- Ray Collins / vocals, tambourine
- Roy Estrada / bass, vocals
- Don Preston / keyboards
- Jim Fielder / guitar, piano
- Bunk Gardner / saxophone
- Jim Black / drums, vocals
- Bill Mundi / drums, percussion
With:
- Suzy Creamcheese (Lisa Cohen) / vocals (14)
- John Balkin / bass (6,10)
- Jim Getzoff / violin (14)
- Marshall Sosson / violin (14)
- Alvin Dinkin / viola (14)
- Armand Kaproff / cello (14)
- Don Ellis / trumpet (14)
- John Rotella / contrabass clarinet (14)
- Herb Cohen / cash register machine sounds (15)
- Terry Gilliam, girl together with others / voices (15)
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