Absolutely Free

Album by The Mothers of Invention
Absolutely Free
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 26, 1967 (1967-05-26)
RecordedNovember 15–18, 1966
March 6, 1967[1][2]
StudioTTG Studios, Los Angeles
Genre
  • Avant-garde rock[3]
  • avant-pop[4]
Length38:29
LabelVerve
ProducerTom Wilson
Frank Zappa chronology
Freak Out!
(1966) 		Absolutely Free
(1967) 		Lumpy Gravy
(1967)
The Mothers of Invention chronology
Freak Out!
(1966) 		Absolutely Free
(1967) 		We're Only in It for the Money
(1968)
Singles from Absolutely Free
  1. "Son of Suzy Creamcheese"
    Released: 1967
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
The Great Rock Discography8/10[7]
Kerrang![8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[9]
OndaRock9/10[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
Sputnikmusic5/5[12]
Uncut8/10 [13]
The Village VoiceB−[14]

Absolutely Free is the second album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on May 26, 1967, by Verve Records. Much like their 1966 debut Freak Out!, the album is a display of complex musical composition with political and social satire. The band had been augmented since Freak Out! by the addition of woodwinds player Bunk Gardner, keyboardist Don Preston, rhythm guitarist Jim Fielder, and drummer Billy Mundi; Fielder quit the group before the album was released, and his name was removed from the album credits.

Overview

The album's emphasis is on interconnected movements, as each side of the original vinyl LP comprises a mini-suite. It also features one of the most famous songs of frontman Frank Zappa's early career, "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", a track which has been described as a "condensed two-hour musical".[attribution needed][15]

In the book Necessity Is..., former Mothers of Invention band member Ray Collins said that Absolutely Free is probably his favorite of the classic Mothers albums.[16]

Versions

The UK-67 release (Verve VLP/SVLP 9174) came in a laminated flip-back cover, with a Mike Raven poem at the reverse that was not on any other issue.

The CD reissue adds, between sides one and two, two songs that were featured on a rare Verve single of the time. The songs from the single, "Why Dontcha Do Me Right?" (titled "Why Don't You Do Me Right" on the 45) and "Big Leg Emma", were both described as "an attempt to make dumb music to appeal to dumb teenagers".[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Frank Zappa

Side one: "Absolutely Free" (#1 in a Series of Underground Oratorios)
No.TitleLength
1."Plastic People"3:40
2."The Duke of Prunes"2:12
3."Amnesia Vivace"1:01
4."The Duke Regains His Chops"1:45
5."Call Any Vegetable"2:19
6."Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" (instrumental)6:57
7."Soft-Sell Conclusion"1:40
Total length:20:28
Side two: "The M.O.I. American Pageant" (#2 in a Series of Underground Oratorios)
No.TitleLength
1."America Drinks"1:52
2."Status Back Baby"2:52
3."Uncle Bernie's Farm"2:09
4."Son of Suzy Creamcheese"1:33
5."Brown Shoes Don't Make It"7:26
6."America Drinks & Goes Home"2:43
Total length:19:23
2017 Reissue Bonus Record
No.TitleLength
1."Absolutely Free Radio Ad #1"1:01
2."Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?"2:39
3."Big Leg Emma"2:32
4."Absolutely Free Radio Ad #2"1:01
5."Glutton for Punishment..."0:24
6."America Drinks (1969 Re-Mix)"1:55
7."Brown Shoes Don't Make It (1969 Re-Mix)"7:27
8."America Drinks & Go Home (1969 Re-Mix)"2:42
CD Reissue
No.TitleLength
1."Plastic People"3:42
2."The Duke of Prunes"2:13
3."Amnesia Vivace"1:01
4."The Duke Regains His Chops"1:52
5."Call Any Vegetable"2:15
6."Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin"7:00
7."Soft-Sell Conclusion"1:40
8."Big Leg Emma"2:31
9."Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?"2:37
10."America Drinks"1:53
11."Status Back Baby"2:54
12."Uncle Bernie's Farm"2:10
13."Son of Suzy Creamcheese"1:34
14."Brown Shoes Don't Make It"7:30
15."America Drinks & Goes Home"2:45

Personnel

The Mothers of Invention

Additional musicians

  • Suzy Creamcheese (Lisa Cohen) – vocals on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • John Balkin – bass on "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" and "America Drinks"
  • Jim Getzoff – violin on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • Marshall Sosson – violin on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • Alvin Dinkin – viola on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • Armand Kaproff – cello on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • Don Ellis – trumpet on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • John Rotella – contrabass clarinet on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
  • Herb Cohen – cash register machine sounds on "America Drinks & Goes Home"
  • Terry Gilliam, girlfriend and others – voices in "America Drinks & Goes Home"
Note

(Jim Sherwood was credited as a member of The Mothers on the album's original release, but he actually joined the band during the recording of We're Only in It for the Money, and he isn't featured on this album.)

Production

  • Frank Zappa – producer, arranger, layout design, cover art, collage, liner notes
  • Tom Wilson – producer
  • Val Valentin – director of engineering
  • Ami Hadani – engineer
  • David Greene – remixing
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Ferenc Dobronyi – cover design
  • Cal Schenkel – cover design
  • Alice Ochs – cover photo, artwork
  • Jerry Deiter – photography

Charts

Year Chart Position
1967 Billboard 200 41

References

  1. ^ "FZ Chronology 1965-69". Donlope. 2001. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Ulrich, Charles (May 13, 2018). The Big Note: A Guide to the Recordings of Frank Zappa. New Star Books. ISBN 1-554201-46-2.
  3. ^ Reed, Ryan (4 July 2020). "Top 25 American Classic Rock Bands of the '60s". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  4. ^ Grimstad, Paul (September 2007). "What is Avant-Pop?". Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  5. ^ Huey, Steve. "Absolutely Free – The Mothers of Invention". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin (2002). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  7. ^ Strong, Martin C. (1998). The Great Rock Discography (1st ed.). Canongate Books. ISBN 978-0-86241-827-4.
  8. ^ Henderson, Paul (28 January 1989). "Slippery Customers". Kerrang!. No. 223. p. 18. ISSN 0262-6624.
  9. ^ Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
  10. ^ Marchini, Massimo. "Frank Zappa". OndaRock (in Italian). Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  11. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Frank Zappa". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). London: Fireside Books. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  12. ^ jimmy, praise (26 May 2013). "Review: The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  13. ^ Cavanagh, David. "Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention reissues". uncut.co.uk. Uncut. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  14. ^ Christgau, Robert (20 December 1976). "Christgau's Consumer Guide to 1967". The Village Voice. New York. p. 69. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  15. ^ Couture, François. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It - The Mothers of Invention,Frank Zappa | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  16. ^ James, Billy (2002). Necessity Is: The Early Years of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. p. 51. ISBN 9780946719518.
  17. ^ Keeley, Matt (3 December 2018). "Frank Zappa and the Mothers' 'Absolutely Free' Finds a Way Around the Sophomore Slump". Kittysneezes. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020.

External links

  • Lyrics and information
  • Release details
  • "The Meaning of Cordovans" reporter Hugh Sidey recalls the event when he saw Lyndon B. Johnson wearing the wrong shoes
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