Freak[ing Me] Out!

Overall Album Score: 9.4 out of 10

Freak out!

... Hey, isn't that a disco song? .... Yeah! That's a freaking disco song! ... When did this album come out? 1966?? ... Disco??? ... Um ... Wait. I'm going to listen to the album now and see what's up.

... Okay, I listened to it. Heh. This sure ain't disco! ... But this album sure is interesting. It's 60 minutes full of music! About half of them, I'd say, are fairly normal songs for 1966. (And when I say "normal," I mean they're psychedelic.) However, Zappa's vocal presentation of the song, often sounding like he's lackadaisically half-singing the songs, give them personality! This personality is oftentimes very funny (and the lyrics are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny) and ... hey! Is this the birthplace of comedy-rock? Anyway, these are excellent song in their own right! They could very well have been recorded by The Yardbirds or somebody, and they would have been among their best songs. Zappa writes all these songs. Him and his band (The Mothers of Invention) perform them exceedingly well. All the songs are entertaining and funny. ... Hey! I think we got ourselves a winner!

The other half of the album is full of do wop 50s songs (which, as I know Zappa, are fairly common for him) most of which are funnier than the 60s songs. And then there's a bunch of avant-garde songs. The pinnacle of the avant-garde appears at the end of this in "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet."

A great album! Zappa is awesome!

Overall Album Score: 9.4 out of 10 (A superb debut from one of rock's premier figures.)

Average Song Score: 9.3 (Highly experimental and highly enjoyable! ... You rarely ever run across anything like that!)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (It's a double-album, despite the fact that you can get it all on one CD, and it's deeeelicious.)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (Zappa is one talented dude. All of these songs are aesthetically delightful whether they are psychedelic pop, 50s rock or totally bizarre avant-garde stuff.)

Track Reviews

Hungy Freaks, Daddy 10/10

...The first EVER Frank Zappa song (that I'm reviewing). And, how on earth could I be happier? Here I am ... embarking on this adventure of reviewing more than 50 albums ... heck knows how many songs there is. And then there's bootlegs ... oh man ... (I probably won't be reviewing the bootlegs, so's you know.)

Let's talk about this song! It's actually accessible! The melody is very catchy ... but the whole thing is hardly generic. Very strangely instrumented (with eccentric instruments) and some really, really, really, really, really awesome guitar. And Zappa's lackadaisical (but goofy) voice is here in full form. Sweet! ... It's hard to believe that this was released in 1966! It does sound a bit ahead of its time.

I Ain't Got No Heart 10/10

Nice psychedellia! ... It sort of reminds me of The Doors ... and this is before The Doors, too! ... Zappa is awesome. The melody is very good. The lyrics are fun (employing the word "groovy"). Plus, it has this really weird bit at the end of it! How can you complain? Just a solid song. And enjoyable. Another clear 10!

Who Are the Brain Police? 8.5/10

...Perhaps the most memorable song on here ... just because I remember the line "Who Are the Brain Police" and it pops up in my mind every once in awhile! ... It's dreary and very slow-going though (accounting for the 8.5). It does traverse into some avant-garde in the middle of it. Purely evident of Zappa's eccentricism! ... This is a pretty good song for the psychedelic era. ... and it's still enjoyable (and completely weird) to this day!

Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder 9/10

...And after imitating some of the hippest psychedelia, here he goes and does something completely unhip and does a goofy 50s-pop song! ... The goofy part is the key bit. VERY goofy. ... There's a spoken-word part in this that sounds so dang lackadaisical that I can't help but snigger all throughout it!

Motherly Love 10/10

...Seriously a great psychedelic song... It might have been a hit back in 1966, but I'm not sure. I certainly should have been a hit, anyway! It sounds better than a lot of psychedelic hits I've heard back then. It has a good melody (as far as they go) with just the right amount of weirdness to it. And it's energetic! Woowooo!!!

How Could I See Such a Fool 9/10

Interesting ... orchestral-pop? ... Certainly following in the footsteps of The Beatles here, and he does a really nice job at it! Of course the melody lacks extreme hooks in it, but ... whoever cared about that? It's nice!

Wowie Zowie 9.5/10

It's a novelty-type song that's more interesting in terms of its silly lyrics than the actual melody (which is another goofy retread into 50s pop). Funny vocal performances! ... It's very goofy yet it's completely solid. ... Is this the birth of Dr. Demento?

You Didn't Try to Call Me 9/10

Another 50s pop song that's pretty good and catchy! And then it gets all orchestral and dramatic in the middle of the song. It's goofy, certainly, but it doesn't sacrifice melody or its solidness. Really, if you wanted to play these songs straight, they'd be perfectly enjoyable, too! ... Of course, they're better the way Zappa does them.

Anyway the Wind Blows 10/10

...Maybe one of the most normal-sounding songs on here? Another 50s rock song that's expertly written and very catchy. Plus, it's performed WONDERFULLY, and the orchestration is something to DIE FOR. ... Yup. This is another awesome "poppy" song from this album. NICEEEEEEE.

I'm Not Satisfied 9.5/10

The goof's back with that "YEAHHHHH" in the beginning of the song! ... This is another "more popular-type" psychedelic song .. Very nice for the era. Brilliantly written. Brilliantly performed. Quintessential Zappa.

You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here 8.5/10

...More of that weird psychedelic stuff. ... Funny lyrics ... interesting song ... that kazoo thing is back and being utterly silly.

Trouble Every Day 9.5/10

More of a rambling song. I enjoy the hippie groove! It was nicely done. The song breaks into a quasi-political thing (it's more of a joke, though). It's five minutes long and enjoyable throughout it. 'Nother great one. Even contains some really nice 'Lectric guitar solos. At least Zappa knows his gggeetarrrr.

Help, I'm a Rock 9/10

Hah! He's already making fun of Indian music! ... Zappa's rambling some jibberish in the foreground and ... instead of using a sitar, he's using his own voice! Then it turns into a more avant-garde thing ... (it was probably avant-garde from the very beginning. I just though it sounded like Indian music when it started.) This is really kinda silly, and it will probably inspire you to laugh out loud a few times (especially when Zappa starts rambling things). I don't know what's with the sex noises ... and then monkey noises, too. Um. Yet, it's a pretty good avante-garde song on its own feet. Hey! I only wish that The Velvet Underground were this good at it.

It Can't Happen Here 9/10

This is a strange talk-song. Very strange, experimental thing where most of this is sort of talk-sung! Anyway, this is my song because right away he says something about freaking out in Kansas! (... and ... as you might know ... that's where I live ...) And then he says something about freaking out in Minnesota. And then a weird avant-garde instrumental comes up. And then he says something about Washington D.C. and rambles stuff. And eventually, dialogue with Suzi Creamcheese starts. ... Leading to the next song.

The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet 18/20

Arguably, this is the most experimental song on here. It's more than 12 minutes long. It's sort of a normal hippie groove, but its made all weird with an oscillator noise, harpsichord pounding ... randomish piano chords ... and then the weird sex noises come back ... which turns into spooky screaming. Then the beat increases its pace ... and that's when it really starts to get crazy! ... This is a very insane, yet 100 percent interesting piece of avant-gardeism.

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