Absolutely Free

Absolutely Free is a music album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. It appeared in 1967 on the Verve label and is attributed to the progressive rock genre. The album is musically complex than its predecessor Freak Out!, Has hitherto unheard sound experiments and collages in abundance and exerts ironic and satirical critique of political and social developments.

  • 2.1 Title List
  • 2.2 Meaning
  • 3.1 criticism
  • 3.2 Achievements
  • 3.3 Publications

Staff

The Mothers of Invention

Production

  • Producer: Tom Wilson
  • Sound engineers: Val Valentine, Ami Hadani, David Greene
  • Cover Design: Frank Zappa
  • Cover photo: Alice Ochs

Content

Title list

All compositions are by Frank Zappa.

Oratory No. 1 " Absolutely Free ":

Mothers - Single (1967 ) bonus tracks on the CD re-release:

Oratory No. 2 "The m.o.i. American Pageant ":

Importance

When the pieces of Absolutely Free are excerpts from the rock musical " Pigs and Repugnant: Absolutely Free" (pigs and creeps: Fully free), which is about half a year several times, playing the Mothers day in New York's Garrick Theatre. Compared to the debut album Freak Out! is the musical events of complex and evocative. No less than ten of the 15 tracks included musical quotations. Particularly common are passages from pieces Igor Stravinsky, namely from " Le sacre du printemps ", " L' oiseau de feu " ( from the "Firebird Suite" ) and from the ballet " Petrushka ". From classical climes comes also the quote from "Jupiter: The Bringer Of Jollity " "The Planets " by Gustav Holst time of his life from Orchestral Suite particularly frequently - on its record releases 22 times - quoting Zappa an R & B classics from the late 1950s years: " Louie Louie " by Richard Berry & The Pharaohs. More to be played R & B and soul hits are " Duke Of Earl " by Eugene Dixon aka Gene Chandler, " Baby Love " by The Supremes, "Little Sally Walker " by Don & Dewey or " Little Deuce Coupe " by the De - Fenders. In " Soft -Sell Conclusion " the soprano saxophone attacks the tune of " God Bless America " on the vocals right, " America The Beautiful " and the bass quotes the march "Marine 's Hymn ". Other well-known tunes that are taken up briefly, are "Entry Of The Gladiators " by Julius Fučík and " White Christmas" by Irving Berlin, which this has for the film "Holiday Inn" written and Bing Crosby in 1942 announced.

In terms of technical production, the album was created with an effort that " at the time his peers sought " judged rock journalist Volker Rebell; Examples are solely responsible for the atmospheric background of satire "America Drinks & Goes Home " four different event levels have been carefully interleaved with each other. (p. 259f ) for his musical collages Zappa used intensively sound snippets, sound experiments, snippets of conversation, music fragments, passages with the layered solos of various instruments or rhythmically complex structures he zusammenwob ironic.

On the text layer the album follows on from the album Freak Out! Offered at: Satirical, ironic and sometimes even cynically commented on the Mothers the American Way of Life. The design of plastic as a symbol of the increasing artificiality in the age of technology and the loss of naturalness is picked up several times. In " Uncle Bernie's Farm " the United States can be characterized as a country that is governed by a president and a plastic Plasik Congress. In the song " Plastic People" is first on plastic make-up ( "plastic goo ", literally plastic goo ) and plastic teenagers on Sunset Boulevard referred to finally address the audience directly: " Go home and check yourself / You think we're talking about someone else " ( go home and check yourself - do you think we are talking about someone else ). Indirectly represent the Mothers aware of their own authenticity in question and eventually raise fears that in the "plastic society" of the United States no longer be true love ("I know true love can never be / A product of plasticity " ) is possible.

Absolutely Free contains Zappa-/Mothers-Klassiker how the pieces "Plastic People ", " Call Any Vegetable " or the mini- musical " Brown Shoes Do not Make It".

Another special feature: Absolutely Free appeared without title track. Zappa had omitted the title upset after the record company had halved the production budget compared to the debut album. (P. 41)

Reception

Criticism

The American music journalist Robert Christgau saw in a Absolutely Free " moderately amusing novelties - record". Although he praised "real pop musician who consider the other side", but the album was "far too evident in his satire, announce with harmonies and tempo changes, the Yes and Jethro Tull ." In the judgment of Zappa 's biographers Barry Miles to criticism and praise mingled. When Zappa in the song " Plastic People" hippie protesters denounced as "plastic people ", so many fans have asked "what Zappa it this time wanted from them." On the other hand, praised Miles, among others, the piece "Brown Shoes Do not Make It" as a " masterpiece ", the " Zappa in top form " show. (P. 161f )

The German journalist Volker Rebell highlighted the musical complexity of the album, the density of its thematic structure, the comprehensive range of the cited musical styles and the Zappa further perfected technique of musical collage. Rebel is also reflected the breadth former reactions to the live shows of the Mothers in the Garrick Theatre in the example of two American media. On the one hand have a ( undisclosed ) Leaf these appearances - in flagrant reference to the Lakehurst disaster - dismissed as " largest gathering of hot air since Hindenburg times" flat rate. On the other hand, the New York Post was less blanket in their judgment. After enumerating details from the show - " miniberockte number Girls, psychedelic light shows, plenty Fäkalspäße and emetic humor, attacks against Ronald Reagan, parodies the Supremes, superficial knowledge of Stravinsky ... " - judge the reviewer: " Nevertheless, the music and the can the musicians brilliantly to great - fantastic. "(p. 259f ) from the perspective of Sparifankal co-founder, writer and journalist Carl -Ludwig Reichert offered album content " nothing new ", even when the music " played exciting " was. Reichert concluded: " For many, the [ album 's note ] was already too far away from the Underground. " (P. 41)

Achievements

How often the case with albums by Frank Zappa and Mothers, refused most American radio stations to play pieces of Absolutely Free. Nevertheless, the album climbed into the U.S. charts at position 41 - the tenth- best ranking ever achieved an album of Frank Zappa.

Publications

The album had become a sought-after collector's item. Even in the days of vinyl records, there were several official reissues. Even Black Copier wanted by the demand and profit brought the first release as a bootleg on the market. Also available on CD it was - brought out three times - almost 20 years after the first publication. The following overview highlights key differentiators of the album versions.

  • In America, the UK and Australia, the LP was originally in mono and stereo versions with gatefold covers on the market. In Britain, the stereo version had a simple Einsteckhülle.
  • In Germany and France, the album was released only in the stereo version, the French edition had a simple Einsteckhülle, the rear of which also differed by a live photo of the other issues.
  • In the UK published in 1972 an LP re-release, this time with gatefold cover. Also known is a re-release with white MGM label that came on the market 1972-1975.
  • As with the album Freak Out! there was also a facsimile of Absolutely Free LP bootleg, which corresponded with poorer technical quality in the presentation of American first publication.
  • The last re-release on LP was released in 1985, as Barking Pumpkin Records brought out the first Old Masters box.
  • For the first time on CD the album appeared in 1989 Rykodisc ( U.S. market ), Zappa Records (Europe) and Vack (Japan). Other CD releases followed in 1995 on Rykodisc and Vack. Last appeared in Japan in 2001 on Rykodisc / Vack a CD version of Absolutely Free with cardboard cover.
  • The single " Why Do not You Do Me Right" / "Big Leg Emma" was released in late 1967 on the Verve label. Both pieces are originally not from the album, however, are as bonus tracks part of all CD reissues.
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