Know Your Mothers (review) + News!

A Confession: I do not care for Frank Zappa. In fact, for many years I loathed both the man and the music. Why? Good question. I've always had a profound respect for his talent for mind-numbing electric freakouts and classical composition, but joke albums like Sheik Yerbouti and Apostrophe*/Overnight Sensation are about as appealing to me as hearing Paris Hilton "perform" a duet with Carlos Santana while sodomizing Weird Al Yankovic with a strap-on dildo. Fuck Carlos Santana!

But I digress...

We're Only In It For the Money by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention was the album that would forever alter my opinion of Zappa; an album so ahead of it's time, and so scathing in it's indictments of the love generation, the Beatles, and the Brain Police, that it practically presents itself as an alternative version of History as we've been led to believe. People often wonder why the dreams of the 60's died. Recorded in 1968, We're Only In It For the Money answers that question in a bold fashion- presenting itself as the ugly antithesis of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Police murdering helpless hippies in cold blood, secret concentration camps on the Moon, and the cash-grab commercialization of "psychedelic truth"- themes of fascist oppression and capitalist exploitation provide the basis for Zappa's deconstructive thesis statement. The second half of the album provides a hopeful alternative to what Zappa sees as being the cruel and meaningless void North American society was becoming via increased State sponsored violence, substance abuse, and the exploitation of art and sexuality. This message is particularly embodied in the surrealist doo-wop of "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" which segues into a reprise of "What's The Ugliest Part of Your Body?" to which Zappa answers frankly- your mind.

I realize at this point I've said nothing of the music, which is beyond eclectic. While there are several points in the album that will warrant repeat listening on their own, at 35 minutes, We're Only In It For the Money is a record to be experienced from start to finish. Over the course of barely a half-hour, Zappa & The Mothers satirize The Beatles' bloated pretensions, their dream pop sound, and studio gimmickry with irreverence, ingenuity, noise, and real rock'n'roll spirit.

Highly recommended.

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And in the news today...

I just read on TinyMixTapes that Sean Lennon is finally coming out with a proper follow-up to his near-classic, Into the Sun. And yes, Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda will be appearing as a guest musician. The album, Friendly Fire, will be released September 26th on Capitol Records.

Which brings me to my next daily digression...

There are a lot of fucking great records coming out in the fall of 2006!

Seriously. This year began with such a slump, and now it seems as if every band worth hearing is coming out with a new record between now and the end of the year. Danielson, you had better watch yourself, or you might just find yourself shipwrecked on my Best of 2006 list.
Which really, only means I'll have to spend more of my precious income on cds. Nooooooooooooooooooo!
Yessssssssssssssssssssssss!

Peace Everybody
-C$