Track Listing 1. Plastic People 2. Duke of Prunes, The 3. Amnesia Vivace 4. Duke Regains His Chops, The 5. Call Any Vegetable 6. Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin 7. Soft-Sell Conclusion 8. Big Leg Emma 9. Why Don'tcha Do Me Right? 10. America Drinks 11. Status Back Baby 12. Uncle Bernie's Farm 13. Son of Suzy Creamcheese 14. Brown Shoes Don't Make It 15. America Drinks & Goes Home
| Details | | Playing Time: | 43 min. | | Producer: | Tom Wilson | | Distributor: | Ryko Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | AAD |
Album Notes Full performer name: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention. Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention: Frank Zappa (guitar, vocals); Ray Collins (vocals); Bunk Gardner (saxophone); Don Preston (keyboards, vocals); Roy Estrada (bass, vocals); Jimmy Carl Black, Billy Mundi (drums, percussion, vocals). This package contains the complete libretto (clean American version), plus two additional tracks not included on the original release. Before becoming obsessed with sex, politics and the Synclavier, Frank Zappa was a performer of great whimsy, who here, on his second album, was singing about such topics as fruits and vegetables while also displaying a developing critical attitude toward American social mores. Dense with musical references from "Louie Louie" to Holst's "The Planets," ABSOLUTELY FREE is a testament to the young Zappa's awesome musical breadth. These Mothers of Invention lack the precision of Zappa's later combos, but give a firm R&B grounding to his experimentation. ABSOLUTELY FREE includes the classic "Brown Shoes Don't Make It," a biting parody of suburban American values, along with forgotten masterpieces like "Call Any Vegetable," a tune pointing out the ease with which we can become in tune with our little green buddies.
Editorial Reviews 4 Stars - Excellent - A pair of side-long 'underground oratorios' crystallising Zappa's life themes--the corruptions of materialism, the vacuity of modern culture, the value of vegetables--and his technique, montaging ham-fisted mock opera with puerile bubblegum and a jazz-rock that writhes with exhilaration... Q (08/01/1995)
Down Beat 3 Stars - Good
Option Recommended
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