Record Reviews

FRANK ZAPPA ~ WE`RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY ZAPPA 3837 (Barcode: 824302383728) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1967 Released: 2012 This is a reissue / remaster of the 4th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released originally in 1968. The music was recorded at several studios during 1967 and Zappa considered this album as part of an organic music stream, which also includes also the albums “Lumpy GravyFind albums with this title”, “Cruising With Ruben & The JetsFind albums with this title” and “Uncle MeatFind albums with this title”, collectively known as the "No Commercial Potential" project. The album presents nineteen tracks, all composed by Zappa. The lineup, in addition to Zappa on guitar and vocals, includes members of the then current version of Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalists / bassist Roy EstradaFind albums by this artist, drummers Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Billy MundiFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, woodwinds player Bunk GardnerFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Jim SherwoodFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don PrestonFind albums by this artist and many other people adding minor contributions The album presents a comic / bitterly satirical view of American politics (both left and right wing), society and music business. The album’s cover, which of course is a parody of The BeatlesFind albums by this artist “Sgt. Pepper`s Lonely Heart Club BandFind albums with this title” album cover as well as the album’s title, which coined a catchphrase still bitterly actual today, are all manifestation of Zappa’s view of our world, which remains sadly somewhat naïve in comparison to what we experience today. Musically the album is a zany amalgam of Pop, Rock Psychedelia, Contemporary Classical Music and Avant-Garde Rock, with spoken word collages and beautiful melodies here in there, completely Zappaesque and incomparable to anything done at the time and since. Zappa applied unprecedented studio trickery, so advanced that it’s considered a wizardry, even with today computerized studio technology. Overall, although this music is now over fifty-five years old, it sounds as fresh as it did when first heard and lost absolutely nothing of its power and everlasting beauty. This album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 22/09/2022Posted: 18/02/2022

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend