We're Only in It for the Money

by Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention

Overview

From the beginning, Frank Zappa cultivated a role as voice of the freaks -- imaginative outsiders who didn't fit comfortably into any group. We're Only in It for the Money is the ultimate expression of that sensibility, a satirical masterpiece that simultaneously skewered the hippies and the straights as prisoners of the same narrow-minded, superficial phoniness. Zappa's barbs were vicious and perceptive, and not just humorously so: his seemingly paranoid vision of authoritarian violence against the counterculture was borne out two years later by the Kent State killings. Like Freak Out, We're Only in It for the Money essentially devotes its first half to satire, and its second half to presenting alternatives. Despite some specific references, the first-half suite is still wickedly funny, since its targets remain immediately recognizable. The second half shows where his sympathies lie, with character sketches of Zappa's real-life freak acquaintances, a carefree utopia in "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance," and the strident, unironic protest "Mother People." Regardless of how dark the subject matter, there's a pervasively surreal, whimsical flavor to the music, sort of like Sgt. Pepper as a creepy nightmare. Some of the instruments and most of the vocals have been manipulated to produce odd textures and cartoonish voices; most songs are abbreviated, segue into others through edited snippets of music and dialogue, or are broken into fragments by more snippets, consistently interrupting the album's continuity. Compositionally, though, the music reveals itself as exceptionally strong, and Zappa's politics and satirical instinct have rarely been so focused and relevant, making We're Only in It for the Money quite probably his greatest achievement. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	12/09/2016
Label:	Zappa Records
UPC:	0824302383711
Rank:	23398

Tracks

1. Are You Hung Up?
2. Who Needs the Peace Corps?
3. Concentration Moon
4. Mom & Dad
5. Telephone Conversation
6. Bow Tie Daddy
7. Harry, You're a Beast
8. What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?
9. Absolutely Free
10. Flower Punk
11. Hot Poop
12. Nasal Retentive Calliope Music
13. Let's Make the Water Turn Black
14. The Idiot Bastard Son
15. Lonely Little Girl
16. Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance
17. What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?
18. Mother People
19. The Chrome Plated Megaphon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Mothers of Invention   Primary Artist
Frank Zappa   Primary Artist,Conductor
Ian Underwood   Piano,Woodwind
Billy Mundi   Drums,Vocals
Roy Estrada   Vocals,Bass (Electric)
Bunk Gardner   Woodwind
Jimmy Carl Black   Drums,Vocals,Trumpet
Euclid James Sherwood   Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone)

Technical Credits

Frank Zappa   Concept,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Execution,Orchestration
Dick Kunc   Engineer,Remixing
Joe Travers   Transfers
Gary Kellgren   Engineer
Tom Wilson   Executive Producer
Cal Schenkel   Artwork
Jerrold Schatzberg   Photography