Freak Out! was Frank Zappa's first-ever album, released in 1966. Zappa called this first band The Mothers of Invention. Besides Zappa, the group consisted of Ray Collins (lead vocalist, harmonica, and tambourine), Jim Black (drums), Roy Estrada (bass, guitarron, and falsetto vocals), and Elliot Ingber (guitar). This was a revolutionary album and launched Zappa's long and illustrious career. The Mothers were the first of the freak bands and helped to infuse the flower-power and drug culture with life and energy.

The music was an eclectic mix of jazz, rock, doo-wop, satire, and raunchy and spirited humor. From the point of view of performance artistry and compositional genius, this first Zappa effort was not on a par with the best of his later albums, but considering Zappa's stage of development and the prevailing climate in pop music, Freak Out was an amazing breakout album. Both the subversive lyrics and Zappa's flair for bizarre instrumentation were already fully evident.

When first released on vinyl, Freak Out! consisted of a two album set on the "Verve" label. The jacket was punctuated with witty quotes, such as one spoken by classical composer Edgar Varese in 1921: "The present-day composer refuses to die!" Thus, Zappa laid down a commitment to himself to always maintain originality and an experimental approach to his music.

The jacket also includes a brief, satirical autobiography by Zappa that begins, "I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, December 21, 1940 and grew up in California. I am a self-taught musician, composer, blah, blah, blah."

Track Listing:

1. Hungry Freaks, Daddy 3:27
2. I Ain't Got No Heart 2:33
3. Who Are The Brain Police? 3:33
4. Go Cry On Somebody Else's Shoulder 3:39
5. Motherly Love 2:43
6. How Could I Be Such A Fool 2:11
7. Wowie Zowie 2:51
8. You Didn't Try To Call Me 3:16
9. Any Way The Wind Blows 2:54
10. I'm Not Satisfied 2:38
11. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here 3:38
12. Trouble Every Day 5:59
13. Help, I'm A Rock 4:43
14. It Can't Happen Here 3:55
14. The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet 12:16

The opening number, "Hungry Freaks, Daddy," written by Carl Orestes Franzoni, features Zappa on lead guitar and some typically inane lyrics. Right away, Zappa lays out the identity of The Mothers as a bunch of freaky guys. The third song, Who Are the Brain Police?, further develops the values that Zappa would come to epitomize: freedom of thought, free-speech, and anti-establishment skepticism, all delivered with an irrepressible, iconoclastic fury. Wowie Zowie, with echoes from the fifties, features a nifty piano and xylophone accompaniment in one section. Any Way the Wind Blows is a bluesy kind of number that Zappa wrote when he was going through a divorce. It's what Zappa calls "accessible," by which he means not too difficult even for the intellectually impaired.

My personal favorite from this album is a long number called "Help, I'm a Rock," which starts out with an incessant rhythm and gradually builds in intensity. Here we find Zappa experimenting with various sound effects and wordless vocalizations. It winds up with a little barbershop style harmonization.

For the CD version, Zappa remastered the original, improving the fidelity and sound density. He also introduced an alteration in one song, "You Didn't Try to Call Me," which many fans do not especially like, but, otherwise, the CD is an improvement over the modest sound quality of the original LP version.

From a historical point of view, Freak Out! is one of the most important albums in rock history. Musically, it was exciting and innovative in 1966, but Zappa himself was at great pains later in his career to illustrate through some of his compilation CD's that the musicianship of The Mothers was nowhere close to that of the best of his later bands, despite the fondness that many true-believers will always have for the original group. I'm giving this album 4-stars based on the quality of the music alone, but it's a must-have album for anyone interested in the history of pop music.

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You can quickly link to my other Zappa CD reviews at:

A Frank Zappa Categorical Discography & Top Choice Lists

You can check out my reviews of Zappa-related books at:

The Real Frank Zappa Book
Ben Watson: Frank Zappa – the Complete Guide to his Music
Barry Miles: Zappa – A Biography

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening