Absolutely Free

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Absolutely Free
Studio album by The Mothers of Invention
Released	May 26, 1967
Recorded	Sunset-Highland Studios of TTG November 15-18, 1966
Genre	Progressive rock, comedy rock, experimental rock, proto-punk
Length	38:29 43:37 (reissue)
Label	Verve
Producer	Frank Zappa, Tom Wilson
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (B-) link
Frank Zappa chronology
Freak Out! (1966) Absolutely Free (1967) We're Only in It for the Money (1968)

Absolutely Free (1967) is the second album by The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. Absolutely Free is once again a display of complex musical composition and with political and social satire. The band had been augmented since Freak Out! by the additions of saxophone player Bunk Gardner, keyboardist Don Preston, guitarist Jim Fielder and drummer Billy Mundi. However, Fielder quit the group before the album was released. His name was removed from the album credits.

For this album, the emphasis is on interconnected movements, as each side on the original vinyl LP composes a mini-suite. It also features one of the most famous songs of his early career, "Brown Shoes Don't Make It," a track which has been described as being "an entire musical compressed down to 8 minutes." ^[1]

The CD reissue adds a single The Mothers released at the time between where side one would have ended and side two would have begun featuring the songs "Why Dontcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma," both described as an attempt to make dumb music to appeal to dumb teenagers.

In his book Necessity Is..., former Mothers of Invention band member Ray Collins claimed that Absolutely Free is probably his favorite of the classic Mothers albums.

The UK -67 release (Verve VLP/SVLP 9174) came in a laminated flip-back cover, with a Mike Raven poem at the reverse that was not apparent on any other issue.

The title of "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" was inspired by an event covered by Time Magazine reporter Hugh Sidey in 1966. The reporter correctly guessed that something was up when the fastidiously dressed President Lyndon B. Johnson made the fashion faux pas of wearing brown shoes with a gray suit. LBJ flew to Vietnam for a surprise public relations visit later that day. This story appeared in the news again upon Sidey's death in 2005.

In the songs "America Drinks and Goes Home" and "America Drinks" Zappa combines a silly tune with nightclub sound effects to parody his experiences playing with drunken bar bands during the early 1960's. Other songs recorded soon after that used the same kinds of ideas include "On With The Show" by The Rolling Stones (released in 1967), "My Friend" by Jimi Hendrix (recorded in 1968, released in 1971) and "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" by The Beatles (recorded in 1967 and 1969, released in 1970.)

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Side one 1.2 Side two 2 Personnel 3 Production 4 Charts 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Frank Zappa.

[edit] Side one

Suite No. 1: "Absolutely Free" (1st in a Series of Underground Oratorios)

1. "Plastic People" – 3:42
2. "The Duke of Prunes" – 2:13
3. "Amnesia Vivace" – 1:01
4. "The Duke Regains His Chops" – 1:52
5. "Call Any Vegetable" – 2:15
6. "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" – 7:00
7. "Soft-Sell Conclusion" – 1:40

1967 Mothers of Invention single, bonus tracks for the 1995 Rykodisc CD reissue:

8. "Big Leg Emma" – 2:31
9. "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" – 2:37

[edit] Side two

Suite No. 2: "The M.O.I. American Pageant" (2nd in a Series of Underground Oratorios)

10. "America Drinks" – 1:52
11. "Status Back Baby" – 2:54
12. "Uncle Bernie's Farm" – 2:10
13. "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" – 1:34
14. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" – 7:30
15. "America Drinks and Goes Home" – 2:46

[edit] Personnel

• Frank Zappa – guitar, conductor, vocals
• Jimmy Carl Black – drums, vocals
• Ray Collins – vocals, tambourine
• Don Ellis – trumpet on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
• Roy Estrada – bass, vocals
• Bunk Gardner – woodwinds
• Billy Mundi – drums, percussion
• Don Preston – keyboards
• John Rotella – percussion
• Jim Fielder – guitar, piano
• Pamela Zarubica – vocals
• Herb Cohen
• Lisa Cohen
• Kurt Retar

[edit] Production

• Producers: Frank Zappa, Tom Wilson
• Director of engineering: Val Valentin
• Engineer: Ami Hadani
• Remixing: David Greene
• Arranger: Frank Zappa
• Cover design: Ferenc Dobronyi, Cal Schenkel
• Layout design: Frank Zappa
• Cover photo: Alice Ochs
• Cover art: Frank Zappa
• Photography: Jerry Deiter
• Artwork: Alice Ochs
• Collage: Frank Zappa
• Liner Notes: Frank Zappa

[edit] Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1967	Pop Albums	41

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

[edit] External links

• Lyrics and information
• Release details
• "The Meaning of Cordovans" reporter Hugh Sidey recalls the event when he saw Lyndon B. Johnson wearing the wrong shoes

v • d • e Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention Main albums Freak Out! • Absolutely Free • We're Only in It for the Money • Lumpy Gravy • Cruising with Ruben & the Jets • Uncle Meat • Hot Rats • Burnt Weeny Sandwich • Weasels Ripped My Flesh • Chunga's Revenge • Fillmore East - June 1971 • 200 Motels • Just Another Band from L.A. • Waka/Jawaka • The Grand Wazoo • Over-Nite Sensation • Apostrophe (') • Roxy & Elsewhere • One Size Fits All • Bongo Fury • Zoot Allures • Zappa in New York • Studio Tan • Sleep Dirt • Sheik Yerbouti • Orchestral Favorites • Joe's Garage • Tinseltown Rebellion • Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar • You Are What You Is • Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch • The Man from Utopia • Baby Snakes • London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 • Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger • Them or Us • Thing-Fish • Francesco Zappa • Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention • Does Humor Belong in Music? • Jazz from Hell • London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 • Guitar • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 • Broadway the Hard Way • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 • The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 • Make a Jazz Noise Here • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 • You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 • Playground Psychotics • Ahead of Their Time • The Yellow Shark Posthumous albums Civilization Phaze III • The Lost Episodes • Läther • Mystery Disc • Everything Is Healing Nicely • FZ:OZ • Halloween • Joe's Corsage • Joe's Domage • Joe's XMASage • Imaginary Diseases • Trance-Fusion • Buffalo • The Dub Room Special • Wazoo Compilations Mothermania • The Guitar World According to Frank Zappa • Strictly Commercial • Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute • Have I Offended Someone? • Strictly Genteel • QuAUDIOPHILIAc • The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAA Birthday Bundle Box sets The Old Masters Box One • The Old Masters Box Two • The Old Masters Box Three • Beat the Boots • Beat the Boots II • The MOFO Project/Object Films and videos 200 Motels • Baby Snakes • The Dub Room Special • Video from Hell • Does Humor Belong in Music? • The True Story of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels • The Amazing Mr. Bickford • Uncle Meat Related articles Cultural references to Frank Zappa • Frank Zappa discography • The Real Frank Zappa Book • The Rage and the Fury • Dance Me This • Zappa Plays Zappa