Absolutely Free [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com essential recording
Sandwiched as it is between Freak Out!, Zappa's 1966 debut with the Mothers of Invention, and We're Only in It for the Money, arguably his artistic zenith, Absolutely Free comes in a distant third--but that's only because the competition is so darn fierce. Absolutely Free is a continuation of the weird freakiness--both in sounds and concepts--introduced on Freak Out! "Plastic People" and "America Drinks & Goes Home" continue the artist's lampooning of Middle American values, while this time out, Zappa also seems obsessed with the fruits and vegetables that "keep you regular" ("The Duke of Prunes," "Call Any Vegetable"). The music here jumps from avant-garde jazz snippets to gritty garage rock to operatic vocals in a manner that was truly innovative at the time; in fact, it often sounded like true musical insanity. The definitive highlight here, however, is "Brown Shoes Don't Make It," a seven-and-a-half minute mini-operetta that initially ridicules America's suburban culture of the era before comically looking at the repressed sexual perversions hiding underneath that same culture. With its 13-year-old "Teenage Queen" ("who's rockin' and rollin' and acting obscene"), the Lolita-like obsession of the brown-shoed gentleman in the title, the track was a precursor to the naughty sexual themes later found in tracks like "Dinah Moe Hum" or the entirety of the Fillmore East, June 1971 album--themes that became Zappa's artistic stock in trade. --Bill Holdship

From the Label
The second Mothers Of Invention album, originally released in 1967, continues Zappa's musical combo of rock/satire/jazz/doo-wop and more. With society at large still reeling from the assault of FREAK OUT!, Zappa went a few steps further with "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" and "Plastic People" -- two of his most pointed satirical pieces, and concert standards for many years to come; as was the cheerful surrealism of "Call Any Vegetable." The Mothers consisted of Jimmy Carl Black, Ray Collins, Roy Estrada, Bunk Gardner, Billy Mundi, Don Preston and Motorhead Sherwood -- heard here in all their glory.

At the time of ABSOLUTELY FREE's release, Zappa and company made a stab at hit-singledom with a seven-inch release of two otherwise-unavailable tracks, "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right?" and "Big Leg Emma," both of which are included here.

Absolutely Free,Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention,Rykodisc,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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Absolutely Free [Original recording remastered]

Average customer rating: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Absolutely brilliant Absolute Garbage Is this part two of Freak Out? (4.5 stars) Brilliant

Absolutely Free Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention Manufacturer: Zappa Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Proto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Comedy Rock | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Progressive | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Freak Out! We're Only in It for the Money Burnt Weeny Sandwich Uncle Meat Hot Rats ASIN: B0000009RV Release Date: 1995-05-02

Tracks:

1. Plastic People
2. The Duke Of Prunes
3. Amnesia Vivace
4. The Duke Regains His Chops
5. Call Any Vegetable
6. Invocation & 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

Amazon.com essential recording

Sandwiched as it is between Freak Out!, Zappa's 1966 debut with the Mothers of Invention, and We're Only in It for the Money, arguably his artistic zenith, Absolutely Free comes in a distant third--but that's only because the competition is so darn fierce. Absolutely Free is a continuation of the weird freakiness--both in sounds and concepts--introduced on Freak Out! "Plastic People" and "America Drinks & Goes Home" continue the artist's lampooning of Middle American values, while this time out, Zappa also seems obsessed with the fruits and vegetables that "keep you regular" ("The Duke of Prunes," "Call Any Vegetable"). The music here jumps from avant-garde jazz snippets to gritty garage rock to operatic vocals in a manner that was truly innovative at the time; in fact, it often sounded like true musical insanity. The definitive highlight here, however, is "Brown Shoes Don't Make It," a seven-and-a-half minute mini-operetta that initially ridicules America's suburban culture of the era before comically looking at the repressed sexual perversions hiding underneath that same culture. With its 13-year-old "Teenage Queen" ("who's rockin' and rollin' and acting obscene"), the Lolita-like obsession of the brown-shoed gentleman in the title, the track was a precursor to the naughty sexual themes later found in tracks like "Dinah Moe Hum" or the entirety of the Fillmore East, June 1971 album--themes that became Zappa's artistic stock in trade. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it........2007-05-16

The original release,"Absolutely Free" is a masterpiece.
It is a complete work like a symphony or an opera.
The inclusion of Big Leg Emma and Why Don'tcha You Do Me Right
interrupts the flow, the direction, the theme.
The listener should skip these two if they wan't to hear
"Absolutely Free" as it was intended to be.

Absolutely brilliant.......2007-02-05

The first time I listened to this I didn't like it. It's definitely not one of those albums you just casually listen to. But once I absorbed all of the lyrics and themes expressed in this album, I recognized it for its brilliance and its humor. It mocks its own "freakiness" by such asides as "Think this'll sell in New York?" as it covers themes ranging from reaching out to lonely people to the phoniness of society and its politicians to the dullness of everyday life to underage sex. One of the funniest and most brilliant albums I've ever listened to.

Absolute Garbage.......2007-01-13

Thankfully this was not my first Zappa album or I may not have bought another. Zappa shows his disdain for the ignorant listening public with Absolutely Free which is only slightly better than Were Only In It For the money. If your a first time Zappa listener start with Zoot Allures. Live at the Fillmore East, Joe's Garage or Roxy and elsewhere. At least then you'll here some of the best R&R guitar soloing ever recorded. Freak Out was possibly the best debut album ever recorded but man did he ever go downhill, although briefly, from there. Even Sheik Yerbouti and Ruben and the Jets would be better choices.

Is this part two of Freak Out?.......2006-12-04

First of all, who IS this Peter Gooch who does the incredible reviews of Freak Out and Absolutely Free? He does a hell of a review.

That said:

Burned out my mind on Freak Out. This vaporized the cinders that were left.

(4.5 stars) Brilliant.......2006-11-03

Okay, I wanted to give this a "real" five-star rating, and I would've if only the Big Leg Emma/Why Don'tcha Do Me Right single had been omitted. Let's face it, it really doesn't belong. Still, I don't know how many times I laughed out loud during the Duke of Prunes suite... my god it is HILARIOUS! Imagine a sex song, only with constant cheese and prune metaphors. And he also hilariously works in a parody of Duke of Earl ("Duke, Duke, Duke of Prunes!") . Same with Call Any Vegetable, which combines absurdist humor (it deals with being friends with vegetables, of all things); a complex arrangment, and Zappa's guitar skills during the "Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" (one of the great song titles, ever) section. There are also a trilogy of funny, biting satires: the opening Plastic People (which works in a demented variant of Louie, Louie during the beginning); the underrated war protest Uncle Bernie's Farm, and, of course, the unforgettable Brown Shoes Don't Make It, certainly Zappa's finest hour. Here he deals with mindless conformity ("Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care"); the dumbing down of society ("Do your job and do it right/Life's a ball!/TV tonight"); secretive politicians ("A world of secret hungers/perverting the men who make your laws/every desire is hidden away/in a drawer/in a desk") and pretty much whatever else Zappa was thinking of at the time. And the song shifts styles rapidly, moving from hard rock to opera to '30's jazz (this is the only time you'll hear lyrics about an underage hooker doing her "business" with the mayor set to a Duke Ellington-esque backdrop!) I cannot praise this song enough. And America Drinks and Goes Home is hilarious, right down to the title. Especially the title. Great stuff. Really, really, really great stuff. I know that some people don't "get" Zappa, and his music is challenging. But it's very, VERY rewarding. I still think Hot Rats is the man's finest moment, but this is great!

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Free (Limited Edition Japanese Mini LP Sleeve CD) The Mothers of Invention Manufacturer: Rykodisc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Proto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Comedy Rock | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: We're Only in It for the Money (Limited Edition Japanese Mini LP Sleeve CD) Freak Out! Joe's Garage Act 2 & 3 (Limited Edition Japanese Mini LP Sleeve CD) Apostrophe (Limited Edition Japanese Mini LP Sleeve CD) Joe's Garage Act 1 (Limited Edition Japanese Mini LP Sleeve CD) ASIN: B000A2H59C Release Date: 2001-11-27

Tracks:

1. Plastic People
2. The Duke Of Prunes
3. Amnesia Vivace
4. The Duke Regains His Chops
5. Call Any Vegetable
6. Invocation & 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

Album Description

Imported from Japan by Rykodisc.

Packaged in deluxe mini-album jacket sleeves, these 10 classic albums by rock legend FRANK ZAPPA are now available as limited edition Japanese Imports! These packages re-create the original vinyl packaging in miniaturized form!

Average customer rating:

The Act of Being Free in One Act Manufacturer: Turtle Hill Productions ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Second Act of Free Being All You Good People ASIN: B00004VXCC Release Date: 1996-04-01

Tracks:

1. Peppermint Life
2. Birght Lights, Big City/Let It Roll/Blue Monk
3. The Longing
4. Never Go Back
5. In A Sentimental Mood
6. Big 17
7. Winter Sun at Nobska
8. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
9. Hymn for Crow
10. Comin Home Baby
11. Old Man River
12. Too Late
13. Rock Heart
14. Golden Mel

Album Description

Recorded in 1994, The Act of Being Free in One Act is a virtuosic performance that Kim Field, author of the standard reference work "Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers," calls "one of the most unique collections of harmonica recordings unveiled in recent years."

Field goes on to say, "Richard Hunter has once again placed the 'people's instrument'in its original role as a portable, self-contained orchestra, but he has managed to put his own compelling — and modern — twist on the concept. Hunter's lyrical, precise playing; his innovative use of alternate tunings; and his taste for unusual chords make "The Act of Being Free in One Act" one of the most unique collections of harmonica recordings unveiled in recent years."

Recorded and mastered entirely in the digital domain without overdubs, "The Act of Being Free in One Act" includes 14 pieces written and arranged by Hunter for unaccompanied harmonica. From the driving country fiddle-like attack of the opening "Peppermint Life," to the haunting, Debussy-influenced seascape of "Winter Sun At Nobska," the uncanny big-band sound of "Big 17," and the astonishing two-part counterpoint of "Hymn For Crow," Hunter breaks new ground in every one of these moving performances.

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Free!* Alex Nussbaum ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ASIN: B000TNEQD0

Product Description

Very funny comedy CD covering a whole gamut of topics from an absurdist point of view. The next big comic to come out of Canada. #1 Comedy Show of 2006 Nussbaum can find the funny in seemingly incongruous things. He's stand-up comedy's great lateral thinker. - Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine Toronto "Absolutely Free!, the independent release stand-up comedy CD by Canadian stand-up comic Alex Nussbaum is not free but it is definitely worth the price whatever it is... If you like intelligent and very funny stand-up comedy by someone who really knows where he is going and can take you to the unexpected places with even the most mundane material this is a stand-up comedy CD you will definitely enjoy." - TheSeriousComedySite.com Im not much of a laugher, which may be odd for a comedy reviewer... Still, about once a decade Im good for a bout of giggles I cant stop.... The routine gave my face a real workout. Laughing hurts. At least it can rest for another 10 years. - Guy Macpherson, The Georgia Straight (Vancouver) BIO - A former character designer for such animated television programs as Bob & Margaret, Franklin the Turtle, and The Magic School Bus, Alex Nussbaum has risen to the top of the Canadian comedy scene, as evidenced by his 2004 Canadian Comedy Award nomination for Best Male Stand up. As a stand-up comic, he has a style that is both silly and clever, combining equal parts absurdist, observational and physical comedy. His stand up act has caused Toronto's Now Magazine to recently ask, Why isnt Alex Nussbaum a star? and The Hollywood Reporter to name him as a face to watch Most recently, Alex found himself returning to Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival to tape a Gala which is currently airing across the globe.

Average customer rating:

Unconfirmed Sightings Uforkestra Manufacturer: Absolutely Free ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CAAA6C Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

1. Clambake
2. Sheep Gotta Go
3. All Washed Up...Back in Style
4. Modern Transportation
5. No Matter What
6. Memo to a Bad Boss
7. One Tune on Our Minds
8. Tiny Thoughts
9. Get Noticed
10. Sunday Devil
11. Christianity as Contact Sport
12. Jesus Wasn't Interested in Market Share
13. Fade to Resurrection
14. Fabulous Bonus Tracks!

Average customer rating:

Comin Back Around Manufacturer: Roadshow Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CA3Z9Q Release Date: 2004-06-22

Tracks:

1. Chicken Coop Shuffle
2. Did You Ever Wonder
3. It's a Long Walk
4. Saint in Faded Blue Jeans
5. Certain Kind of Love
6. False Reality
7. Comin' Back Around
8. That's How Lonelys Done
9. Steppin Back
10. I Said I'm Sorry

Average customer rating:

Its Been a Long Time Manufacturer: Euju ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CADOH4 Release Date: 2002-03-26

Tracks:

1. Baby Let It Go
2. I Dont Wanna Lose Your Love
3. Sippin Mumms
4. Lyin Flyin
5. Its Been a Long Time
6. Loveslave
7. Simply Adore You
8. Why'd You Have to Lie to Me
9. Behind Closed Doors
10. Waterslide
11. What Does It Prophet Amen
12. Loveslave (acapella)

Average customer rating:

Headlands Natto Quartet Manufacturer: 482 Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music International Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B000092P0W Release Date: 2003-04-01

Tracks:

1. Miso
2. Soba
3. Yuba
4. Nuka
5. Kukicha
6. Sake
7. Mochi

Album Description

The Natto Quartet is a San Francisco Bay Area ensemble that explores the possibilities of timbre and group interaction with its unique instrumentation, juxtaposition of cultural traditions and collectively improvised approach.  Shakuhachi player Philip Gelb, koto player Shoko Hikage, pianist/electronic musician Chris Brown, and electronics pioneer Tim Perkis find common ground in the extended and experimental technique associated with improvised music.  Their beautiful, elastic music is like none other being performed today, spanning the boundaries of traditional Asian music, electronica, and free jazz.

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Free The Mothers of Invention Manufacturer: Rykodisc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Proto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Experimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Comedy Rock | Comedic Music | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000E7MN Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Plastic People
2. Duke of Prunes
3. Amnesia Vivace
4. Duke Regains His Chops
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 and Goes Home

Average customer rating:

Vol. 1-Roadshow Records Independent Artists Manufacturer: Roadshow ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CA6JBW Release Date: 2004-08-31

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8. Buffett Live: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays [Enhanced] [Live]
9. Bursting Out: Jethro Tull Live [Live] [Original recording remastered]
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Rap Music

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