Absolutely Free

**Absolutely Free** is the second album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Released in May of 1967, it is the follow-up to their debut album *Freak Out!* and the 'prequel' to *We're Only in It For the Money*. It features the classic Mothers sound, intricate and complex musical composition featuring lyrics about politics and social issues, but it also has its fair share of "weird" songs. An unexpected hit from the record was the 7-minute epic "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", and the songs "Call Any Vegetable" would be performed by Zappa's various bands for years to come.

## Overview

The album is based off of intertwining musical segments, as each side of the vinyl record is a mini-suite of music (or "A Series of Underground Oratorios"). Side A is eponymously titled "Absolutely Free", and Side B is "The M.O.I American Pageant". The track "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" has been incredibly praised and even called 'Zappa's first masterpiece'.

## History

After spending $20,000 (about $161,000 in today's dollars) on their debut *Freak Out!*, which flopped. Verve Records was angry at The Mothers for wasting the label's money on a flop. In between recording, to save money, The Mothers equipped 4 new members: Billy Mundi on drums / percussion, Don Preston on keyboards, Bunk Gardner on woodwinds, and Jim Fielder on rhythm guitar and occasional piano. Fielder left after the album was finished, but not released, so the band scrubbed his name from the credits. The Mothers, with new material, spent as little money as possible on their second album. They entered the studio in November 1966 and recorded the whole album on the 15th and 16th. They finished "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" on the 18th. In the end, they spent $11,000 (about $88,000 today).

In between the album's release and November 18th, Zappa spent $145 (about $1,100 today) on the artwork for the album. He painted it himself and was finished in early 1967. Near the release of the album, the group was given $25,000 dollars in advertising (about **$200,000**), with which they rented billboards, magazines, interviews, and radio advertisements. They also recorded a single meant to "pander to the kids" that was "absolute bullshit", released in March 1967. It was "Why Dont'cha Do Me Right?" b/w "Big Leg Emma" (which would be performed for a few years in the late 70s. Zappa wasn't allowed to print the lyrics on the back of the album by Verve, so instead, he printed a full page ad announcing a "libretto" that you could order if you bought the album. Due to the massive advertising job done, the album peaked at 41 on the Billboard charts.

## Music and References

It isn't alien for Zappa to reference the 1955 hit "Louie Louie", in fact he performed it live quite often in the 1960s and 70s (there's a live version on *Uncle Meat*). The opening track, "Plastic People" is based upon "Louie Louie", and takes a few lines from the song. The first verse of "Plastic People" references the first verse of "Louie Louie". Early performances of the song was just "Louie Louie" with different lyrics.

"The Duke of Prunes" has the same melody and chords as an earlier Zappa composition, the 'love theme' from *Run Home Slow*, a movie he wrote the soundtrack for. The album is also filled to the brim with Stravinsky references, starting with "Amnesia Vivace", which features a collage of Stravinsky melodies. It begins with the band playing "Ritual Action of the Ancestors" from Part II of *The Rite of Spring* and then a harpsichord and voices play "Dance of the Adolescents" from Part I of *The Rite of Spring.* A few seconds later a saxophone and Zappa's voice mimic the bassoon intro to the Introduction to Part I. After that, the band plays "Berceuse" at the end of Stravinsky's *The Firebird.*

Other Stravinsky references include: In "Status Back Baby", the opening sequence of *Petrouchka* is quoted in the middle of the track. "Soft-Sell Conclusion" ends with the trombone melody that opens "Marche Royale" from *The Soldier's Tale*. The saxophone solo in "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" quotes the fourth movement ("Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollitity") from Gustav Holst's *The Planets*.

## Track listing

All tracks written by Frank Zappa.

**Side One: *Absolutely Free***

1. "Plastic People" **[3:41]**
2. "The Duke of Prunes" **[2:13]**
3. "Amnesia Vivace" **[1:01]**
4. "The Duke Regains His Chops" **[1:53]**
5. "Call Any Vegetable" **[2:15]**
6. "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" **[6:59]**
7. "Soft-Sell Conclusion" **[1:41]**
8. "Big Leg Emma" **[2:32]** Bonus track on CD
9. "Why Don'tcha Do Me Right? **[2:39]** Bonus track on CD

**Side Two: *The M.O.I. American Pageant***

1. "America Drinks" **[1:53]**
2. "Status Back Baby" **[2:54]**
3. "Uncle Bernie's Farm" **[2:10]**
4. "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" **[1:34]**
5. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" **[7:29]**
6. "America Drinks & Goes Home" **[2:48]**

* Tracks 2, 3, and 4 are commonly grouped together as the suite "The Duke of Prunes"
* Tracks 5, 6, and 7 are commonly grouped together as the suite "Call Any Vegetable"

## Personnel

*The Mothers of Invention*

* Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocals, conductor
* Ray Collins – vocals, tambourine, harmonica
* Roy Estrada – bass, falsetto
* Jimmy Carl Black – drums, vocals
* Billy Mundi – drums, percussion
* Don Preston – keyboards, Clavinet
* Jim Fielder – rhythm guitar, piano **uncredited**
* Bunk Gardner – woodwinds

*Additional musicians*

* John Balkin – picked bass ("Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" and "America Drinks")
* Herb Cohen – cash register noises ("America Drinks & Goes Home")
* Terry Gilliam – voices ("America Drinks & Goes Home'")

* "Brown Shoes Don't Make It"
	+ Lisa Cohen – voice of Suzy Creamcheese
	+ Jim Getzoff – violin
	+ Marshall Sosson – violin
	+ Alvin Dinkin – viola
	+ Armand Kaproff – cello
	+ Don Ellis – trumpet
	+ John Rotella – contrabass clarinet