Discord & Rhyme: An Album Podcast

Discord and Rhyme is a podcast where we discuss the albums we love, song by song.

066: The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out! (1966)

“On a personal level, Freaking Out is a process whereby an individual casts off outmoded and restricting standards of thinking, dress, and social etiquette in order to express creatively his relationship to his immediate environment and the social structure as a whole.”

–Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa is an awfully difficult man to summarize. He recorded dozens and dozens of albums with numerous different bands in countless different genres. He was a relentless innovator, never sticking with one style for long and always pushing forward into completely new musical territory, whether he thought his audience would be willing to follow him or not. Where do you even start discussing a man whose work consistently defies categorization and lacks a single album that stands as a “representative” work? Well, when all else fails, start at the beginning! On this episode, Phil is leading the Frank Zappa superfan contingent of Discord And Rhyme (consisting of John, Dan, and Mike) through a discussion of Frank Zappa’s wildly innovative 1966 debut double album, Freak Out!. Come for the doo-wop, stay for the musique concrète.

Miscellany

  • Our Spotify playlist for this episode uses the MOFO Project/Object version of the album (otherwise known as “The original stereo mix”), so the cover that shows up is the cover for that release rather than the original Freak Out! Album art. Don’t panic! It’s the right album, we swear!

  • Before you send us any corrections about it - we’re aware that the “Dancing About Architecture” quote we reference in the intro probably did not originate with Frank Zappa. It’s been attributed to a ton of different people over the years, including Zappa, but the actual source of the quote is unknown.

  • We weren’t kidding about all the different versions of all the different Zappa albums floating around. We’ve provided a link to the website where all the various differences are catalogued. Look for contributions from Dan!

  • There’s about a billion different resources for digging deeper into Frank Zappa’s catalogue, but Phil recommends Bob Eichler’s Website, which provides a solid roadmap for exploring his immense catalog.

  • We mentioned noted weirdo Captain Beefheart in this episode, and in fact our episode on Trout Mask Replica is our most popular one ever.

  • This episode sets a new record for the oldest album we’ve covered (June 27, 1966), beating out the Beatles’ Revolver (August 5, 1966) by about two months and change.

  • It’s also our longest episode, exceeding To Our Children’s Children’s Children by nineteen seconds.  

Other links 

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call 

  • Phil Maddox (host)

  • John McFerrin (moderator)

  • Mike DeFabio

  • Dan Watkins

  • Amanda Rodgers (recording supervisor and occasional interrupter) 

Freak Out! tracklist 

  1. Hungry Freaks, Daddy

  2. I Ain’t Got No Heart

  3. Who Are the Brain Police?

  4. Go Cry On Somebody Else’s Shoulder

  5. Motherly Love

  6. How Could I Be Such a Fool

  7. Wowie Zowie

  8. You Didn’t Try to Call Me

  9. Anyway the Wind Blows

  10. I’m Not Satisfied

  11. You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here

  12. Trouble Every Day

  13. Help, I’m a Rock

  14. It Can’t Happen Here

  15. The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet 

Other clips used 

Zappa/Mothers of Invention:

  • Frank Zappa - Don't Eat the Yellow Snow (Single Version)

  • Frank Zappa - Montana

  • The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat: Main Title Theme

  • Frank Zappa - Run Home Slow Theme

  • The Mothers of Invention - Oh No (Weasels Ripped My Flesh version)

  • The Mothers of Invention - I Ain't Got No Heart (Basic Tracks)

  • The Mothers of Invention - Valarie 

  • The Mothers of Invention - How Could I Be Such a Fool (Greasy Love Songs version)

  • The Mothers of Invention - Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague

  • The Mothers of Invention - Who Needs the Peace Corps?

  • The Mothers of Invention - The Little House I Used to Live In

  • Frank Zappa - More Trouble Every Day

  • Frank Zappa - Stairway To Heaven

  • Frank Zappa - Inca Roads

  • Frank Zappa - Peaches En Regalia

  • The Mothers of Invention - Hungry Freaks, Daddy (Basic Tracks)

  • Frank Zappa - My Pet Theory

Others:

  • Edgard Varèse - Ionisation

  • Can - Mother Sky

  • Monster Magnet - Space Lord

  • Teddy and His Patches - Suzy Creamcheese

Band/album personnel 

The Mothers of Invention

  • Frank Zappa - guitar, conductor, vocals

  • Jimmy Carl Black - percussion, drums, vocals

  • Ray Collins - vocals, harmonica, cymbals, sound effects, tambourine, finger cymbals, bobby pin & tweezers

  • Roy Estrada - bass & guitarrón, boy soprano

  • Elliot Ingbar - alternate lead & rhythm guitar with clear white light

Other Musicians - “The Mothers Auxilliary”

  • Gene Estes – percussion

  • Eugene Di Novi – piano

  • Neil Levang – guitar

  • John Rotella – clarinet, bass saxophone

  • Carol Kaye – 12-string guitar

  • Kurt Reher – cello

  • Raymond Kelley – cello

  • Paul Bergstrom – cello

  • Emmet Sargeant – cello

  • Joseph Saxon – cello

  • Edwin V. Beach – cello

  • Arthur Maebe – French horn

  • George Price – French horn

  • Roy Caton – trumpet

  • Virgil Evans – trumpet

  • David Wells – trombone

  • Jim “Motorhead” Sherwood – noises

  • Kim Fowley – hypophone

  • Mac Rebennack – piano

  • Paul Butterfield – vocals

  • Les McCann – piano

  • Jeannie Vassoir – “the voice of Cheese” 

Credits 

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of: 

  • Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

  • Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

  • The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

  • Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

  • Herbie Hancock - Hornets

  • Kraftwerk - Autobahn

  • Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

  • The Mothers of Invention - The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet (Unfinished Ballet in Two Tableaux) (this episode only)

You can buy or stream Freak Out! and other albums by Frank Zappa’s various projects at zappa.com, your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for editing, production, and original music. See you next album, and be ever wonderful.

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