We're Only in It for the Money

We're Only in It for the Money finds a brilliant middle ground between the two current ends of The Mothers of Invention, both developing on the satirical nature of Freak Out! but maintaining the oddities of Absolutely Free. Freak Out! was of course still satirical in many ways, but was more willing to sound normal and natural as if it could blend in with those not satirizing the music of the time. Absolutely Free would never be mistaken for trying to sound like a normal album of the time, giddily dancing around the room with a lampshade on its head unable to contain its excitement for the opportunity to sing about vegetables. We're Only in It for the Money continues to satirize psychedelic pop and rock of the late 1960's but is able to push the limits of what would have been acceptable generally speaking.

This disregard for acceptance, mind for what was being accepted, and handle on what was musically strong amid that acceptable material is what makes The Mothers of Invention's third album so enjoyable. It isn't sacrificing its wit and adventurousness, but it also wouldn't lead someone to think they're just being weird for the sake of being weird. We're Only in It for the Money could easily trick you if you weren't doing much thinking that it was a genuine psych-pop album of the decade, but once you tune into the line from What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body? that reads, "Some say your nose/Some say your toes/But I think it's your mind". It's a hilarious line, honestly, because it isn't delivered with any clear indication it's supposed to be funny. It just is.

That is likely the most enjoyable part of We're Only in It for the Money; it is so far away from attempting to blend in lyrically while simultaneously quietly blending in just enough musically that you don't notice the first part without actually losing its fun nature. Zappa is musically nailing it, lyrically killing it, and overall just making music way too interesting to justifiably come from the late 60's before having much odd music to learn these tactics from. I'm not saying that Zappa was a visionary, but obviously I'm saying Zappa was a visionary. We're Only in It for the Money is yet another huge example of why Zappa is regarded in such a way by far more than me, and it attains a timeless nature for being so beyond any time period that exists in its own world.

Favorite track: Absolutely Free