We're Only in It for the Money
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Original_We're_Only_in_It_for_the_Money_front_cover.jpg
We're Only in It For the Money is a rock 'n' roll album by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Varying in style from 50's doo-wop to 60's surf music to avant-garde orchestral doodlings, the album peaked at #30 on the Billboard Music Charts (North America) Pop Albums chart. The album is a parody of the hippies' culture and Summer of Love.
First released in 1968 (see 1968 in music), it was rereleased by Rykodisc in the late 1980s with newly recorded percussion tracks. Parts censored from the original release were also restored.
The song Flower Punk is based upon Hey Joe.
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Album cover art
The front cover Zappa originally intended to use for the album mimics the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The double Sgt. Pepper cover had a collage of famous people by Peter Blake on the outside and a portrait of the band on the inside. Zappa's record company demurred and put the Sgt. Pepper parody on the inside and the picture of the band on the outside. Next to Zappa's head, a speech bubble has him questioning, "Is this phase one of Lumpy Gravy?"
One section of the CD liner art features a series of badge, banknote, and facial hair cut-outs, satirising those of Sgt. Pepper, with some differences; one badge features a small photograph of recording engineer Gary Kellgren and the other is a nipple.
Track listing
all tracks by Frank Zappa
- "Are You Hung Up?" - 1:25
- "Who Needs the Peace Corps?" - 2:34
- "Concentration Moon" - 2:22
- "Mom and Dad" - 2:16
- "Telephone Conversation" - 0:49
- "Bow Tie Daddy" - 0:33
- "Harry, You're a Beast" - 1:21
- "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" - 1:03 Missing image
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(song sample, 258KB) - "Absolutely Free" - 3:24
- "Flower Punk" - 3:03
- "Hot Poop" - 0:26
- "Nasal Retentive Calliope Music" - 2:02
- "Let's Make the Water Turn Black" - 2:01
- "The Idiot Bastard Son" - 3:18
- "Lonely Little Girl" - 1:09
- "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" - 1:32
- "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?" - 1:02
- "Mother People" - 2:26
- "The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny" - 6:26
Personnel
- Frank Zappa - guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals, voices
- Dick Barber - vocals
- Jimmy Carl Black - percussion, trumpet, drums, vocals
- Eric Clapton - speaking part
- Roy Estrada - bass, electric bass, vocals
- Bunk Gardner - vocals, voices, woodwind
- Gary Kellgren - whisper
- Billy Mundi - drums, vocals
- Don Preston - bass, keyboards
- Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood - baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, voices
- Spider
- Suzy Creamcheese - telephone voice
- Ian Underwood - piano, keyboards, voices, woodwind
- Pamela Zarubica - vocals
Production
- Producer: Frank Zappa
- Executive producer: Tom Wilson
- Engineers: Gary Kellgren, Dick Kunc
- Remixing: Dick Kunc
- Editing: Dick Kunc, Frank Zappa
- Arranger: Frank Zappa
- Concept: Frank Zappa
- Art direction: Cal Schenkel
- Design: Cal Schenkel
- Artwork: Cal Schenkel
- Photography: Jerry Schatzberg
- Fashion advisor: Tiger Morse
- Wardrobe: Billy Mundi
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Pop Albums | 30 |