Editing We're Only in It for the Money (section)

== Reception and legacy ==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=Huey>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/r22631 |title=We're Only in It for the Money – The Mothers of Invention / Frank Zappa |first=Steve |last=Huey |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=June 26, 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev2Score = {{rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/06/30/frankly-speaking-6/ |title=Frankly Speaking |first=Greg |last=Kot |author-link=Greg Kot |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=June 30, 1995 |access-date=June 23, 2018}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev4Score = A<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://ew.com/article/1995/06/09/were-only-it-money/ |title=We're Only in It for the Money |first=Tom |last=Sinclair |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=June 9, 1995 |access-date=June 23, 2018}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Martin C. Strong|The Great Rock Bible]]''
| rev5score = 8.5/10<ref>{{cite book|title=The Great Rock Bible|author=Martin C. Strong|author-link=Martin C. Strong|edition=1st|year=2024|isbn=978-1-9127-3328-6|publisher=[[Red Planet Books]]}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev6score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|title=[[MusicHound|MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide]]|editor=Gary Graff|editor-link=Gary Graff|edition=1st|year=1996|location=London|isbn=978-0-7876-1037-1|publisher=[[Visible Ink Press]]}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Mothers of Invention: We're Only in It for the Money |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=107 |date=August 1995 |pages=150–151}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev8Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Frank Zappa |last1=Evans |first1=Paul |last2=Randall |first2=Mac |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/902 902–904] |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide }}</ref>
| rev9 = [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]]
| rev9score = B−<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tomhull.com/ocston/nm/get_gl.php?n=frank+zappa|title=Grade List: frank zappa|author=Tom Hull|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|website=Tom Hull|access-date=October 24, 2020}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev10Score = A<ref name=Christgau>{{cite news |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1295-95.php |title=Consumer Guide |first=Robert |last=Christgau |author-link=Robert Christgau |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=December 26, 1995 |access-date=June 26, 2011}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th|isbn=978-0857125958|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
}}

[[Dr. Demento|Barret Hansen]] praised the album in an April 1968 review for ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.<ref name=Fricke/> He felt it was the most "advanced" rock album released up to that date, though not necessarily the "best"; he compared Zappa with [[the Beatles]], and felt that the wit and sharpness of Zappa's lyrics was more intelligent, but unless one were to adopt a [[utilitarian]] view, he would not deny the beauty of the Beatles' music. He concluded that while the initial listening may be significantly profound, due to the reliance on shock, subsequent listening may be reduced in value; and he returns to a comparison with the Beatles, in which he feels that Zappa has the greater musical genius, but is less comfortable to listen to.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.afka.net/Articles/1968-04_Rolling_Stone_2.htm|title=1968-04 ''We're Only in It for the Money'' (review)|author=[[Barret Hansen]]|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=April 6, 1968|access-date=January 20, 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112020517/http://www.afka.net/Articles/1968-04_Rolling_Stone_2.htm|archive-date=November 12, 2011}}</ref>

[[AllMusic]] writer Steve Huey wrote, "the music reveals itself as exceptionally strong, and Zappa's politics and satirical instinct have rarely been so focused and relevant, making ''We're Only in It for the Money'' quite possibly his greatest achievement."<ref name=Huey/> [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album an A, writing, "With bohemia permanent and changed utterly, this early attack on its massification hasn't so much dated as found its context. Cheap sarcasm is forever."<ref name=Christgau/> In 2012, ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' described the album as a "satirical [[psychedelic rock|psych-rock]] gem".<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Tom |last= Pinnock |title= Frank Zappa – Album By Album |date= August 31, 2012 |magazine= [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |url= http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/frank-zappa-album-by-album-30685 |access-date= July 18, 2016}}</ref>

It was voted number 343 in the third edition of [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' (2000).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|author=Colin Larkin|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2006|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=136|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums|author-link=Colin Larkin}}</ref> As of 2015, the album was ranked number 297 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|the 500 greatest albums of all time]].<ref>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/500albums | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051212042543/http://www.rollingstone.com/500albums | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 12, 2005 | title = The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | access-date = July 12, 2006}}</ref> Additionally, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the album number 77 in its August 1987 article, "The Top 100: The Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years".<ref>{{cite magazine | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | title=The Top 100: The Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years | date=27 August 1987 | issue=507 | pages=144–146 }}</ref> It is also included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]'' along with the Mothers' first release, ''[[Freak Out!]]''.<ref name="one thousand and one albums book">{{cite book |last=Dimery |first=Robert |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |publisher=Octopus Publishing Group, London |year=2009 |page=156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PIyEkArSW0EC |isbn=9781844036240 |access-date= 2012-09-23}}</ref>

In 2005, the U.S. [[National Recording Preservation Board]] included ''We're Only in It for the Money'' in the [[National Recording Registry]], calling it "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" and "a scathing satire on hippiedom and America's reactions to it".<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb-2005reg.html| title=The National Recording Registry 2005 | date = May 24, 2005 | series=National Recording Preservation Board | publisher=The Library of Congress }}. Retrieved August 18, 2008.</ref>