Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
1969
Album Summary
Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa, released in October 1969. It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original version of the Mothers of Invention. Five of the six songs are instrumental; while "Willie the Pimp", features vocals by Captain Beefheart. In his original sleeve notes, Zappa described the album as "a movie for your ears".
WikipediaNot my personal favorite Zappa album but it may be his best in many ways. Certainly the most listenable. Peaches en Regalia is like the theme to a TV show I'd want to watch. The track with Captain Beefheart is a fucking ripper. Zappa's a true iconoclast and this album proves his versatility. Motherfucker could do anything he wanted it seems, especially play the electric guitar - holy shit. He's largely underrated in that regard. I wish he went more in this general direction over the years but this album sort of stands out in his catalog. Nice balance of exploration and focus.
It feels like I'm in a very hip '60/'70s film and I'm into it. Actually was jamming hard enough that I put the record on from the top after I finished it the first time. And with this 5 stars I am officially my father's daughter.
oh they're groovin!!!!!! they are groovin, absolutely swinging on the dancefloor! look at em go, they're just vibing!!!!! they're groovin!!!
I don't listen to Zappa that much, but when I do it's usually Hot Rats. Zappa's discography is like the Cheesecake Factory menu. There are so many options to pick from, yet you know damn well you're going to pick the same thing you're used to having. That's what Hot Rats is for me. Incredibly fun to listen to and masterfully performed.
It's been such a long time since I listened to Hot Rats that I forgot most of it. It's such a playfully groovy trip of an album with crazily long and diverse songs. I really like Son Of Mr. Green Genes & The Gumbo Variations, and It Must Be A Camel is a smooth culmination of such a fascinating album of instrumentation. Gonna have to grab it on LP. I can only imagine spinning this in the Shelter. Groove on!
9/10. the 18 minute track is a bit much but the first half of this is pure fucking quality. Peaches en Regalia is blissful, the guitar textures on Willie the Pimp are insane, and Son of Mr. Green Genes is just a really fun time the whole way through. after that it loses a bit of steam, but not that much. it's super psychedelic and just a really good time? glad it's instrumental too
This is a jazz fusion masterpiece. The guitar work on this is superb and the instrumentation is just sublime. I can listen to this record over and over. I don’t have much else to say really. Favorite song: Willie The Pimp and Peaches En Regalia Least favorite song: None boy
Familiarity: 6/10 Frank Zappa's Hot Rats remains one of his most well known albums, and as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. This album carries it's 43min runtime through only 6 songs. Starting off with beautiful guitar composition in Peaches, to a driven jam instrumental in Willie the Pimp. The album then leads into the light hearted Zappa composition, Son of Mr. Green Genes, and continues on into the soothing jazz bass line of Little Umbrellas. Finally the album closes out with the intense rock epic The Gumbo Variations and the album closer, It Must Be A Camel. Favorite Tracks: (All of it, obviously... but the stand-outs) - Peaches en Regalia - phenomenal solo work - The Gumbo Variations - that bass tho
Awesome album, not really for the faint hearted but fantastic musicianship
Instrumental and long songs (only 6 songs) so good for background whilst working
Je résumerais l'album ainsi: Frank Zappa superpose des sons sans aucune cohérence et demande à nos oreilles de se démerder avec le résultat.
I wouldn't describe myself a full-fledged Zappa fan. I gravitate to either his classical avant guarde phase (e.g. The Yellow Shark) or his very short prog phase (Roxy & Elsewhere). Most folks consider Hot Rats an example of the latter. Opener Peaches En Regalia has a complex structure, memorable melodies, and an elaborate and detailed arrangement. It has some rock/R&B feel, but frankly, the genre is impossible to peg. Too bad I don't like it more. Some of the sonorities feel awkward to me, and the humorous elements are unwelcome. But this is purely a matter of taste. It's certainly a competent piece of music. Willie The Pimp is another matter. I've always found Captain Beefheart's Howling Wolf impersonation irritating, certainly in a blues/rock context, like here. The rhythm section is fine, but how much you enjoy this tune will depend on your tolerance for the lengthy solos. I've never found Frank Zappa's guitar playing especially interesting. He just drones on and on with permutations of standard blues and rock licks. His tone is okay, I guess. I just can't get very enthusiastic about it. Son of Mr. Green Jeans is of the same ilk as Peaches En Regalia. If you enjoyed that, you will likely enjoy this. There's also another extended guitar solo from Frank. Sigh. I find Little Umbrellas more appealing compositionally with it's gently insinuating melody and non-standard modal content. Ruth Underwood has the solo spots here, which helps. She's a monster player. And I like the bassist on this number, too. His bass tone is fat and his note choices are tasty. The Gumbo Variations is another standard blues riff extended to over 12 minutes! I don't hate the sax player, maybe because he brings some welcome skronk to the proceedings, but 12 minutes is a long time for this sort of thing. Once again, the rhythm players do a great job of maintaining interest, but there's only so much they can do. With Don Sugarcane Harris' extended violin solo, he proves he can be just as tedious as Zappa. Thankfully, the album closes with It Must Be A Camel, which has the sort of thoroughly unconventional melodies and harmonies that I've only heard from Zappa. Drummer John Guerin has a major role here. He's by far the most tasteful and imaginative soloist on this date. Too bad the rest of the album isn't this good. Interestingly, Jean Luc Ponty put out an album of Frank Zappa compositions called King Kong the same year Hot Rats came out, which Frank also arranged, and I adore that. Go figure. How to rate? Well, the session players are fine. The three through-composed tunes (as opposed to the jam sessions) are competent and show some creativity. The engineering is first-rate. But the solos bore the shit out of me. Ditto the jam tunes. 2.5/5
This album started out SO GOOD. Then (apparently) the drugs kicked in, the saxophone came out, and everything started falling apart until, by the end, the tracks were reduced to atonal, tempo-agnostic, guitar "solos" and random horn bleating. I tried so hard to give it the benefit of the doubt (after the mandatory 1-star subtraction for saxophone solos) but it just never recovered itself. By the time the last track wrapped I was legitimately angry at Zappa for putting this nonsense out into the universe.
Good jazz fusion, maybe even a little bit of proto-prog. Some crazy instrumentation on this, sometimes to its detriment like on the opener, not in love with the weird accordion sounds, but it’s fun, it’s groovy, jazzy, and the playing is awesome
I remember Burt sharing this record in early 2000s and I listened to Peaches En Regalia a ton but neglected the rest of it. Solid jams, lots of extended instrumental bits and even a whacked out saxophone solo!
Natürlich bekannt, schon viel zu lange nicht mehr ganz gehört. Nach dem ganzen Schrott in den vergangenen 2 Wochen eine wahre Wohltat.
An absolute banger, Zappa has an album of pure gold with wild sections of oddball stuff that always works. These are some real Hot Rats.
I love Zappa, Hot Rats is great because it shows his great skills as a guitarist and bandleader.
I have a weird relationship with Zappa - a lot of his music is deeply unpleasant, absolutely devoid of charity, warmth or human spirit, and not half as funny as his aficionados would lead you to believe. Yet, now and again, he would rise to the occasion and deliver something utterly sublime. Hot Rats is one of those moments - I love the grinding violin riff to 'Willie The Pimp' whilst 'Peaches En Regalia' might be his most focused and accomplished instrumental in the rock idiom. I don't chuck the word 'genius' around much, and I don't think it applies to Zappa ultimately, but when firing on all eight he came damn close.
Kein Wunder das alles den Bach runter geht wie high kann man denn gewesen sein beim komponieren und hören. The Gumbo Variations Großartig während dem Fahrradfahren gehört habe mich gefühlt wie in der Auflösung der zweiten Wendung in einem heist movie
Peak Zappa - incredible guitar work and full of absolute tunes. Second only to Overnite Sensation in my opinion!
Good start. Of course, heard this one many times. Bitchin' album start to finish.
its actually really good to listen to nowadays... its so good couple good song some are too long
I never know what to take from a Zappa album honestly. I always try to make a few listens, and sometimes I feel like I get it. I don't. It's like being stoned, having the best idea in the world. And then you sober up, and it's sorta just gone forever. That's how I feel When listening to Zappa. Maybe I get it in the moment, but afterwards I don't have anything. Not a clue, It's just a ride, and a fucking good one at that.
9/10. Actually I really enjoyed parts of this while sitting in traffic, it must be solid.
Pretty great beats actually, so much more fun than I was expecting. Listened to it twice because Spotify un-downloaded all my music. 9/10
Very captivating listen. Favorite tracks are Willie the Pimp and The Gumbo Variations.
I’m biased as a zappa fan, but this iconic album has the perfect combination of jazz fusion and rock n roll shreddiness. Nobody does what zappa does, 5 stars.
Absolutely cracking album! Even bough the vinyl after listening to this!
Being the jazz-rock classic that it is, Hot Rats was the album that got me into Zappa. Peaches en Regalia has always been one of my favourite tracks, but perhaps I have been ignoring the other songs too often, because this time around I noticed some pretty amazing stuff across the whole album. Zappa has such a unique guitar playing style, and stands out when it come to composition and arrangement. The wild improvisations in the longer tracks do not always work perfectly, but the excellent musicianship and the energy and excitement that the album breathes makes it easy to get past the iffier parts.
I greatly enjoyed listening to this album. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed all the songs, as I don't think there's a single one I dislike.
Probably my favorite frank Zappa. album. Awesome stuff. Peaches in regalia.
flaming genius, fabulously intense - not one for listening to every day, but like many great LPs, there is an itch that only Hot Rats can scratch.
Shocking, considering how insufferable I found "Freak Out!", that I would be so taken by this album. Zappa works a lot better without words for me.
It's amazing, for a guitarist, how much saxophone is in this album. The first time I heard this album, it did not become one of my favorites. But still, it has some great songs. "Peaches" is probably one of his greatest works. Listening to that piece today I really tuned in to the drums and marveled at how well-constructed they were. "Son of Mr. Green Genes" I had heard as a live performance, with lyrics. Surprising that it was originally just an instrumental. I have the Hot Rats Session box set. I need to listen to that at some point. The album itself is important as it is listed as "Frank Zappa" and not "Frank Zappa and the Mothers". I tend to gravitate to his Grand Wazoo era and Waka / Jawaka. But as a Zappa fan, I should listen to this one more often. Great stuff here.
This is the album to introduce people to Frank Zappa with. Especially when you're a rocker and a bit into jazz this is where you start before you dive into the man's immense back catalogue. If you're into instrumental solo's, whether guitar, clarinet, bass, violin, drums, this is the album for you. This album got it all and is likely one of the best Zappa has released.
Probably the album i've listened to the most. Absolute banger. The one i always recommend to people who wanna check out Zappa but might be apprehensive due to all the yellow snow, tower of powers, and cum. The perfect way to ease them into the weirdness.
I've listen this album 100s of times. It's arguably the first true Jazz rock album and is still a masterpiece. Peaces is a Zappa standard and excellent example of Jazz Fusion. Willie the Pimp with Sugarcane Harris's and Franks blistering solos laid the groundwork for Jazz Rock, just listen Mahavishnu Orchestra.
I've heard Frank Zappa's name for most of my life. When this popped up, I realized that I had no idea what kind of music he made. I must have heard some of his music somewhere along the way but I had not idea what that might be. I put this on and fell instantly in love with "Peaches in Regalia." It's catchy as hell, the arrangements are full of surprises - I love it! Even though I didn't know what to expect this was totally unexpected! "Willie The Pimp" changes the tone quite a bit with gritty vocals and guitars and a very long and groovy jam. Really enjoyed this too. "Son Of Mr. Green Genes" I guess is not about the recurring Captain Kangaroo character... but I love it so much! It's groovy, jazzy, and so cool and unique. It’s the perfect soundtrack for a most groovy dribble to work! A lot of this music is what the nondescript instrumental rock-and-roll the kids on the Brady Bunch played was based upon, only orders of magnitude better. I have no idea why an album like this has existed for my entire life and I haven't run into it before. This is one of my favorite new musical discoveries - I'm definitely going to be checking out more from Frank Zappa!
My first Zappa album and I absolutely loved this. One of the best jazz fusion albums Iv heard.
Vitttuuuuu miten kova! 5/5 ainoot laulutkin taitaa olla Beefheartin eikä Zappan suusta
Holy fuck, come let’s get lost in music. A fascinating and exhilarating listen
Zappa is an artist I just have never listened to. I dunno why. I should listen to him since everything about him is what I like, but yet I never have. I think this was a fantastic entry into his - very extensive - discography.
Absolutely amazing find. Great instrumentals. Cosmic rock mixed with jazz.
mahti albumi KUUSI KYMMENTÄ LUVULTA... yksi sana... musicianship.. NERO, JA EI PUHUTA ROOMAN RUHTINAASTA... täyttä häkää koko tuotoksen ajan laatu on katossa kiinni son of mr green genes on yli muiden.
Hot Rats has been the only Zappa album I listen to straight through. I know it pretty well and I love it. I'm not a fan of Frank Zappa in his entirety, though. I love a lot of his songs throughout his catalogue, but it rubs me the wrong way when he pushes the 'weird' too much. This album is a showcase of Frank Zappa's musicianship, composition and production skills without ever bugging me. I concede Captain Beefhart (I really don't like his music), but even here he fits in, doesn't spoil the mood and Willie the Pimp is an incredible jam after that. I know it's a whole lot of jam on this album, but Frank Zappa knows how to carry it and that's what I come to him to hear. This got me in the mood to keep rolling, so I followed it up with Waka/Jawaka.
This was the first Zappa album I listened to in HS. Willie the Pimp is underrated and Peaches En Regalia still slaps
Some incredible jams. Just Frank Zappa doing Frank Zappa things. Best track: Willie the Pimp
Overall, I really dug this album and I think it's a good album to have on in the background while vibing. Peaches en Regalia was definitely my favorite and I really want to find the perfect playlist to put it on.
4/5. Jammy jazz-rock with lots of emotion and cacophonous solos from my different instruments. Great working music, but too wild for it to be universally liked.
It's very interesting, it has some great sounds, but I didn't really like listening to it. I think it might have been because I was working during it, if it is supposed to be like Frank himself says, a movie for your ears, then it's probably best to pay attention to what is being played. Having it in the background in a party would probably be pretty good.
jesus, what a carnival. send me into the ether with this on the stereo. fav track: willie the pimp
Some killer extended jams in here. Very raw sound but also very well arranged. Haven't listened to much Zappa but this shows me that I should
this entire album is just one massive shredfest. and that's pretty cool. energetic old school rock instrumental. jazz blues feel in a few songs. not many words, but not many needed.
A pretty cool fusion album, some weird parts but overall really enjoyed it.
Most enjoyable Zappa album to date. Perhaps I should explore more of his earlier stuff.
A sonic treat to the ears... there is so much going on at any point of this mostly instrumental album that it is hard to unpack on a single listen.
I’ve always had reservations about Zappa. This was a really groovy album. But I’m still not sold on some of his other works.
Funny how Frank's weird personality comes through even in instrumentals. Not surprised to read that Captain Beefheart was involved with this one. Could hear the Beefheart influence on Tom Waits especially in "Willie the Pimp." I enjoyed this album, but I do wonder given FZ's vast discography whether this deserved to be on the list. Still, 3.5 rounded to 4 for me.
I mostly liked it. Less than half of my play through I got annoyed at how long or weird a song was. It was mostly pretty enjoyable and would definitely listen to it again.
The genre is definitely some kind of Jazz rock fusion. It sounds really nice the way it was laid out into long ballads. The soul and emotion from this album were quit incredible.
so up until now, I've never listened to much of Frank Zappa's work, but man, that album was nuts. it just felt like a jam session on a plethora of drugs, but in the best way possible. I'm definitely adding this album to my work playlist.
great album! a great psychedelic jazz album that i will definitely listen to again! 4.2*
I kojeny Zappa na liscie, teraz juz solowo bez mateczki inwencyjnej, albumik z wczesnego okresu tworczosci, drugi solowy albumik i jeden z nielicznych pickow wystarczajaco poprawnych polityczno kulturowo, zeby znalezc sie na takiej liscie, bo jest to albumik praktycznie w calosci instrumentalny, poza pierwszymi dwoma minutami williego pimpa, ktory posiada wokale od kapitana wolowegoserca, z tego co pametam to chyba wszyscy muzycy ktorzy graja na tej plycie pracowali juz z Zappa w inwencyjnej mateczce, wiec ogranie juz bylo i zostalo skierowane w calkiem nowym kierunku, po satyrycznych plytach matkowcow tutaj mamy uczte instrumentalna, 9 minutowe traki gdzie Franek imponuje swoimi gitarkowymi skilsami, czy drumuje niczym tysiacreki siwa, ale jednak nie to stanowi o tym, ze albumik jest tak dobry jak jest, bo jest, a to z powodu dopieszczenia kazdego dzwieku jaki mozna uslyszec, jest to jeden z pierwszych albumow nagrany na 16 trakowej, podobno wlasnorecznie zorganizowanej przez Zappe, maszynie rikordujacej, co daje mozliwosci intensywnego overdubowania co od razu slychac zwlaszcza na takich trakach jak willie the pimp, gdzie wokale instrumentale i dodatkowe efekty blyszcza, na plejce mam juz wlasnie williego, wiec dorzuce tylko peaches en regalia, czyli trak najbardziej kojarzony z ta plyta, nie tylko ze wzgledu, ze dosc radiowy czas jego trwania, ale tez jako opening definiuje, ze bedzie to albumik rokowo podobny, bo influencje jazzowe sa bardzo wyrazne, wiec muzyka fuzji i awangardy jak by to okreslili na diszczogu
Excellent throughout - not my usual thing but really creative harmonies and interesting guitar work
I bought this album in 1971. Always liked it, and I've gotten to appreciate it beyond. Peaches en Regalia.
Good fun, I'm surprised their were so few vocals, every other Zappa album I've heard has them. I still prefer some later Zappa but I enjoyed this, looking forward to there being more Zappa on this list, I've only listened to a few of his but they're great
Disco bien progresivo, con tonos psicodélicos y de jazz (esta última parte no me gustó tanto), tocado por excelentes músicos. Un álbum que volvería a repetir. 4.5/5
Prog Rog & Psychedlia met and had a pretty amazing baby in this album. Zappa's vocals can be a bit alarming and pull you out of the experience, but largely this album is instrumental and has several large jams.
30th June 2021 Listened on my phone in the kitchen while working, the day after England beat Germany 2-0 in the euros. Really liked this, predominantly instrumental which I can see being amazing live. Nice cameo from Captain Beefheart on one of the singles, vibey and funky with some tasty guitar solos thrown in.
Schön rauer Rock. Jedes Stück gefällt mir erstmal sehr gut, geht mir aber meist nach ein paar Minuten ein bisschen auf die Nerven. Jedenfalls so beim nebenbei hören.
A solid album that truly demonstrates how well Frank Zappa can improv with a multitude of different instruments. It is considered “rock” on Apple Music but I would consider it to be more jazz focused. Will certainly be listening to more of Frank Zappa in the future.
Starts off with fantastic psychedelic experimental prog, which only just begins to tire towards the end of the album.
One of (if not THE) easiest Zappa albums to get into. Peaches en regalia is one of my favourite songs, it's a masterpiece. It's his first album without The Mother's and this new lineup is tight!
Listened walking thru town on a lovely day and matched the vibes perfectly. Very out there and very complex but a solid listen. Will try again and get more in depth with it. Been on my list for a while.
Concerned when I noticed an 18-minute song. But guess what? I didn't hate it. Maybe don't love it, but really enjoyed this album and listened to a few songs more than once. Lots of instrumental, but good stuff. Great background music. Teetering between a 3 and a 4 but solid addition to the list. Glad I heard it. And I'M LISTENING AGAIN!
Frank Zappa is serious business (musically speaking). You may or may not like what he did (it may be hard on some ears) but there's no doubt that his creativity was out of this world and that his mastery of music genres, composition and instruments was exceptional. The musicians that played and recorded with him were always all extremely gifted and talented. In the case of Hot Rats, not only does he showcase his mastery of the guitar, but also of the technical aspects of recording, using an almost unheard of (at the time) 16 tracks to create the many layers in the album's tracks. Like it or not, this is definitely a "must listen to album".
Great quirky, fun fusion album. Definitely revisit both the album and Frank Zappa.
One of the first Jazz adjacent albums that didn't feel challenging to listen to in any way. Quite enjoyable honestly.
Not really what I expected given what I thought I knew about Zappa and had heard from him before. I figured it would be a lot more avant-garde and experimental. In any case, it was still some pretty great jazz-injected prog rock.
I've always enjoyed this album. An early entry point to the eclectic world of Zappa. The blues of Captain Beefheart is excellent as is the electric violin (and guitar of course!).
I like that this is mainly instrumental. Songs feel like they go on forever tho. Very jammy. Some of it's almost jazzy. Four stars.
Dels que conec, és sense dubte l'àlbum més jazz de Zappa. Sense perdre de vista la seva habitual inventiva experimental i búsqueda de nous sons, és un disc clarament jazzero, gran part d'ell instrumental. Sempre m'ha tirat més aquesta visió que la dels seus primers treballs, massa en búsqueda del xoc i l'experimentació...
Lots of groovy stuff going on here, but there are some production issues on the wind instruments that make parts of some songs tinny and hard to listen to. Still, the free form rock flow of this album makes it a fun listen. 8
Sometimes the dissonant parts were really grating, but overall this was really creative and cool, I especially liked the last track 8/10
Impressive guitar and interesting experimental rock sounds. Tracks are incredibly well produced, especially for 1969. Super accessible too despite the avant nature. First three tracks are memorable and energetic. Quiets down after that with an interesting smooth jazz track. Last two tracks are fairly forgetful but have impressive aspects for sure, like the cosmic rock of "It Must Be A Camel."
Thought this was excellent other than the sax solo in The Gumbo Variations. Totally killed my enjoyment of the song.
Hot Rats consists of instrumental jazz-influenced compositions with exhaustive soloing. Zappa described the album as “a movie for your ears.” Thank you wikipedia ;) (7/10) FT: Peaches en Regalia
Never took the time to listen to this album properly but now I did: the Gumbo Variations is 5* - the rest is 3*-4*, so a very decent Frank Zappa album overall: 4*.
Played it a couple of times, doesn't happen a lot with albums in this list. Hence liked it
expected 60's stoner music, didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did
I like guitar, and this album was a lot of it. Frank Zappa is a really good guitarist, I prefer the kinda slower rather than funkier/jazzier style Zappa has, but the point is he is a very good guitarist. the begging of willie the peep was weird, but the guitar was insane in all the songs. I enjoyed it.
Very much right up my alley. Awesome instrumentals, such a fun listen.
I have never listened to Frank Zappa but I liked this album, I didn't expect it to have jazz inspiration/piano but I enjoyed it. Favourite songs: Willie the pimp, Little umbrellas
Weird and wonderful and fun. Just a whole lotta noodling and soloing and creativity that was really enjoyable to listen to. Favourite Tracks: Peaches En Regalia, Little Umbrellas, It Must Be a Camel
Thoroughly enjoyed the loose nature of the songs. Willie the Pimp was a standout
Ja va kinda distraherad när vi lyssna men för sidners skull blir de en fyra 😎
Awesome instrumentals. Fluid and complex. Really enjoyable to listen to when you are working on something creative.
Finally, a good album. It's been almost two weeks since this thing has generated anything that's cracked a 4. It isn't Zappa's best, but at least there's some representation on this infernal list. Why is this the only Zappa album on here? Boring-ass REM and U2 have four albums apiece on this thing, and they couldn't spare a second slot for a guy whose discography is over twice the size of both of those mundane bands combined?
Frank Zappa is weird! But he pulls together some pretty great jazz rock that really pushed the genre. A lot on instrumental craziness that ultimately the reason why this album is on here. Fully worth the price of admission.
This is one that I have on vinyl, an original press that belonged to my dad ❤ I obviously had to bust it out for this. I don't have a great deal of experience with Zappa, outside of this album, but I do really dig this. It's a great listen top to bottom and that fuses jazz with prog rock at the time. Great stuff
Apart from his reputation as an extravagant, sometimes difficult rock artist with free-jazz and musique concrète proclivities, I didn't know the first thing about Frank Zappa. This record was a surprisingly pleasant listen. I've browsed through other Zappa album deemed important by certain critics and fans, and now I know that immediate pleasure is not the first thing that comes to my mind with these high-conceptual and/or tongue-in-cheek recordings. *Freak Out*, by the Mothers of Invention, is the only one of those records I found genuinely enjoyable on first listens. The rest is really, *really* for the fans, I think. Two things stand out in *Hot Rats*, though. As in *Freak Out*, the lush arrangements provided by horn and reed sections is a huge plus. But in *Hot Rats*, there's something that not even *Freak Out* can boast about, and it's the hard grooves. Some drums are in a funky mode that's particularly lively, almost krautrock in their intent. And when they don't, they swing in a slower yet as efficient fashion, hereby supporting jazzier cuts that are equally satisfying. I barely noticed all the tracks were all instrumental except one sung by Captain Beefheart. I was too much taken in the soundscapes. Obviously, I'm a rookie when it comes to Zappa, so I can't really judge this effort in a broader context. But I understand he's an acquired taste anyway, and you can't rush things with an artist as productive and unhinged as him. Let's just say that *Hot Rats* does sound like a promising entry point, at least, just like *Freak Out* was on a more classic-rock, partly parodic, mode. [Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 975 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 9 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 7 (including this one) Albums from the list I will *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 8 Albums I might not be able to judge (some might end up on my final list but it's because I recognize how culturally important they are): 1]
And I thought Neil Young was eclectic. This is what, rock meets jazz? I've listened to a couple Zappa albums before, but more straight ahead rock (from the 80's maybe?). The first track is pretty short so I didn't really notice the heavy jazz motif until I got past track 2; clear as I go back to it. Most of the album felt like jazz fusion with electric guitar and a rock feel. I was thinking that it sounded like some of the jazz albums on this list and then read that Shuggie Otis is featured on the album, so yep. The second track felt like quintessential prog rock and it was pretty damn cool. I would've liked even more of that but tracks 3 and 4 were still pretty cool. Track 5 was up there with track 2 - slick. On top of Zappa, Ian Underwood was pretty impressive on the sax (and other woodwinds).
Don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't a nearly full instrumental album, but then again, I really know nothing about Frank Zappa. This album has been described as a "movie for your ears," and I get the description after listening. Smooth jazz fusion that tells a fun and engaging story.
Frank was the shit. The most underrated musician I can think of. His music is borderline genius but it wasn't "radio worthy". I hope he doesn't end up as a footnote in 20th century music.