Hot Rats

he cooked

best Zappa

OH GOD IT'S SOOO GOOD. 9/10. I LOVE THIS. "Peaches en Regalia" sounds like a theme from a TV series you used to watch as a kid. There is something nostalgic yet optimistic about this whole project . First track lands at the top 20 of my favourite songs for sureeee

First listen for me and very much enjoyed. It's one I will need to return to so I can appreciate it more.

not too fun

Gotta give some love to Zappa - He's sometimes weird, often great, very talented.

Pretty wild ride, great musicianship in these winding tracks. You can always count on a Frank Zappa album to at least be interesting, and this one is no exception.

Not sure I like the instrument choices. The orchestration is strange and great as always

Still not really sure what I just listened to, but I enjoyed it.

Zank Frappa #hotratssummer

As a fellow untalented fake freak, I loved this. But fr, I've always been deterred by Zappa's apparently wacky sound and especially the vocals but this had some real cool instrumental grooves.

I have a lot lot lot of issues with frank zappa... primarily I think he's untalented and a fake freak (worst offence imaginable) but sometimes the stars align with him and something interesting comes through in his albums... anyways I know im being a bit pedantic and not explaining myself much but he sorta represents all the worst things about the hippie movement to me (i.e. he's racist, stupid and has nothing to say) but i also liked this album enough LOL so fuck it 4 stars

I know Frank Zappa from the PMRC hearings in 1985, but I have never listened to much of his music. This album has some very engaging jazz/blues fusion music that I really enjoyed listening to.

It's been a long time since I last listened to this. It's not bad. Kind of Acid Jazz, except Zappa hated drugs so not an appropriate descriptor. There's some great musicianship on display, but aside from the standout Willie The Pimp there's not a lot of memorable tunes.

Strange and intriguing jazz fusion. Haven’t heard much like this before. Refreshing and somewhat unsettling.

Elevator jazz

Not his best to me but still five

kind of Zappa's prog

Perfecto. Sonido estupendo, canciones largas... un sonido que incita a la psicodelia... líneas de bajo chulas, no quiero nada más.

This has character and I kind of like it but some of it just goes on too much for four stars. 3.5

This was not my normal jam but I really got into it. Would listen to more.

Funky

This greatly exceeded my expectations. The first two tracks absolutely whip, the first sort of struck me as pleasurable in the same way a Henry Mancini soundtrack is, and the second genuinely rocked, which is not something I expect in the jazz fusion world. The rest sort of wore on me and got pretty same-y, but overall a good listen and something that may enter the rotation as background/working music. Will probably check out other Zappa as a result, which is also contrary to my expectation.

Didn't finish it but enjoyed what I heard.

This is a very cool album. It mixes blues, rock, and jazz. This album is CRAZY! I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. This record changes second by second and I think it’s incredible how Zappa could fuse many different styles into one. This album is really cool!

Jazzy psychedelia is not my general vibe, but this hit me at the right moment to enjoy it. 3⭐️

Love it

Better than a lot of his stuff

Interesting album. Don't have too much to say about it. Overall enjoyed the fairly experimental sounds of the album. Sections really reminded my of the Ocarina of Time OST. Perhaps it was the generous usage of woodwinds.

Rats off to ya!

Shit sandwich

Pretty interesting ablum.

Ehh, DIDNT really jell with it

Very cool album. My first time listening to Frank Zappa! I loved it.

Great musician.....horrible songs. I'm sure I just don't "get it"

Much better than 90% of other Zappa I have heard

I appreciate the music, but it's not my jam. 2/5

I really wish I could like this more. Just find it uninteresting, I don't know.

Great album. The highs are high, and when you think you've reached one peak you're surprised to find that you really had just got to the foot of the mountain.

Really impressed with the opening tracks, and find that Zappa succeeds here when I treat the record like the work of a composer who is using rock and prog instruments, instead of trying to fit his work into the idea of a band writing rock songs

Gosh this is so self indulgent. The songs are so long my word. Yes I get it, he's very talented, I don't disagree. But it just seems to go on and on. Five minutes is long enough. 45 minutes long and only 6 songs is crazy. Overall: 2/5

His most accessable album. My problem with Frank Zappa is that his guitar solos are often too long and often overstay their welcome. Even 5 minutes of noodling can get boring. I'll make an exception for Willie the Pimp because that's a fun jam track. I like of the sense of humor. It walks a fine line between not being serious and chin stroking pretention.

The rats are, in fact, hot

Zappa was a genius. Always an enjoyable listen.

Um dos melhores discos que já peguei aqui na lista. Álbum patrício. As composições aqui são brilhantes, surreais. É o tipo de disco que merece ser ouvido muitas e muitas vezes, dedicando total atenção, pois toda vez que você o roda, nota-se algo novo. Todos os músicos aqui em forma magistral. Verdadeiramente fantástico. 5/5

More Vocals would be welcome from Mr. Zappa, still a round thing. Every Song was good but The Gumbo Variations was my least likeable one. They was doing too much but it was still an interesting listen at least.

comfortable for rainy day

Another one I own a physical copy of. I love me some Frank Zappa. He is weird in all the best ways. Peaches in Regalia fucking rules. This album fucking rules. 4.5 ⭐️ because I have to be in a Zappa mood.

When I saw Zappa I was afraid we were in for some avant garde bullshit that I wouldn't get....but this album rips. Psychedelic bluesy jazz fusion is everything I didn't know I needed. 4.5 stars.

Talent, but not my jam

Album raro pero ta bien

I was expecting something much different than this

Probably the only jam band (or jam album, I dunno...) that I'll ever really enjoy. This is another one that hit me toward the end of undergrad and it was the right time and the right place for stuff like this. Peaches in Regalia is an all time favorite.

Very experimental, very jazzy, very avant garde. I’m sure this blew peoples minds back in the day. I’m giving it a solid 3 because I respect it and respect Zappa for being different.

it’s no Tiddies & Beer or Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? but it is a work of art

Oh to be a fly on the dirty ass wall of whatever drug den this album was created in

It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t like the style

Some of this was just grating. Other parts were really good.

Fuck. Another masterpiece!!!! 5 *'s

Not as crazy as I was expecting. Actually kinda boring and inoffensive but I didn’t mind it. Played it in the background while I scrolled my phone.

Willie the Pimp has been one of my favorite songs for years, not sure how I came across it. Might have been a Spotify mix. But I love the gritty blues vocals from Captain Beefheart not to mention the epic guitar solo afterwards. That being said, I have tried other Frank Zappa stuff in the past and I just do not like it. There is something special about Willie the Pimp though. So I saw this album show up, which I have not bothered to listen to outside of the song Willie the Pimp and thought I'd give Frank Zappa another try. I listened to this album and I could do without all of it but Willie the Pimp, such an incredibly awesome song! I am torn as to what to rate this album, it will be heavily weighted because of the song I mentioned before, Willie the Pimp. I mean I am almost considering giving this album a 4 because of this one song. Hot meat, hot rats Hot cats, hot zits

Niet gelusiterd

Wasn't bad but a bit monotonous.

Hot Rats is a surreal ride—a psychedelic rock-and-roll circus shaped by a wide range of influences. You can hear traces of rock, blues, jazz, classical, even beat vibes…all filtered through Zappa’s unmistakable avant-garde lens. What’s most striking is how purely he leans into artistic freedom. Unfiltered, fearless, and entirely nonconformist. A subtle genius, really. Cheers to doing it all his own way.

Despite my best intentions to investigate the work of this zany genius over the years, all I can recall on the spot about Zappa are his novelty tracks "Bobby Brown (Goes Down)" and "Valley Girl"; the latter I no doubt heard on Dr. Demento's show when I was a kid. So here I am finally listening to this funky as hell record I've been seeing in used vinyl bins my whole life, (and just as long loving the cover art with its rad juicy weirdo photo and perfectly kerned Helvetica typeface). And what can I say? I AM GROOVIN' ON THE FREAK SCENE, MANNNN. It's not hard to be transported to the mindset of peak far-out, wig-flipping, hairy jam-out weirdness from when this dropped in '69. But what is also remarkable is to hear the 1:1 influence this has had on modern stuff like Animal Collective, Ween, and King Gizzard. The musicianship is stellar and the compositions are engaging. Definitely of a time and of a place. (It's probably also had an influence on 90s hippie jam bands I can't stand, but you can't win 'em all.) The album ends on a great free jazz skronk-fest, which is fun and chaotic and reminiscent of the stuff I used to do with a band I was in. I probably should have gotten into this more when I was younger and a little more adventurous, but hell , I'll take it at any age. After all, "when the going gets weird, the weird go pro." - Frank Zappa

First time really listening to Frank Zappa. He sounds like the musical representation of Tom Robbins. I like the experimentation and jazz influence, but probably not something I'd listen to every day.

Great album, fantastic guitar work

I normally find these albums that are “weird for the sake of weird” to be obnoxious, annoying, and off-putting. In a strange turn of events I found this album oddly charming, and almost delightful. I have to say I enjoyed the instrumental tracks on this record a lot more than the ones containing vocals. I really did not care for the vocal style used here at all. As for the instrumental tracks, there was really a lot to like here, you can tell it was recorded with relatively rudimentary equipment, but that almost adds to the funky charm of Hot Rats. This isn’t something I’d actively seek out to listen to, but I certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. 3*

In Zappa’s earlier work with Mothers of Invention, like ‘We’re Only In It For the Money’ which we previously reviewed, the listener kinda gets the impression that they’re on the outside of an inside joke about what is music, anyway? It feels strangely nihilistic, as if to say music is dead and we’re dancing on its grave. We’re reanimating its corpse in a grotesque way and we’re laughing at those who find it in poor taste. In this solo effort, I get no impression that Zappa is anything but sincere — this is music for music’s sake, and it makes it clear that the anti-music from Mothers of Invention was being driven by someone with a lot of musical intelligence and intuition. And Zappa is very much in charge on this album: in addition to playing guitar, bass and percussion, he is also credited as writer and arranger of all songs on the album and the album’s producer. The opening track, “Peaches en Regalia”, is a fantastic track, a fantastic opener, and I wish it were longer. I found this to be a theme throughout the album — my favorite tracks tended to be the shortest. “Little Umbrellas” and “It Must Be A Camel” are both around or under five minutes, and were both two other favorites from this album. That is probably my biggest complaint with this album—it spends too little time one really cool, jazzy, intricate songs like those and some parts of “The Gumbo Variations”, and more on blues rock extended jams like “Willie the Pimp” and most “Son of Mr. Green Genes” that I found to be slightly less creative although not unenjoyable to listen to. Overall, this album is just really fun to listen to and will catch your attention at several points in each song. Not your typical guitar album; high replay value. Strong 8/10 Playlist pick: “Peaches en Regalia”

8 minutes of enjoyment and 33 minutes of a jazz fart.

I’ve never listened to much Frank Zappa but I knew this album would be pretty out there. It was a strange mix of different genres but I didn’t mind it. I gotta stop doing these reviews days after listening because I forget half the album… anyway this was good!

me estresa que sea casi todo instrumental perooo, las partecitas que escuche no estaban mal. not my cup of tea.

Interesting music.

High point: Willie the Pimp! I could listen to this kind of jamming forever. No wonder Trey is such a fan.

Imagine ween were self-serious pricks

Not for me.

I know Zappa is a little “out there” this was a struggle. I like Joes Garage but won’t be revisiting this in the future I don’t think.

Really enjoyed this. It’s a musical soundscape with some great tracks

Quite liked this one. Willie the Pimp was a real highlight. And the Gumbo Variations was also a good listen. Perhaps dips slightly in places after a great start but overall a surprisingly nice listen this morning.

I loved the first two tracks and the bold enthusiastic style of this album. Let down by the last two tracks that just went too far with the sax.

Shit jazz prog noodling vs great Zappa psych guitar solos. Fight! It’s a fun album, but only half of it works for me. Willie the Pimp (which always sounds to me like Fairport Convention on acid) and The Gumbo Variations are the standout tracks. The jazzier stuff just ain’t my bag.

Some good tunes by Zappa

Real hard and real groovy. Crazy that this came out in 1969. Bitches Brew but rock.

Maybe this could grow on me but not after one listen. Not massively compelled to revisit.

Not my fave, sorry Frank!

I’m generally hot and cold on Zappa. Some stuff is just too weird for me. This is pretty decent for most of it. The Zappa documentary from 2020, aptly named “Zappa”, is fascinating.

Pretty fun

I never really got into Zappa. This is a mostly instrumental album, very bluesy, not too jazzy. A fun listen. Don’t know enough about Zappa to say if it’s a definitive piece though.

- J’ai pas encore commencé l’écoute, mais ma première impression est que je vais aimer ça ! Enfin un album qui est dans mes cordes. - Très fort ! J'ai adoré ! Rien à redire ! Enfin de la bonne musique ! - Frank a fait d’autres albums dans le même genre : Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo et Sleep Dirt (à écouter !) - Plus d’albums comme celui-ci, SVP !

Good I like Willie the pimp and the gumbo variations

My favorite Zappa record. Perfectly off-kilter, heavy, melodic, and weird. Five of six tracks are instrumental. Although his comical lyrics and non-sequiturs are integral to the Zappa sound, he was first and foremost a composer of unique melodies and wild soundscapes. Zappa's early-career talents are on full display on this record. "Peaches En Regalia" is one of his fullest, catchiest compositions. "Willie the Pimp" is the only track with lyrics (Captain Beefheart) and features some of my favorite guitar playing. "Son Of Mr. Green Genes" is a mash-up of the first two to close out the first side. "Little Umbrellas" is a breather which eases you into the second side of the record. "The Gumbo Variations" is controlled chaos with dueling sax and fiddle (or is it some effect on the guitar? idk) "It Must Be A Camel" brings it all home with wonderfully jazzy motifs from a different planet. It's not a perfect album, but it is immensely enjoyable and I haven't tired of listening to it over the years.

Hippie experience. Discordant but expert instrumentation.

8.5/10. Frank Zappa was one of the most-brilliant musicians to ever live. I don't really know why I listen to him so rarely. This is a really cool jazz album!

Mostly instrumental. I see why this is on the list - interesting layering of different sounds. I think this could be good background listening grooving music for me.

I did not enjoy the singing, but everything else was surprisingly good! I guess I judged the album by it's cover

BAZINGA! A solid five stars for this one. One of my favourite albums of all time.

Groovy

Very cool.

I didn’t need to listen to this. I know it well. It’s a fascinating blend of improvisation, composition and production. Peaches en Regalia is an all time classic. It Must be a Camel was my under appreciated gem this time.

Well that was better than the last Zappa related album (in it for the money) I had to sit through, though that’s not difficult as that was some of the worst shit I have heard so far. This is a solid blues jazzy rock record from the late sixties. After a few listens Could definitely listen to it again without prejudice as a piece of music, if I can try not to get bogged down in the mythos of Zappa. 3 Star.

A classic!!

Great instrumental album, first time I've really heard something from Zappa and it didn't dissappoint

I own Freak out by the Mothers of Invention, so I was looking forward to this one. Very surprised to find out it was an instrumental album (with the exception of Willie the Pimp). Gotta admit loved it. No track really stood out but you can't deny the musicianship. Not too messy and unstructured but just enough improvisation to keep you listening. Nice

I was pleasantly surprised with how chill this album was. No real bops but definitely a lot of jams. Does that make sense? To me it does.

Don't know what I expected. This wasn't it.

h: peaches en regalia

Kinda weird. In a good way. I like the bluesyness on some of the tracks but I would prefer more shorter tracks rather than so few 9 min tracks.

This album is fascinating, and I’m not sure what to make of it. His jazz sensibilities are excellent, though I hate the other accoutrements and psychedelic components.

Now I thought I knew what Frank Zappa sounds like - guess I need to listen to other Frank’ albums if there are some more like this. Really enjoyed the mostly instrumental songs. Standouts were "Willie the Pimp", "Son of Mr. Green Genes” and "The Gumbo Variations".

When Zappa doesn’t have some kind of intellectual axe to grind he is much more interesting. Add in Sugarcane Harris and you have something pretty marvelous.

Rock instrumentals that sound fresh even after all these years. Favorite track: the gumbo variations other picks: peaches en regalia, willie the pimp,

funky!

Interesting album for sure. This album feels like it should be impromptu jazz. It's not my flavor but it's definitely somebody else's

awesome! Very creative, ahead of its time.

Do you have to be on psychedelics to enjoy psychedelic rock?

5/10 Backgroundly unremarkable. 5-30-2025

Probably my favorite jazz album I’ve heard to date, very fun and vibrant sounding album. Could hear a lot of personality in his instrumentation and it sounded great. Favorite Track: Son Of Mr. Green Genes.

This album rocked. One of those 1960’s releases where I can see the DNA path lines to like 20 different bands in the contemporary. The genre shifting within tracks was rad as hell. I think the entire experience was probably enhanced by the fact that I was running around town to grab light beers. Jazzier tracks were a bigger hit for me (Little Umbrellas / Peaches) but there’s something to enjoy in each of the 7+ min tracks lol.

Straight up jammin'. Comes really close to 'jazz' while staying pretty solidly in 'rock' groove. Varied instrumentation and interesting sounds and production techniques. The harshness of the violin in The Gumbo Variations (and the ridiculousness of the vocals in "Willie the Pimp") holds this back from a 4.

Unexpectedly vibed with it. I felt like it was the soundtrack to an old crank hoarder as he went about his scruffy life, being cantankerous.

too silly

-ehh it sounded weird sorta eerie and not my thing

guitar is fire

Incredible album. First time listening to Zappa and I am not disappointed. The freedom of each note played, the pure madness of the guitar and sax solos, how each song has its own feel and identity. Will be coming back to it for sure. 8,5/10 fav songs : Peaches in Regalia & The Gumbo Variations

I prefer some of his stuff with lyrics like "A Ship Arriving Too Late to Save A Drowning Witch". This was nice, but I don't think that I'll listen to it again any time soon.

This was not what I expected, in a good way. I had associated Frank Zappa with offbeat experimentally weird music, which this is, but it also had skill (I didn't know he was a renowned guitarist!), jazz/classical elements, and was approachable. I spent some time trying to figure out which song the beginning of Little Umbrellas reminded me of. Not Swan Lake, but something like that? Especially liked Gumbo Variations and Willie The Pimp

Not what I was expecting. More jazz rock than anything else?

Didn't really know what to expect, but it wasn't this. Appreciate his talent, but as an album it seems to be just a bunch of jams that were thrown together.

This was fine. Probably my favorite of the albums I've gotten so far that are largely (if not entirely) instrumental. I just didn't love how long and meandering they felt, but the instrumentality is impressive. It's completely middle of the road for me though

𝘏𝘰𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘴 is what happens when Frank Zappa decides to behave — at least a little. Stripped of most of his trademark absurdism (minus a dash of Beefheart chaos and some delightfully odd titles), this album dives deep into jazz-rock fusion with surprising accessibility. Tracks like 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 don’t just groove — they glide, twist, and sparkle. It’s experimental, yes, but with enough structure to welcome even the Zappa-curious. A wild ride, but one with seatbelts.

This is the 121st album I’m rating. I hear this one is much better than We're Only in it for the Money. Adding to my Playlist - Peaches en Regalia, Willie the Pimp, Son of Mr. Green Genes, Little Umbrellas, The Gumbo Variations, and It Must be a Camel. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. All in all I liked 6/6 songs. Much better than the other album. This is great and some of the best jazz I've heard. Probably the 3rd best jazz album I've heard in my life behind.

Much better than 'We're Only in it for the Money' while Hot Rats at times feels like the joke's on you it never feels like one big joke as 'We're Only in it for the Money' did however well played and bursting with creativity that joke on wax was. Hot Rats is well edited and sometimes I think that's the big factor in evaluating if a Zappa album is great or a done in one listen. 'We're Only in it for the Money' felt like Zappa just pressed record & went batshit crazy. This jazzy cosmic rock of an album is largely instrumental (Captain Beefheart does vocals on Willie the Pimp) and benefits greatly from not having Zappa's at times idiotic vocals crapping all over the music. Sometimes less Zappa is more.

Interesting. Hardly any vocals. Time changes, tempo changes, it's a fun jam album

Damn, I didn't know Zappa was chill like that. It feels like a 43 minute long guitar solo, and I say that with every ounce of appreciation in my heart. Damn good funk.

Each of these songs take a while to get going but hot damn are the jams tasty. Put it on half-burnt toast by adding violin solo's and sell it.

Vrhunski album! Baš baš dobar. Dugo vremena sam mislila da ne mogu slušati Zappu, ali eto očito je Tihin utjecaj ostavio traga 🤣 baš sam guštala! 4/5, 8.5/10

Highlights: Peaches en Regalia, Son of Mr Green Genes In a nutshell: hot jams This goes down smoothly compared to the Mothers of Invention album "We're Only In It For The Money" I had a few weeks ago. More prog blues and jazz fusion tunes than avant garde rock here. Also, Frank looks like a stoned clown peering out of the empty pool on the album cover. And if you go to the official YouTube playlist, some tracks have this creep playing peekaboo to the music. Overall: 7/10

Awesome

I was born to a Zappa track: The Torture Never Stops Hot Rats is a much more accessible but even more satisfying collection of sounds - vivid and cinematic. The studio isn't so much an instrument as another musician. Tasty and tasteful playing all over the place! Favourite tracks: Willie the Pimp, The Gumbo Variations

He sure do guitar.

Great vibes, would be cool to see live for sure. It does become noise at times when it feels like a jam by great players. Like im not listening to songs im hearing people go ham. And thats cool in its own ways

spunky, and i feel like this would be so enjoyable to listen to under any influence. def need to listen to more

I respect Zappa and all, but I’m not a huge fan of long, meandering jam tracks.

Very sophisticated jazzy jams. Some jarring moment prevent a top score. “Gumbo” and “Green Genes” were favorites.

I love Peaches En Regalia, and the next couple were good. But the last 2 or 3 seem suspiciously like jazz. And that didn't sit right with me. 3.5* rounding up for Peaches.

Hell yeah.

drei bis vier

Good Album. First time listening to Zappa. I would listen again!

Real good. Peaches en regalia will always be one of my fav pieces of art ever it is absolutely perfect. Some of the Jams get a tad boring but green genes is soooo sick

want to give this a 5 but i also don't like long songs.... it'll be a true 4.5

Delightfully weird and funky jazzy surreal. Obviously lets a number of genres into his soul.

i'm giving 4 stars to an instrumental jazzy vibes album who am i

Great album. Shows off Zappos musical talents.

Solid

This was cool

A nice surprise. I expected this to be very experimental, and although it was experimental, it was quite accesible. Solid musical basis, with good and extensive soloing.

Man I know who Frank Zappa is but man what a crazy album! Lol I've never actually listened to one of his albums but it was different! Not necessarily bad but different!

I saw the artist and rolled my eyes. I regret that. This was amazingly good.

Interesting use of the instruments! I liked it.

Niin että instrumentaalilevykö tämä olikin? Oli kyl parempi mitä se mothers of inventor vai mikä olikaan. Kuunneltavaa kai kuitenkin.

ok

I’m conflicted on this. It’s alternating between psychedelic (meh) and Ornette Coleman influenced Acid Jazz (sign me the fuck up) So I guess a three?

This will be the first time I’ve listened to an entire Zappa album. I know some of his songs from radio play but he’s otherwise been off my radar. It was an interesting blend of rock, fusion, and even a just plain weird. Some of it dragged out a little too long, but overall, I enjoyed listening.

My favorite Zappa studio album. Peaches en Regalia is one of the best instrumentals ever set to record.

It was ok, I'm guessing there are some other Zappa albums to come

Really not my style.

https://rateyourmusic.com/music-review/JesseOverPessi/frank-zappa/hot-rats/256004839

kinda cool

Not my thing, but I can imagine it working in the background at the right party in my youth. He is definitely talented. I made it all the way through, listening in the car on the way to work. It is a strong 1 star in that I somewhat enjoyed it but can't make it to 2 because I wouldn't give it a second listen or recommend it.

Enjoyed listening. Great guitar!

This is the kind of music I would pay to avoid.

I didn't know anything about Frank Zappa except that he was a hippie era guy who did A LOT of drugs. I went into it not really sure how I was going to like it, and honestly, I really enjoyed it. I don't know that I would listen to it with other people around or all that often, but it was worth the listen. It was definitely weird. The drummer had it going ON, and there was specific instrumentalist later that really hit it too.

70s porn soundtrack?

Another album of noise from zappa

Zappa can shred.

Не слишком привычная для моего слуха музыка, но послушать иногда можно, когда хочется чего-то необычного. 6 из 10.

Up and down

Good music, but boring and longgg. I don't mind all that much when i am in the mood for some instrumental. but thats not now 3/5

This was actually pretty good. 🤩

Very noodley

Good guitar man

Got this album rec from Willie The Pimp and he never steers me astray.

Not sure I understand

This is easily a top 5 Zappa record and the best of his more jazzy instrumental based work. This and Overnite Sensation are great intros to his stuff.

Hot Rats Used to be one of my favorites. It’s been a long time since I head this album. My dad was a big Zappa fan so I grew up with this one. Peaches en Regalia is a special one to me and has always been one of my favorite tunes. Didn’t know that Shuggy Otis played bass on Peaches. Willie the pimp and Gumbo variations is cool to hear Zappa’s take on the one chord jam. Zappas guitar playing is super unique- cool to hear how it evolved to the sound he had in the 80’s on GUITAR. Cool how the tempo is faster when the riff come back at the end of Willie. Gumbo gets to a strange place when it peaks. I like the how the rhythm section shapes and peaks and keeps things interesting through the long solos that can get pretty far out and textural. Cool jammy loose 60’s feel it’s a bit different from his 70’s and 80’s stuff. Little umbrellas is a cool tune with such a weird vibe, I like the upright and drum sounds. It must be a camel was my favorite this time (aside from peaches) really cool tension and release and works really well at the end of the album- the harmonic rhythm and more complex composed stuff is refreshing after gumbo variations.

I never really got into zappa. Not necessarily something i would listen to again but i enjoyed listening to it, was way more interesting than most on this list. 3 for me but 4 for the project

The horn players and drummer should be out of a job

All instrumental.

wow this is funky and i liked it

Stone cold classic

Holy crap. This is incredible. Here we have my final album on the list to prominently feature Frank Zappa. I've listened to both of the Mothers of Invention albums on the list and liked them both. Freak Out! especially was a highlight. But this solo album of his? Hot Rats? I'm speechless. This album is a genuine masterpiece. Unlike the Mothers albums on the list, which take more of a full-on avant-garde approach to music, Hot Rats shows strong musical sensibilities through its stellar jazz-fusion compositions. The Mothers albums on the list focus more on their lyrical themes, supplementing them with avant-garde compositions that aren't the easiest on the ears. Hot Rats is still a fairly unconventional album, but in a different way that appeals to me even more personally. You see, Hot Rats is mostly instrumental, so there really can't be a focus on satire like the Mothers albums. Instead, Hot Rats shows off compositions that are full of musical talent that is used in crazy ways. The jazz-fusion style is the kind of thing that I just adore. Zappa's guitar solos are stunning in their own right, but they're heightened even more by the additional instrumentation. All 6 songs on the album captivated me entirely. The one song with vocals, "Willie the Pimp" is pretty cool. It features Captain Beefheart on vocals, which is good because I need a primer for the inevitability that is my first time listening to Trout Mask Replica, whenever that ends up being. I don't know what to say. Hot Rats is peak music. It really just speaks for itself. 5/5.

Muzicaal en experimenteel, niet super vibey

Well, this sure makes me regret not listening to Frank Zappa earlier in life. Amazing record. Rocking, progressive, and jazzy in equal measure. Experimental in sensibility, but listenable and irresistible as hell. I have to hand it to all the old rock bores who go on about Zappa being on his own level... Maybe they had it right this one time. 5*

Impressive? Yes. Good? Not sure. In parts it is brilliant.

not my thing

Not my thing.

This album made me grow a mustache I can’t remove.

Zappa, especially + Beefheart, is where so much prog rock wanted to go but never could, too bogged down by pretensions, whereas the former, at least on this record, is all about substance and the goods. Few rock/blues artists can take a turn into European classical form w/o either being utterly overwrought or feebly intellectual, but Zappa doesn't go there to be cool, or to learn precision or perfection, but b/c there's something there that has the potential to pop and swing. 'Willie The Pimp' defines a classic, the best instrumentals are 'Little Umbrellas' and 'The Gumbo Variations,' and the whole gestalt does have a cinematic quality (Zappa's design apparently). I only wish we got more Beefheart - I guess he's the ultimate draw for moi.

I really didn’t expect this First listen was in the car on a long journey. Ok but not really the environment to concentrate on a ‘new’ album. All I can recall about that listen is that there weren't many words. Which I thought was odd since my only real solid experience of FZ is “Joe’s Garage”, which is FULL of words. Second listen on headphones. This is what I imagine the Muppet Show band, y’know the one with Dr. Teeth, Zoot, Animal, Floyd, Lips and Janice would release if they made an album. An excellent accompished jam, with all sorts of unusual instrument sounds coming through. Really liked it. But I did miss the studenty lyrics. I think there are more FZ albums on the list I haven’t heard yet. I look forward to them.

experimental..ad hoc-ly. They created some tension and discomfort but didn’t give me the solution.. I felt lost sometimes.. I might need to pay extra attention to appreciate the album but I didn’t want to. I prefer lying in my bed to be pleased. I like that it still has some jazz gene.

I dug this on my commute to work today. It was interesting enough to keep me engaged, but also had some weird spots. I haven’t really listened to Zappa before but I would be excited for more.

First time ever listening to a Zappa album and I can’t say I fully understand the hype, but I do understand how he can mesmerize musicians. It was a little lengthy but the composition and instrumentation is so interesting that it doesn’t seem like a longer album. It was fun to sit back and have no idea where a song was going to take me. Can’t say I’ll be taking a deep dive into his discography, but I’m sure we’ll have more of his work in the future.

Jazz-Rock? Rock-Jazz? Not sure what to call it. If you like long meandering instrumentals then this is for you. I got bored about halfway through "Willie The Pimp" though. I feel bad giving this a low score because I do think it has it's merits. The songs aren't all the same which is tough on an instrumental album, but I get so bored with long electric guitar solos. The first and last songs are the more jazzy side that I like. I'm glad this is on the list, but I'm not going to go back and listen to it again.

Meh. Classic rock van de 60’s, ik ken het onderhand wel

Þetta var nú meiri steypan. Flottur gaur samt.

Of flóknar tilraunir fyrir mig.

what a guy. love the way he says hot rats. Would I listen again: sure Deserves to be on this list: yes 3.6

Pretty good music to just listen to, and watch the world go by 8/10

A total shock to me. I find Zappa a bit incoherent occasionally and this was a jam from start to finish.

Very good! I loved it. Listened to some of his other albums the rest of the day.

Some interesting sounds, but way too much jamming. Might be fun to play, but not listen to on an album.

It doesn't seem right to call an album featuring a Captain Beefheart vocal and three 9+ minute jams "accessible", and yet, contextually, this still may be the most accessible Zappa record I've heard. I don't know if it's my favorite of his, but it's definitely up there. I'm never personally bothered by the song lengths given a) the energy of the performances and b) their persistent movement. The musicianship is obviously top-notch across the board (shoutouts to Ian Underwood and Sugarcane Harris are certainly in order), but there's a certain rawness to it that isn't always on display in Zappa's music. Big fan. 4/5

nstrumentally, this is probably Frank Zappa's strongest release including everything he did with the Mother Of Invention.

The worst elements of free jazz and some of the worst elements of rock, combined into an album I don’t want to listen to.

this is the exact kind of album that made me want to do this challenge—it’s a record i’ve been meaning to listen to for ages and is constantly referenced and yet i’ve never actually sat down to listen to it. obviously i know who frank zappa is but i can honestly say i don’t think i’ve ever listened to a full song by him or the mothers of invention. so this is as good an excuse as any. even tho he had beef with the velvets. ok update i listened to it. well it’s kinda doing too much. but i think it’s still quite good. i doubt i’d listen to it in full again but i understand its relevance and importance to music history…still i’ll never forgive frank zappa for being a meanie bo beanie to sterling and the other members of the velvet underground. also RIP miss christine 💔 fav tracks: peaches en regalia; son of mr. green genes; it must be a camel

this was pretty cool!!! so interesting and impressive. it feels like all the insane guitar riffs and energy that i didn’t like about yesterday’s metallica album is channeled in a good way here. i just like that this sounds like a bunch of talented musicians going crazy together.

Enjoyable listen. Zappa’s music is so abstract it kind of creates a genre of its own.

A movie for your ears indeed. I really enjoyed a lot of this. Some of it was a bit over the top or left field, but that’s Zappa. Each song almost plays as its own soundtrack which depending on the setting can be a welcomed change.

Fun listen and nice grooves. The sax in gumbo variations went a lil off the rails for me but overall enjoyed it.

The entire album didn't really hold together for me but I did very much enjoy the first two tracks. And for that reason I am rounding up. 3/5

Fun jazz album

Pretty good, enjoyed the listen. Didn't really ewoke any emotions so can't get too high. Listened to other Zappa stuff too and it was pretty good.

I’m not sure about this album, so it gets 2 stars.

Another full album that is only six songs. Six long songs. The first couple songs were good. After a while it felt like I was just listening to endless guitar solos. Then a duck going crazy. Overall a pretty interesting album. Not sure if I would listen to it again. Willie the Pimp was probably my favorite song from the album.

I struggled to listen to this. Not because it isn't great, but because I wasn't in a great head space. I recognize the amazing musical talent, but will have to revisit this later.

Fav: The Gumbo Variations

Interesting. Not really my cup of tea

I love guitar jazz and this is arguably the best guitar jazz album I’ve ever heard. Some tracks drag along the way which is why I give it a 4 but overall the tracks were excellent. This isn’t the easiest album to lay back and listen to but it’s easy to get into.

Heard a lot *about* Zappa before, but hadn't listened to much outside of Cheap Thrills and some of the big hits. Enjoyed listening to this, but felt like it could've gone on for longer. Ends too soon. Will probably relisten.

Zappa's a cool weirdo

Enjoyed Willie the Pimp a lot - less so the sax assault in The Gumbo Variations. Some very funky moments - but then let down by some interludes that sound like incidental music from 70's TV shows.

Hot Rats Wow, I was not expecting this to be so great. I had vaguely heard of it but didn’t know anything about it. I was thinking it would be something in the vein of the MOI’s deliberately abrasive outsider contrariness, but I was very surprised that it was a relatively straightforward psychedelic jazz rock album, with a nice dash of eccentricity and a massive amount of improvised guitar high jinks. There’s a recognisable little pattern in Peaches en Regalia from about 0.22 to 0.39, it sounds like it’s from Freak Out or We’re Only In It For The Money, but then the songs moves off gracefully into a different space, played absolutely fantastically with some brilliant refrains and passages. Love Willie the Pimp, Beefheart really suits it, and the fiddle and guitar riff is great on the first half before it branches out into the jam section with some excellent guitar. Like every song on here the rhythm section is superb, locking into a fantastic groove, and I’m not normally that into improvised guitar workouts but on here it is absolutely brilliant. It’s the same story on Son of Mr Green Genes and the superb, mesmeric The Gumbo Variations. Another fantastic pocket that the rhythm section hit, and I love the reappearance of the fiddle. Little Umbrellas I like too, a more traditional jazz style song, but it’s got a vague feeling of underlying uneasiness to it, as does It Must Be a Camel, with its great piano and slightly frantic bass. Some great passages in that too. I thought this was absolutely fantastic, one of the best surprises so far, hypnotic, graceful, a bit odd and full of great moments and passages. Can’t be anything but a 5. 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀 Playlist submission: The Gumbo Variations

There are elements of the album I really like, and the jazz feel with rock and country fiddle creates some great moments. Psychedelia is alive and well but does not subsume everything else. For the moments of clarity and excellence, there is a propensity to extend songs into wandering jams. It's not Grateful Dead messy, in fact it remains quite tight throughout, but those jams highlight a lack of not knowing what else to do with the songs. Where that's avoided i.e. 'Peaches En Regalia' it yields the finest results.

Enjoyable background music but probably won’t revisit. Nothing stood out other than Captain Beefheart singing on one song.

It was good. A bit chaotic but by design.

LOVED this album

Oh no, I actually liked this. Zappa feels like a big can of worms to open, but now I may as well. I listened to Live-Evil by Miles Davis yesterday, so I was primed for some jazz-rock fusion. I remember a couple years ago, when I mostly just listened to alternative rock and singer-songwriters, thinking that I wasn't bald enough to "get into" jazz, prog etc. Now my hairline has receded some more, I suppose I'm ready. The day I get a Grateful Dead album and decide to go down that rabbit hole, all my other large discography artists/bands will go out the window.

not his best

Fun guitar rock, no lyrics

Blandat. Ganska rörigt. Men när det drar åt jazz-hållet, mycket, mycket bra! Fyra

One of the greatest albums of all time

Another Album that I've never listened to before, I did enjoy this, not what I was expecting. A great instrumental album. 3.5/5

I enjoy Willie the Pimp, and am surprised I've not listened to the rest of the album. Turns out I've been (somewhat) missing out! I really enjoyed Peaches En Regalia, Son of mr green genes, but started trailing off during Gumbo. It's a bit long and a bit too much of the same during Gumbo, but overall a great album. I bet this would have been insane to listen to live.

A freaking fun freakout. Love the sax and the drums.

Maken till saxofon- och trumpetgnöl. Ena stunden, ett trumpetsolo. Nästa stund, ett trumpet solo.

The first time I ever heard this album was when my dad took me to see Dweezil Zappa on tour, phenomenal album

Need on vinyl

I was skeptical because... Zappa. but it's a pretty good album from front to back.

the second Peaches En Regalia hit i was like "UNF. YES." Son of Mr. Green Genes is a phenomenal song.

I've tried to get into Zappa before, but struggled. Listening to this album through, I get it now. I can see how this band has influenced many bands that I love 40-50 years later.

Stank

good instrumental album

Aight

Didn't like Willie the pimp, liked all the others somewhat, guitar has excellent tone and feels alive, interesting instrumentals, 3/5.

truly a movie for the ears! not my favorite jazz, but very fun to listen to

Truly never heard any of his stuff. Going to check this out. Very interesting Psychedelic. Cool stuff.

wow!! that was actually really fun! so it took me 50 yrs to fig out what all the fuss was about w Frank Zappa, I learned about him when I was like 13 and Valley Girl came out w Moon Unit : ) what a badass musician!! I'll bet he was super fun to hang out with, what creativity

Inspired jamming. Really enjoyed the creative and instrumentals. Frank should not sing LOL.

A looooong jam session. Zappa has quite the spread from Asian vibes, 70’s groove, some jazz, and, lest we forget, that organ. The organ bits are tough for me. It feels so dated. The effect, well, it makes me anxious.

I am no fan of Frank Zappa. Maybe thats on me. Maybe I'm just too simple. Maybe he's too puerile. Maybe maybe maybe. I don't know. But what I do know is this album is actually listenable. And avoids silliness. And even when it wanders it still seems like there is some semblance of a plan. I enjoyed this as much as any Zappa related projects. Not sure it passes the "listen again" test. But maybe...

The king of weird. Peaches En Regalia is a great way to kick off the album, and is my favorite song on here. Zappa is a creature that stands alone in the world of music. I think many folks tried to imitate him, and that's okay in my opinion. Good album, but too short. 3.69.

Wow, first off I'll say that I really liked this one. The first track had me right away; it was such a vibe. I've never listened to any Frank Zappa, but I've heard about him throughout the years. I recall my dad mentioning him a few times, and from that I got a certain impression of what his music was, but this isn't at all what I would have expected it to be like. Is this like a jam band? Kinda, but not really. Jazz rock? Whatever it is, I found it fascinating!

Listened to more than I expected of this one. I dig the first few tracks.

meh.

Every Zappa album feels different from the others. This is basically a 40 minute over the top jam session, and I love it for that. Zappa's playing is excellent here, as well as the rest of the bands really. I love the energy of it and how its Jazz that sounds like Rock. Captain Beefhearts on Willie The Pimp are nice to hear as well. A lot to love about this one and I keep coming back to it often.

3.4

Very nice

Big fan of the instrumentals after the "hits". Solid and interesting stuff.

Enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Cool jam album. Didn't care for the vocals in Willy the Pimp though.

I would see this movie

Willie the pimp is a highlight. Mostly jazz instrumental. Fun album

First 3/4 of the album was great

No

Not my thing. Too busy

Soloist wank instrumentals, noisey and avant garde for the sake of pretentiousness. No from me

3.0

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Upon seeing that it was basically instrumental and some of the tracks ran close to or over 10 minutes I'm not sure what I expected. Definitely some weird sounds in there. Overall though, it was a good listen.

I knew of Frank Zappa, however, I was not familiar with his music. This was a pretty cool album. I hated the singing, I wish the whole thing was instrumental. Kind of reminds me of a really watered down King Crimson. Yeah I didn't know what to expect going into this, and the album art is really weird and doesn't really give a good image to the music at all. Nice Jazz-Rock fusion, right up my alley. However, not quite a 4 star album

I don’t know if Zappa is always instrumental but Hot Rats certainly is. Surprisingly it’s pretty good. I prefer Side A that is more rock and has more guitar. 6.7/10

10/10 album cover. I love basically everything that Zappa has influenced (especially Ween, Primus, Steven Wilson, etc) but I've never really given his discog a listen. Holy shit, it's amazing, it manages to be "outsider music"-level weird while still having mass appeal composition. His resolutions are unpredictable and offbeat and deeply satisfying. Yes, people should hear some zappa before they die.

One of my faves! From the anthemic Peaches en Regalia to Willie the Pimp with Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa shows he's a master of composition and orchestration! And a great guitarist to boot!

Pepohappy, Zeitreise

Halt eifach musikalisch aber no geil rockig för e Hendergrond. Trotzdem rächt vom Jazz beiflosst. Alles sehr guet höhrbar aber s meischte tönt relativ ähnlech

fucking awesome guitar, loved the wah pedal used throughout a lot of the songs. definitely going to listen again.

I really enjoyed this! Captain Beefheart even sounds better and more focused here with Zappa than on his solo album. Some great tracks on this and a great feel!

Lots of noodling.

I think this is the highest I can possibly give a Zappa record given how much I cannot stand him. It feels like he's trying to make something earnest and not just using his talent to play class clown for once, which I appreciate. The problem with this is that the second half is a 4 or 5 and the first half (which is much more Zappa) is a 1 or 2. It alternates a lot between genuinely really good jazz fusion whatever the fuck but also rock and roll guitar solo wankery.

I remember when Frank wrote this. He was off his rocker at the time. Me and Len weren’t sure what was happening but he was constantly going on about eating rats but they were too hot. He was literally screaming ‘Hot Rats’ at the catering staff for the entire Houmous & Chutney set. It was really off putting! 4.5

Overrated

Never been into Zappa but quite intriguing.

every song. is so long. fun tho

Interesting sound, Some parts feel like being on psychedelics. The Gumbo Variations is my favorite track with the best use of electric guitar, the rhythm created pleases the soul

Awful

Man, this is a disappointment. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know anything about jazz, nor do I understand why some of it clicks with me, and some of it doesn't, but I know this mostly is just not my style. It feels too schmutlzy, and while I can tell everyone playing is an amazing musician, there are no passages here that feel any more special the prior or future ten minutes of this record. There are bits and pieces of something more, certainly, but I just found this to go from kinda boring to even vaguely annoying by the end, and while it certainly isn't to a degree of hate like Bitches Brew, I still think this isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when I've now interacted with jazz albums that've spoken to me. I was just hoping this album would be one of those jazz albums.

Interesting!

Always found Zappa unhinged. But this mostly instrumental album is great.

Fav: Peaches En Regalia Least Fav: The Gumbo Variations This is Frank Zappa’s redemption arc after The Mothers Of Invention

Some nice guitar work, but that's all.

This was exactly what I needed today. Incredible music, not a drab moment, but no words. I found it relaxing but also stimulating, perfect after having masters-degree-brain-static for a few days. Listened to this eating huge ripe strawberries and feeling like I'm in sophisticated luxury

point6.