Hot Rats

proper raamatulugemise taustakas… hea tempo, pole liiga vali aga pole liiga vaikne/“igav”

While I can appreciate it, I just wasn’t that into it.

If this is Frank Zappa, what does Evasive Zappa sound like, am I right!?! But really, I have a lot of respect for Frank Zappa and his general philosophy on life and music, even if “jam band” music isn’t my thing. I’ve watched a lot of interviews of Frank over the years and he’s always struck me as the kinda guy who is very intelligent but got mediocre grades as a kid because he was chronically under stimulated and didn’t apply himself (and also just hates authority). Jam Band music like Frank’s is a great place to go for lessons on improvisation and how to craft a solo… but for the life of me I can’t understand why people listen to it purely for fun, especially without drugs; do y’all read textbooks before bed too? This album is very guitar-centric, but I do want to highlight some fun instrument spotlights that stood out to me, like the clarinet parts on “Peaches En Regalia” or the glockenspiel (maybe it’s just a keyboard that sounds like a glockenspiel?) on “It Must Be A Camel”. Both feel like underutilized solo instruments and I enjoy the change of pace. This was a fun listen and a wild way to start a Tuesday. I should have played it at 4am to see what kind of dreams it would have evoked. Maybe another day. “Peaches En Regalia” “Little Umbrellas” “It Must Be A Camel”

ful instrumental album, deluje kao neki film (promene u ritmu, instrumentima, atmosferi), nisam siguran da li sam ga dobro skapirao, ali je bas zanimljiv projekat, i stvara zanimljiv vajb mogu da zamislim film bez zvuka sa samo ovim albumom iza

solid

5.7/10

Do I like this? Do I hate this? I really don’t know. It doesn’t annoy me enough to be rated 1, I don’t love it enough to make it a 5. Everything else in between is an option though. Ummm…..3 bags of popcorn, two sodas.

Two stars for the music, bonus star for the album name.

I would listen to this as background music but its not really my thing. I can see why people in the 60s would love this though

Hmmm

The instrumentals were cool but I really didn't like the vocals. I don't see myself revisiting this one.

I honestly dont know how to feel about this.

Very experimental, but not unlistenable. Moderate enjoyment in listening to this. I keep hearing phrases and refrains from other, later works which this might have influenced.

This is another album where you have to respect the innovation for the time it was created and acknowledge how groundbreaking it must have been etc. But if you just listen to it without qualifiers its not terrific. Might be interesting to listen to on drugs but not something I would seek out to listen to again. Best song: Peaches En Regalia (i guess?)

okay frank! fuck 'em up! half sick video game music, half extremely obnoxious saxophone that made me almost skip "The Gumbo Variations"

Frank Zappa has always lived in the mythology of rock n' roll as a legendarily weird dude in my head. I've tried listening to this album a few times hoping for some revelation that would lead me into loving his sound, to no avail. Don't get me wrong, I did NOT hate this album. I didn't even dislike it. I just think maybe it wasn't something that grabbed me and entranced me like it seems to do for others. There are a lot of cool and interesting sounds here. Bro is all over the place and I respect it tremendously, but it will not be affecting my rotation, and thus I must give it no greater than a 3 (that's my rubric dammit and I will act on it arbitrarily)

The Gumbo Variations was crazy. Kept this album up by itself

Enjoyed this one, but I think the songs ran on for a bit too long.

Not what I expected, but pretty good.

Random thoughts: * Is this psychedelic jazz? Whatever it is I liked it! * I've always been a little bit intimidated by Frank Zappa. There is so much discography and he's so weird. I just didn't know where to begin. I obviously should have started here. * There is just enough weird on here but not too much. * There was also a little jam band feeling in here with the solos and such. * I continue to be amazed at the variety and cool new music that was being made in the late 60s. I see why it is a musical period that is so beloved. * I'll have to remember to put this one on every once in a while.

Weird (complimentary). Some songs went on for too long, otherwise I'd rate this higher.

A little weird

einfach Zappa: nicht zuviel hören, dann ist es sehr gut.

Technically proficient and cool, this rock jazz album is just fine

😏

Too jazzy for me.

An almost entirely instrumental jazz odyssey, and therefore since he doesn’t spew his contemptuous lyrics at the audience, one of the best Zappa albums.

Alright listen.

This was a fun little jazzy rock album. I enjoyed a lot of it but it was a drag at times too, I would probably really like this with repeat listens but for now it’s alright.

Long jazzy songs

This was mostly great. Love the guitar work.

A collection of jam sessions that never really go anywhere. But I do admire Zappa, just not my cup of tea

Enjoyed this one. The instrumental aspect was quite interesting.

not as crazy as other zappa records which i like. Doesn't do a whole lot for me personally but really really good musicians obv.

funky instrumentals. Tbh I liked franks Zappa’s other work more Favorite Track: Willie the Pimp

This list has taught me that I quite enjoy Frank Zappa. I liked this one!

Brilliant and difficult to listen to in same measure. Maybe that's the point but I don't want to listen to the whole album again. Peaches En Regalia is great though.

Learning what Beefheart vocals sound like on "Willie the Pimp" gives me anticipation for his albums. With that out of the way, this is very clearly instrumental jazz-rock jams with little formal structure. They clearly show technical prowess, but I don't know how much I enjoy them. "The Gumbo Variations" is a bit of a slog to get through, but most other tracks are fun enough.

Hot Rats, Zappa’s movie for your ears is quite the trip. It starts out with bluebirds (cartoon) flying around your head as you stroll through a peach orchard (real) in full blossom. It’s also starting to get warm, and you’re feeling thirsty. You follow the central lane to the far edge of the orchard, it eventually leads to the rather seedy Lido Hotel. Oh good, just in time to have a cool afternoon drink with your buddy Willie. One drink leads to two. It’s about time to wrap it up and be on your way when another friend moseys up to the table and sits himself down across from you. The Son Of Mr Green Genes (best song) offers to buy the next round. Willie begs off saying he has to get back to work (ha), but you’re OK for just one more. Green Genes tells the tall, exotic waitress to make them both doubles. The drinks arrive, his has two little umbrellas in it, yours is significantly stronger than the last two. He mentions he a regular here. It’s never a good idea to drink this much on an empty stomach, so it’s decided to get something to eat. Today’s special; you guessed it - Gumbo Variations (worst sax I’ve heard in a long time.) It’s still hot for this late in the day, let’s take a dip in the pool and check out the girls. The pool is empty, there are no girls. Deal breaker, time to head out. You thank Green Genes for the drinks and line up a taxi. She (the waitress) shows up a few minutes later, dressed as a belly dancer in harem garb leading a camel. “Where do you want to go?” she asks. Yep, Frank is weird. (2.8*s)

Zappa has a reputation for being eccentric and weird. I figured he would inevitably end up on this list and was looking forward to consuming something from his collection. I definitely didn't expect this to be an instrumental jazz fusion album. Figured this might be a bit of a snooze but I found myself enjoying Hot Rats in spite of myself. The jams, while at times a little long-winded, are pretty catchy and fun. There was enough in this to keep me listening through the full duration. It's nothing special but manages to scratch a certain itch. I'm interested in hearing something else by Zappa that is closer to his signature weirdness. Preferably something more like the first few minutes of Willie The Pimp. 2.52 stars

It was cool, a bit corny in a sense but I think that's mostly because so many artists have done something like this or inspired by this. Bro can shred.

He has a unique voice and I appreciate the wacky energy.

Basically all instrumental. You can’t deny Zappa’s prowess in guitar playing. It was a good experience, but niche enough I can’t put it up above a 3.5/5.

Solid, but didn’t really grab me. Enjoyed it though.

Really good instrumentals, very experimental, felt really psychedelic

Good

I don’t know how to explain this except for saying it was a lot of guitar solos.

Not sure !!

Bueno

I can see that this would have been fun to make, but it’s not all that much fun to listen to.

My first Zappa. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Certainly a better jam artist than Phish.

achei bem chato :( willie the pimp tem uma ideia boa mas fica muito chato com os 10 minutos de fritação outras músicas tem timbres e arranjos muito legais, mas o que mata é a fritação infinita, fica muito chato :(

3,5

Jazzier and Funkier than I expected. I guess I never listened to Zappa before.

Good Psychedelic rock but a bit too fussy at points

3.5/5 This album is really good, an eclectic sound, playful nuttiness but really soulful rhytmns. I think at times it can be a bit too playful but overall a good listen. I like a lot of lounge and international jazz and this feels like the rock extension of that. At some points the instrumental solos roll one after another and I do think I’m listening more to a jazz album in that way

Practically instrumental (bar a turn by Beefheart on Willie The Pimp, and possibly all the better for it. Peaches En Regalia is one of the great rock instrumentals, Willie has a grimy little Dr John groove, and the whole album has moments of pleasantness. Overall it suffers from meandering in places, and Zappa never really was one for quality control, but it's one of the better Zappa albums so far. A very very high 3

Pre: About time I dug into some Zappa Post: fun jazz abstract guitar jam album, reminds me of king crimson

Zappa, a genius, has never made music that appealed to me, a man of a much lesser intellect. I'm sure it's great on some levels but not for me.

Very, very good instrumentation, but I enjoy goofy lyrical Zappa more. 3/5

it's okay i guess? i'm just not a fun of jazz really. fun, but, uh, not smth i'm comfortable listening to on a regular basis

Fine

Well it's not what I expected. Very 70s, mainly instrumentals. Interesting.

I definitely was not in the right state of mind to fully give this a fair shot today. The first half I could appreciate, but the latter half aggravated my pounding headache. Will definitely have to revisit and revise my review later on.

Zuhause, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Joa, schon gar nicht so geil.

Chill album, chill music

Bon, on va remettre les pendules à l'heure. Il y a des disques qui sont comme ces films d'auteur chiants à mourir que tout le monde prétend adorer pour avoir l'air intelligent en société. Vous savez, le genre de film en noir et blanc, sous-titré en ouzbek, où un type regarde un pot de fleurs pendant trois heures. "Hot Rats" de Frank Zappa, c'est un peu le "pot de fleurs" du rock. Un disque totem pour intellos de la musique, un truc qu'il faut "comprendre" pour être digne. Et si tu n'aimes pas, c'est que t'es un con, un plouc qui n'a rien pigé au "Génie". Eh bien soit, je suis un con et je vous emmerde. Mais reprenons depuis le début, Frank Zappa, le grand manitou moustachu, venait de dissoudre son groupe, les Mothers of Invention. Il en avait marre des boulets, il voulait faire sa musique, la vraie, la pure, sans compromis. Résultat ? Un album quasiment instrumental, une démonstration de force technique qui laisse l'auditeur moyen sur le bord de la route, en train de faire de l'auto-stop en espérant qu'un camionneur fan de Motörhead le sorte de ce cauchemar. L'album s'ouvre sur "Peaches en Regalia", et ça commence presque bien. Une petite mélodie entraînante, un truc qui pourrait presque passer pour de la pop si elle n'était pas déconstruite, triturée, et violée toutes les huit mesures par un changement de rythme improbable. C'est comme essayer de baiser un robot qui changerait de position toutes les deux secondes sans te prévenir. C'est virtuose, mais c'est épuisant et, au final, tu n'as pris aucun plaisir. Et puis, le miracle, la lumière au bout du tunnel de la prétention : "Willie the Pimp". D'un coup, Zappa se souvient qu'il a des couilles et qu'il sait jouer du rock'n'roll. Il invite son pote Captain Beefheart à pousser une gueulante. C'est sale, c'est lourd, et surtout, Zappa nous balance un solo de guitare qui dure une éternité, mais une bonne éternité. Le genre de solo qui te fait pousser les cheveux, qui te donne envie de voler une bagnole et de rouler à fond la caisse. C'est la seule fois sur tout le disque où la musique semble venir des tripes plutôt que du cerveau. Un point pour ça, et c'est bien payé. Après cette bouffée d'air frais, on replonge la tête la première dans la fosse septique du jazz-fusion. "Son of Mr. Green Genes", "Little Umbrellas"... Je n'ai rien à en dire, parce que mon cerveau a activé son mode veille pour se protéger. C'est une succession de notes, une architecture sonore impressionnante, mais c'est aussi vide d'émotion qu'un discours de politicien. C'est de la musique pour lire des bouquins de philo, pas pour boire des bières entre potes. C'est de la musique qui se regarde le nombril en se trouvant formidable. Heureusement, il y a la face B et "The Gumbo Variations" et ses dix-sept minutes de jam. DIX-SEPT. Normalement, c'est le genre de truc qui me fait fuir, sauf que là, ça fonctionne. Pourquoi ? Parce que ça pue l'improvisation, la vraie. Ça sent la sueur, les musiciens qui se cherchent, qui se répondent, qui se poussent dans leurs retranchements. Le violoniste est en transe, le saxophoniste semble vouloir accoucher d'un alien par son instrument. C'est le bordel, mais c'est un bordel vivant, c'est un dialogue de sauvages, pas une récitation de poésie. Un deuxième point, va. Et peut être un troisième point... Pour le doigt d'honneur, pour le courage d'avoir sorti un disque pareil, un album exigeant, complexe, anti-commercial au possible. Zappa n'a jamais cherché à plaire, il faisait sa musique, et si ça te plaisait tant mieux, sinon, va te faire foutre. Cette attitude, je la respecte profondément mais ça ne m'oblige pas pour autant à trouver ça génial. En conclusion, "Hot Rats" est un album crucial pour l'histoire de la musique. Il a prouvé qu'on pouvait mélanger les genres, repousser les limites techniques et formelles. C'est une leçon, mais parfois, les leçons c'est chiant, et moi, la musique, je ne l'écoute pas pour apprendre, mais pour ressentir. Avec ce disque, j'ai surtout ressenti l'envie pressante de passer à autre chose. À un bon vieux disque de The Cure, par exemple. Un truc simple, direct, qui parle au cœur plutôt qu'au cortex cérébral. Allez, sans rancune, Frank. Mais ton disque, il va prendre la poussière sur l'étagère. Verdict : 3 sur 5 et c'est cher payé.

Jazzier Phish. Some is good, some is just too much noodling.

It was ok. Liked some of the songs.

As irreverent as it is creative - which I understand is a fair summation for Zappa’s entire musical career. To this albums credit, it’s much better than many pop-leaning psych rock albums of its time. This at least has some original ideas, even if it sorta beats them to the ground at points. Some guitar solos too long, some musical tangents go nowhere, but the opener and “Little Umbrellas” were a great listen - the latter felt very appropriate for Halloween listening. 3/5 why not

A proper cinematic jazzy frantic adventure down the fretboard. From Rock and roll origins to the dusky back rooms of a late night bar. Tunes feel like you can melt into them a bit. Couple of things that would be cool to sample.

"I know smart people who like Zappa. People who read books and shit." - Tommy Cordery. Not the voice I expected. If I had a moustache, I would want his. Makes me want to close my eyes and play the air guitar. Son of Mr Green Genes - the piano runs are big ASMR brain ticklers. This sounds like: I used to not like anchovies but now I'm dipping my fingers into them.

Peaches en Regalla is amazing. I’ll be honest though my favorite version is phish with the giant country horns. Oh ha, very good album mostly instrumentals all very interesting. None of what I expected from Zappa.

Frank, he a zappa me! Italian me be like

It felt cool listening to this but I did find it dragged on a bit

Pretty good album with some funky jazzy themes. Hated the kazoo thing but loved the second song. Upon second listen 7.8/10 = 3.4/5

Jammy

Standouts Peaches En Regalia The Gumbo Variations

Frank Zappa was always an artist I had a vague knowledge about, but if you were to ask me who he was the best I could muster up would be “He said Mercedes-Benz weird once”. So this was going to be a time. That being said, this is a fun record! A very long record, but a fun one nonetheless. I actually found myself laughing aloud at “Peaches en Regalia”—something about it just made me smile. “Willie the Pimp” was interesting, but not for over nine straight minutes. “Son of Mr Green Genes” however, is exciting and upbeat, with enough changes to the music that kept it fresh and entertaining as the minutes passed by. …Halfway through this album I remembered that Frank is indirectly responsible for “Smoke on the Water”. Thankfully he didn’t die in that fire.

See, now this is alternative 60s rock that's actually fun and interesting. This album is definitely a work unto itself and should be listened to as such, which limits how often I'd listen to it. Nonetheless, still a good time!

Hot Rats is often praised as one of Zappa’s most accessible records, and it does show off his skill as both a guitarist and a bandleader. The jazz-rock fusion is tight, with long instrumental sections that give plenty of room for solos and improvisation. “Peaches en Regalia” is the clear standout, a short, playful burst of melody that feels instantly memorable. The rest of the album leans heavily on extended jams, with “Willie the Pimp” bringing Captain Beefheart into the mix and tracks like “The Gumbo Variations” stretching out for what feels like forever. The musicianship is impressive, but the sheer length of the jams can be draining if you are not already invested in Zappa’s style. There are moments of brilliance scattered throughout, but also plenty of stretches that feel more like self-indulgence than inspired creativity. Hot Rats has some great highlights and an important place in Zappa’s catalog, but as a whole it can feel uneven, more interesting as an experiment than as a consistently enjoyable album.

Zappa is another of my (many) blind spots. The songs are pretty good, I see the vision. It gets really noodly and indulgent but not in an off-putting way. I like the jazz influences. The guitars sound great. Oh, there aren't any vocals. Thankfully short tracklist which should be mandatory if you have any songs over the 8 minute mark - which make up half this album.

Very fun instrumental tracks with good variety in play, solid experience but this album isn’t a milestone for me

Funky Zappa improv goodness.

Not what I expected it to be. Pretty enjoyable, not something that I would always put on but if I am dying for jazz this is fun. Peaches En Regalia and Willie the Pimp were solid, The Gumbo Variations had a bit too much squeaky sax for me. There is a lot of squeaky sax. Bass is SOLID on all the songs to be honest so unfortunately I couldn't rank a song based on the bass alone. Noticing a trend with albums loving to have songs that are 10+ minutes long. Whatever floats your boat I guess. Nothing on here that made me go omg this is a show stopper. Overall a 7.42/10

I can see why this one is a landmark — the opener “Peaches en Regalia” is tight, inventive, and joyful, and the whole record shows Zappa’s adventurous spirit. That said, the extended jams start to feel a bit much for me, and the busier bass parts gave me flashbacks to playing with bass players who never quite left enough space. I liked it overall — somewhere in the 3.5/5 range — but for ranking purposes I’ll call it a 3. I wouldn’t go out of my way to spin it again, but I also wouldn’t change the station if it came on.

Maybe the first time I’ve properly understood psychedelic rock as being music to take drugs to, and not music about taking drugs

A good mix between hella experimental stuff and solid music production.

Honestly, not a terrible jazz fusion album. So much better than his The Mothers Of Invention stuff.

Was looking forward to a Zappa record, but I was a bit disappointed. 'Willie The Pimp' had my interest piqued as it actually had a really cool riff at the start, and Zappa singing silly lines. Overall the record had an interesting corny sound with flutes and some oriental instruments, but it was just way too much improvisation and noodling for my taste. An album almost entirely consiting of guitar solos? Come on. Weak 3.

I fully expected to hate this, based on what I already knew about Frank Zappa - and that’s before you consider him being the producer of THAT Captain Beefheart album. However, against my better judgement, I quite enjoyed it. Some tracks, particularly at the end, went on too long and the whole thing was largely bonkers… but I liked it.

6 songs, 43 minutes? I can't lie, that's not a good sign in my book. And then 5 out of 6 being instrumentals was another nail in the coffin. And finally, the one song with vocals being sung by Captain Beefheart? It's like a recipe for disaster (or a 1 star rating at least) in my head. However... I actually quite enjoyed this. Zappa I knew by name but would have struggled to name any of his songs, and therefore simultaneously had no idea what he'd sound like but also never would have expected it to sound like this. It's very funky. It's getting an automatic 1 star deduction for including a nearly 13 minute track where it sounded like someone was trying to murder a saxophone though. 3/5

Não faz meu estilo

6.5/10 Highlights: Peaches En Regalia

YeH. I mean, yeah, but ok.

Peu ou pas de paroles, quelques mélodies sympa

OK tier en fond sonore

Favorite songs: Willie the Pimp, Son of Mr. Green Genes Least favorite songs: The Gumbo Variations 3/5

I mean it’s not bad, but there were a lot of parts that felt… weird and unthoughtful. Doesn’t make the album as a whole bad, I quite liked it, but these moments knock it down to 3 stars

Proto stoner rock, pretty good.

- kurzes Album - kaum Text - eigentlich voll die coole Musik aus den 70ern, gibt mir irgendwie Mandys (Burgerrestaurant) Vibes - Jazz inspiriert? - Fav: Littlr Umbrellas? - Least: The Gumbo Variations (und dann noch 9min…)

"What instruments would you like, Frank?" "Yes." Frenetic and surprising. Not super my thing but respect the weirdness of it. A couple of ridiculous guitar solos in there to get the head banging. Never really listened to Frank Zappa before but this has piqued my interest in his other stuff.

i expected a bit more vocals

Started off very strong with the psychedelic beats and beautiful solos. Progression of the music is also fantastic. But in the second song when he begins to sing really ruined the rest for me. Overall instrumentation is the best part. Not typically my style of music but didnt mind it nonetheless.

Not bad at all. Just some groovy tunes. Fourty-five minutes of em at that. Big thumbs up from me.

Mainly instrumental tracks. Some of them seemed interesting enough. Blend of rock, jazz and classical Sounds quite dated However as Igor Stravinsky said "a lot of musical pieces end long before they finish. Although I am not sure he was referring specifically to Frank Zappa

Pretty intense cross between psychedelic rock/jazz. No doubt crazy musical talent and free-thinking, but not something I could listen to for a long time.

Crazy trippy jazzy fun

77/100 pretty good, all songs have been saved to my jazz playlist, better than back at the chicken shack placement: 5th out of 7 albums / 5/7

Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me. Good and kinda jammy, but not memorable.

Rats off to you Zappa in the crappa PaZappa the Rappa

10/08/2025 As synonymous as he is, nothing stood out for me here.

Still haven't full dove into Zappa but this is nothing If not interesting and full of ideas I can get behind and other sounds I'm not feeling, if I come back to it I might change my mind but for now, it's fine

I wasn’t expecting to like it but I got my groove on 🕺🏻

I like this more than the rest of the Zappa I've heard on the list. He's an artist I can't really get. The playing is without a doubt skillful and it's creative and interesting, but it has something else going on I struggle to click with. Not a bad album at all but it doesn't do for me what I'm sure it does for some.

The instrumentation is really good. Any moment with vocals took me out of it. Son of Mr. Green Genes was the high point for me. After that my interest slowed. I still don't know why I've heard the name Frank Zappa so much through the years.

Sexy guitar what can I say

Composed beautifully but not my thing 6/10

Some pretty great noodling here, but I would have liked some more vocals

I enjoyed this album and thought it was pretty fun and interesting. It was mostly jazzy compositions and very little vocals, but that didn't take away from the listening experience for me. It did lose me at times, though it kept bringing me back by doing something that caught my attention again. I thought it was pretty good. Not sure I'd call it great, but definitely a pleasant listen. Overall: 3.4/5

How do you even cathegorize this music... it's whatever he felt like playing.

Something listenable for once!

While "Hot Rats" undeniably showcases Frank Zappa's masterful and intricate arrangements, particularly in the instrumental jazz fusion explorations, I unfortunately felt emotionally disconnected from the overall listening experience. The extended track, "Variations of Gumbo," while ambitious in its length, unfortunately veered into territory that reminded me of 1970s porn. Although I am open to revisiting it in the future to see if my perception changes, right now I'm just exhausted!

Apparemment, c'est censé être la rencontre du jazz et du rock psychédélique. Le problème, c'est que c'est surtout du jazz avec des touches de rock, plutôt que l'inverse.

really nice grooves i thought i would like this more but maybe im not gonna force myself to rate it higher

Not for me. Would not buy.

Not what I expected from Zappa. Much more instrumental.

Hmmm, kind of liked it.

"Tryna buy some pussy with a third party check." Kind of sums up the entire album, I like to imagine that this was someone's uncle and this went HARD for the late 60's to early 70's pipeline. But that check has bounced and some bits are just funny.

Anyway, Hot Rats is pretty good for a Frank Zappa album. Frank not providing any vocals automatically bumps it a star or two. "Peaches en Regalia" and "Willie the Pimp" are the standouts for me, with Captain Beefheart swooping in to save the day on the latter. 3.5 stars.

The most I have ever enjoyed Zappa, but he has a limit. 3.5 stars

Hot Rats is pretty good for a Frank Zappa album. Frank not providing any vocals automatically bumps it a star or two. "Peaches en Regalia" and "Willie the Pimp" are the standouts for me, with Captain Beefheart swooping in to save the day on the latter. 3.5 stars.

3.5

Wild, but that last track totally lost me.

It’s unlikely I’ll ever have the energy to listen to t something this fast paced, but if I ever do, this will be where I go.

The first song started and I figured this album was going to be a hot mess. But then it got better for a few of songs until that horrible screechy sax started. So my initial instinct was correct, this is a hot mess.

Well its interesting, I'll give it that. Would not listen, once is more than enough, but not an awful listen either.

Not bad, but not my personal liking.

At times, 5 stars. Others, 1. I don’t know where to rate this.

This is the worst blues album I have ever heard.

First time ever listening to Zappa by choice. Mainly bc I never wanted to be one of those Zappa guys who swears by everything he does and can't go two minutes without mentioning his name. On one hand, Peaches En Regalia is one of the greatest pieces of music I have ever heard and I loved every second of it. On the other, I was 6 minutes into Gumbo Variations before I started to enjoy it and then it just kept fucking going. So idk, its massively excessive and wanky, but somewhat captivating and well put together? I don't know if I can give it a 4 as an album but there is a lot here I like. Will probably find my way back to it at some point in the near future.

Jazzy, Jammy, Instrumental, Flowing, congruent. Don’t know where one song ends and another begins.

Frank Zappa as a public figure was interesting. This album, not so much.

Ett par höjdpunkter och allmänt en härlig vibe. Weird men välgjort!

Bra för instrumentellt

Instrumental jazz with weird lipstick.

Really enjoyed listening to this album for the first time.

This is a half decent album. There are a lot of long instrumental pieces which were not bad, but carried out too long for sure for some of them. On the other hand there are some instrumental pieces that were epic! ("Peaches En Regalia") It has also popped in my heat whenever there was singing that it is so Beetlejuice core.

I liked this more than I liked The Mothers Of Invention albums we've had. I don't think I'd listen again but there were songs on it that I enjoyed. It was experimental without being as weird as the Mothers songs. I thought a lot of the songs went on too long though. Some of them I enjoyed at the start but I had either gotten bored by the end or it had moved to a place I didn't like as much. Fav song: Peaches En Regalia Least fav: It Must Be A Camel

Better than I expected. Still pretty kooky though :)

Pretty cool but not sure I'd listen again

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

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.

kind of Zappa's prog

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

Funky

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

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!

Ehh, DIDNT really jell with it

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.

Album raro pero ta bien

I was expecting something much different than this

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

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

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.

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*

Interesting music.

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

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

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

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.

Good I like Willie the pimp and the gumbo variations

Hippie experience. Discordant but expert instrumentation.

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.

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.

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.

h: peaches en regalia

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

5/10 Backgroundly unremarkable. 5-30-2025

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.

too silly

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.

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

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

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

He sure do guitar.

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

drei bis vier

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

Solid

Interesting use of the instruments! I liked it.

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.

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

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

kinda cool

Enjoyed listening. Great guitar!

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

Very noodley

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.

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

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.

Fav: The Gumbo Variations

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.

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.

Fun guitar rock, no lyrics

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

Aight

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

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.

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.

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

3.4

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

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.

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

point6.

I was going to skip this one, Zappa being not my cup of tea. But I'm glad I listened. More fusion jazz, less middle school humor.

3.5 -- did enjoy

3 stars

I don’t listen to enough predominantly instrumental music to feel like I can give a worthwhile opinion on this. It was good and I’d listen again.

This certainly is an album that doesn’t get boring. Even the long ass instrumentals stayed interesting to listen to. But interesting is as far as I’ll go. There were some parts that just didn’t click with me and a lot was too chaotic, and I don’t think I’ll relisten to this again (I won’t put this on for fun, at least). However, this sounds way ahead of its time. So props to that I guess. 3/5

Was nervous after having The Mothers of Invention, but this was a pleasant listen. Some good moments.

5/10…jazz-instrumental-rock-fusion

Lots going on but not going anywhere.

Methodical with some nice sounds. Basically no vocals. I liked this but didn't love it. On the 3 side of a 3.5.

I'm grateful to have gotten this album, as Zappa has always been a pretty big gap in my musical knowledge. And I can tell there is a lot of interesting stuff going on musically here - the rock and jazz elements combine with an anarchic energy to make something that still feels fresh all these years later. That said, I don't think I have a refined enough ear or understanding of theory to really feel moved or hooked by much of this. More than anything, it probably comes down to huge sections of each song having a meandering and improvisational feel (as a lot of jazz does by design), and that's just not my taste. I can recognize the innovation and originality going on, but it just doesn't do a ton for me personally.

Weird as fuck. Every song is more than 8 minutes. What is wrong with him? He's dead. Thank god. Just kidding! I love Frank Zappa. Cool last name. Did you know they named a bacteria after him? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propionibacterium_acnes_type_zappae Anyways, this was nice and kind of jazzy. But I liked it better than the other jazz album you assholes made me listen to. I especially liked the first track, which was more short and sweet and had an interesting oriental edge. Hot Rats is good, but I would not listen to it much again. I like Don't Eat The Yellow Snow. Long Live Frank Zappa.

7/10. Probably one of them I needed to give a second listen to but didn't. First largely instrumental of the challenge and I definitely thought some of the stuff he did with the guitar was super cool and interesting but at other points he lost me or it felt quite generic, especially for an instrumental. Overall a cool, complete experience that keeps you on your toes.

Unexpected but cool? Don’t know if I’d go back to it

Never really got into Zappa. Liked the first 4 songs.

Frank Frank Frank Frank Frank. Frank at his best. Unique and slightly jazzy

01) Peaches en Regalia - 7,0 02) Willie the Pimp - 7,0 03) Son of Mr. Green Genes - 6,5 04) Little Umbrellas - 7,0 05) The Gumbo Variations - 5,5 06) It Must Be a Camel - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,42 (64/100) Current ranking: 342/463

What has that freak done to his strings? Also would rate this as 3,5 stars, but sadly that's not possible

As with most things, this benefits when Don Van Vliet is present and suffers when he’s absent.

I've heard a few Zappa albums previously, but this one caught me off guard, as most of the tracks are instrumentals. Frank Zappa is known for his satire and strange concepts, but without Zappa's weird vocal presence, this is so different. Long guitar solos and a jazz fusion-influenced, psych-rock sound that is upbeat and interesting. Zappa is such an underrated guitar player, he shreds like I've never heard him before, but the lengthy solos do get a bit much after a while. Even so, this is a Frank Zappa album I can actually listen to start to finish without thinking about turning it off.

pretty good, got redundant

Not my Jam but very talented

Masterful musicians and I know it was important for the fusion of rock, jazz, blues, etc. But it's a lot of just jamming. I don't want to ever listen to it again.

Pretty cool, nice sax parts, little boring at times.

My spouse's absolute loathing for one of The Mother's of Invention albums on here had me prepared to loathe this, but, it wasn't bad. Probably because it was primarily instrumental. There are moments of obnoxiousness, which I think is basically Zappa's intentional default state. And really, there's no excuse for working with Captain Beefheart, but I agree his appearance here is probably his best aural effort on record. It'd probably still be better without him. I think that whole song is a bit sus, tbh.

My only preconceived notion about Frank Zappa was he was a weird guy from the 60s so I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this album. Pretty much rocks front to back, band is super tight, and production is top notch. I often get bored when there’s no lyrics but but the music is more than interesting enough to keep my attention. I’m always hesitant to overrate an album after 1 listen so I’ll stick with a 3 but it might be a 4

3.5 Musicianship is on another level and very interesting. Maybe too interesting to be on a regular rotation for me.

I don't known if it's the fact that this is a solo album for Zappa, or that he just found a different, more listenable sound at some point, but this is so much better than The Mothers of Invention album I had before. For one, it's coherent. For another, it has some great jamming, which I'll never turn down. I do kinda wish some of the tracks were shorter, but I can't really complain. Zappa's a weird dude, and I didn't particularly love "Willie the Pimp." I got the impression that he was doing a black voice, and any song about pimps or whatever just is a little off-putting. Bummer, because it has some of the best solos of the whole album. Overall, it was fine. Didn't blow me away, and honestly lost my attention at time. Three stars. Also why the hell is it called "Hot Rats"? What a gross name. Standout Tracks: The Gumbo Variations

I’ve tried time and time again to get into Zappa. As a massive music junky, I feel like a failure for not resonating with Zappa in his prime. Again, it’s that brain-jazz barrier that refuses to meet within my noggin. I can totally see the appeal. Objectively, it’s no doubt that this is some great stuff, but subjectively, my brain is eagerly awaiting to move on. I think eventually Zappa will wiggle his way to my frontal cortex and everything will click, but I’m not there yet. I will say though, it’s crazy this came out in 1969. 3.6/5

Not an album to listen to while sick with flu.

I didn't think I would like this album given my last few Zappa experiences, but this was pretty enjoyable.

Some pretty decent jams, probably more enjoyable live versus on a studio recording

Feels both very funky, jazzy, and avant garde... there were moments in songs that I really enjoyed (parts of Peaches en Regalia beginning & motif, Willie the Pimp riff & guitar solo towards the end, Little Umbrellas) and there were other parts that I really didn't enjoy (most of the chaos in Gumbo Variations) listening to. Not knowing the history of this album, I could see how this album influences other artists and music. It does feel very defining.

2.5 - would’ve been closer to 4 stars but I really didn’t like the second song

Like the instrumental songs well enough, but eh

Bit Jazzy

This one is Zappa but instrumental (with the exception of the beginning of "Willie The Pimp", where some dude named Captain Beefheart sings for a bit). This is his first solo album, and it's very different than Freak Out! This is basically a jazz album, though definitely a bit more on the jazz rock side. It's like if Steely Dan were way less smooth and more experimental. I'm always bad at rating this type of thing. I'll take everyone's word that it was revolutionary (they did seem to get this very big sound from only a few musicians, which is impressive), but to me it was just good. Enjoyable, that's all. Favorite song: Peaches En Regalia Other: Willie The Pimp, The Gumbo Variations 1/24/25

I really liked the first few songs, but the longer jam songs started giving me anxiety lol.

Don't care for it

Groovy, mostly instrumental, easy listening. After some searching, some highlights were his work ethic (60 albums in 30 years), guitar skills (said by Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to be the best guitarist ever), and this genre being prog rock featuring unique composition and drum chops. Honestly, just sounds like musicians having fun and going off so I fw it.

Either a 2 or a 3. The music is good, I just really prefer songs with lyrics. I also prefer shorter songs. 12 minutes really is too long for one song.

Freaky!

My dad had this on vinyl and the image stayed with me. I always assumed it was just mad, but it turned out to be some quite nice instrumental jazz.

1/2

I enjoyed this more than I expected. Never been a huge fan of Zappa but this was quite good

Mira, usualmente FZ no es de mi gusto, pero este disco y todas sus incursiones en el jazz me van de maravilla.

Fantastic instrumentals, especially Zappa's guitar work. 3.5/5

Good guitar

music that is great for restaurants

Artiste connu de nom, mais jamais écouté. Bonne surprise, 5 morceaux sur 6 sont instrumentaux, avec des bonnes parties d'improvisation réussies. Je m'attendais à un disque plus barré, on m'avais vanté FZ comme un compositeur de musique très expérimentale. Là on un album plutôt typé jazz/rock de bonne facture. Par contre je trouve que le son a assez mal vieilli, je ne suis pas sûr d'intégrer cet album à ma collection. En tous cas il me donne envie de découvrir d'autres albums de cet artiste. =>3.5/5

I really liked some of this. Not enough to rate it higher than a 3. Parts are actually annoying, but the good parts make up for it.

Started off well but the 11 minute song was not fun. Went a little too hard on the instruments.

Not as weird as I expected which was a pleasant surprise. Definitely interesting and enjoyable but for me it's a little difficult to get really invested in the album when there's no lyrics because the songs all tend to merge.