Hot Rats

Frank is an absolute legend and i love whenever i hear his influence on other people (RIP Geordie Greep) and there are some parts on here that are totally insane and awesome but it kind of wandering into “too wanky” territory for me.

Very unabashed about it's runtime and jam like nature. Gotta love it.

Im glad he didn't add vocals, because then it just sounds like he's trying to join Monty Python. Zany guitar jazz from Zappa. Should have been on a zither

music is love

8 - GOOD

These rats is hot. Hotter than Mothers of Invention.

Hot Rats started with promise, then quickly descended into a free flow jam which was mostly unlistenable. I guess I'll never 'get' the appeal of Zappa. Cool dude? Sure. Talented player? No doubt. Gifted songwriter? No.

I mean I love me a jazz fusion album but this was a bit meh . Don’t get me wrong I quite liked “Peaches En Regalia” but then he followed it up by “Willie the Pimp” which I just could stand the vocals on, even though I liked the other parts of the song. I also think that my favourite song on here was “The gumbo variations”. Overall I would say the latter half of the album is much better than the beginning. I give this album a 2.5/5 the long solos do tend to get a bit boring after a while.

Trash

today, i can tolerate this. some days, i might even enjoy it. but, frank, this is one of those albums that can be a 1/2 or a 4/5, just depends on if im in the mood for hot trash-- rats, rather. why are his fingers so long. willie was cool at about the 7.5 minute mark, i decided there were too many gumbo variations

　　　このアルバムは、ジャズの即興と緻密に作られたメロディーの両方の性質を併せ持つ♠️ はじめの曲で歌詞ない系ねってなって、二曲目で歌詞あるんかーいってなって、三曲目以降で歌詞ないんかーいってなりました。良いアルバムだと思う。 聴いたことない音が大量に聞こえてきて、おもしろかった。あと声がいい具合にキモかった。

85

Jazz kind of annoys me in general, but this was pretty damn cool.

meesterwerk van eerste tot laatste noot (disclaimer : misschien ben ik vooringenomen, ik bezit 200+ titels van Zappa)

I understand how influential this album could have been, but it is not something I would listen to on day to day basis.

I love most of Frank Zappa's work, especially the instrumental "jammy" sections. This album is a great early album of that stuff. I first heard it a couple months ago, and it's one of my favorite from Zappa's catalog.

Frank Zappa is much better with instrumental music. His sophomoric humor makes his lyrics niche at best.

First listen. Starts off with a bop and then slides into mediocrity.

Jazz rock jams to lose yourself in.

Musique beaucoup instrumental très peu de parole. Les riffs changent trop, c’est un peu discordant mais clairement intentionnellement.

Awful!

some great fusion jazz. not quite sure why it's so widely considered one of THE greatest albums of all time, though. not a fan of the short vocal section that captain beefheart provided on "willie the pimp", which makes me quite worried for the albums he has on this list.

Genio Se siente demasiado vanguardista a pesar de tener ya casi 60 años desde su elaboración Rock psicodélico del más alto nivel, en su mayoría instrumental y con adiciones poco convencionales pero que le dan mucha personalidad al álbum Me gustó mucho y de verdad que a pesar de ser en su mayoría canciones de larga duración se siente como un ratito bien llevadero Recomendable y reescuchable, va creciendo poco a poco en uno

Really fabulous guitar playing that bored the shit out of me.

Really liked this

After my experiences with the other Frank Zappa albums on this list, I was not optimistic. I expected the same sophomoric experiments and weak production as the Mothers of Invention records, but the first track, a jazz rock instrumental "Peaches En Regalia" raised my hopes. After one track, it already feels like the best Frank Zappa record I've ever heard. "Willie the Pimp" relishes in its grimy lyrics, but the groove and the instrumental vamp is totally worth getting past the lyrics. The Max Bennett/Shuggie Otis on bass, and John Guerin/Paul Humphrey on drums, the rhythm section is about as in the pocket as it gets on an album. With Ian Underwood's excellent woodwind punches or Don 'Sugarcane' Harris/Jean Luc Ponty violin solos it all provides a fertile garden for Zappa's tight arrangements and guitar whimsy. After hearing the rest of the album, I think I actually dig this version of Frank Zappa. When I think of the accolades accorded to him from other musicians over the years, this must be the kind of work they were thinking about. As a drummer, I was always impressed his arrangement of The Black Page for Terry Bozzio. HOT RATS brings all the ear worm jazz rock and funk sounds that would dominate the 70s music score landscape about couple of months early. I'll take this any day over a Blur/Oasis/Bob Dylan/Neil Young/Nick Cave album.

Monday, 5 October,2026 Great day, great album! Hot Rats is in my all time list!

Peaches en regalia is good. The rest of the album is a bit of a mess, but far better than the previous Zappa album on this list. It's just too fancy for a regular listen, and I am not about to sit down to really get into it. Although I'm happy for those that do.

so strange

Hot Rats... More like Hot Jams 🔥🔥🔥

For years I have heard the legends of Frank Zappa. This is my first full album listen front to back and it did not disappoint. It did not blow me away either but I am interested in checking out more of his catalog. I think his albums would take many multiple listens to let it really sink in.

Fav: Son of Mr. Green Genes, It Must Be A Camel L: Willie The Pimp (not because of Captain Beefheart singing but because I thought the music wasn't as good) 4 I think this might be great to put on in a certain mood. Had enough variety to keep me from getting tired of the jamming. Cover: 3 That's a really harsh pink to look at Name: 3 Minecraft Parody: I would call the album Hot Bats (because the bats are always flying into lava) and Piglin the Brute (Willie the Pimp)

Yessir W: Peaches En Regalia, the gumbo variations, it must be a camel L: ? 4/5

carina da ascoltare mentre fai altro

REALLY FUN. GET INTO ITTTT

Better than the other Zappa record previously assigned. Still, I'm not much of a fan of noodley psychedelic rock.

I did enjoy it but some songs just didn't move me a lot especially the 2 shorter songs at the end of the album good jazz album though all around. 7/10

everybody here sounds like a great musician and I definitely respect weirdos like Zappa who go their own way. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of crazy endless jammin' .......

Ok so I think we’ve acknowledged the fact that as much as I enjoy a nice beat or beautiful instruments i do find myself also placing importance on lyrics. Which is why this album fell flat for me. Great guitar playing but songs went on for too long meaning I’d get bored half way through…my interest would pique in the beginning and then slowly fall away as I realised that this was just it…just not my genre I think

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.

Zappa! I feel enlightened and cooler for listening to Frank Zappa. I thought he was more rock than jazz, but that was pretty much a jazz-jam. He gets an extra star for being cool.

This may be my favorite Zappa album. Really good and jammy. Just plain good music.

Good jazz fusion

“Peaches en regalia” is an all-time great instrumental classical-jazz-rock-freakout jam. The rest of the material ranges from pretty good to annoying (as the Zappa spectrum tends to run).

Ok

Not bad

An excellent instrumental album and Zappa gets to shoe off his guitar virtuoso. Definitely one of his best from a huge catalog.

Weird. Up and down on quality but there is something about experimental noise music that vibes with my brain.

There’s some great guitar work on here, can see why people rate him highly but some of these songs are llllooonnngggg

Jazz Fusion is my least favourite music but this didn’t sound like jazz fusion to me. We had this in our household over 40 years ago as my Brother had bought it. I don’t think I’ve heard this again for about 40 years either but I really enjoyed it

The album cover is so dracula playing the organ iykyk

I’m a Zappa head. Sorry bout it. Hot Rats is a desert island record for me.

There are lots of Zappas. Zappa the Satirist. Zappa the Provocateur. Zappa the Avant-Gardist. Zappa the Guitar Hero. “Hot Rats” feels like the genesis of Zappa the Consummate Composer. Not that Lumpy Gravy doesn't predate this, but this is even more of a statement of intent for Zappa. I honestly do not know if I've ever heard Hot Rats as a whole album until today, but I've heard every song on here out of context. My mother is to this day a massive Zappa fan, so I grew up with, well, a sanitized Zappa. I still prefer that vibe 9 times out. So Peaches en Regalia may as well be etched in my ear. Really, the one-two punch of Peaches and then Willie the Pimp would be enough for an alien to have a fair idea of what Zappa is all about. The former is somewhere between joyful and stately; the latter, an extended sleazy vamp of guitars and beefheart rambling. You do also sort of wonder where Zappa got his naming conventions from, because there's something weirdly appropriate about Peaches, but maybe less so about, say, It Must Be a Camel. If there's a weak point here, it's probably Son of Mr Green Genes, but I think that's largely because I prefer the plodding march of the Uncle Meat original to this speedier (but much longer) Green Genes Variations rendition. The rest mines a lot of jazzy veins, but largely with Zappa's already clear musical vision intact. With the snarky lyrics out of the equation, we really start seeing the song craft speak for itself. I will say, as an aside, I have been noticing that there are a lot of songs that I know front to back (like PeR) that I think have been remastered for the worse. There's a fear that the digital era will eventually lead to everything that once existed becoming some weird other thing. Anyway, not a fave Zappa but a classic and an important one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fun, zany and one of Zappa’s best. I’ve never understood the 10/10 praise it gets, but it is really fun. Standouts are peaches en regalia, the gumbo variations and it must be a camel.

Jam sessions with some electricity injected into its veins. A lot of jazzy and rock sounds all mashed together in one big swirl of sound. Some parts feel much more experimental like your almost tipping off the tracks but its core stays consistent to me throughout. I am starting to see why his name has been ringing out as much as I've seen. Very interested to see how his sound evolved in the future.

Excellent rock / jazz fusion album. Peaches En Regalia in particular is phenomenal, but Willie The Pimp is also pretty great. The whole album is just some great jams with very talented musicians. Not the kind of thing I'd listen to every day but very enjoyable every now and then.

Альбом как будто имеет вкус, какое-то печение или торт ...

Ah, something more interesting for a change. I quite like Zappa and his work. Most of "Hot Rats" is instrumental, which I didn't expect. The only vocals on the album are supplied by Captain Beefheart of "Trout Mask Replica" fame. My favourite track is "The Gumbo Variations". 3 stars for "Hot Rats".

Overall: 8/10 This is a crazy album. It's kind of jazzy, but a bit too weird to fit in. It doesn't seem to take itself seriously and Zappa seems to be throwing anything out there that sounds interesting. I had a blast with this and it might be my favourite Zappa that I've heard. Fav Song: The Gumbo Variations

More hippie nonsense. This one wasn't too bad tbf, couple of good bits

Banger. Great sound

N2l

Fully expected to hate this album, psych jazz rock fusion stuff like this is usually so tedious to listen to, but Hot Rats maintained a fun, funky atmosphere throughout.

Zappa is at his best when there’s no singing. Probably worth a relisten to this one. RYM: Y (#114) Saved a song: N

I've listened to some Zappa, but not a lot,and was expecting something weird here. But no, this is not weird, it is just energetic, exciting and full if fun. That 43 minutes went so fast.

Simply way too much instrumental for my taste. 2 stars or D+.

Really interesting instrumental playing. Like the groove underneath all the weird bits.

not my cup of tea.

Struggled a lot with this one. You can hear how influential it is, and see it shifting genres and driving something in the music following it… but I can’t listen to 12 minute songs straight of 16 tracks layered on each other

Started it okay, than I just thought it was terrible

funky

When an album is largely thought of a masterpiece from a legendary artist, even by their standards, you sit up and take notice. This album jump started FZ into the next phase of his artistry. A stunning achievement.

Funky

The first three tracks were quite good (although his vocals threw me off)

An explosion of noise and colour, swinging between jazz-inflected ruminations and florid psychedelic detours

Love me some Zappa

Warm rodents Some tracks are interesting and complex, but falls apart a bit towards the end. I liked the first couple of songs, but then it just became hard to listen to.

I own a Honda Jazz.

Wasn’t sure what to expect here, but was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed most of it. He’s a believer in long songs apparently. Anyway - I ended up listening to it twice and except for the entirely too long sax solo in one of the songs- it was a very good album. Also - you know you are going to get different when you are listening to an artist that named his kids Moon Unit and Dweezil. 😀

Honestly, when I listened to this a few months ago, I thought it was the worst thing I’ve ever listened to. Now, I’ve been through the wringer, and this isn’t even close to the worst; it’s just not for me.

I have conflicting thoughts on this album. On one hand I find Zappa's whole "look at me I'm eccentric" schtick a little tiresome. One the other hand some of the instrumentals early in this album were legitimately awesome. I wish there were more vocals, because even good instrumentals can be hard to listen to for 43 minutes straight. Still this album was in line for a 4 star review before the Saxophone solo on "The Gumbo Variations" reminded me why jazz was a mistake.

Refer back to my previous opinions on never-ending guitar.

I guess I didn't hate it

A lot of annoying noises that I wouldn't exactly call music. Only sometimes though, mostly it's fine.

Very much on the fence with Zappa, veers from "nice tune" to "what the fuck is this shit", often within the same song. Good opening track and Green Genes is also a good one. Gumbo Variations, it's just too long. This gets a bit too guitar and other instruments wanky but given that this album is nearly all instrumental that's preferable to Zappa's singing in all honesty. 5/10

I was never a huge fan of the satire aspect in Zappa's music. I definitely respect it, but I find little to empathize with from a musical perspective. That's why I thoroughly enjoy Hot Rats. It doesn't rely on the listener's ability to understand the intricacies, workings and the absurdity of society, but is just pure musicianship on display. And it's a lot of fun! Peaches en Regalia is one of my favorite compositions (it's my ringtone!). The guitar shredding is such an ear tingling sound, but Ian Underwood caries the song with his whimsical backbone. Willie The Pimp is spectral blues, if such a thing exists, and Son of Mr. Green Genes is transcendental, while Gumbo Variations show Zappa as a profound composer of long-form intricate compositions. It's also fun seeing the cast that were instrumental in creating this masterpiece: Captain Beefheart, Jean Luc Ponty, and a fifteen-year-old Shuggie Otis. As much as Hot Rats is Zappa's masterpiece, it's also a CV-level accomplishment for these guys too.

Great Album

0.9/5 I guess I don't get the hype. The music is obviously amazing but it all just sounds the same after awhile.

I am a bit biased when it comes to Zappa

behemoth

Finally a record that exercises my mental acuity. 5/5.

Preliminary note: I am not looking forward to this. Introductory note: it was okay. The album is exactly what I remembered it being like, and it's just not for me. I can recognize why people love it, I can recognize the artistry that's gone into it, and I really appreciate the somewhat weird instrumental choices across the tracks (like the flutes, lo-fi violin, and the weird rattling noise during Willie the Pimp). But the endless noodling, paired with ironic detachment Zappa's known for, are just not my thing. Any moment that does peak my interests simultaneously remind me of other acts that center the psychedelic and soul components much more, and that I'd much rather be listening to instead. In addition, albums like these really do not pair well with my own inherent hyperactivity and anxiety, so I'd much rather avoid them (another example of this is Yes - Close to the Edge, of which I can easily recognize the brilliance, yet can't stand listening to at all). Despite all this, I understand why people love this so much. This is probably the kind of album that grows on you more and more every time you listen to it, and you should take the time to let it take root before you try to rate it. I just don't have the willpower for that. Therefore, I'd rather leave it unrated. This app won't support unrated scores, so I'll do 4 to keep the global stats the same. Auxilliary note: why is the bass so quiet in the mix, TURN IT UP! Guitarist-composers should work on their ego problems.

what fun ear candy!

Essentially one long long jam, but a cool jam!

Fun but for me too silly

Favorite Song: Son Of Mr. Green Genes Least Favorite: It Must Be A Camel

my son has spent a not inconsequential amount of his life trying to get me to listen to and appreciate frank zappa and honestly it's never taken. it's still not really taking with this, although this is probably the most accessible album for me? i added "peaches en regalia" to my music library. i saw someone else refer to the song as the theme song for a 70s tv show that never happened and: accurate. the rest is mostly jazz, which i can take or leave. 3/5

Groovey...

He had a lot of fun making the album, i had less fun listening to it. Still great riffs

This is like riding a bicycle uphill during a outpour of rain while you're late for an important college lesson. I don't know if that's good or bad.