Hot Rats

extra star for the name "hot rats." this is my first zappa, and i get the feeling hot rats isn't quite representative

Frank Zappa is just so cool and unique. I have not listened to nearly enough of his music. I think I'll explore more. 4 stars

Good and different

Great intro holy

I really like it even tho it's not my exact cup of tea. son of mr. green genes is my fav

Some of the breakdowns just didn't hit

Not my vibe, can’t get into a whole album of just jamming. Gets stale after awhile

POV your review dissapears. Okay I don’t know man. I’m not the biggest fan of this jammy proggy no singing stuff for the most part. I need some lyrics to follow along the journey. Yet even when he sings, I just don’t feel it. I don’t get him. Maybe we’ll find out later in his Career what Frankie’s all about. I admire the fusion and experimental elements this record offers. It’s psyched out, sprawling and fun. I just really can’t see where I’d pull this one out on a whim and bump it. A light 3 for me.

Some Of the best guitar I’ve ever heard that’s about it good time and I loved it

Such a shame that Zappa, who is clearly one of the greatest guitar players ever wasted about 80% of his career making pretentious (and very unfunny) nonsense instead of music like this.

overrated but the first track is awesome.

Такой явно экспериментальный альбом и с влиянием джаза и его фристайл фишек

The album was well before my listening consciousness but, in general, I liked Zappa's sound. Always a bit outside mainstream but that is what made it exotic.

This is hard to rate because it seems like a genre of its own! So unique. I have to be in the right mood to want to listen to it, but no denying the complexity and impressiveness of the music and musicians. When listening closely, it's pretty amazing they have such a tight ensemble amongst the multitude of complex rhythms, meter shifts, and other elements.

7,5/10

1000 альбомов за плечами!! Это же просто ахуеть, я обычно бросаю заниматься всякой хуйней через пару месяцев, а тут 3 года почти каждое утро я слушаю преимущественно всякое говно и меня это радует

groovy asf, but holy shit am i not used to 10 minute long songs without lyrics it makes me feel like im in a time loop - peaches en regalia: really good intro, short and really interesting sonically, would revisit - willie the pimp: really love the dynamics of bass, drums, and the weird boingy sound going on but it got sooo soo repetative - son of mr. green genes: feels really royal? like regal entrance idk then the bass comes in and steals the show ... returns to almost sounding show intro background music at times in a really fun way - little umbrellas: someone is going crazy on the keys and i dont think i like it... feeling very sims 4 background music intermixed w really cool jazz moments - the gumbo variations: funky ass jazz moment, i think i like it more in theory than actuality ... very kazoo ish at times ... oh god its getting really bad icl it sounds dying birdish holy omg ... okay wait ends a lot better the sqeaky sax had me on the ropes for a minute ... wait this is actually great and possibily my fav from the album if the sax didnt give me an aneurysm at the start - it must be a camel: lowkey so tired of this album atp. .. really fun and interesting sound but the long experimental intrumentals are not a come back sound for me would listen to the gumbo variations for the bit if i was in the mood and peaches en regalia

1970 jazz fusion, mostly instrumental Willlie the pimp

Not a big fan although there is no doubt that Mr. Zappa is a gifted songwriter and performer. Just too bizarre for my taste.

This was a pleasant surprise. It was interesting and I couldn't help but the influenced the likes of Phish

Some red wine in a bar and it would be morn fun. Crazy music, sometimes too noisy for me. 2.5

I could imagine putting this on at random times while doing other things with the funky, high energy compositions. All of the musicians seem super talented. I don't click with it enough to see it as a "great" album, more a "good" album. I'd give it a 7 if this were a 10 point scale.

Not exactly my cup of tea but gave it a listen enjoyed in parts

Really enjoyed this, it’s freaky, funky and complex

de har nåt

I imagine it's good but It's just not my cup of tea. I'm not gonna give it 2 but I'm thinking about it.

4.5. Exceptional musicianship. Really enjoyed this one

This is the first album that I have listened to 3 times in one day and I am already looking forward to running it back again. I think I found my Zappa album because this one blew my mind. I mean, Willie the Pimp — are you kidding me?? This album kicks ass — all killer no filler. They were cooking in the studio on this one. Easy 5 stars from me. I’ll be spinning Hot Rats often.

I feel like everything points to the fact that i would enjoy Zappa's music, but i find it ok at most. Not sure why.

Getting like the vibes of something I would like but not fulling clicking for me tbh. (It’s not that it’s mostly instrumental. I’m not fully against little to no lyrics in a song.)

Some of this is really good. It’s very listenable and not too long. I think I’d have preferred some more vocals but as jazz fusion it stands up. The instrumentals are good though interestingly released just before Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew. Think the latter takes it.

Honestly thought it was just okay. Peaches en Ragalia was a great start, but it wasn't consistent.

Wow, really good. Better than I expected based on my previous recollections of listening to Zappa. Immediately wanted to listen again after finishing.

holy moly this is why this website is the best

Suelo tener cierta reticencia y rechazo hacia Frank Zappa, pero sinceramente este disco o álbum me sorprendió y me terminó gustando lo suficiente como para dudar entre ponerle un cuatro o un cinco por lo que voy a tener que considerarlo... El 4 lo tiene seguro, el 5 no sé si es que por mi rechazo o realmente dudo que me haya gustado...

Buena guitarra, mida álbum

Buena guitarra, pero meh. Prometia.

Willie the pimp was interesting and there were some interesting bits throughout but it’s 1 star

Zappa's one of those guys where you just need to know what was going on in their brain every day. Dude was wired totally differently.

This is now my favorite Frank Zappa album. I don’t like it very much. But still, it’s the best album I’ve ever heard by Frank Zappa or one of his bands. It’s not great.

I thought it was okay at the start. But the jumbled up, experimental noise is only tolerable for so long. It really started to go downhill when I got up to The Gumbo Variations, which is over 12 minutes long. I don't mind a long song, but it felt like 12 minutes of incoherent nonsense. I get it was probably revolutionary at its time and not completely unlistenable, hence the 2 stars.

Sin palabras. De los mejores discos que escuche en mí vida. Hace mucho no lo escuchaba entero, hermoso reconectar.

Exotic and weird, but the very good musicianship shines through the whole way.

There's a line between a good, lyricless song and a bunch of meaningless noise. Some of these songs were great, some not so much.

A dream of an album. An aural, mostly instrumental fantasia of The present-day composer refusing to die

funky and entertaining. a remote place from the mainstream, full of vibe and vibrance. i don't enjoy every last bit of Zappa, but this one i do!

Interesting and new (to me)! Probably not something I listen to every day, but a rabbit hole I’ll go down, and the reason I want to listen to new music.

I had a lot of fun with this album. I haven't gotten any of the Mothers of Invention albums yet so I'm very interested in how they stack up against this one

Surprisingly good. I had expected some basic rock, but this was quite artsy and jazzy. Still listenable as well. My favorite track was "The Gumbo Variations". 3.5 stars.

When I first listened to this I thought it was really cool and experimental. On a re-listen this is way more basic, but it's still great.

I’ve heard this before, not for a while. I am particularly fond of Peaches En Regalia: catchy riffs, rhythm is happily driving, a nice vibe into what I’ll call the chorus hook, and it’s big band jazz rock, not just zany for the frisson of being zany. Five other tracks, do they deserve song-by-song review? Not quite. Willie the Pimp, I don’t like: obnoxious voice, obnoxious lyrics/theme. The Gumbo Variations, I was unsure about, but the extended solos are decent and I endorse on basis the overall structure had been worked out and is well implemented. Other tracks, to my ears, are pedestrian, or seem to be whacky for the sake of “aren’t I clever”. How to rate? Mix of Good and Bad would be true but harsh - extent of instrumentals makes it easier to say the good outweighs the bad. But I’m still unlikely to replay the album as a whole. So I’ll keep Peaches on a playlist, and rate the album as Okay, 6/10.

Frank Zappa’s groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion record isn’t exactly an easy listen for everyone. I personally struggle with jazz—and when improvisation enters the mix, it becomes even more challenging. Still, I give it a go because I like Frank Zappa. The opening track, "Peaches en Regalia," is a well-known instrumental; it’s almost like a miniature symphony or a modern jazz suite. "Willie the Pimp" is the only track featuring vocals, with Captain Beefheart lending his voice to one of the most powerful and gritty blues-rock jams in music history. Zappa delivers one of his most iconic and expansive guitar solos here. "Son of Mr. Green Genes" boasts elaborate horn arrangements; the music swells from intimate, jazzy passages into massive, orchestral rock outbursts, punctuated by a melodic and elegant guitar solo from Zappa—exceedingly clean and refined. The following track evokes a *film noir* atmosphere, reminiscent of classic cinematic scores. At 13 minutes, "The Gumbo Variations" is the album’s longest piece; it kicks off with a frenetic tenor saxophone solo, later features an electrifying violin solo, and concludes with a sharp, punchy drum solo. It's all very psychedelic. You practically fly away with the music, into other spheres. The sixth and final track, "It Must Be a Camel," serves as a rhythmically complex, surreal conclusion to the album. Two drummers provide an unpredictable yet fluid foundation through their interlocking, syncopated rhythms. This album pushed the boundaries of what is musically and compositionally possible. I would argue that an incredible number of subsequent musicians across all genres would never have achieved fame and acclaim without the foundational work of Frank Zappa. He changed the world of music!

Groovy jams. Great background music but nothing that stood out

Great Album. Great listening experience.

Maybe he’s a divisive artist, but I fall on the side of him being a mad genius. Impressive that his works can be farce and genuine at the same time. Creative, inventive, this album was a tonic for a below-average week of albums.

Very fun, controlled chaos jazz album that only lost me during the 13 minute track.

Hell yeah. Groovy, a little weird and intricate. Favorite Tracks: Peaches En Regalia Willie the Pimp Son of Mr. Green Genes Gumbo Variations

1001 Albums Generator 378 (10/25/2026) As a huge Frank Zappa fan, I love Hot Rats, even though it's not my favorite album by him. But I get why it's his most popular. Mostly instrumental jazz/rock fusion with virtuosic playing and quirky songwriting is the bag that Zappa can reach into that most people enjoy. If you like this style of his, please check out Apostrophe, One Size Fits All, and The Grand Wazoo. A legendary album. 5/5. Favs: Peaches En Regalia Son of Mr. Green Genes The Gumbo Variations Least Fav: Little Umbrellas

Not bad, did not need a 13 minute song

Zappa is the kind of rock weirdo I can appreciate. He knows how to get experimental and offbeat while still having recognizable tunes

Hot Rats? More like hot ass. I liked the last half of Willie the Pimp and some parts of the other jams. It’s like if jazz and rock had a baby but they’re cousins so the baby was born with issues.

Surprisingly consonant and enjoyable!

- Dad, who is this guy Frank Zappa? Why is he always hanging around? - Get comfy on the couch, listen to Hot Rats, and free your mind, son.

I know that Frank Zappa is a musical genius, but I have pretty limited patience for what feels like a jam session, even if it feels happy and interesting at points. I realize that this record was probably way ahead of its time, and truly, Frank is doing some interesting stuff, but for me it lacks the cohesion necessary for me to want to listen to it again. 6.5/10

No lyrics, no problem. This is madness pure joy of rock.

Final Zappa. For the longest time I thought this album cover depicted Zappa climbing out of his apartment window like Spiderman, with the forest in the background being the street and sidewalk. Now that I've spared it more than a cursory glance, it's obvious that Zappa is crawling out of some kind of tomb or mausoleum. Both concepts are equally interesting to me. It's been a little over 200 albums since I listened to "We're Only in It For the Money", which I put on shortly after assembling a pre-written review for "Freak Out!". I was unimpressed by both albums, ...In It For the Money moreso. The noncommittal "both sides bad" stance that Zappa took with that album is a position I have grown increasingly fatigued by, though I suppose I do respect the album as a surrealist time capsule of an interesting point in American history. I don't think Zappa is all that as the zany experimental rock guy, however. A lot of his music just amounts to pitched-up vocals and bassy pop rock guitars, both of which aren't particularly interesting to me. Hopefully Zappa's most recent inclusion will prove to be more interesting. Here goes. Hmm. Interesting. I'm fond of how eclectic and punchy this music is, though the arduous track lengths, absence of vocals and prominent jam influence make this a less straightforward listen than what I would have hoped for. Still, I definitely appreciated listening to this album. The confident, Hendrix-esque guitars yield many good moments, and the music is a lot more purposeful, intricate and focused than your average jam outing. The music also succeeds at being cohesive despite its disparate influences, with the album incorporating jazz, blues and rock stylings into a satisfying whole. The album certainly has a big city swagger to it, being best accentuated by the adept brass numbers. All in all, I thought this album was pretty alright. I'm not expecting my opinion of this music to improve with subsequent listens, though I am content with simply appreciating it in the way that I do. Book time. Zappa had burned a lot of money on his previous stints with The Mothers of Invention. He promptly broke up his old band and rearranged his lineup for this album. Captain Beefheart features on this album. The album bears a heavy jazz influence. The album cover is one of the great rock photos, depicting a Zappa groupie crawling out of an empty lilypond on a mansion estate. Huh. I thought Zappa was the one on the cover. Wikipedia says this album garnered a mixed response from critics at release, but is now considered one of Zappa's very best outings. The album only charted in four countries, peaking at No. 173 in the US, No. 19 in Australia, No. 9 in the UK and No. 6 in the Netherlands. The album re-entered the charts in the UK and Germany when a deluxe reissue of the album was released in 2019. As I've said in my other Zappa reviews, three albums seems like one too few for an artist of Zappa's standing, so I'm definitely content with letting this one through. I cosign this inclusion.

Jazzy improvisation that includes psychedelia and guitars. OK as background music, maybe.

My introduction to jam albums. Not a huge fan, but I enjoyed Peaches.

It was always going to be a 5. Since I first heard it hears ago, Hot Rats has been among my favourite records of all time. There's nothing quite like it, some of the most fun - groovy songs ever recorded. The longer tracks especially are absolutely brilliant. At times they sound improvised but each musical decision also sounds so beautifully well-placed and intentional. Zappa at top form undoubtedly.

Okay, wow. I didn't know that Frank made a jazz album. Very cool. Definitely should be on this list.

depois de ter saído um albuns do the mothers of invention e ter odiado, fiquei imaginando que o frank seria uma pretensiosidade sem fim, mas o que encontrei aqui foi um bom álbum de rock, com excelentes guitarras e solos. tá vendo como você consegue fazer um álbum bom focando no seu talento e não sendo um babaca pretensioso? 3,5, mas talvez eu ouça melhor depois e vire um 4.

Заппа ще один приклад артиста з колосальною дискографією, яка мене сильно відштовхувала, щоб ознайомитися з його творчістю. Плюс високий градус дивакуватості та дуркування також цьому не сприяв. На цьому альбомі їх практично немає. Мені сподобався його погляд на ф'южн, відчувається джемовість в цих композиціях.

Один з тих альбомів Заппи який можна слухати абсолютно як звичайну музику без всякої дурки. Мабуть найбільш доступний його альбом. Я Заппу люблю, а з хот ретс взагалі починав знайомство з ним. Також маю на платівці, а це значить що цьому альбому менше 4 я не поставлю.

Ok

That was OK

Insanely structured and proggy, but still extremely fun and it is the quintessential record truly showcasing FZ's immense talent as a musician. "Peaches" is an immensely sunny, funky opener. "Pimp" features a perfect old blues man vocal from Captain Beefheart complemented by an extended psychedelic Dead-esque guitar solo. It'd be easy to write off "Mr. Green Genes" as a repeat of the opening track, but it's varied soloing and changing mood differentiate it significantly and still keeps the song super fun! "Gumbo" really points the music as close as it could to serious jazz, as it sounds like a BST or Traffic song with Ian Underwood sounding very much an Eddie Harris sound-alike throughout its 12-minute runtime. And then my main man Jean Luc Ponty shows up on "It Must Be a Camel" and absolutely kills it!

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.

ну,прослушано

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

Hot Rats backwards is Star Toh. And that is less random than this album. There are some banger sax parts though.

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!

cool tunes but bit too much guitar noodling