j o n b

As I understand it, Hot Rats was Zappa's first real solo album, without the support of the Mothers. If that's true, it is an amazingly strong first step into the long solo career that followed. Zappa is in fine form here as composer, arranger, and guitarist - all at once. The album has three absolute dynamite tracks. The first is "Peaches en Regalia", a remarkably complex yet tuneful little instrumental that displays Zappa's awesome arranging and production talents as layer upon layer of Ian Underwood's saxes twist and turn all over each other. I would love to hear this pulled off live with a horn section. The next standout track is "Son of Mr. Green Genes", expanding a theme from the previous Mothers album, Uncle Meat. The highlight here is Zappa's guitar playing, which propels the track. The final highlight is "Little Umbrellas", which has some more dynamite horn arrangements in it. The rest of the album is very good, and each track has its moments. As a whole, though, they don't quite live up to the three discussed above. Among the rest are the massive "Gumbo Variations" and the album's lone vocal track, "Willie the Pimp," with vocals courtesy of Captain Beefheart. I for one can't understand, from this limited exposure, what all the hubbub is about the Captain, who sounds like Doctor John in the middle of a chain smoking fit. Others really like him, though, so what do I know? Overall, this is an amazing piece of rock/jazz fusion that really pushes the debate on the first progressive rock album. It has also moved steadily to the top of my list of favorite Zappa albums. review by Jon Byrne — undated —

b o b

This was actually Zappa's second "solo" album (the first was 1968's Lumpy Gravy). But since Frank was pretty much the main composer and brains behind the Mothers of Invention, Hot Rats shouldn't be looked at as a band's guitarist going off to do a solo album, but rather a change in direction for Zappa. Retaining the skills of Ian Underwood (arguably the most talented member of the early Mothers), FZ put together a one-off band of great players to make a record of jazz fusion (with a definite Zappa feel to it). The album opens with "Peaches En Regalia", an offbeat but beautiful little instrumental composition which has become one of the most popular tunes of the Zappa catalog. This is followed by "Willie the Pimp", which features Captain Beefheart's odd, almost-growling vocalizations and a lengthy guitar solo that added Frank to many people's guitar hero list. Not one of my favorite songs (it's just a bit too ugly for me), but lots of Zappa fans love it. "Son of Mr. Green Genes" is a jazzy expansion of the melody from the song "Mr. Green Genes" on Uncle Meat. The title of this song also spawned a rumor that Zappa was the real-life son of the guy who played Mr. Green Genes on Captain Kangaroo. He wasn't. "Little Umbrellas" is another short and sweet composition in the vein of "Peaches", but more relaxed. "The Gumbo Variations" is a massive jazz jam which was expanded for CD, restoring some bits that were edited out of the original vinyl version (the stuttering beginning - one of my favorite parts of the song - is one of the CD additions). This track features thick, grinding organ sounds, bouncy bass and upbeat drumming, over which Frank (on guitar), Ian Underwood (on sax) and Sugar Cane Harris (on violin) trade some amazingly good leads. The disc ends with "It Must Be a Camel", which provides a nicely calming and composed-sounding counterpoint to the jamming of the previous track. Overall, I think this album is maybe just a tad overrated (especially when compared to some of the other fantastic stuff that came both before and after it in Zappa's career), but it's still damn good. It think it's one of the easiest FZ albums for non-hard-core fans to get a grip on, which probably contributes to its position of high regard. review by Bob Eichler — undated —

j o e

In many ways, I think of this as the first "mature" Zappa album, if such a thing might exist. By that I mean that sterling compositions like "Peaches en Regalia" and "Little Umbrellas" have a much higher probability of dispelling the stereotype of "that weirdo with the moustache" for the Zappa-ignorant, than say, "Duke of Prunes" or "Who are the Brain Police?" (which, though great in their own way, would probably reinforce it). This album is practically also an Ian Underwood album, as from a musician's perspective he's all over this baby, providing stormin' work on keys and sax. Also of note is the dauntingly arranged jam "Son of Mr. Green Genes" (unfortunately, the other extended jam-based tunes, "Willie the Pimp" and especially "Gumbo Variations", eventually outlive their welcome), and the swerving, eccentric "It Must Be a Camel." review by Joe McGlinchey — undated —

m a t t

Recorded in August and September of 1969, Frank Zappa's Hot Rats is one of the most influential albums of the jazz fusion genre; in my opinion, it is a pillar that stands alongside Bitches Brew, Soft Machine's Third and a handful of others as the best and most important albums that the genre ever produced. Hot Rats is so strong and so universal that it transcends the catalog of its maker — this is widely known as "the Frank Zappa album for people who don't like Frank Zappa." I think that it also transcends the genre and is a great pick for people who don't normally listen to much jazz fusion. Hot Rats is the first record that Zappa made after breaking up the original Mothers of Invention. Zappa retained the services of multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood and recorded each of the six tracks with a different configuration of guest musicians (one of whom, violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris, would become a permanent part of Zappa's band for a couple of years). The notorious Captain Beefheart performed the album's only vocals, which consisted of a few verses on "Willie The Pimp." I think that Hot Rats is a great record and I would rank it among the top 20 rock albums that I've ever heard. I could go on about it for a long time, but because there's already plenty of valuable commentary on this page, I'll be as brief as possible. Hot Rats is the first studio album on which Frank Zappa really showcased his guitar playing skills and, as far as I know, it is the first album of its kind. Nevertheless, the music on Hot Rats is about so much more than Zappa's solos: I think these pieces — especially the three long tracks plus "Peaches en Regalia," are flat-out great compositions. Anybody who objects to the sides of Zappa's musical personality that include social satire, perverse humor, schizophrenic musical collages, forays into avant-garde classical composition — or simply his smarmy attitude and general air of cynicism — will find that, save for the ribald lyrics to "Willie the Pimp," none of these things are present on Hot Rats. The music can be tough and visceral in spots but there is an overarching grandness, beauty and optimism to these pieces that is downright shocking, considering the source. This is an album that I like to play loud with the windows and doors open on one of the first really warm days of spring. Zappa recovered from this bout of relative sincerity in short order — within a year he had assembled the Flo and Eddie incarnation of his band and toured the world playing jokey music and acting out groupie sex skits onstage. Zappa would revisit jazz fusion at various times throughout his career, but for many fans of Zappa's instrumental music, it never got any better than these glorious forty-seven minutes from 1969. review by Matt P. — 3-24-06 —

e r i c

I have always been hesitant to buy a Frank Zappa album. I have heard Zappa's music through friends of mine, and was always impressed by the music, but the silly lyrics seemed to be a distraction to the music. I would like to thank Guy Berger and the others who reviewed Zappa on prog.net, because I love this record and plan on getting more. This leans towards fusion, which I have gotten into over the past few years as well. Let me state that it appears this CD was originally released in 1969 and I must say that Zappa has never gotten the respect he deserves as a guitarist. His fretwork here proves that he was right up there with the others of his day, yes, that means Hendrix and Clapton. Jean-Luc Ponty and Captain Beefheart make appearances. The music is upbeat, consisting of long instrumental jams. Excellent stuff! review by Eric Porter — undated —

b r a n d o n

As so many others have indicated, what's not to like about this album? The brand of upbeat, bouncy jazz-rock jamming found here isn't usually the kind of thing I really enjoy, but Hot Rats is just done so well that it's irresistible. As Joe said, it's Ian Underwood that makes his album, spewing his excellent sax playing all over the place and making songs like "Willie the Pimp", "Son of Mr. Green Genes", and "The Gumbo Variations" worth listening through even if you're not a fan of long jams. Nothing more needs to be said about the short, sweet masterpiece "Peaches en Regalia". If you have an abhorrence for extended jams in the psych/jazz/rock tradition, you may want to avoid this album, but otherwise it comes highly recommended for Zappa newbies, especially as it features little of the weirdness and eccentricity that Zappa is (in)famous for, and that probably has scared off more than a few would-be fans. review by Brandon Wu — undated —