The Frank Zappa Review Page

Hot Rats (1970)

 Like the 'money' album Hot Rats is right at the top of Zappa's album list. It is again one of my favourite Zappa albums. The style of music on Hot Rats was very different to his previous efforts.The emphasis comes further away from rock and swings more towards jazz/rock. It is one of the first jazz/rock combination albums. On Hot Rats, Zappa enlisted the help of George Duke and Ian Underwood among other outstanding musicians. There are only six songs on the album, but their is no wasted recording time and the songs are long. The album opens with Zappa's stunning trademark track, 'Peaches En Regalia', this song is fairly described as one of Zappa's great tracks, it is a mixture of a stunning guitar solo and pulsating horns and piano's that is so exciting and vibrant that it has to be heard to be believed. Next there's 'Willie The Pimp' a super blues rock number with rip roaring instrumental play and special vocals from that notorious man, Captain Beefheart, he provides the only vocals on the album.. The highlight of the album is song three 'Son Of Mr Green Genes', this track lasts 9 minutes but it seems like a three minute song, it's that good. The combinations of guitar, saxophone and Duke on keyboards works wonderfully and the track builds up and up to the finale, with great style and excitement it has some similarities to 'Peaches En Regalia' but is more driven by saxophones.. This song encapsulated all that made Hot Rats such a good album it had style, tempo and consistency. 'The Gumbo Variations' at seventeen minutes is by far the longest track on the album, it sounds like it should be played by a New Orleans blues band. It's a great track that keeps the thread remarkably well throughout the seventeen minutes of the song. The sax playing is supreme and like 'Green Genes' it builds up to a great climax. Who cares if it is so long? If it sounds good it just keeps rolling and means you don't have to keep changing the tape player.
                    If you will only buy an album with somebody singing, then don't buy this album, however if you can look beyond the fact that there are practically no lyrics on the album and just appreciate the great musicianship then you will love this record. I generally like lyrics on an album but I listen to this album as much as any other, it's that good. You must be a little patient with this album I did not love it the first time I heard it but it grows on you very quickly and soon you'll find yourself playing it all the time! It is experimental but consistent, one of the most pleaseing things about it for me was that there was minimal tampering around and hardly any sharp changes of direction during a song.

Rating – 89%
 

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