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Frank Zappa - Hot Rats CD (album) cover

HOT RATS

Frank Zappa

 

RIO/Avant-Prog

4.36 | 1828 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

fighting sleep
5 stars And on the first day, the people of Progarchives listened to Hot Rats. And it was good.

And how very good it was! I'll go on to say that it is indeed an Excellent album. Essential, actually, is more like it.

Although I won't go as far as to review every track, I will say this: people who are interested in Zappa or Jazz Fusion in general won't have a better place to begin than here.

Firstly, the generally popular "Peaches En Regalia" is basically a three and half overview of the entire album, with a few musical themes repeated in "Son of Mr. Green Genes". It's fun and accessible as well as complex and quirky. A great opener.

"Willie Pimp" is the "crux of the biscuit", as it were, on this album. Captain Beefheart's vocals never sounded greater than they are here, IMHO. His vocals fit the lyrics and music perfectly, but they are quickly forgotten as Frank Zappa's seven minute, mind-blowing guitar solo hits it's stride.

"Son of Mr. Green Genes", with the possible exception of "Gumbo Variations", is my favorite song on the album. It's songs like this, powerful and uplifting, that make music worth listening to.

And finally, I listened to "The Gumbo Variations". And it was amazing. It's almost too much to handle. Seventeen minutes of saxophone, violin, and guitar soloing. Delicious is the word which comes to my mind.

In conclusion, you will never find a sixties album that sounds as good as Hot Rats. Frank Zappa pioneers sixteen-track recording with Hot Rats, and the result is an unrivaled Jazz Fusion masterpiece.

fighting sleep | 5/5 |

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