Hot Rats

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Product Details

Artist : Frank Zappa
Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0014431050824
Label : Warner
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 2008-01-14
UPC : 014431050824

ASIN : B0000009S3

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Peaches en Regalia
2. Willie the Pimp
3. Son of Mr. Green Genes
4. Little Umbrellas
5. Gumbo Variations
6. It Must Be a Camel

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Editorial Reviews

Frank Zappa's first solo album, Hot Rats, is a far-cry from the da-da adventures and audio collages of the original Mothers of Invention. Mostly instrumental, and filled with long jams between Zappa, Jean- Luc Ponty and Ian Underwood, this slickly produced album--one of the first 16-track recordings ever made--is filled with hummable tunes. The opening track, "Peaches en Regalia", is one of Zappa's most enduring songs and the album's only vocal track, "Willie the Pimp", is by Zappa's long-time friend Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart. -- Andrew Boscardin

Chronique amazon.fr

Hot Rats, le premier album solo de Frank Zappa, est loin de l'univers et des collages sonores loufoques des premiers Mothers of Invention. La plupart des titres sont des instrumentaux comportant de longues jams entre Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty et Ian Underwood. Cette habile production contient 16 titres (fait rarissime à l'époque) dont la plupart de très bonne qualité. Le titre d'ouverture, "Peaches en Regalia", est non seulement la seule chanson de l'album mais aussi un des plus grands succès de Zappa, alors que "Willie The Pimp" a été écrit par un vieil ami de Frank, Don Van Vliet, alias Captain Beefheart. --Andrew Boscardin

Customer Reviews

Decent (2004-07-09)

Overall, this is a pretty accessible effort from rock music's greatest composer, and a good introductory piece. This doesn't mean it's his best, however. Pieces such as Peaches en Regalia and Son of Mr. Green Genes are great, and demonstrate Zappa's deftness in orchestration, a skill not usually found in rock. What turns me off from this album is the seemingly endless jamming. Gumbo Variations fits this bill perfectly. And Willie the Pimp is one of my least favorite Zappa tunes, not because of Captain Beefheart's cameo, but due to the really dull (to these ears) guitar solo. Zappa is a good, and underrated, guitarist, but here he just treads through uneventful noodling for around seven minutes. So, I'll recommend this CD, but only if you go out and buy Uncle Meat and Burnt Weany Sandwich soon after.

Stinky Funk Jamz and Some Polish, Too! (2004-05-01)

This is the first FZ album I heard, and after 3 listens, I was hooked. The open-jams "Willie the Pimp" and "Gumbo Variations" are sweet grooving sweat-sessions. And this album has smooth polished compositions "Peaches" and "Little Umbrellas" and "It Must Be A Camel" making this a well-rounded album for those unfamiliar with the established genius of Frank Zappa. That's Captain Beefheart singing on "Willie the Pimp" and that's Shugie Otis playing bass on "Peaches." After this album, you might check out "Apostrophe" and "Overnight Sensation." Especially if you can get them both on one disk (look around this bargain)!

Now, repeat after me..."I'm a little pimp with my hair gassed backPair a khaki pants with my shoe shined black.."

HOT DAWG!!!! (2004-04-29)

This album rules.Check out my funk also http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/taki76

Powerhouse Jamband beginnings for the genre of Jambands (2004-04-21)

I would like for someone to find where 16 minute jams with very little lyrics by white rock musicians really took root... I say it happened with FZ, and this little known recording (little known to those outside the FZ community) called HOT RATS.

The jamming that goes on in 'Willie the Pimp' is second to none. This jam fest could easily fit in on any of the jam fests that either Dave Matthews or Derek Trucks warps around the country (and I have seen DMB live and his jamming is so much better than his recorded studio bleck). Jamming non stop for well over 10 minutes in styles that you can actually hum to.

This recording was considered by FZ to be his favorite.. at least that was what he said in at least two interviews I have read, and I must say it is packed full of wonderful songs, from the delicate dessert like wonderfulness of Peaches En Regalia to the muscle outperform anything on earth songs like THE GUMBO VARIATIONS/WILLIE THE PIMP. I actually think that TGV and WTP can be merged together in one big 24 minute jam for any band with the chops.

I love this CD, it is never far from my player whenever I need a good Jam fix, and Grateful Dead or whatever just aren't muscular enough for the workout that FZ gives you on this outing.

This is every inch of 5 stars without any trouble.

FZ gone 10 years, but "the modern composer refuses to die". (2004-03-02)

Much has been written about this recording,as there are now OVER 70 reviews after these words appear on Amazon. I decided to write this review in prelude to reviews of recordings made of Frank Zappa compositions by others since his death I will write in the spirit of remembering this is 10 years since FZ's passing from the earth of his "mortal coil". Of course, to say, the musics live on is cliche!

In recent years, most notable are the "Big Band" recordings of Ed Palermo and French crazylocos Le Bocal and also the "modern musics" (I hesitate to use the word "classical") Of the Ensemble Modern and Grupo Ambrosius. Some of the ex-Mothers make some nice noise also!

The reason I write is because I believe this recording was a "bridge" for (if I can paint in black and white only for a minute) the Zappatistas who came to Frank's musics from the "rock musics" perspective , and those who came from more jazz/classical/avant-guarde. even "dadaista" persuasions.

To veer the path a moment, the recordings of Zappa's "Hot Rats" are now avaliable as ~the existing CD, and ~the "original mix" from the disc recorded so long ago.

That Zappa remixed his great work, well ..

I only wish that BOTH versions were avaliable on the CD , and possible some day they will is at least a "dream".

I think it would be fair to the compositions ,as there are moments in both recordings that add and detract from the original and remixed versions.(IMO, the original mix is more subtle, for the record).

Back to my original thought, Zappa's most "jazzistic" compositions "Little Umbrellas", "It Must Be A Camel", and the (finally!) much heralded "Peaches en Regalia" Are side to side with the rock/fusion musician's dream tunes, "Willie the Pimp" and "The Gumbo Variations".

And "Son of Mr Green Genes" is , of course , one of MANY FZ 's recycled melodies , simple but with the underlying harmonic structure giving it compositional "depth", not to mention the joking, quase-surreal" lyrics.

Judging from the recent recordings , by musicians of the same "1st division" high caliber talent, the reason their efforts are so interesting is that they keep the Zappa spirit of the musical "polyglot" alive.

The "jazz " compositions have the urgency of "rockmusics", and the rockmusics compositions an underlying sofistication associated with jazz/classical musics.

So I suppose to overdo it and proclaim, 10000000 stars for this recording, much has already been said. And to compel Zappatistas everywhere to find these "tribute" recordings, either on your own, or to look for some of my reviews on those recordings here at Amazon also in coming days.

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