Hot Rats
Hot Rats
I
always liked the cover of this album, but I never got around to buying
it until a few years ago on cd. This album was actually the second
“Frank Zappa” album (after “Lumpy Gravy”) All the other earlier ones
were actually “The Mothers of Invention” (which was later “Frank Zappa
& the Mothers of Invention”, and even later there was an album
called “Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers of Prevention”.. but I am getting
ahead of myself. We get to hear lots of saxophone jamming from Ian
Underwood on all the songs, and in a couple of them Jean Luc Ponty plays
violin. The album has only 6 tracks, three of which would make deadheads
proud, “Willie The Pimp”, “The Son of Mr Green Genes” and “The Gumbo
Variationss” are long jam pieces. This has the first time that he plays
“Peaches en Regalia”, but it wasn’t the first time for the tune
(remember “Dog Breath, The Year of the Plague” from Uncle Meat
yesterday). Lots of long instrumentals. “Willie the Pimp” features
Captain Beefheart doing a vocal ramble, the only vocals. This is
sometimes known as “the Frank Zappa album for people who don’t like
Frank Zappa”, this is mostly devoid of satire, sexual humor, political
comentary or outright silliness. It’s one of the best jazz fusion albums
there are. We get to hear Frank pulling out all the stops as a lead
guitarist for the first time.