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ZAPPA, FRANK - HOT RATS
ARTIST:
TITLE:
Hot Rats
LABEL:
CATNO:
238411
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FORMAT:
Vinyl record
DESCRIPTION:
Avante Garde Fusion Rock From 1969 Repressed Aside from the experimental side project Lumpy Gravy,
Hot Rats was the first album Frank Zappa recorded as a solo artist sans the Mothers, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood. Other than another side project -- the doo wop tribute Cruising With Ruben and the Jets -- Hot Rats was also the first time Zappa focused his efforts in one general area, namely jazz-rock. The result is a classic of the genre. Hot Rats' genius lies in the way it fuses the compositional sophistication of jazz with rock's down-and-dirty attitude -- there's a real looseness and grit to the three lengthy jams, and a surprising, wry elegance to the three shorter, tightly arranged numbers (particularly the sumptuous "Peaches en Regalia"). Perhaps the biggest revelation isn't the straightforward presentation, or the intricately shifting instrumental voices in Zappa's arrangements -- it's his own virtuosity on the electric guitar, recorded during extended improvisational workouts for the first time here. His wonderfully scuzzy, distorted tone is an especially good fit on "Willie the Pimp," with its greasy blues riffs and guest vocalist Captain Beefheart's Howlin' Wolf theatrics. Elsewhere, his skill as a melodist was in full flower, whether dominating an entire piece or providing a memorable theme as a jumping-off point. In addition to Underwood, the backing band featured contributions from Jean-Luc Ponty, Lowell George, and Don "Sugarcane" Harris, among others; still, Zappa is unquestionably the star of the show. Hot Rats still sizzles; few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy.
Hot Rats was the first album Frank Zappa recorded as a solo artist sans the Mothers, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood. Other than another side project -- the doo wop tribute Cruising With Ruben and the Jets -- Hot Rats was also the first time Zappa focused his efforts in one general area, namely jazz-rock. The result is a classic of the genre. Hot Rats' genius lies in the way it fuses the compositional sophistication of jazz with rock's down-and-dirty attitude -- there's a real looseness and grit to the three lengthy jams, and a surprising, wry elegance to the three shorter, tightly arranged numbers (particularly the sumptuous "Peaches en Regalia"). Perhaps the biggest revelation isn't the straightforward presentation, or the intricately shifting instrumental voices in Zappa's arrangements -- it's his own virtuosity on the electric guitar, recorded during extended improvisational workouts for the first time here. His wonderfully scuzzy, distorted tone is an especially good fit on "Willie the Pimp," with its greasy blues riffs and guest vocalist Captain Beefheart's Howlin' Wolf theatrics. Elsewhere, his skill as a melodist was in full flower, whether dominating an entire piece or providing a memorable theme as a jumping-off point. In addition to Underwood, the backing band featured contributions from Jean-Luc Ponty, Lowell George, and Don "Sugarcane" Harris, among others; still, Zappa is unquestionably the star of the show. Hot Rats still sizzles; few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy.
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£24.99
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Last FM Information on Frank Zappa
Please note the information is done on a artist keyword match and data is provided by LastFM.
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, songwriter, guitarist, conductor, actor, satirist, filmmaker, and activist. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, he produced a wide range of music, including rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral, and musique concrète. He released more than 60 albums both with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist, often producing them himself. His work is noted for experimentation, improvisation, musical virtuosity, and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed films and music videos and designed album covers, and he is regarded as one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.
Mostly self-taught, Zappa drew on a wide range of musical influences, including 20th-century classical music, African-American rhythm and blues, and doo-wop. He began writing classical compositions in high school while playing drums in rhythm-and-blues bands, later switching to electric guitar. His debut studio album with the Mothers of Invention, "Freak Out!" (1966), combined rock-and-roll songs with extended sound collages and satirical lyrics. He continued to blend diverse styles and experimentation throughout his career.
Zappa developed a concept he called "Project/Object," in which musical ideas, phrases, and characters recur across albums. His lyrics often reflected his critical views on social and political structures, delivered with humor, and he is recognized as a pioneer of comedy rock. He was an outspoken critic of mainstream education and organized religion, and advocated for freedom of speech, self-education, political participation, and the elimination of censorship. He opposed recreational drug use while supporting its decriminalization and regulation.
Zappa's music drew both acclaim and criticism: supporters praised its complexity, while some critics considered it lacking in emotional depth. He found significant commercial success internationally, particularly in Europe. Although he operated largely as an independent artist, he maintained distribution agreements with major record labels. Zappa remains an influential figure in contemporary music, and his honors include posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Herre
Studio albums
Freak Out! (1966)
Absolutely Free (1967)
We're Only in It for the Money (1968)
Lumpy Gravy (1968)
Cruising with Ruben & the Jets (1968)
Mothermania (1969)
Uncle Meat (1969)
Hot Rats (1969)
Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)
Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970)
Chunga's Revenge (1970)
Fillmore East – June 1971 (1971)
200 Motels (1971)
Just Another Band from L.A. (1972)
Waka/Jawaka (1972)
The Grand Wazoo (1972)
Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
Apostrophe (') (1974)
Roxy & Elsewhere (1974)
One Size Fits All (1975)
Bongo Fury (1975)
Zoot Allures (1976)
Zappa in New York (1978)
Studio Tan (1978)
Sleep Dirt (1979)
Sheik Yerbouti (1979)
Orchestral Favorites (1979)
Joe's Garage, Act I (1979)
Joe's Garage, Acts II & III (1979)
Tinsel Town Rebellion (1981)
Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (1981)
Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More (1981)
Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (1981)
You Are What You Is (1981)
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch (1982)
The Man from Utopia (1983)
Baby Snakes (1983)
London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. I (1983)
Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger (1984)
Them or Us (1984)
Thing-Fish (1984)
Francesco Zappa (1984)
Old Masters, Box I (1985)
Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (1985)
Does Humor Belong in Music? (1986)
Old Masters, Box II (1986)
Jazz from Hell (1986)
London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II (1987)
Old Masters, Box III (1987)
Guitar (1988)
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1 (1988)
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (1988)
Broadway the Hard Way (1988)
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 (1989)
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (1991)
Make a Jazz Noise Here (1991)
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 (1991)
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5 (1992)
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 (1992)
Playground Psychotics (1992)
Ahead of Their Time (1993)
The Yellow Shark (1993)
Posthumous albums
Civilization Phaze III (1994)
The Lost Episodes (1996)
Läther (1996)
Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (1996)
Have I Offended Someone? (1997)
Mystery Disc (1998)
Everything Is Healing Nicely (1999)
FZ:OZ (2002)
Halloween (2003)
Joe's Corsage (2004)
Joe's Domage (2004)
Quaudiophiliac (2004)
Joe's Xmasage (2005)
Imaginary Diseases (2006)
The MOFO Project/Object (2006)
The MOFO Project/Object (fazedooh) (2006)
Trance-Fusion (2006)
Buffalo (2007)
The Dub Room Special! (2007)
Wazoo (2007)
One Shot Deal (2008)
Joe's Menage (2008)
The Lumpy Money Project/Object (2009)
Philly '76 (2009)
Greasy Love Songs (2010)
Congress Shall Make No Law... (2010)
Hammersmith Odeon (2010)
Feeding the Monkies at Ma Maison (2011)
Carnegie Hall (2011)
Road Tapes, Venue 1 (2012)
Understanding America (2012)
Finer Moments (2012)
AAAFNRAA: Baby Snakes: The Compleat Soundtrack (2012)
Road Tapes, Venue 2 (2013)
A Token of His Extreme (2013)
Joe's Camouflage (2014)
Roxy by Proxy (2014)
Dance Me This (2015)
200 Motels: The Suites (2015)
Roxy The Soundtrack (2015)
Road Tapes, Venue 3 (2016)
The Crux of the Biscuit (2016)
Frank Zappa for President (2016)
ZAPPAtite: Frank Zappa's Tastiest Tracks (2016)
Meat Light (2016)
Chicago '78 (2016)
Little Dots (2016)
Halloween 77 (2017)
The Roxy Performances (2018)
Zappa in New York 40th Anniversary Edition (2019)
Orchestral Favorites 40th Anniversary Edition (2019)
Halloween 73 (2019)
The Hot Rats Sessions (2019)
The Mothers 1970 (2020)
Halloween 81 (2020)
Zappa: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2020)
Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show (2021)
200 Motels 50th Anniversary Edition (2021)
The Mothers 1971 (2022)
Zappa/Erie (2022)
Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana (2022)
Waka/Wazoo (2022)
Zappa '80: Mudd Club/Munich (2023)
Funky Nothingness (2023)
Over-Nite Sensation 50th Anniversary Edition (2023)
Whisky a Go Go 1968 (2024)
Apostrophe (') 50th Anniversary Edition (2024)
Cheaper Than Cheep (2025)
One Size Fits All 50th Anniversary Edition (2025)
Halloween 78 (2025)
Bongo Fury 50th Anniversary Edition (2026) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
