Frank Zappa – Hot Rats (1969)

This is one of a number of CDs picked up from the local Oxfam shop last week, on a particularly fruitful visit. This was a Zappa album I'd long been familiar with, yet never got round to owning until now.

I've previously explained where I find Zappa difficult, but none of it applies on this mostly instrumental album, probably far closer to jazz than anything which had preceded it.

It opens with Peaches En Regalia, probably Zappa's best known instrumental, with some fine sax, flute and clarinet from Mother of Invention, Ian Underwood, the only flaw with this tune is that it isn't developed into something longer than the three and a half minutes. It's followed by the album's only vocal piece, with Captain Beefheart handling duties on the fantastic bluesy Willie The Pimp, punctuated by some great guitar work from FZ, alongside Sugarcane Harris's infectious violin theme. Son Of Mr Green Genes is a little more rambling, but still a fine listen.

Little Umbrellas is a short instrumental, definitely in the jazz camp, but with a nod to the synclavier experiments Zappa would develop in the coming years. The Gumbo Variations is the longest piece on the album at 16 minutes, a funky jazz piece, with Underwood's sax playing a starring role in the opening few minutes, while Zappa's guitar and Harris' violin see the track out. The album concludes much more gently and free-jazz style with It Must Be A Camel, featuring guest Jean-Luc Ponty on violin.

This album illustrates Zappa's visionary musical standing, far better than a lot of the more dubious, nastier stuff which followed (and probably paid the bills while and funded the experimentation), and, for me is among his best.

Link to full album

4* - Zappa's early instrumental album gives some hints of the experiments and triumphs to come.