Hot Rats

 

A few days ago, I remembered a friend who had a fatal accident on his motorbike a good 20 years ago. Peter was a total fan of Frank Zappa, had almost every album of his and gave me access to Zappa. Apart from his debut album with the Mothers of Invention and his foray into the mainstream on Sheik Yerbouti, I only own Hot Rats. 

On this album, Zappa made it clear what he meant by fusion and jazz-rock. The songs on this album are arranged in such a complex way, with breaks and changes of time signature, but still with a playful lightness. Hardly any other album from this period has such solid and sophisticated drums and bass. 

The rather playful and catchy Peaches in Regalia, which stands in stark contrast to the electronic blues of Willie The Pimp, which is characterized by sprawling wah-wah solos to explore the boundaries of crossover in Son of Green Genes, shows just how contradictory his music is on this album.

Frank Zappa - Peaches In Regalia

Frank Zappa - Willie The Pimp

Frank Zappa - Son Of Green Genes