Because Hot Rats largely consists of instrumental jazz-influenced compositions amongst extensive soloing, the music sounds rattling dissimilar from before Zappa albums, which featured satirical vocal performances amongst extensive purpose of musique concrète in addition to editing. Multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood is the solely fellow member of the Mothers to seem on the album in addition to was the principal musical collaborator. Other featured musicians were Max Bennett in addition to a 16-year sometime Shuggie Otis on bass, drummers John Guerin, Paul Humphrey in addition to Ron Selico, in addition to electrical violinists Don "Sugarcane" Harris in addition to Jean-Luc Ponty.
This was the initiative off Frank Zappa album recorded on 16-track equipment in addition to 1 of the initiative off albums to purpose this technology. Machines amongst sixteen private tracks let for much to a greater extent than flexibility inwards multi-tracking in addition to overdubbing than the professional person 4- in addition to 8-track reel-to-reel tape recorders that were touchstone inwards 1969.
The album was dedicated to Zappa's newborn son, Dweezil Zappa. In Feb 2009, Dweezil's tribute band to his father's musical legacy, Zappa Plays Zappa, won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their rendition of "Peaches en Regalia."
In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #13 inwards its listing of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums". It was likewise included inwards the majority 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. This is Official Release #8.
Zappa composed, arranged in addition to produced the album himself. His principal musical instrument on the album is Pb guitar. "Willie the Pimp", "Son of Mr. Green Genes", in addition to "The Gumbo Variations" are showcases for his powerful in addition to unconventional solo guitar performances. Four of the tracks bring intricately arranged charts featuring multiple overdubs past times Ian Underwood. Underwood plays the parts of to a greater extent than or less 8 to 10 musicians, oftentimes simultaneously. His run includes complicated sections of pianoforte in addition to organ, every bit good every bit multiple flutes, clarinets in addition to saxophones.
The vocal "Peaches en Regalia" is widely recognized every bit a modern jazz fusion touchstone in addition to is 1 of Zappa's best-known songs. Zappa plays a brusque solo on an musical instrument credited every bit an octave-bass, which is a conventional bass guitar recorded at half-speed in addition to thus it sounds an octave higher inwards normal speed playback. When 1 listens to the song, it is apparent that many other instruments were likewise recorded at half-speed: organ, reed instruments, percussion. Underwood contributes flute in addition to multiple saxophone, clarinet in addition to keyboard parts. Zappa afterward re-recorded the vocal several times inwards alive performances. It has been re-interpreted past times many other jazz in addition to stone artists, including Phish, the Dixie Dregs, in addition to Frogg Café.
"Willie the Pimp" is a stone tune which features a vocal past times Zappa's longtime friend in addition to collaborator Captain Beefheart. It has violin past times Don "Sugarcane" Harris in addition to guitar solos past times Zappa inwards what seem to live on loose jams, though the performances were edited before release. The championship Hot Rats comes from the lyric of this song.
"Son of Mr. Green Genes" is an instrumental re-arrangement of the vocal Mr. Green Genes from the Mothers album Uncle Meat. The odd championship of this vocal led to an urban legend that Frank Zappa was related to the grapheme Mr. Green Jeans from the tv set demonstrate Captain Kangaroo. This is the solely vocal on the album to characteristic both intricate horn charts in addition to extended guitar solo sections.
"Little Umbrellas" is similar inwards trend to "Peaches", some other brusque carefully arranged tune amongst numerous keyboard in addition to air current overdubs past times Underwood.
"The Gumbo Variations" likewise is a jam functioning that features a tenor saxophone solo past times Underwood in addition to some intricate electrical violin playing past times Don "Sugarcane" Harris inwards improver to a guitar solo past times Zappa. The CD number is a longer version containing portions that were edited for the LP. It includes a brief spoken segment at the outset where Zappa's phonation is heard instructing the musicians on how he wants them to start out the tune.
"It Must Be a Camel" is likewise an intricately arranged tune amongst numerous air current in addition to keyboard overdubs past times Underwood. The rattling odd tune of this vocal is highly rhythmic in addition to oftentimes makes large melodic leaps. The championship may come upward from the fact that these leaps resemble "humps" when written on paper. The recording contains a violin functioning past times Jean-Luc Ponty.
H5N1 recording from the Hot Rats sessions titled Bognor Regis was laid upward to live on released on the B-side of an edited version of "Sharleena", a rails from the 1970 Zappa album Chunga's Revenge. The unmarried break was canceled; however, an acetate disc re-create was leaked to Blue Planet in addition to the rails has appeared on Zappa bootlegs. The vocal was named after a town on the due south coast of England. Musically it's a basic blues instrumental amongst electrical violin solo past times Don "Sugarcane" Harris. Another rails recorded during these sessions, titled "Twenty Small Cigars", was afterward released on Chunga's Revenge.
Aside from the experimental side projection Lumpy Gravy, Hot Rats was the initiative off album Frank Zappa recorded every bit a solo creative someone sans the Mothers, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, nigh notably multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood. Other than some other side projection -- the doo wop tribute Cruising With Ruben in addition to the Jets -- Hot Rats was likewise the initiative off fourth dimension Zappa focused his efforts inwards 1 full general area, namely jazz-rock. The effect is a classic of the genre. Hot Rats' genius lies inwards the agency it fuses the compositional sophistication of jazz amongst rock's down-and-dirty mental attitude -- there's a existent looseness in addition to grit to the 3 lengthy jams, in addition to a surprising, wry elegance to the 3 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 inwards Zappa's arrangements -- it's his ain virtuosity on the electrical guitar, recorded during extended improvisational workouts for the initiative off fourth dimension here. His wonderfully scuzzy, distorted tone is an especially skillful jibe on "Willie the Pimp," amongst its greasy blues riffs in addition to invitee singer Captain Beefheart's Howlin' Wolf theatrics. Elsewhere, his science every bit a melodist was inwards total flower, whether dominating an entire slice or providing a memorable subject every bit a jumping-off point. In improver to Underwood, the backing band featured contributions from Jean-Luc Ponty, Lowell George, in addition to Don "Sugarcane" Harris, amid others; still, Zappa is unquestionably the star of the show. Hot Rats soundless sizzles; few albums originating on the stone side of jazz-rock fusion flowed in addition to thus freely betwixt both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement in addition to energy.
Tracks Listing
1. Peaches en Regalia (3:39)
2. Willie the Pimp (9:23)
3. Son of Mr. Green Genes (8:57)
4. Little Umbrellas (3:09)
5. The Gumbo Variations (16:55)
6. It Must Be H5N1 Camel (5:17)
Total Time: 43:11
Line-up / Musicians
- Frank Zappa / guitar, octave bass, percussion, arranger & producer
With:
- Captain Beefheart / vocals (2)
- Lowell George (uncredited) / beat guitar
- Ian Underwood / piano, organ, flutes, clarinets, saxes
- Don 'Sugarcane' Harris / electrical violin (2,5)
- Jean-Luc Ponty / electrical violin (6)
- Max Bennett / bass
- Shuggy Otis / bass (1)
- Ron Selico / drums (1)
- John Guerin / drums (2,4,6)
- Paul Humphrey / drums (3,5)
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