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Hot Rats [Original recording remastered]

Frank Zappa Audio CD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

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Composer, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Frank Zappa was a singular musical figure during a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1960s to the '90s. His disparate influences included doo wop music and avant-garde classical music; although he led groups that could be called rock & roll bands for much of his career, he used them to create a hybrid style that bordered on ... Read more in Amazon's Frank Zappa Store

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Product details

  • Audio CD (2 Oct 2006)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: Original recording remastered
  • Label: ADA Global
  • ASIN: B0000009S3
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,787 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Peaches En Regalia (Lp Version)
2. Willie The Pimp (Lp Version)
3. Son Of Mr. Green Genes (Lp Version)
4. Little Umbrellas (Lp Version)
5. The Gumbo Variations (Lp Version)
6. It Must Be A Camel (Lp Version)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk

Frank Zappa's first solo album, Hot Rats, is a far-cry from the da-da adventures and audio collages of the original Mothers of Invention. Mostly instrumental, and filled with long jams between Zappa, Jean- Luc Ponty and Ian Underwood, this slickly produced album--one of the first 16-track recordings ever made--is filled with hummable tunes. The opening track, "Peaches en Regalia", is one of Zappa's most enduring songs and the album's only vocal track, "Willie the Pimp", is by Zappa's long-time friend Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart. -- Andrew Boscardin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Rats - Hot Zappa! 10 Dec 2006
By G. Don Fielder VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
Apologies for the slightly corny review title but it's pinched from Chris Welch's piece from the 1969 issue of Melody Maker which reviewed Frank's wonderful instrumental masterpiece. The impact that Hot Rats made at the time was huge. One of the first ever 16-track recordings, we'd not heard anything like it before. The brilliant melodies, the beautiful interweaving flutes, clarinets, saxophones, keyboards, percussion and guitar, knitted together with FZ's distinctive, creative arrangements, were quite stunning. I'd hesitate to describe it simply as jazz-rock - but if you're new to FZ, it's a helpful enough definition of what you'll get. In reality, its boundaries spread somewhat wider, from the bluesy Willie the Pimp to the almost indefinable It Must Be A Camel, one of my favourite ever FZ compositions, which is kind of jazzy but has hints of the orchestral Zappa yet to come, notwithstanding the few titbits to be found on Lumpy Gravy. With Hot Rats, we get our first real taste of Zappa the incredible guitarist, from the acoustic coupled with a wah-wah pedal on Peaches En Regalia, through the rocking electric of Willie the Pimp and Son of Mr. Green Genes, to the fat, mellow jazz break on the final track. Yes, out of the blue, as if the rest of the album wasn't enough, we have a guitar hero too! Regarding the comments elsewhere about the mix of the CD, I would agree that it is very different from the vinyl. But words such as "disaster" and "beware" are ridiculous. However, if you only have the CD, then the LP is worth tracking down. Frank remixed almost his entire catalogue to CD in the early nineties, knowing he did not have long to live. I would guess that he was trying to bring the best out of the original master tapes and that must have been a tricky task with only 16 tracks to draw upon, given the complexity of the music. Maybe he fell short of his usual meticulous standard but you do hear things on the CD which were pretty well masked - or completely absent - on the original. Perhaps Dweezil will do another remix sometime - or maybe even re-record it. That said, almost forty years on - and still there is no musician in the world who seems able or willing to do stuff like this - Hot Rats captures the essential FZ and wraps it in a package which remains as accessible and enjoyable as ever.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
For the first time ever, the 1969 mix of Frank Zappa's 'Hot Rats' has been released on CD. This album was released long before I was born, so my first approach to it was in its 1987 remix encarnation. I considered it a masterpiece back then, and I must say it is not a bad remix, but the original is superior nevertheless. First of all, the sound has more low end, therefore the instruments sound "fatter" (especially bass and drums). This original mix is also drier and clearer compared to the 1987 mix which featured reverb and an overall not very pleasing "tinny" sound quality. However, the remix featured a longer "Gumbo Variations" and some extra flute work on "Little Umbrellas", but some sped-up percussion parts are sorely missed. There are many other differences, some of them much more subtle.
A lot has been said about this album. It is one of FZ's masterpieces. He makes a clever use of the then state-of-the-art 16-track recording system to orchestrate his magnificent compositions always avoiding to sound excessive or overloaded with sonic information. A special mention must be done to Ian Underwood, who plays all winds and keyboards like the extraordinary multi-instrumentist he is.
Conclusion: the original mix (the one recovered for this 2012 reissue) sounds great. The 1987 mix (previous CD editions) has some sound deffects, but featured extra material. If you love this album, try to get both (I'm sure you have at least the old CD version by now if you love it!). If you have to choose, pick the ORIGINAL MIX, mark my word.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Still great after thirty-two years! 17 May 2001
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
I remember first hearing this LP when it came out in 1969, at a music club at school. I'd heard of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart but never heard their music.

I bought the record the following year when I started at university and it was a huge hit with all my friends - especially "Son of Mr Green Genes". This track really is a tour de force. Perhaps for jazz fans the variations and returns to a theme (was this orchestrated or improvised?) will be familiar - to a rock fan like myself there is nothing else quite as good (although the Doors "Light My Fire" runs it close).

While it's probably a bit too slick for hard-line MoI fans (and I think I would probably agree with this criticism of "Peaches En Regalia"), I still listen to this music with the same exhilaration I felt when I first heard it. Buy it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Hot Rats revisited
A journey back in time. This was a must have album when I was a kid. I hadn't heard it 40 years so it was interesting to listen with new perpective. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Peter Hamilton
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Per gli amanti di Frank Zappa...il suono del vinile è un'altra cosa!tra l'altro in perfette condizioni! Consigliato a tutti

Ciao
Published 1 month ago by v3n0m69
5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Rats
This was THE LP of choice during my first months of freedom on foundation course at art school. (schools were like high security prisons in those days). Read more
Published 2 months ago by S. Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Rats 2012
So a jealous man shoves Frank off the stage and leaves Frank seriously injured for months. What does Frank do, considering that he can hardly walk and his future as a guitar player... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Smitty Werbenjaegermanjensen (real name)
5.0 out of 5 stars good album
I bought this as a christmas present . Good price arrived on time . My sister was well happy with this .
Published 3 months ago by summerdream
5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Zitz
.
NOTE: ONLY REVIEWS AFTER July 2012 ARE RELEVANT!

At last, the definitive version of Hot Rats. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr Green Genes
5.0 out of 5 stars his very finest - thank you Frank
I have owned this album since it first came out, and I have played it regularly ever since - I STILL hear new nuances in the music each and every time. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Nick Meers
5.0 out of 5 stars GENIUS????
definitely my favourite zappa cd whereas others have their moments this is more of a straight forward rock album albeit zappa stylee also incl beefheart but great tunes top... Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. Storey
5.0 out of 5 stars *NEW 2012 Edition - Original mix now remastered (from Analogue Source)
Hot Rats was originally released on a Reprise LP in 1969, and this new 2012 CD (Zappa Records) now gives us a sound as close to the original vinyl one as your are ever likely to... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jackie P
5.0 out of 5 stars Already we can see this version is different
5 stars for the album's tunes in any version. However, already we get a hint that the 2012 version will be different judging by the length of The Gumbo Variations on the 2012... Read more
Published 9 months ago by W. Pratt
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People who have gotten used to and love the CD mix of this album. 3 22 Jan 2013
Hot Rats; The Album 1 4 May 2012
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