For example I agree with him that everyone should vote. People should think for themselves. You can do whatever you want to do as long as you don't harm yourself or others. Drugs and alcohol can fuck you up. These are attitudes that I still hold to this day even though I'm no longer a young man (sorta). When I look back at his work I can say with full confidence that this album was Zappa at his peak. I used to have a school friend and I would come over just to listen to his Zappa vinyl records. Good times. The cool thing about this record is that it's as close to jazz as Zappa gets. Downbeat gave this album a rave review when it first came out in 1969. This album also had a big influence on jazz fusion (jazz-rock).
Personnel
- Frank Zappa – guitar, octave bass, percussion
- Ian Underwood – piano, organus maximus, flute, all clarinets, all saxes
- Also featuring
- Max Bennett – bass on all tracks except "Peaches en Regalia"
- Captain Beefheart – vocals on "Willie the Pimp"
- John Guerin – drums on "Willie the Pimp", "Little Umbrellas" and "It Must Be a Camel"
- Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violin on "Willie the Pimp" and "The Gumbo Variations"
- Paul Humphrey – drums on "Son of Mr. Green Genes" and "The Gumbo Variations"
- Shuggie Otis – bass on "Peaches en Regalia"
- Jean-Luc Ponty – violin on "It Must Be a Camel"
- Ron Selico – drums on "Peaches en Regalia"
- Lowell George – rhythm guitar (uncredited)
Production
- Producer: Frank Zappa
- Director of engineering: Dick Kunc
- Engineers: Cliff Goldstein, Jack Hunt, Brian Ingoldsby, Dick Kunc
- Arranger: Frank Zappa
- Cover design: Cal Schenkel
- Design: Cal Schenkel, John Williams
Let's talk about the music.
The album starts out with a beautiful song called Peaches En Regalia. Arguably one of Frank's best instrumental works. It's heavily orchestrated with lush keyboard chords, orchestral instruments, and guitar. You can definitely hear the music concrete part of Frank's music here.This is the kind of song that once you hear you can see the beauty in Frank's music-his parody songs aside. From this tune we can see his inner composer and see that he was influenced by classical artists like Stravinsky and Edgar Verese. The tune has so many complex rhythms but the melody remains beautiful throughout. It's a short piece but it does so much in its short time frame. It's also totally jazz despite the heavy orchestration. Very challenging and demanding music. This is one of Zappa's best known tunes. For good reason-its one of his best.
The next tune is a rock number called Wllie The Pimp featuring Zappa's childhood friend-Captain Beefheart! His vocal style is raspy and bluesy. And he does a lot of whoop whoop sounds as Frank goes into one of the greatest recorded guitar solos ever. The thing that's so great about the guitar solo is that its heavily structured and edited but it sounds like it was all recorded in one take. It just seems like its all live but its all edited performances. The title Hot Rats comes from lyrics from this song.
One thing that should be said is that back then Zappa already had a defined lead guitar style. However, back then he wasn't as complex as he would get as the 70's or 80's era. He was still developing as a musician but he was already guitar god status. Although the song might seem meandering to people who don't play instruments the fact of the matter is that the solo flows nicely despite being super long. It all fits together like pieces of a puzzle.
Next, we have Son of Mr.Green Genes. This is a total jazz number. It's heavily orchestrated like Peaches En Regalia but appears to be even more jazz influenced. Sounds like Frank was listening to Eric Dolphy. The vibe of the music is uplifting. Frank definitely knew how to write great melodies. Although the song is cluttered with tons of different instruments all at the same time and I don't like orchestration in my jazz I find it great here. Maybe its the fact that every instrument seems to have a well defined style and tone. Nothing sounds like its too much or out of place.
There's even guitar solos that are totally blues-inspired. That was Frank's Clarence Gatemouth Brown and Guitar Slim influences. Those are some great blues guitarists that Frank listened to as a kid. As long as the guitar solo is, again, I have to say that its all edited so well that it sounds like it flows perfectly together. There's so many chord changes being flown all over the place its like a jazz music theory masterclass. This is the kind of music that all musicians would agree is technically great but also musically pleasing to the ear. You gotta have melody in there too alongside the masterful technique.
Then there's Little Umbrellas. Strange name for a tune but if you compare the name and style of this tune to something like Eric Dolphy you can see how its jazz. It's a short piece like Peaches En Regalia that features beautiful melodies played on keyboards and synthesizers. This album makes heavy use of keyboards and synthesizers-which would play a big role in the development of jazz fusion. There's very little acoustic piano on this record-its all electronic except for the horns and orchestral instruments' parts. Here you can notice the nuances between the electronics and the acoustic instruments. Really cool to hear how they mesh together.
After that we have the Gumbo Variations. This is a jam featuring a tenor saxophone solo by Ian Underwood (who played all the keyboards and woodwinds), some electric violin playing by Don 'Sugarcane" Harris, and a guitar solo by Zappa. It's what an open jam should sound like. Frank is heard calling out the tune saying,"A one, a two, a three, a four" and they all start playing. What stands out here is Ian Underwood's tenor sax solo. He can play straight ahead and pop jazz saxophone like saxophone on classic rock records but he can also do squeeking, honking, etc (free jazz saxophone techniques). He does a lot with his technique. You can tell he was inspired by people like John Coltrane especially with all the free jazz elements in his playing.
After the sax solo there's a sick electric violin solo. This was the first time I'd ever heard an electric violin but there was a time where I rehearsed with a jazz fusion band and I got to hear it live in person. Great instrument. Not light on the ears that's for sure. What stands out during this solo is Zappa's guitar comping. He's playing these funky rhythms that sounds like something off a Motown or James Brown record. Or perhaps Herbie Hancock Headhunters. But this is before that stuff. The violin playing is phenomenal and reminds me of my jazz fusion days listening to Jean Luc Ponty-who also worked with Zappa in the early 70's. After the violin solo Frank goes into this insane wah-wah guitar solo. When I heard this as a kid I knew that I had to get a wah pedal for my guitar. This is what a good jam sounds like.
Lastly, the album ends with It Must Be A Camel. This tune features a violin performance by none other than Jean Luc Ponty-who would go on to make a name for himself as a solo jazz fusion musician. He worked with Zappa in the early 70s as well as the Mahavishnu Orchestra before putting out his own records. The highly unusual melodic leaps and rhythms of this tune look like humps on the manuscript music paper so perhaps that's why it has this title. It's a calming tune to end an album that has a lot going on. As melancholy as the tune sounds it also has a certain beauty to it. Great way to end an album.
In conclusion, this album is musically stunning. Bridging the gap between jazz and rock before fusion was even a thing. Frank Zappa was most definitely trying to leave a legacy when he wrote and recorded this music. This isn't lightweight jazz rock music. It's an important part of jazz and rock music history that needs to be remembered. Zappa isn't dead, he just smells funny.
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