HOT RATS

This is a classic album! Frank Zappa is the king of bluesy extended guitar solos. On this album there is a great cast of musicians that get a great sound from the instruments they have. This album is composed, completely using bass, drums, guitar, keyboard and violins, with some great sax in it too i think. They get such a good sound on this album with the instruments they have. It has a really jazzy, blues sound with some immense guitar work. Sometimes it seems like they are jamming out a lot but it actually follows some noticeable prog movement.

"Peaches en Regalia" is a classic introduction. It has amazing production and sounds so lively and upbeat. This is really interesting and always manages to keep listener appealed with its constant flow. It has some really strong guitar work and bass throughout this track. This kind of sound has influenced many artists to follow, even the new Mars Volta album has a lot of Zappa influence, mainly on "L'via L'viaquez". This album instantly starts with a classic 60s sound and can appeal to fans of RIO, fusion, blues, jazz, classic guitar rock as well as psychadelia and space rock. I often find this album pretty trippy!

"Willie the Pimp" is the only track with vocals on this album, sung by the amazing Captain Beefheart. I really like his music and thats what made me want to check out Frank Zappa as they have similar sounds and concepts. They even collaborate together quite often and this is one of the best moments as a team! This track has some amazing extended blues soloing, all members have a great input. I really love the violin intro and the captain's vocals add to it well by making this piece enjoyable and interesting with the humorous lyrics.

the rest of the tracks follow a similar pattern but this does not make them seem like filler, nor does the album get boring or dragged down. They find many ways of making the second half of the album sound interesting, with some great basslines and keyboard work sneaking in. This album is highly recommended for fans of Captain Beefheart and it has so many great influences that lots of people can enjoy music like this. Frank is one of the best musicians in this kind of field and this album really is a great jewel that he left us.