April 22, 2025 • 26 mins
Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa, released in 1969. A groundbreaking fusion of rock and jazz, the album is mostly instrumental, featuring intricate compositions, virtuosic musicianship, and extended improvisations. It is widely regarded as one of Zappa’s most accessible works and a pioneering album in jazz fusion.
The album’s six tracks highlight Zappa’s innovative guitar work, particularly on the standout track Willie the Pimp, which features the only vocal performance on the record—delivered by Captain Beefheart. Other tracks, like Peaches en Regalia, showcase Zappa’s intricate arrangements and use of studio techniques to create lush, multi-layered compositions.
Featuring musicians like violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris and multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, Hot Rats is a masterclass in blending rock energy with jazz complexity. The album’s advanced production techniques, particularly Zappa’s early use of 16-track recording, give it a rich, dynamic sound.
Over the years, Hot Rats has become a cult classic and a key influence on progressive rock, fusion, and experimental music.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_05 (00:00):
It's just the normal noises in here.
SPEAKER_06 (00:14):
This is Polyphonic Press, the podcast where two
music fans pick a classic albumcompletely at random.
Using the patented random albumgenerator, they are given an
album to review from a curatedlist of over 1,000 classic
releases, spanning multiplegenres.
And now onto the show.
(00:34):
Here are your hosts, Jeremy Boydand John Van Dyke.
SPEAKER_05 (00:46):
Hi hey, welcome to Polyphonic Press.
I'm Jeremy Boyd.
I'm John Van Dyke.
And uh let's not waste any time.
We've got the patented randomalbum generator right in front
of us here.
Uh so let's hit the button andsee what album we're going to be
listening to this week.
SPEAKER_07 (01:01):
The album you will be reviewing this week is Hot
Rats by Frank Zappa.
SPEAKER_05 (01:05):
Oh, that's a good one.
Alright.
Alright, so here's a descriptionof the album.
It says Hot Rats is the secondsolo album by Frank Zappa
released in 1969.
A groundbreaking uh fusion ofrock and jazz, the album is
mostly instrumental, featuringintricate compositions,
virtuosic musicianship, andextended improvisations.
(01:27):
It is widely regarded as one ofZappa's most accessible works
and a pioneering album in jazzfusion.
The album's six tracks highlightZappa's innovative guitar work,
particularly on the standouttrack Willy the Pimp, which
features the only vocalperformance on the record
delivered by Captain Beefheart.
Other tracks like Peaches onRegalia showcase Zappa's
(01:50):
intricate arrangements and useof studio techniques to create
lush, multi-layeredcompositions.
Featuring musicians likeviolinist Don Sugarcane Harris
and multi-instrumentalist IanUnderwood, Hot Rats is a
masterclass in blending rockenergy with jazz complexity.
The album's advanced productiontechniques, particularly Zappa's
(02:11):
early use of 16-track recording,give it a rich dynamic sound.
Over the years, Hot Rats hasbecome a cult classic and a key
influence on progressive rock,fusion, and experimental music.
Alright, so the album wasreleased in um on October 10th,
1969.
The genres are jazz fusion,blues rock, and instrumental
(02:33):
rock, and it was released onBizarre Records and Reprise
Records, and was produced byFrank Zappa.
If you're listening to the albumalong with us, we pause halfway
at the halfway point to discusswhat we've heard so far, and we
highly highly encourage you tolisten along.
It makes the experience waybetter.
And uh to make it easy, we'velinked the album on Spotify and
(02:54):
Apple Music so you can check itout on your preferred streaming
service.
And while you're here, don'tforget to follow the show so you
never miss an episode.
And if you want early access,head on over to our Patreon.
You'll get these episodes theday before they go live.
Uh, plus some extra perksdepending on your tier.
You can even get a shout outduring these episodes and pick
an album for us to review.
(03:16):
Um, and also be sure to checkout the websites you can uh
listen to all of our pastepisodes and stay up to date in
everything happening with theshow.
And uh without further ado, hereis the uh the first song on the
album, Peaches on Regalia.
So here we go.
(03:47):
Okay, and ending side one withSon of Mr.
Green Jeans.
Uh yeah, this is really cool sofar.
Um I never really like I I theonly uh time I've ever really
listened to Frank Zappa was thelast album that we did with the
m Mothers of Invention.
(04:07):
And uh yeah, I didn't reallyknow that much about him, and I
didn't really know that muchabout the music that he makes,
but this is like really this islike really interesting.
SPEAKER_04 (04:18):
This is this is a little bit more jazz uh oriented
um than the previous album.
SPEAKER_05 (04:27):
But he always sort of dabbled in that, so he's sort
of he's this weird character inin music, and I don't I don't
know why I never paid muchattention to his music, but I'm
kind of regret regretting thatbecause it's it's this is this
is something that's kind of morethis is really like up up my
(04:48):
alley, really.
Um it's sort of that like it'sgot that sort of Grateful Dead
sort of jammy quality to it.
Uh definitely more jazz orientedthough.
Yeah, there's I don't know,there's something about it that
it's just like I'm reallygetting into it.
(05:08):
Um and I'm finding myself almostin a way in the same way as like
the uh uh the craft work albumwhere it's more like uh more
like sort of putting me in likealmost like a trance or
something like that.
It it's it's really it's it's Idon't know, it's hard to
(05:28):
explain.
It's almost like I'm relaxinginto the music.
SPEAKER_04 (05:32):
Yeah, okay.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Um yeah, a lot of instrumentalmusic can do that.
Um not all the time, and itdoesn't even have to be
instrumental, but uh it's a it'sa bit of a it's definitely a
talent to have to to createmusic that that can put someone
in that sort of a a space,headspace.
SPEAKER_05 (05:53):
It's also interesting too, like I I've
heard of of people musicians umlike auditioning for for Frank
Sappa's band, and how he haslike really sort of he's uh his
sort of it's almost annoying ina way where he has like very
rigid rules of what you must beable to do in order to uh be in
(06:17):
the band.
Like you must there's theinfamous black page that when he
auditions musicians that youhave to be able to sight read
this page with like uh basicallyjust d notes upon notes upon
notes upon notes, and you haveto be able to play what is
(06:37):
written on the page.
And if you can't then youbasically you don't get into you
don't get in the band.
Um so that I I think th I meanobviously he was very successful
at what he did, and he's very umyou know, he he he had a a
really good career in what hedid, but I would I would find
that annoying.
I would find that Well, I'm notone for sight reading music, so
(07:01):
it wouldn't I just wouldn't bein the band.
No, exactly.
But but but as speaking as a asa band leader, like I wouldn't
want the the musicians in myband to have to do that because
I think part like part of my umI I I part of my frustration
with a lot of classicalmusicians I find is they can't
(07:26):
really improvise.
And I get that it's it that it'sa different it's a totally
different thing.
But I f I feel like with likerock and and pop music you sort
of have to loosen yourdefinition of what what a
musician is and you can't reallybe so rigid of oh the music they
must play this and they m theyhave to play exactly what's on
(07:50):
the uh like on the page, butalso have to be able to
improvise I don't know, it justit just feels too too
constraining, like too, toorestrictive to me.
SPEAKER_04 (08:03):
Well, I know for Frank Zappa he basically
requires you to be able to doboth.
Yeah, you had to be able to readthe black page and also be able
to improvise on command, sortof.
SPEAKER_05 (08:15):
Yeah, that is true.
And you know, I in in this, likeI'm not I it definitely gets
results.
Like it definitely like withthis, it like I'm like I said, I
I am into it.
I'm just not sure if I if theapproach is is something that I
agree with.
(08:35):
Um but like I'm I'm not sayingit doesn't like he he he was
very successful at what he didand and it a little bit of it is
like who you know who am I tosay that that's necessarily
right or wrong.
Uh I'm just saying uh for me ifI were to put a band together, I
I don't think I would take thatapproach.
SPEAKER_04 (08:56):
Well, I'd be sort of going in a little bit of a
different direction anyway.
SPEAKER_05 (09:00):
Not not that some of his influence wouldn't leak in,
but you know, in this and ththis album, I mean, it's it's I
like that the the jammingdoesn't feel aimless, if that
makes sense.
Like it doesn't feel like it'snot going anywhere.
It sort of builds upon itself.
And I I really like that aswell.
(09:20):
I mean, I think it's um like Iand it's hard to tell to me it's
hard to tell like what isimprovised and what is sort of
planned out, and and I think youknow, maybe maybe I'm being a
little too harsh, but it's it'sthat's sort of the the mark of a
great composer and a great uhband is being able to not tell
(09:44):
what's what's improvised.
Sort of in a w I guess sort ofin a similar way to like a great
movie.
Like if an actor is doing theirjob, if they're like saying the
lines exactly as they'rewritten, but it feels like it's
a genuine conversation, that'ssort of when you can't tell if
it's written or if the d theactor's improvising.
(10:06):
That's sort of the same vibethat I'm getting here.
SPEAKER_04 (10:09):
Yeah, I I think I follow what you're saying.
Yeah, I think that that makessense.
Um Yeah, and and and conversely,sometimes when they throw in
their own line and the moviedecides to keep it, it's hard to
tell sometimes that wasn'tplanned.
SPEAKER_05 (10:23):
Yeah, no, and I I think um I think it like he he's
put together a really uh a greatband.
Um I'm just curious if anybodylike this isn't with the Mothers
of Invention.
This is his uh uh a solo album.
SPEAKER_04 (10:40):
This is this is the first album of this sort of
type.
He would definitely revisit thissort of type of album lots of
times in in his career, but thisis the first time he sort of did
that.
This is the first one after theMothers of Invention, at least
the first iteration of Mothersof Invention sort of was
disbanded or whatever.
SPEAKER_05 (10:59):
And he's playing with a guy named Ian Underwood,
who uh he's sort of known forthis kind of music, jazz
avant-garde, experimental rock.
Um he was a member of theMothers of Invention.
But this is interesting.
I didn't know Lowell George isplaying rhythm guitar.
SPEAKER_04 (11:18):
Oh, that's interesting.
Yeah, I did know that uh wellsome of the members of Mothers
of Invention went on to formLittle Feed actually with uh um
Lowell George and whatnot.
So Yeah, this is I didn't knowLowell George was on this album,
but that's really kindainteresting.
He's a fantastic musician.
I did know that.
SPEAKER_05 (11:37):
Yeah, he's a great musician, great songwriter too.
And you know, Captain Beefheart.
Captain Beefheart uh He's astrange fella.
He's that's putting it lightly.
Um he's a very strange I can'tuh I haven't quite gotten into
Beefheart yet.
Um I don't think I'm ready forBeefheart.
(11:59):
But um you know, yeah, he's avery strange strange character
as well.
SPEAKER_04 (12:06):
Um of his stuff is pretty cool for sure.
Um the one album uh Trout MaskReplica is definitely a uh
acquired taste.
SPEAKER_05 (12:16):
In the sense that you have to acquire your taste
back after having listened toit.
SPEAKER_04 (12:23):
I mean it's it's fun, but you kinda have to know
what you're in for.
SPEAKER_05 (12:29):
Yeah, yeah.
You can't you can't put it on onin it uh uh during a dance
party.
No, it's it's not anything likethat.
SPEAKER_04 (12:37):
It's it's it's a little slice of insanity is what
it is.
SPEAKER_05 (12:43):
Yeah, exactly.
You know, and but th this album,I mean, it pretty much um it
pretty much got positive reviewsfor like it wasn't this album
wasn't a commercial album at allwhen it was first released.
I don't think it was intended tobe.
No.
(13:03):
Um but it like f for the mostpart it pretty much got um
pretty positive reviews.
Uh like Rolling Stone gave it,you know, uh you know, four star
four out of five stars.
Like it's a pretty well receivedalbum, even you know, the few
(13:23):
people that uh reviewed it whenit came out.
If it were to be released todaythough, I think I think it would
probably be pretty popularamongst sort of like the jam
band sort of crowd.
SPEAKER_04 (13:38):
Oh, I think so, yeah.
You know, the neo-psychedeliccrowd too.
SPEAKER_05 (13:43):
Yeah, sort of like um I think it would do well with
like fish fans and that sort ofthing.
Yeah.
Like a mainstream like some somealbums like are were sort of
underground when they came out,but like in the 60s and 70s, but
they've come become like iconicalbums.
(14:03):
I don't think this one quitehas.
It has garnered a cultfollowing, but I don't think
it's really quite as regardedas, say, like Dark Side of the
Moon or something like that, orJimi Hendrix or that kind of
stuff.
SPEAKER_04 (14:17):
No, but amongst Frank Zappa albums, this one is
pretty iconic.
Amongst Frank Zappa albums.
Um maybe it's the second mosticonic after the uh the other
one we did, the uh you know,freak out.
SPEAKER_05 (14:32):
So I did manage to find a few facts about the
album.
It's uh it is one of theearliest jazz fus considered one
of the earliest jazz fusionalbums.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was released obviouslyin 1969.
Hot Rats is considered one ofthe pioneering albums of jazz
fusion, uh, blending rock, jazz,and blues influences with
(14:53):
complex arrangements andextended instrumental sections.
Uh, which is really interestingbecause like during this time,
this is around the time whenlike Miles Davis was sort of
getting more into jazz fusionand leaving behind the straight
jazz.
Like he this is around the timeof like Bitches Brew and and and
uh albums like that.
(15:13):
It's the first extensive use of16-track recording, which is
really interesting is Zappa usedadvanced studio technology for
the time recording hot rats on a16-track machine at TTG Studios
in Los Angeles, allowing forgreater layering and production
complexity, which is actuallythat's really um really
(15:35):
interesting and reallyimportant.
So before the late 60s, gettinghigh quality recordings of
especially like live, uh likelive off the floor was really
difficult because you only had acertain amount of tracks that
you could work with.
SPEAKER_04 (15:55):
Yeah, you basically had to mic several things at
once almost.
SPEAKER_05 (16:00):
Yeah.
I mean you could really onlyhave maybe one or two
microphones on the drums, whichyou know is fine, but uh with
the 16 track, you could youcould have a full stereo image
of the whole drum kit.
You could have a microphone onthe kick, on the snare, on the
each tom and the overheads togive a full like like I said, to
(16:23):
give a full like stereo in imageof the whole drum kit.
And you could have like twomicrophones on a piano, one on
the high keys and one on the lowkeys, so you could have a stereo
image of the whole piano, andand that's really when recording
like the late 60s, early 70s,that's when people really
(16:44):
started experimenting with withrecording techniques and you
know what happens if let's likelet's put a uh microphone at the
under uh other end of the roomto capture the room sound, and
that's when I think innovationin recording really took off,
and it like it really wasbecause now we have instead of
(17:05):
four tracks available, we havesixteen.
It's like, oh my god, what canwe do with sixteen tracks?
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_04 (17:12):
Um Yeah, it's it's yeah, technology has a f has a
uh a way of pushing innovation.
Sometimes it has a uh uh a wayof stifling innovation too,
sometimes.
Cause now with oh man, how manytracks do some most modern
boards have now?
Well, I mean with Pro Tools youcould there's depending on
(17:32):
there's it's an infinite amount,but I mean even some of those
NEAV consoles had a lot morethan 16 tracks on them.
Um going into like uh you knowthe later 70s and the eighties
and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_05 (17:45):
Yeah, well with like with it like tape became
thicker, so you could like Ithink of the the thickest that
that it got was two inches, soyou could have like 24 tracks on
on two inch tape, but you know,then you what you could do is
you could sort of mix down anduh sort of let's say okay, we
(18:08):
know that that's what the drumsare gonna be, so you could take
a an empty track, record the thedrums onto the empty track, that
frees up however many tracks thedrums were recorded on, then you
have you know you you j justkeep doing that and you would
have like I don't knowtwenty-four times however many
(18:30):
that you yeah.
Yeah, well that's what theBeatles were doing in the
mid-sixties, even exactly.
SPEAKER_04 (18:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (18:36):
So yeah, this that's interesting.
I didn't know that I first ofall I didn't know that 16 track
was that early.
I thought it came later, like inthe mid-70s.
But yeah, and and uh this thisalbum is mostly instrumental.
Unlike many of Zappa's works, uhHot Rats is almost entirely
instrumental except for Williethe Pimp, which reaches Rob Lucy
(18:57):
vocals from Captain Beefheart.
Um it has an iconic uh coverart.
The album cover featuring a pinkuh tinted image of a woman
emerging from a pool wasphotographed by Andy Nathanson
and has since become one ofZappa's most recognizable album
covers.
And yeah, it is a it's a veryit's almost a it looks like a
(19:21):
like a like a magazine ad orsomething.
Um with the uh simple like fonton the top and bottom and yeah,
sort of minimalist.
Yeah.
Um and yeah, and Peaches onRegalia became a signature
piece.
The opening track, Peaches onRegalia, is one of Zappa's most
(19:42):
famous compositions and has beencovered by numerous artists.
It's often considered a jazzrock standard, uh, which I can
definitely see.
I mean, that's you know, youknow, that became, I guess, a a
staple at all most of his showsafter this.
So yeah, those were some uhinteresting facts I found about
the album.
But uh, I guess we'll get backinto the uh the second side of
(20:04):
the album.
Uh but before we do that, let'shear from our friends over at
the album nerds podcast.
So uh check that out.
SPEAKER_01 (20:11):
Drop the needle on the album nerds podcast.
SPEAKER_03 (20:14):
Just the album nerds, just album nerds.
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Join Andy Don and Dude each week as they discuss
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Heavy metal guitar virtuoso, double album TV raps
from the top ten albums of 1986.
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Uncover hidden gems, revisit classics, and hear fresh
takes on your favorite records.
SPEAKER_03 (20:32):
Excellent album main street.
Some of what country music cando best is at storytelling.
This is a this is a messy albumfor sure.
Born in the USA.
It sounds great overall as analbum.
I'm just not like moved by it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:45):
The Album Nerds Podcast.
SPEAKER_02 (20:46):
Three guys talking to me.
This is what we callfreestyling, yes.
That's what we call freestyling.
No one else would call it that.
Other people would call itfinding other podcast to listen
to.
SPEAKER_01 (20:58):
Okay, so give it a spin wherever you find podcasts
and albumnerds.com.
SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
We'll now take a few seconds before we begin side
two.
Thank you.
Here's side two.
SPEAKER_05 (21:11):
Alright, and uh ending the album with It Must Be
a Candle.
Camel.
A Camel, sorry, yeah.
Um yeah, no, this was uh this isa good album.
Uh I really enjoyed it.
Um I I'm more familiar with likerock and more familiar with
(21:32):
jazz, but I'm not I don't know awhole lot about jazz fusion.
I've I just haven't listened toa lot of it.
But I know it was very popularpopular in the 70s.
And like if this is consideredone of the first or if not the
first jazz fusion albums, Ithink I'm gonna have to start
listening to more of it, to behonest with you.
SPEAKER_04 (21:54):
Yeah, this is uh always been one of my favorite
Frank Sappa albums.
It's just uh completelydifferent animal from some of
his other stuff, at least theother stuff he did prior to
this.
Um, which I like as well.
Yeah, this is when he decided,you know, I'm really gonna sort
of showcase what I'm about andand and some of the other ideas
(22:16):
that are going in my head andjust become a little bit
sophisticated in, you know in inwhat he uh wants to per um
present to the world.
SPEAKER_05 (22:27):
Before this, like I said, I never really listened to
a whole lot of Frank Zappa andmy perception of Frank Zappa was
more like a um more like I Iguess more like uh comedy, like
musical comedy.
Yeah.
Yeah, he wasn't just that.
Yeah, yeah, that was real thatwas my idea.
It's like, oh okay, Frank Zappadoes that.
He's like he writes, you know,funny funny songs.
(22:50):
And yeah, no, the more Idiscover about him is saying, oh
no, he he's much more than that.
He definitely has a sense ofhumor, and I I like his sense of
humor.
But listening to this, it'slike, oh, okay.
Okay.
And even this has like a a bitof humor in it, like Willie the
Pimp, I mean.
SPEAKER_04 (23:08):
His his humor is in the song titles for the most
part in this stuff.
Um because I mean everything iseach song has got a little bit
of a a strange title.
SPEAKER_05 (23:20):
Yeah, like uh the gumbo variations and you know
Willy the Pimp and It Must Be aCamel.
It must be a camel, yeah.
Yeah, and you know, it's um helikes to challenge his audience.
And um sometimes just for thesake of it, for no real reason.
Just just okay, okay, you thinkI do this this?
(23:43):
I mean listen to this and youknow that kind of thing.
Uh he's yeah, he's a veryinteresting very interesting uh
person, you know, and and uh hedefinitely he's very quirky, I
guess would be the word.
Um this is great and as yousaid, like a lot of the uh the
(24:07):
musicians on here are are arelike amazing and and a lot of
them were i i in little feed up,especially Lol George.
Um you know, I mean it's it's uhI yeah, I don't really know what
else to say about it.
I it's I just I really enjoyedthe album.
And it's not a genre that I havelistened to a lot, and so but I
(24:28):
yeah, I did enjoy it.
So uh what would be your uh yourpiss with your three uh favorite
songs on the album?
SPEAKER_04 (24:36):
Oh it's a it is a tough one on this one, for sure.
Um because yeah, becauseeverything is actually really
good.
But I I've always loved Williethe Pimp.
The gumbo variations is prettyfun fun, even even though it's
like you know, almost thirteenminutes long, it's uh it's just
fun.
I love the uh um you know thethe rock and roll violin in it.
(25:00):
Yes.
SPEAKER_05 (25:00):
Yeah, that was cool.
SPEAKER_04 (25:01):
It was pretty cool.
And uh I guess I'm gonna go withuh Peaches and Regalia just
because it's a classic.
SPEAKER_05 (25:07):
I think mine would be probably Willie the Pimp.
Gumbo variations as well.
And I also really like Son ofMr.
Green Jeans.
That was a good one too, yeah.
Yeah, I think those would be mypicks.
So yeah, I guess that uh bringsus to the question of would you
listen to this again?
SPEAKER_04 (25:23):
I mean, yeah, I I have it on record, so um yeah.
I haven't listened to it in awhile, but yeah, it's it's it's
good to hear it again.
SPEAKER_05 (25:31):
Yeah, no, I I would definitely listen to it again as
well.
I mean it's it's uh I waspleasantly surprised, and I
think I have to look into moreof Frank Zappa's stuff, because
um yeah, I really I don't know awhole lot about his uh his music
that he's made.
I haven't really heard a lot ofit, so I definitely want to dig
(25:51):
more into it.
But uh yeah, I guess we'll uhend the episode there.
Uh thank you so much forlistening if you made it this
far.
Uh be sure to subscribe and uhleave us a rating and review
because it helps out uh newlisteners find us.
And um if you feel inclined youwant to help out the show, you
can do that by going to ourPatreon, go to patreon.com slash
polyphonic press.
(26:12):
You can uh get a shout outduring these episodes, and um
you can uh even pick an albumfor us to review.
And uh no matter what tier youchoose, you can uh you get these
episodes the day before they golive.
And uh you can also uh check outthe website, go to
polyphonicpress.com and listento all the past episodes and uh
(26:34):
keep uh up to date with what'sgoing on.
And um yeah, I think that justabout does it.
I'm Jeremy Boyd.
I'm John Van Dyke.
Take it easy.
It's just the normal noises in here.
SPEAKER_06 (00:14):
This is Polyphonic Press, the podcast where two
music fans pick a classic albumcompletely at random.
Using the patented random albumgenerator, they are given an
album to review from a curatedlist of over 1,000 classic
releases, spanning multiplegenres.
And now onto the show.
(00:34):
Here are your hosts, Jeremy Boydand John Van Dyke.
SPEAKER_05 (00:46):
Hi hey, welcome to Polyphonic Press.
I'm Jeremy Boyd.
I'm John Van Dyke.
And uh let's not waste any time.
We've got the patented randomalbum generator right in front
of us here.
Uh so let's hit the button andsee what album we're going to be
listening to this week.
SPEAKER_07 (01:01):
The album you will be reviewing this week is Hot
Rats by Frank Zappa.
SPEAKER_05 (01:05):
Oh, that's a good one.
Alright.
Alright, so here's a descriptionof the album.
It says Hot Rats is the secondsolo album by Frank Zappa
released in 1969.
A groundbreaking uh fusion ofrock and jazz, the album is
mostly instrumental, featuringintricate compositions,
virtuosic musicianship, andextended improvisations.
(01:27):
It is widely regarded as one ofZappa's most accessible works
and a pioneering album in jazzfusion.
The album's six tracks highlightZappa's innovative guitar work,
particularly on the standouttrack Willy the Pimp, which
features the only vocalperformance on the record
delivered by Captain Beefheart.
Other tracks like Peaches onRegalia showcase Zappa's
(01:50):
intricate arrangements and useof studio techniques to create
lush, multi-layeredcompositions.
Featuring musicians likeviolinist Don Sugarcane Harris
and multi-instrumentalist IanUnderwood, Hot Rats is a
masterclass in blending rockenergy with jazz complexity.
The album's advanced productiontechniques, particularly Zappa's
(02:11):
early use of 16-track recording,give it a rich dynamic sound.
Over the years, Hot Rats hasbecome a cult classic and a key
influence on progressive rock,fusion, and experimental music.
Alright, so the album wasreleased in um on October 10th,
1969.
The genres are jazz fusion,blues rock, and instrumental
(02:33):
rock, and it was released onBizarre Records and Reprise
Records, and was produced byFrank Zappa.
If you're listening to the albumalong with us, we pause halfway
at the halfway point to discusswhat we've heard so far, and we
highly highly encourage you tolisten along.
It makes the experience waybetter.
And uh to make it easy, we'velinked the album on Spotify and
(02:54):
Apple Music so you can check itout on your preferred streaming
service.
And while you're here, don'tforget to follow the show so you
never miss an episode.
And if you want early access,head on over to our Patreon.
You'll get these episodes theday before they go live.
Uh, plus some extra perksdepending on your tier.
You can even get a shout outduring these episodes and pick
an album for us to review.
(03:16):
Um, and also be sure to checkout the websites you can uh
listen to all of our pastepisodes and stay up to date in
everything happening with theshow.
And uh without further ado, hereis the uh the first song on the
album, Peaches on Regalia.
So here we go.
(03:47):
Okay, and ending side one withSon of Mr.
Green Jeans.
Uh yeah, this is really cool sofar.
Um I never really like I I theonly uh time I've ever really
listened to Frank Zappa was thelast album that we did with the
m Mothers of Invention.
(04:07):
And uh yeah, I didn't reallyknow that much about him, and I
didn't really know that muchabout the music that he makes,
but this is like really this islike really interesting.
SPEAKER_04 (04:18):
This is this is a little bit more jazz uh oriented
um than the previous album.
SPEAKER_05 (04:27):
But he always sort of dabbled in that, so he's sort
of he's this weird character inin music, and I don't I don't
know why I never paid muchattention to his music, but I'm
kind of regret regretting thatbecause it's it's this is this
is something that's kind of morethis is really like up up my
(04:48):
alley, really.
Um it's sort of that like it'sgot that sort of Grateful Dead
sort of jammy quality to it.
Uh definitely more jazz orientedthough.
Yeah, there's I don't know,there's something about it that
it's just like I'm reallygetting into it.
(05:08):
Um and I'm finding myself almostin a way in the same way as like
the uh uh the craft work albumwhere it's more like uh more
like sort of putting me in likealmost like a trance or
something like that.
It it's it's really it's it's Idon't know, it's hard to
(05:28):
explain.
It's almost like I'm relaxinginto the music.
SPEAKER_04 (05:32):
Yeah, okay.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Um yeah, a lot of instrumentalmusic can do that.
Um not all the time, and itdoesn't even have to be
instrumental, but uh it's a it'sa bit of a it's definitely a
talent to have to to createmusic that that can put someone
in that sort of a a space,headspace.
SPEAKER_05 (05:53):
It's also interesting too, like I I've
heard of of people musicians umlike auditioning for for Frank
Sappa's band, and how he haslike really sort of he's uh his
sort of it's almost annoying ina way where he has like very
rigid rules of what you must beable to do in order to uh be in
(06:17):
the band.
Like you must there's theinfamous black page that when he
auditions musicians that youhave to be able to sight read
this page with like uh basicallyjust d notes upon notes upon
notes upon notes, and you haveto be able to play what is
(06:37):
written on the page.
And if you can't then youbasically you don't get into you
don't get in the band.
Um so that I I think th I meanobviously he was very successful
at what he did, and he's very umyou know, he he he had a a
really good career in what hedid, but I would I would find
that annoying.
I would find that Well, I'm notone for sight reading music, so
(07:01):
it wouldn't I just wouldn't bein the band.
No, exactly.
But but but as speaking as a asa band leader, like I wouldn't
want the the musicians in myband to have to do that because
I think part like part of my umI I I part of my frustration
with a lot of classicalmusicians I find is they can't
(07:26):
really improvise.
And I get that it's it that it'sa different it's a totally
different thing.
But I f I feel like with likerock and and pop music you sort
of have to loosen yourdefinition of what what a
musician is and you can't reallybe so rigid of oh the music they
must play this and they m theyhave to play exactly what's on
(07:50):
the uh like on the page, butalso have to be able to
improvise I don't know, it justit just feels too too
constraining, like too, toorestrictive to me.
SPEAKER_04 (08:03):
Well, I know for Frank Zappa he basically
requires you to be able to doboth.
Yeah, you had to be able to readthe black page and also be able
to improvise on command, sortof.
SPEAKER_05 (08:15):
Yeah, that is true.
And you know, I in in this, likeI'm not I it definitely gets
results.
Like it definitely like withthis, it like I'm like I said, I
I am into it.
I'm just not sure if I if theapproach is is something that I
agree with.
(08:35):
Um but like I'm I'm not sayingit doesn't like he he he was
very successful at what he didand and it a little bit of it is
like who you know who am I tosay that that's necessarily
right or wrong.
Uh I'm just saying uh for me ifI were to put a band together, I
I don't think I would take thatapproach.
SPEAKER_04 (08:56):
Well, I'd be sort of going in a little bit of a
different direction anyway.
SPEAKER_05 (09:00):
Not not that some of his influence wouldn't leak in,
but you know, in this and ththis album, I mean, it's it's I
like that the the jammingdoesn't feel aimless, if that
makes sense.
Like it doesn't feel like it'snot going anywhere.
It sort of builds upon itself.
And I I really like that aswell.
(09:20):
I mean, I think it's um like Iand it's hard to tell to me it's
hard to tell like what isimprovised and what is sort of
planned out, and and I think youknow, maybe maybe I'm being a
little too harsh, but it's it'sthat's sort of the the mark of a
great composer and a great uhband is being able to not tell
(09:44):
what's what's improvised.
Sort of in a w I guess sort ofin a similar way to like a great
movie.
Like if an actor is doing theirjob, if they're like saying the
lines exactly as they'rewritten, but it feels like it's
a genuine conversation, that'ssort of when you can't tell if
it's written or if the d theactor's improvising.
(10:06):
That's sort of the same vibethat I'm getting here.
SPEAKER_04 (10:09):
Yeah, I I think I follow what you're saying.
Yeah, I think that that makessense.
Um Yeah, and and and conversely,sometimes when they throw in
their own line and the moviedecides to keep it, it's hard to
tell sometimes that wasn'tplanned.
SPEAKER_05 (10:23):
Yeah, no, and I I think um I think it like he he's
put together a really uh a greatband.
Um I'm just curious if anybodylike this isn't with the Mothers
of Invention.
This is his uh uh a solo album.
SPEAKER_04 (10:40):
This is this is the first album of this sort of
type.
He would definitely revisit thissort of type of album lots of
times in in his career, but thisis the first time he sort of did
that.
This is the first one after theMothers of Invention, at least
the first iteration of Mothersof Invention sort of was
disbanded or whatever.
SPEAKER_05 (10:59):
And he's playing with a guy named Ian Underwood,
who uh he's sort of known forthis kind of music, jazz
avant-garde, experimental rock.
Um he was a member of theMothers of Invention.
But this is interesting.
I didn't know Lowell George isplaying rhythm guitar.
SPEAKER_04 (11:18):
Oh, that's interesting.
Yeah, I did know that uh wellsome of the members of Mothers
of Invention went on to formLittle Feed actually with uh um
Lowell George and whatnot.
So Yeah, this is I didn't knowLowell George was on this album,
but that's really kindainteresting.
He's a fantastic musician.
I did know that.
SPEAKER_05 (11:37):
Yeah, he's a great musician, great songwriter too.
And you know, Captain Beefheart.
Captain Beefheart uh He's astrange fella.
He's that's putting it lightly.
Um he's a very strange I can'tuh I haven't quite gotten into
Beefheart yet.
Um I don't think I'm ready forBeefheart.
(11:59):
But um you know, yeah, he's avery strange strange character
as well.
SPEAKER_04 (12:06):
Um of his stuff is pretty cool for sure.
Um the one album uh Trout MaskReplica is definitely a uh
acquired taste.
SPEAKER_05 (12:16):
In the sense that you have to acquire your taste
back after having listened toit.
SPEAKER_04 (12:23):
I mean it's it's fun, but you kinda have to know
what you're in for.
SPEAKER_05 (12:29):
Yeah, yeah.
You can't you can't put it on onin it uh uh during a dance
party.
No, it's it's not anything likethat.
SPEAKER_04 (12:37):
It's it's it's a little slice of insanity is what
it is.
SPEAKER_05 (12:43):
Yeah, exactly.
You know, and but th this album,I mean, it pretty much um it
pretty much got positive reviewsfor like it wasn't this album
wasn't a commercial album at allwhen it was first released.
I don't think it was intended tobe.
No.
(13:03):
Um but it like f for the mostpart it pretty much got um
pretty positive reviews.
Uh like Rolling Stone gave it,you know, uh you know, four star
four out of five stars.
Like it's a pretty well receivedalbum, even you know, the few
(13:23):
people that uh reviewed it whenit came out.
If it were to be released todaythough, I think I think it would
probably be pretty popularamongst sort of like the jam
band sort of crowd.
SPEAKER_04 (13:38):
Oh, I think so, yeah.
You know, the neo-psychedeliccrowd too.
SPEAKER_05 (13:43):
Yeah, sort of like um I think it would do well with
like fish fans and that sort ofthing.
Yeah.
Like a mainstream like some somealbums like are were sort of
underground when they came out,but like in the 60s and 70s, but
they've come become like iconicalbums.
(14:03):
I don't think this one quitehas.
It has garnered a cultfollowing, but I don't think
it's really quite as regardedas, say, like Dark Side of the
Moon or something like that, orJimi Hendrix or that kind of
stuff.
SPEAKER_04 (14:17):
No, but amongst Frank Zappa albums, this one is
pretty iconic.
Amongst Frank Zappa albums.
Um maybe it's the second mosticonic after the uh the other
one we did, the uh you know,freak out.
SPEAKER_05 (14:32):
So I did manage to find a few facts about the
album.
It's uh it is one of theearliest jazz fus considered one
of the earliest jazz fusionalbums.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was released obviouslyin 1969.
Hot Rats is considered one ofthe pioneering albums of jazz
fusion, uh, blending rock, jazz,and blues influences with
(14:53):
complex arrangements andextended instrumental sections.
Uh, which is really interestingbecause like during this time,
this is around the time whenlike Miles Davis was sort of
getting more into jazz fusionand leaving behind the straight
jazz.
Like he this is around the timeof like Bitches Brew and and and
uh albums like that.
(15:13):
It's the first extensive use of16-track recording, which is
really interesting is Zappa usedadvanced studio technology for
the time recording hot rats on a16-track machine at TTG Studios
in Los Angeles, allowing forgreater layering and production
complexity, which is actuallythat's really um really
(15:35):
interesting and reallyimportant.
So before the late 60s, gettinghigh quality recordings of
especially like live, uh likelive off the floor was really
difficult because you only had acertain amount of tracks that
you could work with.
SPEAKER_04 (15:55):
Yeah, you basically had to mic several things at
once almost.
SPEAKER_05 (16:00):
Yeah.
I mean you could really onlyhave maybe one or two
microphones on the drums, whichyou know is fine, but uh with
the 16 track, you could youcould have a full stereo image
of the whole drum kit.
You could have a microphone onthe kick, on the snare, on the
each tom and the overheads togive a full like like I said, to
(16:23):
give a full like stereo in imageof the whole drum kit.
And you could have like twomicrophones on a piano, one on
the high keys and one on the lowkeys, so you could have a stereo
image of the whole piano, andand that's really when recording
like the late 60s, early 70s,that's when people really
(16:44):
started experimenting with withrecording techniques and you
know what happens if let's likelet's put a uh microphone at the
under uh other end of the roomto capture the room sound, and
that's when I think innovationin recording really took off,
and it like it really wasbecause now we have instead of
(17:05):
four tracks available, we havesixteen.
It's like, oh my god, what canwe do with sixteen tracks?
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_04 (17:12):
Um Yeah, it's it's yeah, technology has a f has a
uh a way of pushing innovation.
Sometimes it has a uh uh a wayof stifling innovation too,
sometimes.
Cause now with oh man, how manytracks do some most modern
boards have now?
Well, I mean with Pro Tools youcould there's depending on
(17:32):
there's it's an infinite amount,but I mean even some of those
NEAV consoles had a lot morethan 16 tracks on them.
Um going into like uh you knowthe later 70s and the eighties
and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_05 (17:45):
Yeah, well with like with it like tape became
thicker, so you could like Ithink of the the thickest that
that it got was two inches, soyou could have like 24 tracks on
on two inch tape, but you know,then you what you could do is
you could sort of mix down anduh sort of let's say okay, we
(18:08):
know that that's what the drumsare gonna be, so you could take
a an empty track, record the thedrums onto the empty track, that
frees up however many tracks thedrums were recorded on, then you
have you know you you j justkeep doing that and you would
have like I don't knowtwenty-four times however many
(18:30):
that you yeah.
Yeah, well that's what theBeatles were doing in the
mid-sixties, even exactly.
SPEAKER_04 (18:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (18:36):
So yeah, this that's interesting.
I didn't know that I first ofall I didn't know that 16 track
was that early.
I thought it came later, like inthe mid-70s.
But yeah, and and uh this thisalbum is mostly instrumental.
Unlike many of Zappa's works, uhHot Rats is almost entirely
instrumental except for Williethe Pimp, which reaches Rob Lucy
(18:57):
vocals from Captain Beefheart.
Um it has an iconic uh coverart.
The album cover featuring a pinkuh tinted image of a woman
emerging from a pool wasphotographed by Andy Nathanson
and has since become one ofZappa's most recognizable album
covers.
And yeah, it is a it's a veryit's almost a it looks like a
(19:21):
like a like a magazine ad orsomething.
Um with the uh simple like fonton the top and bottom and yeah,
sort of minimalist.
Yeah.
Um and yeah, and Peaches onRegalia became a signature
piece.
The opening track, Peaches onRegalia, is one of Zappa's most
(19:42):
famous compositions and has beencovered by numerous artists.
It's often considered a jazzrock standard, uh, which I can
definitely see.
I mean, that's you know, youknow, that became, I guess, a a
staple at all most of his showsafter this.
So yeah, those were some uhinteresting facts I found about
the album.
But uh, I guess we'll get backinto the uh the second side of
(20:04):
the album.
Uh but before we do that, let'shear from our friends over at
the album nerds podcast.
So uh check that out.
SPEAKER_01 (20:11):
Drop the needle on the album nerds podcast.
SPEAKER_03 (20:14):
Just the album nerds, just album nerds.
SPEAKER_01 (20:16):
Join Andy Don and Dude each week as they discuss
albums from themes chosen by thewheel of musical discovery.
SPEAKER_03 (20:21):
Heavy metal guitar virtuoso, double album TV raps
from the top ten albums of 1986.
SPEAKER_01 (20:27):
Uncover hidden gems, revisit classics, and hear fresh
takes on your favorite records.
SPEAKER_03 (20:32):
Excellent album main street.
Some of what country music cando best is at storytelling.
This is a this is a messy albumfor sure.
Born in the USA.
It sounds great overall as analbum.
I'm just not like moved by it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:45):
The Album Nerds Podcast.
SPEAKER_02 (20:46):
Three guys talking to me.
This is what we callfreestyling, yes.
That's what we call freestyling.
No one else would call it that.
Other people would call itfinding other podcast to listen
to.
SPEAKER_01 (20:58):
Okay, so give it a spin wherever you find podcasts
and albumnerds.com.
SPEAKER_00 (21:03):
We'll now take a few seconds before we begin side
two.
Thank you.
Here's side two.
SPEAKER_05 (21:11):
Alright, and uh ending the album with It Must Be
a Candle.
Camel.
A Camel, sorry, yeah.
Um yeah, no, this was uh this isa good album.
Uh I really enjoyed it.
Um I I'm more familiar with likerock and more familiar with
(21:32):
jazz, but I'm not I don't know awhole lot about jazz fusion.
I've I just haven't listened toa lot of it.
But I know it was very popularpopular in the 70s.
And like if this is consideredone of the first or if not the
first jazz fusion albums, Ithink I'm gonna have to start
listening to more of it, to behonest with you.
SPEAKER_04 (21:54):
Yeah, this is uh always been one of my favorite
Frank Sappa albums.
It's just uh completelydifferent animal from some of
his other stuff, at least theother stuff he did prior to
this.
Um, which I like as well.
Yeah, this is when he decided,you know, I'm really gonna sort
of showcase what I'm about andand and some of the other ideas
(22:16):
that are going in my head andjust become a little bit
sophisticated in, you know in inwhat he uh wants to per um
present to the world.
SPEAKER_05 (22:27):
Before this, like I said, I never really listened to
a whole lot of Frank Zappa andmy perception of Frank Zappa was
more like a um more like I Iguess more like uh comedy, like
musical comedy.
Yeah.
Yeah, he wasn't just that.
Yeah, yeah, that was real thatwas my idea.
It's like, oh okay, Frank Zappadoes that.
He's like he writes, you know,funny funny songs.
(22:50):
And yeah, no, the more Idiscover about him is saying, oh
no, he he's much more than that.
He definitely has a sense ofhumor, and I I like his sense of
humor.
But listening to this, it'slike, oh, okay.
Okay.
And even this has like a a bitof humor in it, like Willie the
Pimp, I mean.
SPEAKER_04 (23:08):
His his humor is in the song titles for the most
part in this stuff.
Um because I mean everything iseach song has got a little bit
of a a strange title.
SPEAKER_05 (23:20):
Yeah, like uh the gumbo variations and you know
Willy the Pimp and It Must Be aCamel.
It must be a camel, yeah.
Yeah, and you know, it's um helikes to challenge his audience.
And um sometimes just for thesake of it, for no real reason.
Just just okay, okay, you thinkI do this this?
(23:43):
I mean listen to this and youknow that kind of thing.
Uh he's yeah, he's a veryinteresting very interesting uh
person, you know, and and uh hedefinitely he's very quirky, I
guess would be the word.
Um this is great and as yousaid, like a lot of the uh the
(24:07):
musicians on here are are arelike amazing and and a lot of
them were i i in little feed up,especially Lol George.
Um you know, I mean it's it's uhI yeah, I don't really know what
else to say about it.
I it's I just I really enjoyedthe album.
And it's not a genre that I havelistened to a lot, and so but I
(24:28):
yeah, I did enjoy it.
So uh what would be your uh yourpiss with your three uh favorite
songs on the album?
SPEAKER_04 (24:36):
Oh it's a it is a tough one on this one, for sure.
Um because yeah, becauseeverything is actually really
good.
But I I've always loved Williethe Pimp.
The gumbo variations is prettyfun fun, even even though it's
like you know, almost thirteenminutes long, it's uh it's just
fun.
I love the uh um you know thethe rock and roll violin in it.
(25:00):
Yes.
SPEAKER_05 (25:00):
Yeah, that was cool.
SPEAKER_04 (25:01):
It was pretty cool.
And uh I guess I'm gonna go withuh Peaches and Regalia just
because it's a classic.
SPEAKER_05 (25:07):
I think mine would be probably Willie the Pimp.
Gumbo variations as well.
And I also really like Son ofMr.
Green Jeans.
That was a good one too, yeah.
Yeah, I think those would be mypicks.
So yeah, I guess that uh bringsus to the question of would you
listen to this again?
SPEAKER_04 (25:23):
I mean, yeah, I I have it on record, so um yeah.
I haven't listened to it in awhile, but yeah, it's it's it's
good to hear it again.
SPEAKER_05 (25:31):
Yeah, no, I I would definitely listen to it again as
well.
I mean it's it's uh I waspleasantly surprised, and I
think I have to look into moreof Frank Zappa's stuff, because
um yeah, I really I don't know awhole lot about his uh his music
that he's made.
I haven't really heard a lot ofit, so I definitely want to dig
(25:51):
more into it.
But uh yeah, I guess we'll uhend the episode there.
Uh thank you so much forlistening if you made it this
far.
Uh be sure to subscribe and uhleave us a rating and review
because it helps out uh newlisteners find us.
And um if you feel inclined youwant to help out the show, you
can do that by going to ourPatreon, go to patreon.com slash
polyphonic press.
(26:12):
You can uh get a shout outduring these episodes, and um
you can uh even pick an albumfor us to review.
And uh no matter what tier youchoose, you can uh you get these
episodes the day before they golive.
And uh you can also uh check outthe website, go to
polyphonicpress.com and listento all the past episodes and uh
(26:34):
keep uh up to date with what'sgoing on.
And um yeah, I think that justabout does it.
I'm Jeremy Boyd.
I'm John Van Dyke.
Take it easy.
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