Hot Rats in Bloomington, MN

Aside from the
experimental
side project
Lumpy Gravy
,
Hot Rats
was the first album
Frank Zappa
recorded as a solo artist sans
the Mothers
, though he continued to employ previous musical collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist
Ian Underwood
. Other than another side project -- the
doo wop
tribute
Cruising With Ruben and the Jets
--
was also the first time
Zappa
focused his efforts in one general area, namely
jazz-rock
. The result is a classic of the genre.
' genius lies in the way it fuses the compositional sophistication of
jazz
with
rock
's down-and-dirty attitude -- there's a real looseness and grit to the three lengthy jams, and a surprising, wry elegance to the three 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 in
's arrangements -- it's his own virtuosity on the electric guitar, recorded during extended improvisational workouts for the first time here. His wonderfully scuzzy, distorted tone is an especially good fit on
"Willie the Pimp,"
with its greasy
blues
riffs and guest vocalist
Captain Beefheart
's
Howlin' Wolf
theatrics. Elsewhere, his skill as a melodist was in full flower, whether dominating an entire piece or providing a memorable theme as a jumping-off point. In addition to
Underwood
, the backing band featured contributions from
Jean-Luc Ponty
Lowell George
, and
Don "Sugarcane" Harris
, among others; still,
is unquestionably the star of the show.
still sizzles; few albums originating on the
side of
fusion
flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy. ~ Steve Huey