The Inconsiderate Mixtape: Frank Zappa :: Hot Rats

Being a genius doesn't necessarily make you a weirdo and being a weirdo certainly doesn't make you a genius but sometimes the two just seem to go hand in hand. I know "Genius" is a pretty big word and should be used sparingly. I also don't have a clue what the actual definition of genius is. There's probably an IQ number that determines that in the math & science fields but when it comes to art, the word means something different to everyone. As for my own definition, it refers to someone who has created something only they could have created. It means they operate on some other plane than the rest of us; that their minds have different gears that keep them from creating the same art everyone else creates. It is a term that i do in fact use sparingly and it is a term i do not hesitate to apply to Frank Zappa...as well as "Weirdo."

This is a man that undoubtedly operates on a different creative level than the rest of the world and i think that's why a lot of folks, myself included, find it hard at first to appreciate what he does. The other main obstacle is that his ideas and songs aren't always consistent from one album to the next. Just because you love or hate one Zappa album, that doesn't mean you'll feel the same about the next one. This was my original problem. I had heard some songs that i just thought were silly (we'll talk about that word in a moment) and wrote him off. It wasn't until i was told to check out a live album, Roxy and Elsewhere, that my opinion changed. [I must take this moment to thank my friend Mike's friend Stacy for steering me in the right direction. So Mike, pass that on.]

So let's address the silliness of Frank Zappa for just a moment. He definitely has a strange sense of humor. He writes songs about yellow snow, fingerbangin' and talking dogs. But that is just surface stuff. There's two things you'll find if you dig a little deeper. First of all, you'll notice that the grooves underneath are usually very intricate with a lot of unique sounds for rock music. The other thing is that the lyrics are really more of a mirror held up to the world of entertainment. Let's face it, even if you appreciate Fellini, watching a guy get hit in the nuts is still going to entertain you. We can pretend we're high art but we're not.

Now with that said, silliness has pretty much nothing to do with Hot Rats because while the yellow snow songs are what Zappa is mostly known for, he's far too complicated to put in a box. While he has his "pop" albums, he also has his instrumental albums where he fuses rock, jazz and his own special weirdness. This is one of those. What you have here is a mix of tightly arranged material and studio jams (we'll talk about that word in a moment).

Opener "Peaches en Regalia" is a perfect example of what Zappa does like nobody else. This is where "Frank Zappa: Composer" shines through. He creates his own version of the Wall of Sound by sending bass, guitar, mandolin and whatever else he can find down the same melodic path. He has every instrument playing its role to create a very busy yet very concise piece of... well, it's not exactly Rock but i wouldn't call it Jazz. It sounds kind of gypsy-carnivalish but that doesn't really work either. It is right at 3 and 1/2 minutes so maybe it's a pop song. Whatever it is, it's just about perfect.

"Willie the Pimp" features Captain Beefheart in a guest spot on vocals (the only n

on-instrumental track on the album). His growl tells a story over a great riff which gives way to some soloing opportunities on the last half of the song. The fuzzy guitar shares the spotlight here with the violin work of "Sugarcane" Harris on what builds into a fantastic jam.

"Son of Mr. Green Genes," "Little Umbrellas" and "It Must Be a Camel" all fall into the "arranged" category varying from 3 minute to 9 minute pieces. The latter ventures into the Jazz department and somehow emulates the sound of a skipping CD nearly 15 years before they were invented. And then there is what is my personal highlight of this amazing album, the 17-minute jam "The Gumbo Variations."

Ok, let's address the "jam" issue first. We all know about "Jam Bands" and we've all met a lot of douchebags who listen almost exclusively to them.

Depending on the particular brand of jam-band-douchebag, they may also really enjoy either Radiohead, Outkast or Bluegrass music. Now Jam Bands are not inherently crappy. [In full disclosure, i saw Phish live in 1993 and currently own 4 albums by both Phish and Grateful Dead] These bands are usually undeniably talented and sometimes they write good songs. The problem is that when they get to the "jam" part of a song, all thoughts of songcraft go out the window. I really do love the Dead albums i have but the couple of times i've tried to listen to any of their Dick's Picks (licensed bootlegs) albums, i can't get through a single song before i'm bored and/or annoyed. When most bands "jam," it's just an opportunity for the individual musicians to show off what they can do and it often doesn't fit with the overall song. Think about Jazz for a moment. Many Jazz songs are nothing but "jams" but the solos are done with an awareness of the other musicians and how each part fits together and that's where Zappa is as much a Jazz musician as he is a Rock musician. In other words, while Widespread Panic is all about musical masturbation, Zappa is more about musical group sex.

And boy does it get sweaty in "The Gumbo Variations." If you're a fan of classic rock from the late 60's and early 70's, you'll be able to find plenty of examples of songs that come to a point, after all the verses and choruses are said and done, of sheer Rocking Out (of the "cock-out" variety). This song is like that without all that build up. It skips the foreplay that many consider mandatory and gets right to the good stuff. Drums and bass, keep the rhythm while the guitar lays down a stanky groove. From there, Zappa's main collaborator on this album, Ian Underwood, blasts out a saxaphone solo that seems absolutely wild but controlled for the first 7 minutes. Then it's Sugarcane's time. He turns the next 5 minutes into a screeching, soaring Violin attack. The Zappa gets his solo chance for a few minutes, not hogging the spotlight at all but proving why he's a guitar god to the people that know his secret. Then for good measure, you get a drum and then bass solo and then the really orgy begins until that all climax and collapse in a heap.

Too much with the sexual comparison? Maybe, but good music and good sex aren't necessarily that far apart. Or maybe i'm just a weirdo.
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I can't any videos of ANY of the Hot Rats songs but i found a few other cool videos so here you go.

A piece called Approximate, being played, sung & danced. This is a great example of how his brain works a little differently than the rest of us.