For uninitiated, ‘Hot Rats’ is frank material

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Aug. 27, 2004 | 8:55 a.m.

"Hot Rats" is known as the Frank Zappa album for people who don't like Frank Zappa.

I'm not so sure about that. While "Hot Rats" is my favorite Zappa disc, it's far from the only one I like in the experimental musician's vast catalog.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that the 1969 release provides the best doorway into the strange world of Zappa for those who have yet to be exposed.

It worked that way for me. Soon after I first heard "Hot Rats," I began delving deeper, picking up a dozen or so of his other albums over the next few months.

Some of those CDs remain in semi-regular rotation in my stereo, but "Hot Rats" is definitely the crown jewel in my Zappa collection.

Its six tracks work as a thematic whole, showcasing the guitarist and his gang of merry musicians fusing the worlds of rock and jazz as never before.

The songs also sound great independently. I don't think there's one I haven't used on a homemade mix tape or CD at some point over the years.

Though it must be sacrilege to a hardcore Zappa type, I suppose I return to "Hot Rats" more often than his other discs because it emphasizes instruments over vocals.

So many of Zappa's other classic albums, from "We're Only in it For the Money" to "Joe's Garage," feature goofy lyrics. Though often hysterical at first listen, those words can wear thin in time, rendering those CDs a bit tiresome after a while.

"Hot Rats" features just one vocal segment, provided by one of the few cats even weirder than Zappa, Captain Beefheart. But that track, "Willie the Pimp," is built around the catchiest violin riff you'll ever hear, and never gets old to my ears.

Another key cut is the opener, "Peaches en Regalia." In less than four minutes, Zappa established himself not only as a brilliant composer, but also a far more skilled guitarist than many outsiders give him credit for.

The jam band Phish covered that song often in concert, but they really ought to have taken a shot at another tune from the disc, "The Gumbo Variations," during one of their many live collaborations with horn players.

That song, the longest on "Hot Rats" (clocking in at nearly 17 minutes), showcases some mean blues saxophone work from multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, the lone holdover from Zappa's Mothers of Invention ensemble.

If you dig exploratory rock music or jazz fusion, check out "Hot Rats" for a taste of Frank Zappa. Whether it proves to be an appetizer or your lone dip in the trough, it's well worth sampling.

Artist: Frank Zappa.

Title: "Hot Rats."

Year of release: 1969 (reissued 1995, Rykodisc).

Tracklisting: "Peaches En Regalia," "Willie the Pimp," "Son of Mr. Green Genes," "Little Umbrellas," "The Gumbo Variations," "It Must Be a Camel."