Hot Rats - Frank Zappa

Advantages: CrazyMad! Contains some of Zappa's best material
Disadvantages: May drive you CrazyMad!!

...Fans of Zappa and interested bystanders alike should find something that appeals in this offering from the genius that is Frank. From the tongue-in-cheek love song, 'I have been in you', the rock-laden riff of 'Broken Hearts are for ***holes', 'I'm so Cute' and 'Jones Crusher', the avant-garde jazz style of Rat Tomago, the side-splitting 'Bobby Brown Goes Down', 'Dancing Fool' and 'Jewish Princess', and the just plain wierd material such as 'Sheik Yerbouti Tango', 'Wild Love' and 'Rubber Shirt', the album takes the listener on a rollercoaster ride of the many faces and sounds of Zappa. Some of the numbers are in standard song format, some are instrumental, with others being 10 mins + in length with instrumental breaks, solos, verses and rhythm changes galore - certainly not a commercial offering, but if you are after something... Read review

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Advantages: It's a great album
Disadvantages: Tails off slightly towards the end

...Frank Zappa, he was a hairy chap. Made a lot of albums in his life time, something in the region of 70. Yes, that’s 70. How exactly can someone make that many albums? Well, being a wild eyed creative genius and a workaholic helps. Frank covered everything from jazz, to rock, to reggae, to doowop and most of the time he was taking the mick. Now, not only does this make him a hard guy to sum up in a paragraph but it can also make for a frustrating listening experience at times. I’ve only heard a smattering of those 70 odd albums but for my tastes there are just to many silly songs. Like the frankly ridiculous “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and the slightly more palatable “Valley Girl”. However, Hot Rats, Frank’s first solo album and the seventh or so in his career, is quite literally a peach. * Peaches En Regalia * Opening with a drum roll... Read review

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Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...'If we can't be free, we can at least be cheap', said Frank Zappa. When you pick up a CD and the price label says £3.99, you expect it to be by some nobobdy who had one No.37 hit ten years ago. When it says Zappa on it you may as well buy it there and then. When you then look and see titles like 'Joe's Garage', 'The Torture Never Stops' and 'You are what you is' you must think that some 16 year old assistant has put the wrong sticker on it and it should be £13.99. However, the price is right and whether you buy it as a starter to get into Zappa, or as a quick addition to your bulging FZ collection, it will be the best few pounds you spend. From the Lennon voice on 'I could be a star now' to 'My guitar wants to kill your mama' it is pure quality of some of the more accessible Zappa. Used as a foil to something like The Yellow Shark... Read review

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