Sold Date: March 28, 2015
Start Date: March 18, 2015
Final Price: £26.77 (GBP)
Bid Count: 2
Seller Feedback: 4149
Buyer Feedback: 91

FRANK ZAPPA Hot Rats EARLY 1970s UK REPRISE 2nd PRESSING - ONCE PLAYED - MINT FRANK ZAPPA
Hot Rats

EARLY 1970s UK REPRISE (K 44078) TAN LABEL PRESSING
SECOND ISSUE (no WB logo on the rims which is present from 1975 onwards)
SUPERB COPY OF ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS EVER MADE
ONCE PLAYED

MATRIX: RSLP 6356 A1, K 44078 A1/ RSLP 6356 B1, K 44078 B1
HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATT GATEFOLD SLEEVE "Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd., London, S.E.1"

Aside from the experimental side project Lumpy Gravy, Hot Rats was the first album Frank Zappa recorded as a solo artist without 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 -- Hot Rats was also the first time Zappa focused his efforts in one general area, namely jazz-rock.
The result is an absolute classic. Hot Rats' 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 Zappa'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, Zappa is unquestionably the star of the show.
Hot Rats still sizzles; few albums originating on the rock side of jazz-rock fusion flowed so freely between both sides of the equation, or achieved such unwavering excitement and energy

Side 1:
Peaches En Regalia (3:58)
Willie The Pimp (9:25)
Son Of Mr. Green Genes (8:58)
Side 2:
Little Umbrellas (3:09)
The Gumbo Variations (12:55)
It Must Be A Camel (5:15)

LABELS: MINT/NEAR MINT
An immaculate set of labels with possibly one tiny spindle trace on Side Two, none on Side One
VINYL Visual: MINT
Both surfaces are clean, unmarked and shine like-new
VINYL Audio: MINT
In keeping with its once played (or more correctly part played) status my play-check at volume found nothing to fault - flawless sound
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT+
Crisp, clean and sharp with little wear to speak of. The original record store sticker in the back corner I have left undisturbed

POST & PACKING:
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW ANTI-STATIC INNER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
UK: FREE (2nd class standard)
UK: £9.00 (Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm)
EUROPE: Airmail: £14.00 (International Signed For delivery)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £17.00 (International Signed For delivery)

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