10 Perfect Progressive Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
5. Hot Rats - Frank Zappa (1969)
Frank Zappa was the king of all things weird and wonderful when it came to creating avant-garde and expressive prog rock. Although this guy gets cited as psychedelic pioneer, Zappa wasn't huge about the genre. This music might make you think it could only be composed by a man well versed in the hallucinogenic realms, but Zappa was famously outspoken about his disdain for drug use.
With that knowledge, this 43 minute record becomes even more impressive. The opening number contains an incredibly bright piano number, with jaunty guitar lines and some outrageously fast plucking. There's a joyous horn section that brings in so much warmth, followed by an eastern style guitar solo. It's a very clean opening to an album that becomes so inundated with dirty guitar riffs and long jammed out pieces of jazz rock.
The second number, Willie the Pimp, couldn't be sonically further from the track that preceded it. It contains an appropriately sleazy violin hook, a gritty bass line and the shrieking madness of Captain Beefheart. Zappa then changes direction again with brighter improvised jazz section, but it isn't long before he throws in some gritty guitars and a few filthy saxophone solos.