Yep, I also listen to Hot Rats way more than Bitches Brew, and this is why:-
I see Bitches Brew as the musical equivalent to a radical modern movement that happened across all the arts. Writers, painters, etc experimented with getting rid of the tried and trusted elements of their art form. Avant-garde authors threw out things like plot and character; painters threw out things like representation and canvas. Some interesting stuff was generated by this approach, but there are a lot of unreadable books out there that testify to the fact that a novel without a storyline is likely to be a chore rather than a pleasure to read.
IMO with Bitches Brew, Miles Davis threw out too many essentials; where's the melody, where's the hook, where's the rhythm? The result is a double album that only appeals when you are in some sort of exhalted existential mood. For me, that mood arrives for about ten minutes every year, so even if I put on Bitches Brew, it usually outstays its welcome by an excruciating 90 minutes....
In contrast, because Frank Zappa was more grounded in rock and was not snooty about sources or models, Hot Rats has a driving rhythm to each track. This is like the backbone, the spine, the plot of the novel. FZ then puts a bunch of crazy, intellectually-satisfying embellishments on top, but he's also not too proud to put in a sleazy lounge melody when he wants. He packs the tracks with fun, anger or funk; down-home emotions which make the album a great listen any day of the year.
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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953
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