The Hot Rats Book: A Fifty-Year Retrospective of Frank Zappa's Hot Rats

"A movie for your ears" is how rock icon Frank Zappa first described his album Hot Rats, which remains, 50 years after its release, not only one of Zappa's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, but a stunning tour-de-force of the totality of his musical genius and legendary skills as a composer, lyricist, producer, arranger, studio innovator and virtuoso guitar player.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this much-loved LP, Ahmet Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust have teamed with Backbeat Books and Bill Gubbins, the only photographer to document the Hot Rats sessions, to create The Making of Hot Rats, a deluxe, commemorative book packed with never-been-seen-before photos, interviews, and intimate insights into the creation of this masterwork.

As a special bonus for Zappa fans everywhere, the book also contains Gubbins' exclusive performance and behind-the-scenes photos of the last U.S. show of the original Mothers of Invention on August 10, 1969 at Cleveland's Musicarnival in Warrensville Heights, Ohio.

Though primarily known as a national magazine editor (Creem, Moviegoer, CountryWeekly), media innovator (the Channel One in-school TV network) and virtual reality pioneer (iPIX), Bill Gubbins is also an accomplished photographer whose work has appeared in the New York Times and Rolling Stone and been the subject of solo exhibits in the U.S. and Europe. Gubbins had just turned 19 when Zappa invited him to document the Hot Rats sessions after being interviewed by him following the Musicarnival show.

• Abbey Road Anniversary [3 CD/Blu-ray Super Deluxe]
• Orchestral Favorites 40th Anniversary [3 CD]
• Zappa Gear: The Unique Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Units, Keyboards and Studio Equipment
• Live In London & Paris 1968
• Mothermania: The Best Of The Mothers [LP]
• Frank Zappa Coloring Book: by Fantoons
• Frank Zappa 1966 to 1979: Every album, every song (On Track)
• Free
• The Big Note: A Guide to the Recordings of Frank Zappa
• Stormwatch (The 40th Anniversary Force 10 Edition) (4CD/2DVD)