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Here's a rally nice "Boot" from the good 'ol Capt'n.
Don Van Vliet a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, was a multifaceted musician and artist. As the frontman of “Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band” or as a solo artist, he blended elements of free jazz, blues, and rock, creating a truly
original body of work that has brought him critical acclaim and a loyal following.
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| Rumfhala Horror Puppet, 1986 |
After 1982’s 'Ice Cream For Crow' album, he left the music industry to dedicated himself to painting full-time. As a painter, he achieved significant success, exhibiting his work in galleries across the U.S., the UK, and Europe.
Throughout his life, he maintained a deep love for wildlife and was a committed conservationist.
Tragically, the good 'ol Capt'n passed away in 2010, due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band — 'Best Batch Yet' (30th Anniversary Edition) was recorded at The Country Club in Reseda, California on January 29, 1981. (the last two tunes, are taken from rare singles).
CD 1
01 Hair Pie
02 Nowadays A Woman's Gotta Hit A Man
03 I Wanna Find A Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe 'Til I Have To Go
04 Hot Head
05 Ashtray Heart
06 Dirty Blue Gene
07 The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or The Big Dig)
08 Best Batch Yet
09 Safe As Milk
10 One Red Rose That I Mean
11 China Pig
12 Sue Egypt
CD2
01 Doctor Dark
02 Bat Chain Puller
03 My Human Gets Me Blues
04 Sugar N' Spikes
05 Sheriff Of Hong Kong
06 Kandy Korn
07 Veteran's Day Poppy
08 Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Captain Beefheart - vocals/harmonica/saxophone
Jeff Moris Tepper - guitar
Richard "Midnight Hatsize" Snyder - guitar/bass
Eric Drew Feldman - bass/keyboards
Robert Williams - drums/percussion
Special Guest: Denny Walley - guitar on "China Pig"
This is an excellent quality soundboard recording. I'm told, this show was recorded for a possible release, and that it may have been filmed.
For the freeload, what was your introduction to Captain Beefheart, and what were your first impressions?
Backed into Beefhart due to my fascination with Ry Cooder's first lp. Absolutely loved Boomer's Story, and from that, discovered that Cooder had played in Beefhart's band. First intro was Safe As Milk and I really liked the opener, Sure Enuff. Rest of the album was a bit harder for me to get into at that time. Not the biggest Beefhart fan, but don't turn his music off, either. Still listen to Boomer's Story (and most of Cooder's catalogue).
ReplyDeleteSacrilege Alert!
ReplyDeleteBought a copy of Trout Mask Replica on the recommendation of Rolling Stone, which gave it highest marks. My reaction? Confusion. I loved the cover art. I could appreciate his voice, liked the guitar sound, but couldn't pick up on the insane adventurousness of the whole project. I remember being impressed by Dachau Blues, quite liked Ella Guru, liked Neon Meat Dreams of a Octafish (I liked that he didn't say "an" octafish), But I confess that, although I like it way better now, I have never made it beyond Dali's Car.
That said, I love Clear Spot, Safe As Milk, and could easily spend a couple of hours with a Greatest Hits compilation. (As if Beefheart ever had a Hit...)
Willie the Pimp from Zappa's Hot Rats album. My least favorite track. Then TMR. Like organized religion, I just don't get it. I blame my own deficiencies.
ReplyDeleteA friend played me Trout Mask Replica, and that was one of those occasions I just knew that, that was it for me. A few albums did it. The notion: "Oh, yes, of course. I found it." First time I heard Wire, first time I heard Einstürzende Neubauten, First time Albert Ayler, Franco, Gamelan.
ReplyDeleteIn the autumn of 1967, I was hanging out with “the gang”, smoking weed and playing records. One of our friends came in and told us he had a record we should really hear, and he put on “Safe As Milk”. By the time side 2 finished, I was booglarized.
ReplyDeleteIn the basement of a friend, after a boy scout meeting, his older brother took whatever it was we were listening to off the record player and said we had to hear this, it was Trout Mask Replica and I immediately hated it. To my 14 year old ears, it was the opposite of music I wanted to hear.
ReplyDeleteA few years later I heard, Willie The Pimp, fine, I was getting into Frank Zappa at the time, then after that it was Zappa/Beefheart - Bongo Fury, I really liked that as well.
A few years later while building log cabins on the west side of the Jemez Mountains, I heard a song from Safe As Milk & I liked it and commented. Tore said that if I liked that I should really give Clear Spot & The Spotlight Kid a try, I did and really liked both of them very much and still listen to them every now & then. Doc At The Radar Station & Ice Cream For Crow are also favorites.
I think it depends on where you start. For me Clear Spot & The Spotlight Kid are both easily accessible, I guess. I believe Ted Templeman wanted the Captain to have a "hit record". My guess is that most Beefheart fans pooh-pooh those 2 records because they are relatively tame compared to other of the Captain's recordings. Of course I could be way off base too. Overall I really like Captain Beefheart, but my introduction was harsh & offputting. Thanks Babs
Got a hold of one of the late 60s WB loss leaders (probably Big Red Ball, if memory serves), which had samples of the year's releases, and on the so-called "weird side" was Wild Man Fischer ("Do the Taster"), the GTOs, and the Cap'n doing "Ella Guru." I was 11 but fascinated by these songs. Loved those WB loss leaders, by the way. Great intros. --Muzak McMusics
ReplyDeleteI was probably the only middle schooler who would say out loud, "fast and bulbous, tight also," thinking it was some sort of rock'n'roll incantation to summon something or other. I pondered. --Muzak McM
DeleteI remember those loss leaders being advertised in National Lampoon Magazine.
DeleteIn the same era as the loss leader LPs, Warner Brothers also did loss leader tours in which they packaged three of their top acts for a very low ticket price at midsize venues. I caught a great show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium with the Captain, Little Feat, and Ry Cooder in which all three acts were killer.
DeleteMy introduction was the Loss Leaders, too. Everybody in the dorm sent off for them, of course. Somewhere on my NAS I have most, if not all, of them in digital. Anyhow, the Loss Leaders inspired a guy down the hall to get Trout Mask Replica & we were down a very strange, very slippery slope.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest (in duration) friend and I were into anything weirder than we were, Trout Mask and Strictly Personal were the 1969 gateway drugs for us. Only got to see the band 3 times, but the 2nd time was a reunion of sorts with Rockette Morton, Zoot Horn Rollo & Ed Marimba backing him up. Happy delerium!! The last time was the Doc At The Radar Station tour, I wonder what happened to the t-shirt I sprung for...
ReplyDeleteP.S.- for those put off by Trout Mask, I'd like to recommend Lick My Decals Off Baby, just as out there but not as sprawling. It remains my favourite.
DeleteI found a copy of 'Safe As Milk' at a boot fair in the early days of my collecting. I was just exploring 60's music then so anything of note I would buy if I could afford it and this was another of those "25 pence" great finds.
ReplyDeleteAt the time with my ears more attuned to 70's punk and new wave with 60's British beat thrown in I wasn't really ready for the confluence of styles Beefheart used on the album and didn't think much of it. It was some years before I gave it another whirl.
Now its very different and I can see how that album fits perfectly in with the mid late 60's.
First exposure to the Captain was on Willie The Pimp. Later, while in college in Spring of 1972, I happened to turn on our local AOR FM station while it was in the middle of playing The Blimp. I had no idea what I was listened to, and spent years wondering if I had actually heard those ramblings about The Blimp and The Mother Ship or somehow had been hallucinating. Finally connected the dots back after hearing Bongo Fury, which I liked very much. I started exploring more of the Beefheart legacy over the past year or so.
ReplyDeleteLast night I spun TMR and The Blimp caught my attention. According to Wikipedia it has several uncredited Mothers of Invention playing and Frank doing the dialog. Then I played Clear Spot which to my palate had hints of Dr John and J Geils and notes of raspberry and chocolate.
DeleteIt was the Mothers, but it was Antenna Jimmy Siemens vocalizing. The drazy hoops, the drazy hoops...
DeleteHated his stuff for 20 years, then the penny dropped, and now I love it.
ReplyDeleteFunny how that works, eh, Mr. Grimsdale?
DeleteI think it's like learning to see why modern classical music, Picasso and abstract expressionism, or blue cheese and island malts are all good: maturation of tastes.
DeleteMy introduction was the Clear Spot album, although I'd probably heard a couple of Beefheart songs on BBC John Peel Radio show before that.
ReplyDeletelisten to this made my mind went back decades ago...
ReplyDeletethank you babs!
huey
Link
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/PSwDMnW9Ajf