Captain Beefheart - Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978)

Captain Beefheart - Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978)

rock, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 320MB

Virgin

Allmusic:
So titled because the original album, simply titled Bat Chain Puller, had to be ditched and rerecorded after a legal tuzzle involving Frank Zappa's manager, Shiny Beast turned out to be manna from heaven for those feeling Beefheart had lost his way on his two Mercury albums. Then again, what else could be assumed with a song titled "Tropical Hot Dog Night" that sounds like what happened when Beefheart encountered Miami disco and decided to make something of it? When it comes to singing, though, he's still the atypical growler, snarler and more of lore, conjuring up more wonderfully odd lyrical stories than can easily be measured, while the album as a whole gets steadily more and more bent. "You Know You're a Man" is at once straightforward and incredibly weird when it comes to love and gender, while other standouts include "Bat Chain Puller," a steady chugger that feels like a goofy death march, and the nervy freak of "Owed T'Alex." As for the Magic Band in general, keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman, guitarists Jeff Tepper and Richard Redus and drummer Robert Williams lay down the business with appropriately gone aplomb, as a listen to "Suction Prints" will demonstrate.

Tracks
-01. "The Floppy Boot Stomp" – 3:51
-02. "Tropical Hot Dog Night" – 4:48
-03. "Ice Rose" – 3:37
-04. "Harry Irene" – 3:42
-05. "You Know You're a Man" – 3:14
-06. "Bat Chain Puller" – 5:27
-07. "When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy" – 5:03
-08. "Owed t'Alex" – 4:06
-09. "Candle Mambo" – 3:24
-10. "Love Lies" – 5:03
-11. "Suction Prints" – 4:25
-12. "Apes-Ma" – 0:40
All lyrics and music by Don Van Vliet.

Personnel
* Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) - vocals, harmonica, soprano sax, whistling
* Jeff Moris Tepper - slide guitar, guitar, spell guitar
* Bruce Lambourne Fowler - trombone, air bass
* Eric Drew Feldman - synthesizer, Rhodes piano, grand piano, bass
* Richard Redus - slide guitar, bottleneck guitar, guitar, accordion, fretless bass
* Robert Arthur Williams - drums, percussion
* Art Tripp III - marimba, additional percussion

sample & buy: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)