Captain Beefheart - London 1974

Captain Beefheart - London 1974
rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

MPG 74025

Allmusic:
This live recording of Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band was taken from a London date during one of the more fierce peaks of the band's existence, the same period that produced the overlooked classic masterpiece Clear Spot. Though the session was intended to produce a live album for Virgin, the release never materialized, though the versions of "Mirror Man" and "Upon the Me Oh My" came out of the 1975 Virgin sampler V. Thanks to the obscure Portuguese imprint Movie Play Gold, highlights from the concert made it onto CD at a concise 40 minutes. The disc features nine tracks of full-tilt Magic Band mayhem on "Full Moon Hot Sun," "Sugar Bowl," "Crazy Little Thing," "This Is the Day," "New Electric Ride," as well as older '60s classics like "Abba Zabba" and "Peaches." The CD has exceptional sound quality, while some other live Captain Beefheart from the same period fares a little rough in recording quality. This comes highly recommended as an opportunity to hear the Magic Band at an all-time high.

Tracks
-1. "Mirror Man" - Van Vliet - 4:48
-2. "Upon the Me Oh My" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 4:07
-3. "Full Moon Hot Sun" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 3:29
-4. "Sugar Bowl" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 2:55
-5. "Crazy Little Thing" - Van Vliet - 3:45
-6. "This is the Day" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 7:48
-7. "New Electric Ride" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 3:20
-8. "Abba Zabba" - Van Vliet - 3:16
-9. "Peaches" - Di Martino, Van Vliet, Van Vliet - 6:03

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) / harmonica, vocals
* Del Simmons / Tenor saxophone, flute
* Dean Smith / guitar
* Fuzzy Fuscaldo / guitar
* Michael Smotherman / keyboards
* Paul Uhrig / bass
* Ty Grimes / drums

sample & buy: London 1974

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)

Captain Beefheart - Doc At The Radar Station (1980)

Captain Beefheart - Doc At The Radar Station (1980)

rock, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

Astralweerks | 2006 remaster

Allmusic:
Generally acclaimed as the strongest album of his comeback, and by some as his best since Trout Mask Replica, Doc at the Radar Station had a tough, lean sound owing partly to the virtuosic new version of the Magic Band (featuring future Pixies sideman Eric Drew Feldman, New York downtown-scene guitarist Gary Lucas, and a returning John "Drumbo" French, among others) and partly to the clear, stripped-down production, which augmented the Captain's basic dual-guitar interplay and jumpy rhythms with extra percussion instruments and touches of Shiny Beast's synths and trombones. Many of the songs on Doc either reworked or fully developed unused material composed around the time of the creatively fertile Trout Mask sessions, which adds to the spirited performances. Even if the Captain's voice isn't quite what it once was, Doc at the Radar Station is an excellent, focused consolidation of Beefheart's past and then-present.

Tracks
-01. "Hot Head" – 3:23
-02. "Ashtray Heart" – 3:25
-03. "A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond" – 1:38
-04. "Run Paint Run Run" – 3:40
-05. "Sue Egypt" – 2:57
-06. "Brickbats" – 2:40
-07. "Dirty Blue Gene" – 3:51
-08. "Best Batch Yet" – 5:02
-09. "Telephone" – 1:31
-10. "Flavor Bud Living" – 1:00
-11. "Sheriff of Hong Kong" – 6:34
-12. "Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on My Knee" – 3:11

Personnel
*Don Van Vliet (C Beefheart) - vocals, Chinese gongs, harmonica, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
* Jeff Moris Tepper - slide guitar, guitar, nerve guitar
* Eric Drew Feldman - synthesizer, bass, mellotron, grand piano, electric piano
* Robert Arthur Williams - drums
* Bruce Lambourne Fowler - trombone
* John French - slide guitar, guitar, marimba, bass, drums
* Gary Lucas - guitar, French horn

sample & buy: Doc at the Radar Station

Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa - Rare Beefheart, Vintage Zappa (released 1991)

Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa - Rare Beefheart_Vintage Zappa (released 1991)

rock | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 190MB

DCD5217

Allmusic:
Frank's half of this disc has six rare sides that he had a hand in for the Del-Fi label during the early '60s. These crude but adventurous productions clearly point toward The Mothers with their skilled R&B and doo-wop chops that walk the line between affection and parody, and inventive montage of sound effects on the bizarre Dracula novelty single "Dear Jeepers"/"Letter From Jeepers." Disappointingly, it isn't taken from the master tapes, but the singles themselves, although the surface noise is minor. Five rarities from fellow Southern California mad genius Captain Beefheart (alternate takes from his Strictly Personal album) fill out the disc; these are also available on a more complete CD of Strictly Personal outtakes on the British Sequel label, and it's too bad they couldn't have just fit everything from that collection, as there's plenty of room.

Tracks
-01. Beatle Bones & Smokin Stones Pt. 1 0'35
-02. Beatle Bones & Smokin Stones Pt. 2 2'35
-03. Trust Us (take 9) 7'20
-04. Gimme Dat Harp Boy 3'25
-05. Moody Liz (take 8) 4'31
-06. How's Your Bird? 2'10
-07. The World's Greatest Sinner 2'25
-08. Everytime I See You 2'29
-09. Dear Jeepers 2'26
-10. Letter From Jeepers 2'20
-11. Cradle Rock 2'52
Tracks 1-5 licensed from Kama Sutra Music Inc. and tracks 6-11 licensed from Del-Fi Records. (p)&(c)1991 Disky Communications B.V. Marketed and distributed in the Benelux by Disky Communications B.V.Hoorn. Cover Design: Van Dijken Enschede. From Pop Almanac Records of Holland(?)

Captain Beefheart - Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)

Captain Beefheart - Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 210MB

Virgin

Allmusic:
About the best one can say about 1974's Bluejeans & Moonbeams is that it's not as bad as his other release of the year, Unconditionally Guaranteed. In fact, there are two tracks, the pretty reverie "Observatory Crest" and the stomping blues-rocker "Party of Special Things to Do," that are actually quite good. The rest of the album, however, is fairly dire. Recorded with anonymous studio musicians who are clearly out of their league and glossed to a soul-less polish by producer Andy DiMartino, Bluejeans & Moonbeams never catches fire even at its best, and its worst tracks -- those would be "Pompadour Swamp" and the utterly wretched proto-disco "Captain's Holiday" -- are the worst things that have ever borne the Captain Beefheart name. Captain Beefheart would eventually return with the revitalized Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) in 1978, but Bluejeans & Moonbeams sounds like a tired and cynical make-work project.

Tracks
-1. "Party of Special Things to Do" (Don Van Vliet, Elliot Ingber) – 2:48
-2. "Same Old Blues" (J. J. Cale) – 4:00
-3. "Observatory Crest" (Van Vliet, E. Ingber) – 3:32
-4. "Pompadour Swamp" (Van Vliet) – 3:32
-5. "Captain's Holiday" (R. Feldman, W. Richmond, S. Hickerson, C. Blackwell) – 5:43
-6. "Rock 'n Roll's Evil Doll" (Van Vliet, Mark Gibbons, Ira Ingber) – 3:20
-7. "Further Than We've Gone" (Van Vliet) – 5:31
-8. "Twist ah Luck" (Van Vliet, Gibbons, I. Ingber) – 3:22
-9. "Bluejeans & Moonbeams" (Van Vliet) – 5:02

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart - vocals, harmonica
* Dean Smith - guitar, bottleneck guitar
* Ira Ingber - bass
* Bob West - bass
* Micheal Smotherman - keyboards, backing vocals
* Mark Gibbons - keyboards
* Gene Pello - drums
* Jimmy Caravan - keyboard, star machine
* Ty Grimes - percussion

sample & buy: Bluejeans & Moonbeams

Captain Beefheart - Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 210MB

Virgin

Allmusic:
The most reviled album of Captain Beefheart's entire career, 1974's ironically titled Unconditionally Guaranteed unfortunately largely deserves its negative reputation. Recorded in the U.K. as the first album of Captain Beefheart's contract with Virgin Records, it's also the last album that features any members of the Trout Mask Replica-era band, notably guitarists Zoot Horn Rollo and Alex St. Clair, plus former Mothers of Invention percussionist Art Tripp. Rather like Van Morrison's later album, A Period of Transition, Unconditionally Guaranteed is clearly a deliberate attempt by the Captain to restrain his more peculiar tendencies in search of a wider audience. As might be expected, the wider audience didn't show up, and his longtime fans were put off by the album's more commercial facets. It's not an entirely useless album, as the tunes do have some of the blues-rock punch that's at the root of Beefheart's work, and the lyrics, mostly declarations of love for his wife, Jan Van Vliet, who receives co-writing credit with producer Andy DiMartino on all ten tracks, seem heartfelt enough. The problem is that DiMartino's production and arrangements are flaccid and dull, and Beefheart (purposely) sings as if he's half asleep throughout. Even Captain Beefheart himself disowns this record.

Tracks
-01. "Upon the My-O-My" – 2:43
-02. "Sugar Bowl" – 2:13
-03. "New Electric Ride" – 3:02
-04. "Magic Be" – 2:55
-05. "Happy Love Song" – 3:54
-06. "Full Moon, Hot Sun" – 2:19
-07. "I Got Love on My Mind" – 3:08
-08. "This Is the Day" – 4:51
-09. "Lazy Music" – 2:49
-10. "Peaches" – 3:20
All songs written by Don and Jan Van Vliet and Andy DiMartino.

sample & buy: Unconditionally Guaranteed

Captain Beefheart - Spotlight Kid & Clear Spot (1972)

Captain Beefheart - Spotlight Kid & Clear Spot (1972)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 2 lp on 1 cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 450MB

Reprise

Allmusic:
The Spotlight Kid
On Spotlight Beefheart took over full production duties. Rather than returning to the artistic aggro of Trout Mask/Decals days, Spotlight takes things lower and looser, with a lot of typical Beefheart fun crawling around in weird, strange ways. Consider the ominous opening cut "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" -it isn't just the title and Beefheart's breathy growl, but Rockette Morton's purring bass, Zoot Horn Rollo's snarling guitar, Ed Marimba's brisk fade on the cymbals again and again, and more. The overall atmosphere is definitely relaxed and fun, maybe one step up from a jam. Marimba's vibes and other percussion work -- including, of course, the marimba itself -- stand out quite a bit here as a result, perhaps, brought out from behind the drums and the more straightforward work on Clear Spot. Consider "When It Blows Its Stacks," with its unexpected breaks into more playful parts, or "Alice in Blunderland"'s admittedly more aimless approach, but vibing along well nonetheless. Sometimes things do sound maybe just a little too blasé, but Beefheart at his worst still has something more than most groups at their best. Spotlight does have one stone-cold Beefheart classic -- "Grow Fins," an understated number with fine harmonica and a brilliant lyric about getting so tired of his woman that the best option is to take to the sea and fall in love with a mermaid. Another song, though, does have an all-time great title -- "There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage." Definite fun touch -- the cover photo of Beefheart looking great in a classic Nudie suit, outlined in yellow light to boot.
Clear Spot:
Producer Ted Templeman was a bit of a surprising choice given his firmly mainstream production credits, with the Doobie Brothers already under his belt and Van Halen lurking in the near future. As it turned out, such a combination led to a better-working fusion than might be expected, making one wonder why in the world Clear Spot wasn't more of a commercial success than it was. The sound is great throughout, and the feeling is of the coolest bar-band in town, not to mention one that could eat all the patrons for breakfast if it felt like it. Fans of the fully all-out side of Beefheart might find the end result not fully up to snuff as a result, but those less concerned with pushing back all borders all the time will enjoy his unexpected blend of everything tempered with a new accessibility. "Nowadays a Woman's Got to Hit a Man," besides having a brilliant title, shows the balance perfectly -- Van Vliet serves up his rough asides with all his expected wit and sass, while the Magic Band trade off notes here and there just so. At the same time, the track is strong blues-rock that doesn't pander, with a particularly fierce solo thanks to Zoot Horn Rollo. "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" is a great love song, the softer arrangement saved from being too off by Beefheart's delivery. Other winners include the title track, a sharp combination of an off-kilter arrangement for a straightforward melody, the great shaggy-dog story of "Golden Birdies," and "Big Eyed Beans from Venus," a fantastically strange piece of aggression.

Tracks
-01. "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" – 4:33
-02. "White Jam" – 2:55
-03. "Blabber 'n Smoke" – 2:46 (Van Vliet, Jan Van Vliet)
-04. "When It Blows Its Stacks" – 3:40
-05. "Alice in Blunderland" – 3:54
-06. "The Spotlight Kid" – 3:21
-07. "Click Clack" – 3:30
-08. "Grow Fins" – 3:30
-09. "There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage" – 3:11
-10. "Glider" – 4:34
---
-11. "Low Yo Yo Stuff" – 3:41
-12. "Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man" – 3:46
-13. "Too Much Time" – 2:50
-14. "Circumstances" – 3:14
-15. "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" – 2:55
-16. "Sun Zoom Spark" – 2:13
-17. "Clear Spot" – 3:40
-18. "Crazy Little Thing" – 2:38
-19. "Long Neck Bottles" – 3:18
-20. "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" – 2:57
-21. "Big Eyed Beans from Venus" – 4:23
-22. "Golden Birdies" – 1:36

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart - vocals, harmonica, jingle bells
* Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - guitar, slide guitar
* Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - bass, guitar
* Drumbo (John French) - drums, percussion
* Ed Marimba/Ted Cactus (Art Tripp) - drums, percussion, marimba, piano, harpsichord
* Winged Eel Fingerling (Elliot Ingber) - guitar
* Rhys Clark - drums (on "Glider")
---
* Captain Beefheart - vocals, harmonica, "wings on Singabus" (apparently referring to the flapping noise you can hear when he says the word Singabus, in "Golden Birdies")
* Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - guitar, slide guitar, mandolin
* Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - guitar, bass
* Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) - drums, percussion
* Orejón (Roy Estrada) - bass
* Milt Holland - percussion
* Russ Titelman - guitar
* The Blackberries - backing vocals

sample & buy: Spotlight Kid & Clear Spot

Captain Beefheart - Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

Straight/Enigma

Allmusic:
Produced by Captain Beefheart himself, Lick My Decals Off, Baby was a further refining and exploration of the musical ideas posited on Trout Mask Replica. As such, the imaginative fervor of Trout Mask is toned down somewhat, but in its place is an increased self-assurance; the tone of Decals is also a bit darker, examining environmental issues in some songs rather than simply concentrating on surreal wordplay. Whatever the differences, the jagged, complex rhythms and guitar interplay continue to amaze. Those wanting to dig deeper after the essential Trout Mask Replica are advised to begin doing so here.

Tracks
-01. "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" – 2:38
-02. "Doctor Dark" – 2:46
-03. "I Love You, You Big Dummy" – 2:54
-04. "Peon" – 2:24
-05. "Bellerin' Plain" – 3:35
-06. "Woe-is-uh-Me-Bop" – 2:06
-07. "Japan in a Dishpan" – 3:00
-08. "I Wanna Find a Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go" – 1:53
-09. "Petrified Forest" – 1:40
-10. "One Red Rose That I Mean" – 1:52
-11. "The Buggy Boogie Woogie" – 2:19
-12. "The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or the Big Dig)" – 2:11
-13. "Space-Age Couple" – 2:32
-14. "The Clouds Are Full of Wine (not Whiskey or Rye)" – 2:50
-15. "Flash Gordon's Ape" – 4:15

Personnel
* Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) - Vocals, bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, harmonica
* Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - Guitar and glass finger guitar
* Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - Bassius-o-pheilius
* Drumbo (John French) - Percussion, broom
* Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) - Marimba, percussion, broom

sample & buy: Lick My Decals Off, Baby

Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 500MB

Reprise

Allmusic:Trout Mask Replica is Captain Beefheart's masterpiece, a fascinating, stunningly imaginative work that still sounds like little else in the rock & roll canon. Given total creative control by producer and friend Frank Zappa, Beefheart and his Magic Band rehearsed the material for this 28-song double album for over a year, wedding minimalistic R&B, blues, and garage rock to free jazz and avant-garde experimentalism. Atonal, sometimes singsong melodies; jagged, intricately constructed dual-guitar parts; stuttering, complicated rhythmic interaction -- all of these elements float out seemingly at random, often without completely interlocking, while Beefheart groans his surrealist poetry in a throaty Howlin' Wolf growl. The disjointedness is perhaps partly unintentional -- reportedly, Beefheart's refusal to wear headphones while recording his vocals caused him to sing in time with studio reverberations, not the actual backing tracks -- but by all accounts, the music and arrangements were carefully scripted by the Captain (aided by John "Drumbo" French), which makes the results even more remarkable. As one might expect from music so complex and, to many ears, inaccessible, the influence of Trout Mask Replica was felt more in spirit than in direct copycatting, as a catalyst rather than a literal musical starting point. However, its inspiring reimagining of what was possible in a rock context laid the groundwork for countless future experiments in rock surrealism, especially during the punk/new wave era.

Tracks
-01. "Frownland" 1:41
-02. "The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back" 1:53
-03. "Dachau Blues" 2:21
-04. "Ella Guru" 2:26
-05. "Hair Pie: Bake 1" 4:58
-06. "Moonlight on Vermont" 3:59
-07. "Pachuco Cadaver" 4:40
-08. "Bills Corpse" 1:48
-09. "Sweet Sweet Bulbs" 2:21
-10. "Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish" 2:25
-11. "China Pig" 4:02
-12. "My Human Gets Me Blues" 2:46
-13. "Dali's Car" 1:26
-14. "Hair Pie: Bake 2" 2:23
-15. "Pena" 2:33
-16. "Well" 2:07
-17. "When Big Joan Sets Up" 5:18
-18. "Fallin' Ditch" 2:08
-19. "Sugar 'n Spikes" 2:30
-20. "Ant Man Bee" 3:57
-21. "Orange Claw Hammer" 3:34
-22. "Wild Life" 3:09
-23. "She's Too Much for My Mirror" 1:40
-24. "Hobo Chang Ba" 2:02
-25. "The Blimp (mousetrapreplica)" 2:04
-26. "Steal Softly thru Snow" 2:18
-27. "Old Fart at Play" 1:51
-28. "Veteran's Day Poppy" 4:31

Personnel
* Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) – vocals, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, musette, simran horn, hunting horn, jingle bells

The Magic Band

* Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo) – "Glass Finger Guitar" (slide guitar using a glass slide), flute
* Jeff Cotton (Antennae Jimmy Semens) – "Steel Appendage Guitar" (slide guitar using a metal slide), vocals on "Pena" and "The Blimp"
* Victor Hayden (The Mascara Snake) – bass clarinet, additional vocals
* Mark Boston (Rockette Morton) – bass guitar, narration on "Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish" and "Old Fart At Play"
* John French (Drumbo) – drums, percussion (uncredited on the original release)

Additional musicians

* Doug Moon – guitar on "China Pig"
* Gary "Magic" Marker – bass guitar on "Moonlight on Vermont", "Veteran's Day Poppy" (uncredited)
* Frank Zappa – speaking voice on "Ella Guru", "The Blimp", and "She's Too Much For My Mirror"; credited as album producer
* Roy Estrada – bass guitar on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Arthur Tripp III – drums & percussion on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Don Preston – piano on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Ian Underwood and Bunk Gardner – alto and tenor saxophones on "The Blimp" (uncredited)
* Buzz Gardner – trumpet on "The Blimp" (uncredited)

sample & buy: Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart - The Legendary A&M Sessions (EP) (1966)

Captain Beefheart - The Legendary A&M Sessions (EP) (1966)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 115MB

EDSEL

Allmusic:
Before gaining a cult with his avant-garde excursions in the late '60s, Captain Beefheart wielded a much more traditional sort of blues-rock. That's not to say that these two obscure mid-'60s A&M singles (packaged together on this five-song EP, which adds a previously unreleased track from the same era) aren't well worth hearing. The Captain's Howlin' Wolf-like growl led a tough outfit that ranked among the best early American blues-rock groups, and among the few that could reasonably emulate the Rolling Stones' toughness. Produced, unbelievably enough, by future Bread leader David Gates, this reissue includes their regional hit cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy." The best track, though, is "Moonchild," their shameless derivation of Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning." Featuring wailing harmonica, stomping riffs and adventurous, quasi-psychedelic production, it was actually written by Gates himself. To think that the same man was also responsible for "If" and "Baby I'm A-Want You" blows the mind.

Tracks
-1. "Diddy Wah Diddy" (Willie Dixon, Ellas McDaniel) – 2:28
-2. "Who Do You Think You're Fooling?" – 2:10
-3. "Moonchild" (David Gates) – 2:30
-4. "Frying Pan" – 2:05
-5. "Here I Am I Always Am" – 2:33

Personnel
* Don van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) – vocals, harmonica
* Doug Moon – guitar
* Richard Hepner – guitar
* Jerry Handley – bass
* Alex St. Clair Snouffer – drums (track 1–4)
* PG Blakely – drums (track 5)

sample & buy: Legendary a&M Sessions

Captain Beefheart - Strictly Personal (1968) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Strictly Personal (1968)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 255MB

EMI 1994

Allmusic
Considered by many to be a substandard effort due to the circumstances of its release (producer Bob Krasnow, the owner of Blue Thumb, the label which debuted with this album, remixed the album while Don Van Vliet and crew were off on a European tour, adding extraneous sound effects like heartbeats and excessive use of psychedelic-era clichés like out-of-phase stereo panning and flanging), 1968's Strictly Personal is actually a terrific album, every bit the equal of Safe As Milk and Trout Mask Replica. Opening with "Ah Feel Like Ahcid," an a cappella blues workout with its roots in Son House's "Death Letter," the brief (barely 35 minutes) album is at the same time simpler and weirder than Safe As Milk had been. Working without another songwriter or arranger for the first time, Captain Beefheart strips his idiosyncratic blues down to the bone, with several of the songs (especially "Son of Mirror Man/Mere Man") having little in the way of lyrics or chords beyond the most primeval stomp. Krasnow's unfortunate sound effects and phasing do detract from the album at points, but the strength of the performances, especially those of drummer John French, make his efforts little more than superfluous window dressing. Strictly Personal is a fascinating, underrated release.

Tracks
-1. "Ah Feel Like Ahcid" 3:05
-2. "Safe As Milk" 5:27
-3. "Trust Us" 8:09
-4. "Son of Mirror Man - Mere Man" 5:20
-5. "On Tomorrow" 3:27
-6. "Beatle Bones 'n' Smokin' Stones" 3:18
-7. "Gimme Dat Harp Boy" 5:05
-8. "Kandy Korn" 5:06

Personnel
* Don Van Vliet - vocals, harmonica
* Alex St. Clair - guitar
* Jeff Cotton - guitar
* Jerry Handley - bass guitar
* John French - drums

sample & buy: Strictly Personal

Captain Beefheart - Mirror Man Sessions (1967) (eac-log-covers)

Captain Beefheart - Mirror Man Sessions (1967)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 505MB

BMG/Buddha records | 1999 remaster

Allmusic:
The Mirror Man Sessions features the complete remastered contents of Mirror Man, albeit in a resequenced running order, and fills out the rest of the CD with a number of bonus tracks taken from additional recordings, both finished and unfinished, made around the same time for what would have been a double album titled It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper. As a listening experience, the package will appeal more to those who value the instrumental Beefheart; the Mirror Man album is, of course, essentially a 50-plus-minute jam session, containing as it does only four songs, and the bonus tracks -- many of which appeared on the One Way label's reissue of Safe as Milk -- mostly consist of jams and instrumentals which push the boundaries of conventional blues-rock, with a Beefheart vocal tossed in here and there. Some may miss Beefheart's surreal poetry, gruff vocals, and/or free jazz influence, while others may find it fascinating to hear the Magic Band simply letting go and cutting loose.

Tracks:
-1. "Tarotplane" – 19:08
-2. "25th Century Quaker" – 9:50
-3. "Mirror Man" – 15:46
-4. "Kandy Korn" – 8:06
-5. "Trust Us" (Take 6) – 7:14
-6. "Safe as Milk" (Take 12) – 5:00
-7. "Beatle Bones n' Smokin' Stones" – 3:11
-8. "Moody Liz" (Take 8) – 4:32
-9. "Gimme Dat Harp Boy" – 3:32

Personnel:
* Captain Beefheart – vocals, harmonica, oboe
* Alex St. Clair Snouffer – guitar
* Jeff Cotton – guitar
* Mark Marcellino: keyboards
* John French – drums
* Jerry Handley – bass

sample & buy: The Mirror Man Sessions

Captain Beefheart 1967 - Safe as Milk (1967) (eac-log-cover)

Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk (1967)

rock, blues, avantgarde | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 550MB

BMG/Buddha records

Allmusic:
Beefheart's first proper studio album is a much more accessible, pop-inflected brand of blues-rock than the efforts that followed in the late '60s -- which isn't to say that it's exactly normal and straightforward. Featuring Ry Cooder on guitar, this is blues-rock gone slightly askew, with jagged, fractured rhythms, soulful, twisting vocals from Van Vliet, and more doo wop, soul, straight blues, and folk-rock influences than he would employ on his more avant-garde outings. "Zig Zag Wanderer," "Call on Me," and "Yellow Brick Road" are some of his most enduring and riff-driven songs, although there's plenty of weirdness on tracks like "Electricity" and "Abba Zaba." [Buddha's 1999 reissue of Safe as Milk contained restored artwork and seven bonus tracks.]

Tracks:
-01. "Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do" (Don Van Vliet, Herb Bermann) – 2:15
-02. "Zig Zag Wanderer" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 2:40
-03. "Call On Me" (Van Vliet)[10] – 2:37
-04. "Dropout Boogie" (Van Vliet) – 2:32
-05. "I'm Glad" (Van Vliet) – 3:31
-06. "Electricity" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 3:07
-07. "Yellow Brick Road" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 2:28
-08. "Abba Zaba" (Van Vliet) – 2:44
-09. "Plastic Factory" (Van Vliet, Bermann, Jerry Handley) – 3:08
-10. "Where There's Woman" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 2:09
-11. "Grown So Ugly" (Robert Pete Williams) – 2:27
-12. "Autumn's Child" (Van Vliet, Bermann) – 4:02
CD bonus tracks
-13. "Safe as Milk" (Take 5) – 4:13
-14. "On Tomorrow" – 6:56
-15. "Big Black Baby Shoes" – 4:50
-16. "Flower Pot" – 3:55
-17. "Dirty Blue Gene" – 2:43
-18. "Trust Us" (Take 9) – 7:22
-19. "Korn Ring Finger" – 7:26

Personnel:
* Don Van Vliet – vocals, harmonica, bass marimba, arrangements
The Magic Band
* Alex St. Clair Snouffer – guitar, bass, background vocals
* Jerry Handley – bass, background vocals
* John French – drums, background vocals
Additional musicians
* Ry Cooder – guitar, slide guitar, bass, arrangements of "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" and "Grown So Ugly"
* Samuel Hoffman - theremin on "Electricity" and "Autumn's Child"
* Milt Holland – log drum, tambourine
* Taj Mahal – tambourine

sample & buy: Safe as Milk