What's your favourite al*** by the Captain (Beefheart)

Posted by: Guido Fawkes on 22 February 2010



One of the most original and talented singer songwriters ever to walk this planet was, IMHO, Don Van Vliet .... but what do think was the Captain's greatest elpee?

Was it his wonderful debut Safe As Milk with Ry Cooder with its blues slant coupled with surreal lyrics and a touch of the avant-garde.

Was it Strictly Personal with producer Bob Krasnow getting a bit phased and may be better appreciated within the The Mirror Man Sessions an elpee that original Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper.

Of course it could have been the almost unique sound of Trout Mask Replica - probably the only album that will make you not only feel fast and bulbous, but also as if you want to Grow Fins.

I say of TMR almost unique because there is another record like it; of course it is the Captain again with the amazing Lick My Decals Off, Baby - a truly remarkable record.

OK so we go to Cap's romantic period and the rather charming Spotlight Kid and the slight better Clear Spot with the superb Big Eyed Beans from Venus - great guitar.

Now would anybody who thinks Unconditionally Guaranteed or Bluejeans & Moonbeams were the Captain's best records please leave now. There are one or two moments Upon the My-O-My, but these albums were horrible - my opinion, well no not just my opinion, Don Van Vliet said they were awful and urged fans to return the elpees and ask for a refund.

But four years later in 1978, he returned to form with the faultless Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) - this is a truly great record with gems like When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy. Frank Zappa had a hand in the original Dust Sucker 76 sessions from which this emerged.

Could he follow it - yes he could and with another sensational effort Doc at the Radar Station - if you haven't heard this then you are missing out on experiences like Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on My Knee and the sublime A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond

Which leaves us with last, but far from least Ice Cream for Crow - perhaps Don wanted to go out at the top and leave the world with this masterpiece - a shame really as it marked a progression in to a new musical form - it shows that the Captain was nothing short of genius.

He is still around painting this and that ... and he left behind 12 albums of which 10 were quite stunning .... there is nobody else quite like Captain Beefheart (though late great Kevin Coyne approaches it, but that's a thread of its own).
Posted on: 22 February 2010 by BigH47
OK I've got Doc at the Radar Station and Bluejeans & Moonbeams. I can't recall ever playing them, which must say something.
Looks like they were in 10 for a £1 at the YMCA shop.
Posted on: 22 February 2010 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Bluejeans & Moonbeams
- it sounds so bad it could be Sinatra on an off-day.
quote:
Doc at the Radar Station
but please give this a spin - it is such a marvellous record and you can't help but feel happy when you listen to it.
quote:
Looks like they were in 10 for a £1 at the YMCA shop.
Which only goes to show it's fun to be at the .....
Posted on: 22 February 2010 by ewemon
Safe as Milk but haven't had a copy in my possession for over 20 years. To me he never bettered it.

I also personally thought and a lot of people did as well at the time that his the 2 albums for Virgin were not that good. It seemed he had sold out and gone commercial.

I saw him on the OGWT round about Shiny Beast and he was good but not that great.
Posted on: 22 February 2010 by Ron Brinsdon
For the pleasure it has consistently delivered over the years it will still be TMR for me but, and I suspect I am in a huge minority here, I think that Bluejeans and Moonbeams (THE TRACK NOT THE ALBUM) is superb - it's just not typical Captain! I always get the impression he sung it a bit "tongue in cheek" and recall from an interview (possibly in Zig Zag)that he was torn between staying true to form for that album but at the same time was desperate for commercial success.

In a similar vein, I also like "This is The Day" but can't remember the album without checking sleeves.

Also, a tin teardrop...................

Ron
Posted on: 23 February 2010 by alainbil
I own all Captain Beefheart official albums (but Strictly Personal. There was a time Don Van Vliet himself was advising on his web site not to buy this album), even the hard to find Lick My Decals Off, Baby.

My favourites are Trout Mask Replica and Mirror Man. I bought recently a reissued CD version of the later, it sound not as bad as my LP. But they are all highly recommendable (but Safe As Milk may be).
Posted on: 23 February 2010 by graham halliwell
My favourite is Decals, the most played Spotlight Kid, the most talked about Trout Mask, and the most dreamed about a legitimate mastering of the original Bat Chain sessions.

I believe the Zappa estate are still sitting on the rights to these tapes, for one reason or another. It was mentioned in print as long ago as 2000 (Mike Barnes) that the estate were preparing for their release. Unfortunately, all we have is remnants in the form of the Dust Sucker tapes.
Posted on: 28 February 2010 by alainbil
I bought the CD with “Clear Spot” and “The Spotlight Kid”.

“ Spotlight Kid” sounds much better than my vinyl version, that sounds distant, lacking treble, with enjoying distortions in the last tracks. “Clear Spot” does not sound better than my old vinyl however.
Posted on: 28 February 2010 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
I bought the CD with “Clear Spot” and “The Spotlight Kid”
Excellent choices - enjoy.
Posted on: 28 February 2010 by dougmon
My favorites are 'Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)' and 'Clear Spot'. Don't know why, but I've always thought of 'Clear Spot' as being a very R&B-influenced record.
Posted on: 01 March 2010 by Martin M
It's such a rich back catalogue it's hard to chose, however Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), Doc at Radar Station and Mirror Man are most often played.
Posted on: 01 March 2010 by Guido Fawkes
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
This is the only Beefheart i have.
Jimmy Carl Black once said Frank had done Don a favour letting him sing on Bongo Fury, but then added that only Frank could claim having the finest vocalists around to lead his band was doing a favour Big Grin

Have a listen to the Mirror Man Sessions - superb stuff.
Posted on: 02 March 2010 by alainbil
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
This is the only Beefheart i have.


Poor Beefheart, exhibited like a bearded woman in Zappa circus
Posted on: 02 March 2010 by graham halliwell
"Poor Beefheart, exhibited like a bearded woman in Zappa circus"

yes, a real love/hate relationship for many years. I think Beefheart felt like the 'bearded lady' regarding the Zappa produced Trout Mask sessions.

my favourite insult was in one interview when Beefheart referred to Zappa as looking like a fly's rear leg.
Posted on: 04 March 2010 by alainbil
There are many “unofficial” live recordings of Captain Beef heart and his Magic Band. Any recommendation?
Posted on: 04 March 2010 by Madhatter
I've always been a fan of the great man. I have Strictly Personal, Mirror Man and Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) on vinyl and Trout Mask Replica, Clear Spot/Spotlight Kid and Ice Cream for Crow on cd.

The favourite has to be the last one but TMR gets an outing every year or so. I used to have it on vinyl but I must have lent it to somebody years ago and never got it back. (How does that happen? I also used to have Argus by Wishbone Ash and Amon Duul II, neither of which I ever got round to replacing).

I was lucky enough to see the Captain at Brighton Dome on 29th March 1972. From what I remember it was an amazing experience. What surprised me most was hearing some of the weird tracks from TMR, including instrumentals, played note perfect. Great stuff. I found a review here.

Chris
Posted on: 05 March 2010 by graham halliwell
one other CD I find compelling is the first CD of the Revenant "Grow Fins" box set. Live and alternate versions of early stuff.

Anyone read John French's biog of The Captain yet? If so, what do you think?

alainbil - I personally don't have any recommendations from the bootleg stuff. I was listening to the Bickerstaff gig on Spotify and the problem for me is they generally sound very rough. So bad the poor quality gets in the way of the music.