Even the Captain had to start somewhere, and not surprisingly, his "somewhere" was pretty out there for most folks. Rounding up tracks and traces from the early days of the Magic Band, Grow Fins Vol. 1 (the vinyl-only compilation of the Just Got Back From the City and Electricity discs in the fantastic Grow Fins box set) is a fine collection of demos that would pre-date the Safe as Milk LP, a full-length television performance from 1968 and a smattering of demos and live versions. Through its many incarnations, the Magic Band in turn, had many primes. With slide virtuoso Ry Cooder as a full on member of the band on many of these cuts, and Van Vliet searching for and ultimately finding his voice over the course of this set, this compilation is undoubtedly one of them. Highlights here are numerous, but my favorites include the 1967 demo of "Sure Nuff n Yes I Do" and "Electricity", presented here in two extraordinary live incarnations. As they say, if you got ears, you gotta listen.
Showing posts with label Captain Beefheart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captain Beefheart. Show all posts
Wednesday
Captain Beefheart
Grow Fins Vol. 1 (Early Demos & Live) - 1966-68
Even the Captain had to start somewhere, and not surprisingly, his "somewhere" was pretty out there for most folks. Rounding up tracks and traces from the early days of the Magic Band, Grow Fins Vol. 1 (the vinyl-only compilation of the Just Got Back From the City and Electricity discs in the fantastic Grow Fins box set) is a fine collection of demos that would pre-date the Safe as Milk LP, a full-length television performance from 1968 and a smattering of demos and live versions. Through its many incarnations, the Magic Band in turn, had many primes. With slide virtuoso Ry Cooder as a full on member of the band on many of these cuts, and Van Vliet searching for and ultimately finding his voice over the course of this set, this compilation is undoubtedly one of them. Highlights here are numerous, but my favorites include the 1967 demo of "Sure Nuff n Yes I Do" and "Electricity", presented here in two extraordinary live incarnations. As they say, if you got ears, you gotta listen.
Even the Captain had to start somewhere, and not surprisingly, his "somewhere" was pretty out there for most folks. Rounding up tracks and traces from the early days of the Magic Band, Grow Fins Vol. 1 (the vinyl-only compilation of the Just Got Back From the City and Electricity discs in the fantastic Grow Fins box set) is a fine collection of demos that would pre-date the Safe as Milk LP, a full-length television performance from 1968 and a smattering of demos and live versions. Through its many incarnations, the Magic Band in turn, had many primes. With slide virtuoso Ry Cooder as a full on member of the band on many of these cuts, and Van Vliet searching for and ultimately finding his voice over the course of this set, this compilation is undoubtedly one of them. Highlights here are numerous, but my favorites include the 1967 demo of "Sure Nuff n Yes I Do" and "Electricity", presented here in two extraordinary live incarnations. As they say, if you got ears, you gotta listen.
Tuesday
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Bands
Railroadism (Live in the USA 72-81)
Although it's heavy on recordings from the Captain's late 70s-early 80s "comeback" period, this live compilation pulls together so many of the facets that made his live appearances so brilliantly bizarre; the bits of spoken word, the baiting of a surly audience, and a band that both sounds like it's being held together by a thread but could nail every inch of music with razor-sharp precision. Perhaps most memorable is that at least three different incarnations of his Magic Band are represented, and thanks to meticulous track selection and sequencing, the effect of presenting the hodgepodge as a singular concert is overwhelmingly successful. The highlights are numerous, but my favorites include "The Blimp," "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" and "Dirty Blue Jean." Tremendous quality.
Although it's heavy on recordings from the Captain's late 70s-early 80s "comeback" period, this live compilation pulls together so many of the facets that made his live appearances so brilliantly bizarre; the bits of spoken word, the baiting of a surly audience, and a band that both sounds like it's being held together by a thread but could nail every inch of music with razor-sharp precision. Perhaps most memorable is that at least three different incarnations of his Magic Band are represented, and thanks to meticulous track selection and sequencing, the effect of presenting the hodgepodge as a singular concert is overwhelmingly successful. The highlights are numerous, but my favorites include "The Blimp," "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" and "Dirty Blue Jean." Tremendous quality.
Friday
Captain Beefheart
Trout Mask House Sessions (Grow Fins Volume 2) - 1969
Captain Beefheart was once quoted as saying that he composed the entirety of Trout Mask Replica in an eight hour burst of creative genius. In truth, it was created over a period of about 8 months, during which Beefheart holed up the Magic Band in a small house in the LA suburbs, blacked out the windows, handed out rations of lima beans and forced them into marathon rehearsals that would average 12 hours a day. But before the Magic Band took their creation into the studio to lay it down in an incredible single-day session, Frank Zappa recorded the entirety of Trout Mask Replica in its natural environment; the house in which it was created over those eight grueling months. The result is tighter, tougher, more assured than the studio album, and completely instrumental, since Beefheart intended to overdub his vocals in the bathroom at a later date. Interspersed with fly-on-the-wall chatter among the band, Zappa, random guests and neighbors, plus the constant tap of a typewriter, it's a field recording in the truest sense and an indispensable document for lovers of the creative process. God bless the Captain.
Wednesday
Captain Beefheart
The Brown Star Sessions - 1972
The 1972 sessions that produced the Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot LPs marked a new era in the recording career of Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. With the Captain appearing to have loosened the structural death grip he imposed on his musicians since the Trout Mask Replica LP, the tracks that make up the Brown Star Sessions illustrate the band exploring some new turf by stretching out the tunes and taking their polyrhythmic mayhem to new heights. The results are similar in feel to the officially released Mirror Man Sessions, but more relaxed and varied in style and instrumentation. A number of the tracks here are either instrumental or wildly different versions than those that would appear on Spotlight Kid, Clear Spot and subsequent LPs. Check out the rubbery "Boogler Risin'", which later became "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" and the slower than molasses take on "Clear Spot." The fidelity here is better in some points than others (some sound like studio masters, others contain a little tape hiss) but this is easy to overlook when the music is as potent as this stuff. Enjoy a good freak out.
The 1972 sessions that produced the Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot LPs marked a new era in the recording career of Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. With the Captain appearing to have loosened the structural death grip he imposed on his musicians since the Trout Mask Replica LP, the tracks that make up the Brown Star Sessions illustrate the band exploring some new turf by stretching out the tunes and taking their polyrhythmic mayhem to new heights. The results are similar in feel to the officially released Mirror Man Sessions, but more relaxed and varied in style and instrumentation. A number of the tracks here are either instrumental or wildly different versions than those that would appear on Spotlight Kid, Clear Spot and subsequent LPs. Check out the rubbery "Boogler Risin'", which later became "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" and the slower than molasses take on "Clear Spot." The fidelity here is better in some points than others (some sound like studio masters, others contain a little tape hiss) but this is easy to overlook when the music is as potent as this stuff. Enjoy a good freak out.Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Clear Spot - 1972
While Clear Spot may the most accessible album in the Captain’s repertoire, that's not saying that it doesn't pack a mighty punch. Teaming up with Warner Brothers' house producer Ted Templeman (Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers??, Van Halen?!) may have seemed like an odd proposal, but the result is the tightest and most finely produced Beefheart album in his entire catalogue. Ranging from Safe As Milk style blues romps "Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man" to tender love songs "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" and the incredible title track, Clear Spot never heads off into the bizarro territory that Beefheart fans love to love, but is no less rewarding. From AllMusic: 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. THAT, is a recommendation.
While Clear Spot may the most accessible album in the Captain’s repertoire, that's not saying that it doesn't pack a mighty punch. Teaming up with Warner Brothers' house producer Ted Templeman (Van Morrison, The Doobie Brothers??, Van Halen?!) may have seemed like an odd proposal, but the result is the tightest and most finely produced Beefheart album in his entire catalogue. Ranging from Safe As Milk style blues romps "Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man" to tender love songs "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" and the incredible title track, Clear Spot never heads off into the bizarro territory that Beefheart fans love to love, but is no less rewarding. From AllMusic: 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. THAT, is a recommendation.
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