Captain Beefheart

I supplemented my digital copy of "The Mirror Man Sessions" with the bonus tracks from the 1999 reissue of "Safe As Milk", they make a great extension and give a complete picture. There might be more from these sessions on the "Grow Fins" box but I don't think they're critical.

Great write-up about Doc At The Radar Station in The Quietus today:

https://thequietus.com/articles/28822-doc-at-the-radar-station-captain-beefheart-anniversary-review

Thanks will check that out later

ta for the link, spent the last hour looking at Hilma af Klint paintings. she's awesome!

Nice enough interviews. Lol @ the Throbbing Gristle 'like'

I love you, big dummy!. My playlist.

wow i really love ice cream for crow. my favorite of the final three

"Don Van Fliet"

Don't remember seeing this thread before the past week; it's gotten me looking around---a bunch of skeevey-looking CDs still on Amazon (several of which I bought quite a few years ago), but also, discovered that they now have a nicely-priced legit-looking Decals (ditto several others that I already have), also I'm Goning To Do... on mp3 (and a bunch of other Rhino Handmades likewise, incl. Television's Live at the Old Waldorf and that monster Fugs box). Grow Fins mp3 is $49.49, much less than even the used CD edition on there.
I've just finished first listen to Albums That Never Were's version of It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper, different from the Sundazed, and, as always, he tells you exactly what and why and how he used which materials---sound is crisp, well-defined without getting anal about it (I listened to the flac; also offers mp3s: 2 "discs," 45 minutes each):
http://albumsthatneverwere.blogspot.com/search/label/captain%20beefheart

Fast typing, sorry. "Kandyyyy Korn, Beeee reborn..."

That Decals is legit--it, Clear Spot, and Spotlight Kid were broken off from the now OOP Rhino "Sun Zoom Spark" box.

It seems like most of the MIA Bizzare/Straight titles have been reissued physically and digitally now, although several of the former may not be in-print as of late.

Are there any good Beefheart live DVDs at all?

Beyond the BBC 'Tragic band' OGWT? Not as far as I know

there's four killer tracks on the Grow Fins box that iirc are live videos

Probably the stuff they shot for the Beat Club? 1971 two drumkit/ two guitar/ bass line-up.

The Beat Club Booglarize is way better than the Spotlight Kid version.

The Beat Club video I thought was amazing as you could actually see how some of that stuff was played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0d0rsW9p3I

I was just thinking after watching this SNL the other night https://vimeo.com/385867940

I think there was a gig filmed for French TV, 1980? Not sure how much of the gig.

I had no choice but to to stan (it’s actually kinda beautiful) pic.twitter.com/uGp9iWXnr4

— Sasha Frere-Jones (@zombiesfj) August 9, 2021

This was the last straw that finally got me off my ass to order this.

By the way, this week Trout Mask Replica appeared on streaming services for the first time ever (the 2013 Bob Ludwig remaster).

The Legendary A&M Sessions is just an awesome record.

^^Speaking of, The Captain gets a phone interview and a needle drop on American Bandstand in '66:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFfKWfJ8Tc8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKWVLOIEO-Q

^ never heard this before - from the blue collar OST
the clanging/industrial percussion is cool!

yeah the only place that's been compiled is on The Dust Blows Forward 2xCD, I think

that's a cool one. i heard it on a Jack Nitzsche comp ... called Hard Workin Man, actually! https://www.discogs.com/release/4561165-Jack-Nitzsche-Hard-Workin-Man-The-Jack-Nitzsche-Story-Volume-2

Guess it's a little reunion with the captain and ry cooder, too.

Which was absolute torture to record according to Cooder - hilarious torture though.

Only found out the other day that there's an exhibition of Don's paintings currently on in London:

https://www.michaelwerner.com/exhibitions/don-van-vliet7

Thanks for reminding me, I'd forgotten that was on.

Ry Cooder:

We wrote the tune and I don't remember a whole lot about it except that [I wondered] who can sing this? Well, only Beefheart's got that kind of crazy low voice to put this across. I got him to come down out of the desert - it was the last time I saw him. Locked him in a room and went through all kinds of hell to get him to sing the whole song once. He's the most incorrigible, difficult guy in the world. "I hate Hollywood... those lights - I hate those lights... who's that guy?" That's just the producer, leave him alone... "I hate producers." Just sing the song. "I have to go to the bathroom." Just sing... the song. Jesus Christ! We locked the door. Actually did. "Get me outta here," he was yelling - banging the door with his fists. I said, "You sing - then you can come out." He put me through a lot of hell during the Safe As Milk days and I got off on that. I got him now! We got Beefheart now. But it was good.

it's too bad the much more profane film version doesn't seem to have been released anywhere officially...

Only found out the other day that there's an exhibition of Don's paintings currently on in London:

https://www.michaelwerner.com/exhibitions/don-van-vliet7

― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 10 January 2024 bookmarkflaglink

Nice. I am definitely going

I went. Found the paintings to have a similar energy to his music. They are not fully abstract, nor fully figurative.

I've never been to the desert but I got a feeling this is what it could be like. They transported me there.

One week to go, it's just three rooms. Go.