ILX alum Andy Beta provides a pungent, appealing presentation of the xpost Rhino reissue collection, esp. in relation to Trout Mask. Wish he'd been more than parenthetical about "(disc four a fascinating set of outtakes and unreleased material)," but good overall, considering how much there is to for everyone to hear differently. Pretty sure that Decals has been in the Amazon MP3 store for a while, and didn't have much trouble getting the others on CD (years ago), though this batch may well sound better: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19923-captain-beefheart-sun-zoom-spark-1970-to-1972/
(Several Beefheart pieces linked at bottom of this 'un.)
― dow, Friday, 14 November 2014 00:51 (nine years ago) link
They should sound better, as the CD editions of all three were done over 20 years ago.
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 14 November 2014 00:56 (nine years ago) link
Last night I watched the first couple hours of From Straight to Bizarre doc about Zappa's record labels and artists. There's tons of details about Beefheart and the making of his early albums, especially Trout Mask. Includes lengthy interviews with a couple Magic Band members. Sounds like they came out of the experience brainwashed and fairly traumatized. Interesting stuff.
― Free Me's Electric Trumpet (Moodles), Friday, 14 November 2014 01:03 (nine years ago) link
The new version of "Trout Mask Replica" on Zappa records is worth getting, the sound is much improved.
The only actual difference I can recall is the lack of the hobo chat, you know, the "he had a s-s-s-stammer" bit.
Basically, the master as per the normal CD release had degraded over time and use, but Frank had made a safety copy of the mix back in the day, and safely stored it. Nearly all the tracks have been replaced (notably, "Frownland" is unchanged)
― Mark G, Friday, 14 November 2014 09:23 (nine years ago) link
. Sounds like they came out of the experience brainwashed and fairly traumatized. Interesting stuff.
Yeah, that's been known about for a while. I'm ploughing my way through the John French book and the Captain really was a terrible man, a terrible man... and this is before we get to TMR (they haven't even started recording Safe As Milk yet!) Some of his abuse and mistreatment of his bandmates is hilarious to read about it but I'm guessing it wasn't to experience.
― R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Friday, 14 November 2014 10:58 (nine years ago) link
I know I've stanned for this already, but the movie "Frank" is very much about this level of band trauma..
― Mark G, Friday, 14 November 2014 11:23 (nine years ago) link
From the John French book: Monkees were recording 'Headquarters' in (the apparently shitty) RCA Studios at the same time as the Magic Band were recording 'Safe As Milk' and Mike Nesmith, who wasn't too happy about being a Monkee, took to hanging about with Don.
― R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Friday, 14 November 2014 15:56 (nine years ago) link
Read somewhere that, when Hendrix Experience was first touring USA, opening for Monkees, they all enjoyed hanging out, except Davy Jones (nobody in either band liked him).
― dow, Friday, 14 November 2014 16:11 (nine years ago) link
Blurt Mag is giving away the Beefheart box (contest). Deadline 4/18--would have posted sooner, but just now saw it:http://blurtonline.com/win-captain-beefheart-deluxe-box-set/
― dow, Monday, 13 April 2015 22:46 (nine years ago) link
Have not recovered from the psychotrauma of the JF book enough to actually resume listening to beefheart yet
― demonic mnevice (Jon Lewis), Monday, 13 April 2015 23:32 (nine years ago) link
― dow, Monday, April 13, 2015 5:46 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Hey thanks for posting this btw cuz I won the contest
― chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 16:34 (nine years ago) link
nice! i still gotta get that box, no one gave it to me for xmas or my bday. what the hell is wrong w/ my family.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 16:40 (nine years ago) link
I know! I was really dropping the hints to my wife, but I got some socks instead oh and a baby.
― chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 16:42 (nine years ago) link
but your baby's middle name is "Beefheart" right?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 16:43 (nine years ago) link
"Rockette Morton" Besinger
― chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 16:50 (nine years ago) link
wau congrats!
it KILLS me that "Funeral Hill" isn't on that fourth record, what the hell
― sleeve, Wednesday, 22 April 2015 17:23 (nine years ago) link
http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc497/WardFowler/P1010807_zpslyskpijv.jpg
― sʌxihɔːl (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 30 September 2015 21:45 (eight years ago) link
http://www.beefheart.com/50th-anniversary-of-safe-as-milk/
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 10:42 (six years ago) link
http://www.beefheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Captain-Beefheart.jpg
― tylerw, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 16:57 (six years ago) link
wtf
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/nona_hendryx_covering_captain_beefheart_hear_the_whole_album_here_first
― sleeve, Saturday, 4 November 2017 00:50 (six years ago) link
https://downtrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/otur2.jpg
― Woon... Doopee Time (FlopsyDuck), Saturday, 4 November 2017 02:04 (six years ago) link
I was not expecting the sample tracks to be so enjoyable.
― o. nate, Saturday, 4 November 2017 02:08 (six years ago) link
So not only is Jeff Cotton (Antennae Jimmy Siemens) not dead, but he sounds terrific and has apparently never stopped playing and is turning back to being a full-time player again: https://youtu.be/qZNAgY8xqq8
― Three Word Username, Wednesday, 23 January 2019 12:33 (five years ago) link
Sad to see that Drumbo French keeps posting FB commments pro-Wall.Somebody mentioned a seeming trend of avant rock band drummers who turned out to be conservative alarmists. I know Moe Tucker is very much this, now Drumbo french, so are there others?
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 23 January 2019 12:39 (five years ago) link
Cotton makes a negative comparison of DVV to Trump towards the end of that interview, so they haven't all gone bad.
― Three Word Username, Wednesday, 23 January 2019 12:43 (five years ago) link
Has Moe said anything since the "Tea Party" days? (just looked it up, it was Oct 2010 )
― Mark G, Wednesday, 23 January 2019 13:11 (five years ago) link
Somebody mentioned a seeming trend of avant rock band drummers who turned out to be conservative alarmists. I know Moe Tucker is very much this, now Drumbo french, so are there others?
Um, Christian Vander?
― Zeuhl Idol (Matt #2), Wednesday, 23 January 2019 13:26 (five years ago) link
Drumbo is a Christian, long term, that probably doesn't help.
― Wee boats wobble but they don't fall down (Tom D.), Wednesday, 23 January 2019 13:28 (five years ago) link
It's disappointing, but otoh my respect for the Magic Band is not at all based on their grip on reality.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 23 January 2019 13:30 (five years ago) link
Jeff Cotton seems like a nice old hippy dude, remarkably together considering.
― Wee boats wobble but they don't fall down (Tom D.), Wednesday, 23 January 2019 13:33 (five years ago) link
Yeah, he's definitely not a casualty -- he warms up over the course of that very long interview and it's clear that he is very smart and very together and the years of religious and spiritual stuff he's been in have not left him unable to think, more the opposite. When he does a couple seconds of Pena, it's genuinely thrilling.
― Three Word Username, Wednesday, 23 January 2019 14:04 (five years ago) link
Raw Beat Club soundcheck reels from '72:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFW1DRA2xCs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fQTwewHV6M
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 30 January 2019 23:51 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei7OvpL9EmQ
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 31 January 2019 00:02 (five years ago) link
Did the full performance from Beat Club get a commercial release as an edition of the Lost Broadcasts series about 5 years ago. They were turning up complete performances of various artists that had been edited down for broadcast. I assume it was initially a German TV broadcast series that wound up being torrented and then got some commercial releases. I got some of the shows down as torrents can remember Blonde & MC5 (one with the English bassist). I also bought the Atomic Rooster as an official did. So not 100% sure if the Beefheart was released.
― Stevolende, Thursday, 31 January 2019 07:51 (five years ago) link
Cool, even though the third video isn't working where I am. "Steal Softly Thru Snow"! Great how the band manage to ignore Beefheart's soprano sax and carry on regardless. Also we get to see some of Beefheart's legendary bitching about the sound and soundmen.
― Wee boats wobble but they don't fall down (Tom D.), Thursday, 31 January 2019 09:19 (five years ago) link
strictly personal underrated
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:20 (three years ago) link
i was (once again) trying to get into zappa and just ended up sliding into another beefheart phase
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:21 (three years ago) link
Strictly Personal is very good, it's just that the versions of the same songs on The Mirror Man Sessions are all-time amazing.
― Anti-Cop Ponceortium (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:22 (three years ago) link
they are amazing in both forms! the takes of "trust us" and "safe as milk" on the album absolutely rip and stand with the others. "mirror man" > "mere man" for sure though
i'm probably close to alone in finding the obscuring effects in the production charming
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:27 (three years ago) link
I do find the phasing a bit distracting
― Anti-Cop Ponceortium (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:28 (three years ago) link
I’ve just heart it comes to you in a plain brown wrapper and it might be my favorite beefheart
― brimstead, Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:30 (three years ago) link
I’ve only heard, that should read
― brimstead, Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:31 (three years ago) link
it was on one of those “albums that never were” blogs I think
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson)
i used to be into zappa, he's seriously not worth it unless you're _really_ into the toxic masculinity thing, which i don't get the impression you are
aside from that it's just clusters of notes played really fast, "the black page" really does sum up his compositional approach fairly well
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:34 (three years ago) link
you can feel trout mask forming in the edges of the strictly personal/mirror man/brown wrapper songs and it's thrilling, one of my favorite parts of his catalog if not my favorite
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:34 (three years ago) link
Plain Brown Wrapper you heard presumably = the bonus tracks on Safe As Milk and last half of Mirror Man Sessions? If so then yes, unimpeachable set of songs, Beefheart at his best.
― Anti-Cop Ponceortium (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:41 (three years ago) link
@kate: i did come away with a positive impression of early mothers, especially the cracked doo-wop stuff on freak out and cruising with ruben and the jets, and i looove zappa's instrumental jazz fusion stuff. uncle meat is sort of lost on me beyond "king kong" and a few other isolated tracks; part of the reason i ended up listening to a lot of beefheart instead was that trout mask replica seems to answer the question "what if uncle meat was 100000x better and way less stupid"
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:44 (three years ago) link
I was working with a teacher a few years ago and while out at the pub he told me a story about how Zappa and Beefheart once had an argument about whether there was such a thing as "the right note" - Zappa said there was, Beefheart said there wasn't. I said that it was a good example of why Beefheart was much better than Zappa. He said that he thought it was an example of why Zappa was much better than Beefheart. And that was when we basically stopped getting on with each-other.
― Anti-Cop Ponceortium (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:51 (three years ago) link
hmmm, that is interesting! personally i don't think "uncle meat" is anything _like_ "trout mask replica". tmr was songs worked out over the course of a year by a killer white blues band in exhaustive brainwashing/rehearsal sessions led by an eccentric megalomaniac and played through basically live in one take. uncle meat is songs, by a weirdo rock guitarist with a semester of composition training and the mistaken impression that he was the second coming of edgard varese, from a hodgepodge of sessions assembled in a strange sort of proto-rundgren maximalist/absurdist stew.
you might like the really early stuff, there's some neat things on "the lost episodes"
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 13 August 2020 17:53 (three years ago) link
i mean they're nothing like each other in conception for sure but i feel like despite that they exude the same odor
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 13 August 2020 18:23 (three years ago) link