Chula Vista

Ya, kinda lost track of this thread. Skipping me is fine.

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“The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well,
on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away
and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

Frownland

Can we move this to the avant garde/experimental section?

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Lisnaholic

^ Ditto what F/land says, please.

I can give short appraisal of The Spotlight Kid if that's OK; no-one seems to have adopted it yet.

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

Trollheart

Yup, it's up to a mod to do that obviously but I agree.
And yeah, fair play t'ye Lisna, that just leaves one album with one more day to go before we begin. I've already done two of three of my reviews.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Beefheart

Get 'em in guys!

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Oriphiel

Beefheart Week has begun!

Strictly Personal



1. "Ah Feel Like Ahcid" - Kicking off with an homage to Son House (so basically, a love letter to the "Death Letter" ), I can already tell that i'm going to like this album. The guitars come in with a nice blues-y sound, but all in all everything is kept pretty sparse and raw. The song comes to a close with the ominous sound of a beating heart.

2. "Safe as Milk" - Wasn't this the name of the Magic Band's previous album, and it's title track? Anyway, it's a nice and heavy foot stomper, carrying on a bit of the first song's blues-y energy. The vocalist has got a pretty cool raspy voice that reminds me of Howlin' Wolf. The last third of the song changes things up, and becomes kind of a psychedelic scramble.

3. "Trust Us" - A sort of tangled psychedelic jazz track. It's less blues-y than the previous tracks, although the vocals are still pretty raspy, and it's the longest song so far (at eight minutes). The tone and pace are changed as the song goes on, keeping things from getting too stale. At roughly the five minute mark, it takes a pretty cool shift in sound that continues for a good amount of time, before turning into a fun blues song similar to the first track for the final minute of it's run time.


Innerspaceboy? Is that you?

4. "Son of Mirror Man-Mere Man" - Cool slide guitars and solid drumming introduce us to the next track, while some effect-laden psychedelic vocals moan in the background. The singer wails about "mirror man", and i'm guessing that the lyrics have some deeper meaning that Frown would love to tell me about. At about the three minute mark, the song shifts and scrambles around, before what sounds like someone playing a harmonica underwater kicks in (), and the vocalist returns. All in all, a pretty fun track.

5. "On Tomorrow" - This one starts off pretty well, with a somewhat toned down but still present psychedelic sound. The guitars kind of have a '60s folk feeling to them, and the vocalist is a bit more clean than in the previous songs. Also, this isn't a very long song, at only three and a half minutes of length. It's interesting, hitting hard and then fading away before it overstays it's welcome. The final notes of this song lead into the intro of the next track...

6. "Beatle Bones 'N Smokin' Stones" - Nice title. I wonder who this song could be about? This song starts off pretty weird, with the vocalist singing on his own, in an odd and pleading voice. The instruments kick in and provide a blues-y backdrop, though they stop every now and then so the singer can say "the dark, the light, the dark, the light" to the audience. Cool yet subtle psychedelic guitar work near the end, before the vocalist says "strawberry fields forever!" as an obvious jab to... the Rolling Stones.


The Magic Band, hard at work.

7. "Gimme Dat Harp Boy" - As the title hints, this song features some fun harmonica playing (i'm sure Little Walter would be proud). Another blues song with raw vocals and a nice heavy feeling to it, this track fits in well with the others.

8. "Kandy Korn" - The final song of the album, this one kicks off with some wailing. It quickly becomes a kind of... actually, i'm not entirely sure what genre to describe it as. It's got a kind of beat/r&b/jazz feeling to it. Two minutes and ten seconds in, it picks up some psychedelic distortions that continue to the end of the song.

I'm actually surprised with how much I liked this album! Beefheart is pretty awesome. The mash-up of stylings is pretty interesting, and i'm sure it blew more than a few minds in it's time. If you like blues music, the psychedelic sound, or garage rock, you really owe it to yourself to give this one a listen sometime.

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Trollheart

Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)

This is apparently the straw that broke the camel's back. Frown can tell you more of course, but Wiki tells me that when the Magic Band heard this album they all quit. This cannot be seen as a good start, and when one of the band says “Every song was worst than the last”, well...

1. Upon the my-oh-my Didn't find that terrible. More commercial certainly; I would get the impression that he wasn't trying too hard on the lyrical side but not bad.
2. Sugar bowl Bit of a blues uptempo track, slightly annoying I must say. Some good guitar but again the song seems pretty throwaway if catchy. Meh.
3. New Electric ride Yeah this is pretty neat. Like the slide guitar.
4. Magic Bee Reminds me of the tune to “Hang down your head”, though I know this is a decade before Waits cut that album. Sort of an acoustic ballad. Not bad. Goes on a bit, gets a little wearing.
5. Happy love song Like the sax on this one a lot. Pretty decent song, kind of hear Springsteen in there.
6. Full moon, Hot sun This one's ok before the harmonica kicks in then it goes Green.
7. I Got love on my mind Yeah I really like this one. There's something about the melody. I think someone ripped it off later.
8. This is the day This is just lovely. Very Knopfleresque guitar, lovely organ work.
9. Lazy music Another nice simple tune.
10. Peaches Cool rocker, a lot of fun. Brass is great

End result: I suppose if you're a diehard Beefheart fan like Frown you probably hate this, but I must say it was very pleasant and I see no reason to justify the above comments from his band, nor his own advice that people who bought the album should seek a refund. Not that anyone would give a refund for such a reason of course. But if I had this album I wouldn't be upset. If more of Beefheart's material was like this I could see myself maybe getting more into his music.

So, Love or Hate? This is surely a Love.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

OccultHawk

Writing the review for Trout Mask Replica is in one way the most important assignment concerning Beefheart week. TMR is very rightfully where most potential fans first turn for exposure to one of the great geniuses of the 20th Century. For many, TMR will always remain the only Beefheart they know. It's Beefheart's masterpiece. One of the most important records ever recorded. So who am I to say it should be me to be chosen to hunt down this woolly mammoth to provide the meat for the whole tribe? Well, there's a reason why it could be any of us. There's nothing any of us can say that hasn't been said a thousand times a thousand times better. All I can share with you is my personal relationship with this record. In other words, what it means to me. Yes, it sits alongside A Love Supreme, Rocket to Russia, Astral Weeks - greatness that can't be overstated, flawless, deservingly deified. It's a litmus test record. Those that haven't heard it need to get back to class. It's not a hipster thing; it's an understanding thing.

Here's how my relationship with this record developed. It was the late '80's and I was off to college. My future best friend had a booth set up asking students what band they would most like see play on campus. I was a southern boy who headed out west for college. I stood by the booth and insisted in my southern drawl that everyone who walked by stop and vote for Sonic Youth.

The next day my new bestie called and said my name was picked by a random draw and my prize was a free album. He said he would pick me up from the dorms and I could choose my record at the local shop. I was surprised when he took me to an all classical record store. I told him I wanted some music from the early Renaissance but he had other plans for me. He bought me a double album version of Stockhausen's Hymnen. I still have it, mint condition vinyl- one of the most overlooked recordings I know of. And it turned out I didn't really win the contest. He said he just chose me because I struck him as so funny, some weird hillbilly obsessed with Sonic Youth.

This was pre-Internet. I grew up listening to college radio and reading Creem magazine. I knew my punk from Black Flag to the Butthole Surfers. I had all kinds of cassettes of college radio playing stuff that sounded like Borbetomagus and Kaoru Abe. But there were huge holes in my knowledge. Bands that have been part of my life for so long I couldn't imagine not knowing. But back then, at 19, I didn't know.

He made a mix tape for me. Imagine this: It included Suicide, Ornette Coleman, MC5, The Stooges, and Captain Beefheart- and I had never heard of any of them before hand! Life-****ing-changing! Hello Big Leagues! Of course, I own all those records now. But I bought the Beefheart records and the Ornette- tied for first- on the same day.

The Beefheart songs he included were Big Eyed Beans from Venus (a track from Clear Spot, the other album I'm reviewing) and the astonishing Frownland from Trout Mask Replica.

Frownland is one of the universally greatest songs I've ever heard. It's the perfect song to bug out to dancing spastically drunk as a monkey. It's the perfect song to put on repeat and space out on its brilliance wigged out on mushrooms. It's the perfect song to study in complete sobriety. It's fantastically chaotic, and grooves. Beautiful lyrics.

"My spirit’s made up of the ocean
And the sky ‘n’ the sun ‘n’ the moon
‘n’ all my eyes can see...It’s not too late for me
To find my homeland
Where a man can stand by another man
Without an ego flying
With no man lying
‘n’ no one dying by an earthly hand"

Another friend of mine loved the a capella The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back. He could sing it straight through. He committed suicide at 23. I miss him and always think of him when I hear this song.

Another close friend especially loved The Blimp (mousetrapreplica). Read about it; listen to it. He saved his money for years working for right around minimum wage and bought a nice tenor sax that he could play well, a bass and a big two piece bass amp, a drum kit, and he had well over 500 records back when you had to pay for them. All of it was stolen in one fell swoop. It was shortly after our mutual friend mentioned above killed himself. We lost touch. I don't do Facebook but I heard he's not on it.

I'm not doing some kind of song for song thing but Dachau Blues freaks me out more than any other song on the album.

Dachau blues those poor Jews
Dachau blues those poor Jews
Dachau blues, Dachau blues those poor Jews
Still cryin’ ’bout the burnin’ back in World War Two’s
One mad man six million lose
Down in Dachau blues, down in Dachau blues
The world can’t forget that misery
‘n the young ones now beggin’ the old ones please
t’ stop bein’ madmen
‘fore they have t’ tell their children
’bout the burnin’s back in World War Three’s
War One was balls ‘n powder ‘n blood ‘n snow
War Two rained death ‘n showers ‘n skeletons
Dancin’ ‘n screamin’ ‘n dyin’ in the ovens
Cough ‘n smoke ‘n dyin’ by the dozens
Down in Dachau blues
Down in Dachau blues
Sweet little children with doves on their shoulders
Their eyes rolled back in ecstasy cryin’
Please old man stop this misery
They’re countin’ out the devil
With two fingers on their hands
Beggin’ the Lord don’t let the third one land
On World War Three
On World War Three

grindy

Debra Kadabra: A cool energetic opening track, a great mix of Beefheart’s usual angularity and Zappa’s playful complexity. One can hear how Beefheart was such an influence on the No Wave scene, during some of the more chaotic moments the guitar sounds almost like Arto Lindsay.

Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy: Zappa is singing on this one. Sounds like a more or less typical Zappa track from that period. Poppish vocal melodies and a rockish foundation with a heavy dose of jazz. There’s also a typical Zappa solo towards the end, which is always a good thing in my book.

Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top: This is one of Beefheart‘s spoken word pieces. Some guitar licks, percussion and weird synth sounds back up his vocals. Towards the end a pretty cool groove emerges but it’s all over soon. I’m sorry to admit I always have trouble understanding or even noticing lyrics, because I pay more ttention to the overall sound.

Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead : After a spoken intro by Zappa some relatively generic country music starts with Beefheart singing. It’s nothing special, but relatively enjoyable. Nice bass sound, some cool harmonica playing and a slide guitar.

200 Years Old: This one is very bluesy, once again some nice harmonica playing. At first Zappa is doing some spoken word, then singing sets in, with Beefheart leading the way. Another cool solo from Zappa on this one. There’s also some honky-tonk piano in the background. Nothing special musically speaking, more or less standard electric blues, but another fun, energetic track.

Cucamonga: And once again it starts of with some harmonica playing. Zappa is singing here. The music is more zappaesque and complex here. I really wish the track was longer, it’s a good one.

Advance Romance: This ist the longest track on the album. I’m not quite sure who’s singing here, I think it’s George Duke. The track has an overall bluesy feel, intersped with some Zappa weirdness here and there, as it progresses it becomes a straight forward, mostly instrumental, blues jam. Some weirdness emerges towards the end again. A big part of the track is Zappa soloing and while it’s none of his best solos, he’s always fun to listen to and it doesn’t get boring. The energy levels are high on this track as well. Towards the end the singing starts again, Fowler, Beefheart, Zappa (?) and the other guys each throw in some vocal lines.

Man With The Woman Head: The shortest track. Another spoken word number over a jazz-fusion background. Is this Beefheart doing the speaking with a non raspy voice? I’m not sure, I’m terrible at recognizing voices. I like the wailing sax and the e-piano here, but everything is over too fast to really get into.

Muffin Man: There’s a spoken word intro by Zappa who tells us some weird-ass stuff about the Muffin Man, accompanied by some cool sounding piano. It all becomes a groovy, rocking track and once again a long Zappa solo is the icing on the muffin. Sorry for that one. The whole second half of the song is basically him soloing. The vocals set in during the last minute again for some short time and after Zappa introduces the band member it’s over. Too bad it fades out, it seems there was some more soloing going on.

Well, this was a fun Zappa album. Oh right, it’s Beefheart week. Apart from the first track, where the music sounds pretty beefy at times (which is weird because apparently Zappa wrote it) and the short spoken word tracks there isn’t much Beefheart here. It is still a very cool album, Beefheart‘s vocals are a great addition whenever he’s singing and fans of both artists should have fun listening to it. I know I did. I wish there were more tracks like the first one, some genuine mixing of both musicians styles, but one has to take the album as it comes.

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A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.

Trollheart

Bluejeans and Moonbeams (1974)

Now this is weird! Beefheart had no musical experience or instrumental know-how? You don't say! Seriously: someone had to “translate his ideas into music” and with the mass exit after the previous album there was, well, nobody. Which makes it seem like this should be one very crappy album. And yet, Kate Bush can't rate it highly enough. Intriguing...

1. Party of special things to do Hard guitar is good, sort of Chicago Delta blues or something
2. Same old blues Love this. Great piano work and the guitar is excellent. Strings style keyboard is beautiful.
3. Observatory crest Again I hear Springsteen here, also Cohen. And Cave. Lyric is quite repetitive though. Great guitar and keys. Oddly, this reminds me of a slowed-down version of “Motorway City” by Hawkwind, in places anyway.
4. Pompadour Swamp Not mad about this one at all. Sort of a bit chaotic and disorganised.
5. Captain's holiday Very Steely Dan-like instrumental (mostly) with splashes of reggae and blues, maybe even funk thrown in. Like it. Great harmonica.
6. Rock'n'Roll's evil doll Great fun. Uptempo, upbeat, cool track.
7. Further than we've gone Oh this is just one beautiful ballad, great piano. This is probably the best track of his I've ever listened to up to this point.
8. Twist ah luck Decent blues track, but a big disappointment after the last one.
9. Bluejeans and moonbeams Somehow he now sounds like Bob Seger or Kenny Rogers! Really nice closer, unexpected sort of Country song.

End result: Again a really good album, and given all the bad press I'm kind of mystifed, unless Beefheart fans just hate anything musical.

So, Love or Hate? This is surely a Love.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018