Nice to see somebody remembers him/them. Amazing talent. Perfect for the times.

aiiee: Nice to see somebody remembers him/them. Amazing talent. Perfect for the times.

Dont worry, we wont forget. How can we ? now that music is becoming increasingly generic, its more and more glaringly obvious that this guy was operating on a completely different plane

sad thing is, after this greenlight im really scraping the bottom of the barrel in the way of captain footage. Did you know there is no footage of anything from Trout Mask Replica because this album was only played twice? Once in a studio for the album, and another time live, once

that said, this song is awesome, but also got This (new window) greenlighted a while back, its even better: im gonna booglarize you baby, check it out

In 1969 I was handed a promotional copy of Trout Mask and told to listen to it as a joke. We laughed at the obviously stoned and incompetent players over and over again as we played the record for friends. And of course the lyric sheet was interesting. Then one day, suddenly, while listening to "Ant Man Bee" I heard the groove. Bang! The cacophony coalesced into perfect syncopation. Like nothing I'd ever heard before. It was sooo right. I was floored. Never could go back to other music for years after that.

There appears to be about a half dozen Beefy vids on you tube. The Radar Station used to have a lot of stuff, including the awesome "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" commercial. But I think he had to take it all down because people were biatching. It's hard to impress on people how brilliant he was because a lot of the stuff he was doing has disseminated into other people's music now, but 40 years ago? He was it. There was no place else to go but there.

I always loved this story of John Peel's:

"When we were coming back from Frank Freeman's, he [Don Van Vliet] asked if he could listen to a tree. I've always thought that's a really strange thing to have done, but of course it could have been his way of saying that he wanted a pee? probably was. He might have said 'listen to a tree', because it rhymed with 'having a pee'. His thought processes were not like those of other men? you could well believe that he wanted to listen to a tree. If anybody else had said it, I would have said 'stupid bastard' under my breath. But with Beefheart you thought, well, he knows more than I do and if he wants to listen to a tree, and I'm in a position to enable him to do so, then I'm going to give him a chance to do it, because it would be quite wrong not to. So he got out of the car and disappeared. It was one of those things where Pete Frame ought to have arranged for a plaque to be put there. Beefheart probably just went and had a pee, I don't know. Or he may have just listened to a tree. I'd like to say that I can see him silhouetted against a gibbous moon with his ear firmly pressed to a fine old elm, but I just don't know."

Any of my friends who would listen to Trout Mask Replica were baffled by it. At one point I realized the way to listen to Beefheart was to concentrate on the percussion and the rest would fall into place. This dawned on me when I was listening to Orange Claw Hammer. Don's singing with just a click track. At first, I thought they had a tape problem and just left the noise in, but it turns out that it's the whole backbone of the song.

Yeah, well, I disagree.

This version of a pretty good song is some of the most banal crap I've heard.

Beefheart was a joke that STILL has people fooled.

He's the musical equivilent of Andy Kaufman...

Yeah, go ahead and rip me. At least I know decent - let alone GOOD - music when I hear it.

Fast and bulbous!!!

Good find.

aiiee: In 1969 I was handed a promotional copy of Trout Mask and told to listen to it as a joke. We laughed at the obviously stoned and incompetent players over and over again as we played the record for friends. And of course the lyric sheet was interesting. Then one day, suddenly, while listening to "Ant Man Bee" I heard the groove. Bang! The cacophony coalesced into perfect syncopation. Like nothing I'd ever heard before. It was sooo right. I was floored. Never could go back to other music for years after that.

There appears to be about a half dozen Beefy vids on you tube. The Radar Station used to have a lot of stuff, including the awesome "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" commercial. But I think he had to take it all down because people were biatching. It's hard to impress on people how brilliant he was because a lot of the stuff he was doing has disseminated into other people's music now, but 40 years ago? He was it. There was no place else to go but there.

they rehearsed Trout mask replicas for months. Basically, the guitarist had the unfortunate task of transfering the captain s piano chords to guitar, and since the captain didnt play and slammed his hands instinctively, using his 10 fingers, on the piano you can only imagine the nightmare it was to transfer that into a guitar chord, which has only 6 strings

And I so agree with everthing you said, captain beefheart is a very rewarding learning curve, but most people just run out of that room the minute they hear those dissonances. Id love more bands like his. I didnt find many but you can find influences in old Butthole Surfers (new window) records sometimes, and also P.I.L.

Listening to Bat Chain Puller now. Thanks for the memories, subby.

That's just a basic blues riff, not the typical Capt. Beefheart over-the-top avant-garde shiat.

Where's that video of Ashtray Heart on Letterman? Someone took it down. Grrrrrr.

mfaby: Yeah, go ahead and rip me. At least I know decent - let alone GOOD - music when I hear it.

Well, good for you.

Dear Jerk: Don's singing with just a click track. At first, I thought they had a tape problem and just left the noise in, but it turns out that it's the whole backbone of the song.

Not so sure there was a click track. He often refused to wear headphones in the studio, accounting for much of the ...interesting... timing of even the otherwise straight-ahead vocal parts.

John_Rat_Safari: Fast and bulbous!!!

Good find.

Bulbous also tapered.

Hey, Harry. That Butthole Surfers tune is pretty good. I always dug that band's name but never listened to 'em. The first time I heard of them was when punk was popular so I assumed they was just that.
ok.

Zaphod B.: John_Rat_Safari: Fast and bulbous!!!

Good find.

Bulbous also tapered.

A squid in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous, got me?

I was listening to Orange Claw Hammer. Don's singing with just a click track. At first, I thought they had a tape problem and just left the noise in, but it turns out that it's the whole backbone of the song.

That's not what you're hearing. He was making up the lyrics as he went along, turning the tape recorder on and off.

I will eat a plate of shiat in hell before I disrespect the Captain but:


I have heard over the years that Beefheart owes quite a lot to his many benefactors and enablers. Musicians and producers etc. that he works with are required in order to fully realize and capture his genius. It has been said that Captain Beefheart is difficult to work with as he doesn't really communicate in correct musical terms
and can't even conduct himself in a professional manner with others.

I am not just referencing the Zappa-Beefheart "feud" here.
(both have claimed the other owes much to the other)
Zappa was a fully coherent communicator and band leader where Beefheart is not.

I think I have heard that "Safe as Milk" would have never happened without Ry Cooder and the same thing about "Trout Mask Replica" without Zappa.

Oh well,I do love Captain Beefheart records regardless of who is responsible.

pipco: Hey, Harry. That Butthole Surfers tune is pretty good. I always dug that band's name but never listened to 'em. The first time I heard of them was when punk was popular so I assumed they was just that.
ok.

thanks, all their early albums are really weird like that, so you might like it, they are considered from the punk era but never ever did a straight punk song. they are just too weird

their album "Locust Abortion technician" and "Hairway to Steven" are worth checking. I like Jimi (new window) off of "Hairway" dig the dissonances all the way until it builds up into an acoustic break, complete with barnyard animals

people who dont' 'get' beefheart
deserve the musical hell they've probly
made for themselves

let's face it
and not condemn the unenlightned



http://myspace.com/daveyunderground

HappyHarryHardOn: Id love more bands like his. I didnt find many but you can find influences in old Butthole Surfers (new window) records sometimes, and also P.I.L.

You should look for any records put out by the Black Eye label. They are a Sydney label with lots of great stuff heavily influenced by Beefheart. Not that easy to find any more, but there have been some re-issues lately. Thug for one.