Overview of the 13 Captain Beefheart albums, in order of recording date, with brief commentary on the music and bands. Truly one of the most original, innovative, and influential artists of the 20th century!
Thanks Brandon. I need to eventually continue my Beefheart reviews, but at some point it just becomes hard to even comment on genius of that level, haha! Cheers. Jeff
My experience with TMR was that I initially hated it. And then I hated it some more. And then I hated it some more. Over time, however, after returning to again and again for another go, I began to pick out certain pieces I DID enjoy. And them some more. This just grew until one day until something just CLICKED. Now I consider it indispensable, and one of my favorite albums of all time. Funny how these things work out. Nice video.
Outstanding. As a younger music fan who has been a bit intimidated about digging into Captain Beefheart's discography, this was everything I needed to approach it. Thanks so much for this - looking forward to picking some of these up
Thanks for your kind and encouraging comment!! Yes, Beefheart takes time but it ends up being something you enjoy, it rewards repeated listens for decades to come. Truly unique. Thanks again. Jeff
I just bought Beefheart's latest release and I don't know if it was out previously. It's titled I Am going to do what I want to at My Father's Mustache from 1978 concert. It's definitely a hoot !
just discovered your channel through this video .....was perusing your video archive and noticed you havent done individual reviews of beefhearts records as you said you would here . i would really appreciate if you would do so as you seem to be a real fan who 'gets' the music . thanks.
Jeff, Enjoyed your video. I got into Beefheart through Zappa of course. My first two CDs I bought were "Unconditionally Guaranteed" and "Strictly Personal" and I love both these albums. I was so inspired by his music. That I wrote a song myself called "Black Crow Blues/Outside my window" a real simple song to play. I wanted someone to play crazy slide guitar through the whole song and sing it in the style of Beefheart vocals. Take Care Edward.
Hi Edward. Yes Beefheart is so unique and his music is very inspiration, I agree. Cool that you wrote a song inspired by him. Have you ever tried to play slide guitar? I bought some glass and metal slides back in the day and had fun playing with the style. I love a good slide player. Thanks for your comment, Edward. Cheers! Jeff
I saw the Captain and the Magic Band at Town Hall(?) in NYC in support of "Decals". It's been a while, but I think I remember Morton having a double necked bass. It was a great show. My opinion, "Decals" is his best, followed by "Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)". "Trout" was OK, very experimental, important in its time, but I thought it had a lot of filler. "Decals" would actually be high in my top-10 all-time considering that I still listen to it often and enjoy it to death every time. Mama, mama here come "Doctor Dark" kills me right at the top. Brilliant AF. I also saw Beefheart at My Father's Place in Roslyn, Long Island, 1978 in support of Shiny Beast. "And I'll just go on and do my washin'."
Thanks! But I've never seen Moon credited anywhere for having taken part in the recording of Safe As Milk. The two singles that were issued prior to Safe As Milk, yes, but not Safe As Milk. If he WAS indeed in on that recording session, it is a shame that he is not listed anywhere as being so. Thanks for your comment. Jeff
@@CalicoSilver Oh dear, you made me doubt myself and on checking I think you were right all along. He was defiantly there during the rehearsals but I think Don sacked him before the recording. He does come back and is playing guitar on China pig from trout mask. I should research more before jumping in. Sorry about that :(
@@shirleymental4189 Haha, you had me doubting myself too! One thing I have learned over the years is that I don’t know most of what I think I know! So I am fully aware that I may be wrong about anything at any time. Haha. Thanks for the comments. Jeff
I hope it was helpful in knowing which albums would be the best to check out, given a particular listener's tastes. That was the purpose for the video. But his discography is kinda confusing and a bit hard to pigeon hole into easy categories, haha! I think you'd really like Clear Spot (which comes on a 2-fer CD with Spotlight Kid which is also very good). And you might like Strictly Personal too if you don't mind some of the added psychedelic silliness. Oh hell, get all of them! Haha! (except Unconditionally Guaranteed)
Wonderful video. I've been looking forward to this video for a while and it didn't disappoint. The first Beefheart I ever heard was Blue Jeans, so I had a slightly strange entry point. My favourite is Clear Sot. I did do a Beefheart collection video a couple of years ago though it's nothing like a comprehensive as yours. Good work!
Yeah, Clear Spot is amazing, James. It is probably the Beefheart album that I recommend to the most people, due to its wide range of styles and relatively accessible nature. That, and Safe As Milk. His discography is somewhat confusing so I hoped to make a video to help clarify some things.
Really enjoyed the Beefheart review. The first one I picked up was Clear Spot which is still one of my favorites today. I knew about Trout Mask Replica as a couple of friends had it back in college and would laugh and play it at times. I've not heard Strictly Personal, which I'll have to check out. I always enjoyed Van Vliet's visual artwork as well.
Yeah, Clear Spot is a winner for sure, Dave! - very accessible and top notch quality all around. Strictly Personal is great, too, but it has that overdubbed psychedelic effects stuff in places, which is OK by me but annoying to other listeners. Still, a fantastic album. I like his artwork also, even though I wouldn't know good art from bad, personally....still, it is pretty cool to my eyes. Thanks for the comment!
Jeff, excellent review of an artist that had such a convoluted history.You did a great job of untangling his catalog.My take on Beefheart is that he was a poet,painter, desert dwelling nature lover with a healthy distrust of Mankind.I love his guest spot on The David Letterman Show.
Thanks, Michael! That is exactly what I hoped to do with the video (well, that and to hopefully remind some viewers that he did much more than just Trout Mask Replica and Safe As Milk which are the albums mostly mentioned). Like you, I was always fascinated by Vliet's choice to live in the desert, but I can certainly understand it. I love that kind of wild open environment also. One of my favorite books was Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey - ever read that one? Thanks again for the comments. Jeff
@@michaelvalentini4869 Michael, it is a definitely classic book but keep in mind that in addition to being a nature lover and loner kind of guy who loves the desert, he was also a rather radical environmentalist who wrote books like The Monkey Wrench Gang which inspired some radical eco-terrorist types. So......I loved the book because I love desert nature and isolationist fantasies (haha), but I didn't take some of the more extreme opinions to heart, even when reading the book in my youthful idealist 20's. Just to let you know, in case that would be a concern.....
@@michaelvalentini4869 Don't let my previous comment dissuade you from Desert Solitaire - it is really a great book along the lines of Thoreau's Walden.
Another great discography review. I’d classify myself as a ‘qualified’ Beefheart fan. I like almost all his stuff, but I still can’t swallow TMR in one sitting and I’ve been trying for thirty-three years! I have a similar issue with certain Coltrane albums (Ascension, for example), which suggests I’m not (yet) totally on board with free jazz. My own preference is for the post-sell out (though nobody bought) years - Bat Chain Puller, Doc, Ice-Cream. I’ve always been amused by the story of Jerry Moss dropping the Magic Band from A&M because he thought the song Electricity was ‘too negative’ and he wouldn’t want his teenage daughter to listen to it. I think what he meant was, he found it disturbing and suspected it had the power to corrupt youth. It’s certainly a divisive song! My mother (who is a couple of years younger than Don Van Vliet) once burst into my bed-room while I was playing it and demanded that I ‘take it off immediately .....!’ :)
Hi Richard. Beefheart's TMR was an instant connection to me, for some odd reason....whereas it was his other stuff that took me more time to appreciate. Another odd thing is that while I still love TMR, the followup Lick My Decals has always been a tougher road for me to travel than TMR, for some reason. It is funny how Beefheart fans are all different (all the ones I've met, anyway).
Got it now, Peter! Thanks! All the best. Jeff (Hey, stop in again later, if you find that you too enjoy the great Captain Beefheart, and let me know about it. I'd love to hear your opinions. But again, his music takes some time....haha.)
When I bought "Safe as Milk" way back when, it came with a bumper sticker that simply said: Safe as Milk ! I still have LP and sticker ! ...Newk from Kentucky
November '68 someone came back from the record store with Strictly Personal. Yeah, I'd heard of Beefheart but never heard him. So we took our supplies and put on side two. A half hour later someone finds the wherewithal to turn the record over. Another half hour later we're trying to figure out what to play next ... ... ... Nothin for it ... play side one again
Beefheart should be in the hall of fame -- though even that would be spoiled by being all about him, as opposed to *them* like it oughta be. The only viable counter-argument would be that their uncopyability (for all but a few rock musicians, anyway) has served to limit the scale and scope of their influence.
I'm not sure we'll ever see the day when Beefheart gets into the Hall Of Fame. For that matter, I'm not sure we'll ever see the day when collective mankind's listening maturity reaches a point to where Beefheart's not continued to be "ahead of his time". Thanks for your comment. Jeff
Mr Jeff...congrats mate...a job well done.I could tell right away that it going to be a labour of love,by the research and effort that went into your presentation....I’m just going add one thing.. If you have Spotify..can I suggest one song..It comes from the bongo fury tour 1975.. It’s on Frank Zappa’s ..You can’t do that on stage anymore..vol 4..song..The torture never Stops..A great number by the Zappa/beefheart band..with your LOVE of beefheart..I think you will enjoy it...As much as admire the trout mask period...I really enjoy listening to the clear spot CD ..especially in the car driving around....love those classic rich ballads..ok bye from me.
Thanks, Harry! I hope I didn't confuse people even more, because that MirrorMan/StrictlyPersonal stuff is kinda confusing. But I hope it helps some people to know which albums to buy next, etc.. Thanks for the BongoFuryTour pointer - I will definitely go check out that song. I need to get the Bongo Fury album too. Yeah, I love those beautiful ballads on Clear Spot also - I forgot to mention that there were beautiful ballads on that album, but there are indeed.
@@CalicoSilver ..that’s good to hear....yes beefheart is on harmonica..Denny Walley playing that bluesy guitar riff..Bruce Fowler on trombone..and of course..o’l frank on guitar noodling..why didn’t this get released on bongo fury.....?it’s a great live track...
Here’s a song for you...from zappa’s The Lost Episodes album..1996. Song..Alley Cat...from 1969...with Vliet,Zappa,Elliot Ingber and John French on drums...not bad...
Imagine the Captain touring, as a vocalist, with Jeff Beck. I was watching a new story last night about a young lady with borderline personality disorder, now I am viewing this video about Captain Beefheart, they are both artists.
I think TMR is more accessible listening to a CD than it was originally on double vinyl. I struggled early on with the vinyl and I think it was because you had to keep either turning the album over or changing the album to side 3 and 4. With the CD it is a continuous piece of music with no interruptions.
That is very true, yes. In fact, I love CDs for many reasons and one of them is that continuity that you just don't get with having to flip records or cassettes. I can easily sit and listen to TMR all the way through and enjoy every minute of it now. Great point!!
Thanks for taking the time to go through these albums. Good assessment, totally agree with the way you have grouped those albums, they do slot into periods and I imagine some people would like certain periods and not others. I like them all. From a personal perspective, my main disagreements would be that I find Unconditionally Guaranteed much better than you do and Mirror Man worse. Unconditionally Guaranteed works for me, it has much more song structure, but still very good playing and I love the songs: Magic Be, Peaches, I got Love on My Mind, This is the Day. There aren't any I don't like. Mirror Man I find a bit boring, too much like a jam, Strictly Personal is the better one from that period, some Magic band members also say that Beefheart was fine with the psychedelic effects until it started to get a few bad reviews. I think the effects are fine.
Thanks, Keri. Yes I agree that Mirror Man gets a bit "jammy" for active listening - I only listen to it when I am outside working or something. I've also heard that Vliet was not upset about the psych production of Strictly Personal until it received bad reviews, haha! I don't know this for a fact, of course, but I have heard it, and it makes me laugh. Thanks for your comments. Jeff
@Grover Baker The fine arts (painting, sculpture, etc.) are my last frontier, Grover, in that I only know a tiny insignificant bit of info on that stuff. But I'd like to get more into as time passes, should I be fortunate enough to have enough time. I'd love to be able to look at a painting and "know" whether it is good or not, haha! But yeah, I like Beefheart's art, as much as I can tell, anyway.
I saw Zappa “with special guest” Captain Beefheart play a show in Indianapolis in the spring of ’75. Beefheart didn’t do much, played a little harp, read some poetry and sang Willie the Pimp. Sha Na Na opened. It was a great show but I was a little disappointed Vliet played such a minor role.
Hi Dan! Yeah, that is a shame, because Beefheart was such a major talent to just be a "guest". I think these two old buddies were always quite competitive. But in 1975, Vliet was in a very bad way artistically and career-wise, so at least Zappa helped keep him going by including him on his tour and album (Bongo Fury) as well as letting Vliet record the original Bat Chain Puller on DiscReet records (although that turned into a legal issue with Cohen and Zappa....). Had it not been for Zappa in 1975-1976, we very well might not have those great post-1974 Beefheart albums to enjoy today, because Vliet may well have left the music world earlier than he did. So there's that..... By the way, I was always fairly sure that there was more than one Sha-Na-Na band, because they seemed to be opening for some other band all the time, and/or playing at multiple county fairs at the same time, hahaha!! Same with Firefall, who seemed to be everywhere at the same time! Haha! Just kidding....
@@CalicoSilver I know Frank is a hard worker..and has a hand in the business side of things...but no one else would invested in beefheart except frank...I feel that he felt obligated to help out an old friend...
@@harryzlotzlottos5715 I've searched everywhere for a streaming option, but no luck yet. I think I found a very blurry video of it on RU-vid but hardly worth trying to watch. I'll check out used videos (DVD or VHS - not sure if it was ever issued on DVD). If not, no big deal. I won't lose any sleep if I can't see it, haha!
I have to agree with Beefheart. Even though I still love Strictly Personal, I can just imagine how great it would have been without all the swirling psych effects. (we kinda get a hint at it with the bonus tracks on Safe As Milk and The Mirror Man Sessions).
He was "ahead of his time" in 1967 and he is still "ahead of his time" in 2021, Eric. I personally think that that speaks volumes about not only his genius but also about our collective creative deficiencies and willful lethargy as a people. Haha, how's THAT for a response? Haha. Cheers. Jeff
@@CalicoSilver So many of the more progressive artists are still on the outside looking in. It speaks to the lack of imagination that the so called HOF selection board has.
I very much love the sound of Strictly Personal as it is, effects & all - it was very 1968. I think the blues purism thing was manufactured for some reason, don't believe the Krasnow-meddling story 100%, think it was just fine...What would Beatle Bones & Smokin Stones sound like without the backward cymbals, the extreme stereo panning etc.? Was never sure I'd ever get into Beefheart but it did indeed happen - Personal, Replica and Decals are a powerhouse trilogy of greatness. I love this video, ya big dummeeee!!!!!!
Thanks! I’m not sure I buy the notion that Beefheart was truly upset about the Strictly Personal album, either. And yes, the trilogy of albums you mention are indeed masterpieces. Thanks again.
