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Published by Poseidon Press, New York 1989 (hardback) Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, New York 1989 (paperback) Picador, London 1990 (hardback & paperback) Synopsis from the flyleaf Zappa offers his initimable views on just about everything: art, politics, cigarettes, beer, televangelists, symphony orchestras, lead guitarists, groupies, the PMRC, marriage (as a dada concept), and the history of rock and roll. Radar Station overview Not so much an autobiography more a collection of anecdotes in chronological order taped by Frank in answer to questions put to him by Peter Occhiogrosso who then typed them up. Fascinating and hilarious. There are plenty of rare photographs plus some great cartoonRead More →

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St Martins Press, New York 1990 ISBN: 0-312-04588-3 Price: $19.95 Synopsis from the book cover Bat Chain Puller is an irreverent look at popular culture in the tradition of Hunter S. Thompson’s “A Generation of Swine” and Greil Marcus’ “Lipstick Traces” […snip…] a trenchant, revealing and often hilarious collage of articles commentary and interviews with rock and rollers and other pop culture heroes […snip…] Loder also pays tribute to those who have kept the faith and maintained a rebellious stance despite the lure of safe celebrityhood. Further detail The majority of the articles in this book have been previously published in Rolling Stone, Loder beingRead More →

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Published by Viking Press, London 1996 (hardback) St Martins Press, New York 1996 ISBN: 0-312-14444-X (hardback) Bloomsbury, London 2003 ISBN: 0-747-56180-X (paperback) Synopsis from flyleaf (edited) Here is the entire history of pop Los Angeles in all its splendor and excess… Barney Hoskyns has spent the better half of a decade researching this definitive account of a dysfunctional artistic community. From the days of the thriving jazz clubs in the forties to the menace of West Coast gansta rap in the nineties, the sound of this bleached, irrigated dreamscape is here in all its warped glory. Hoskyns travels through fifty years of music history toRead More →

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This is indeed a curious universe, but its cosmological clockwork has finally fallen into place; or it has for me at least. I’ve been listening to this kind of stuff for years but never really knew what to call it, and at last I now know: it is the music of the outsider. I remember when I was a teenager, a few friends were going on a trip around Europe. Finances had prevented me from going too so, as the next best thing, I recorded a tape for them to take my place. The tape would be so unusual that it would inevitably make anRead More →

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Irwin Chusid takes a look at the weirdness of the world of Captain Beefheart, among many others. MUSIC, 272 PAGES, 6 x 9 75 ILLUSTRATIONS PAPER $16.95 1-55652-372-6 WORLD A CAPPELLA BOOKS MAY 2000 There is a tie-in CD release to complement the book, featuring tunes by the artists covered, including Captain Beefheart (“Vampire Suite” from Grow Fins. The CD has the same title and is released by Which? Records. I’d recommend that you get both the book and CD – I found them rabidly entertaining and I love this kind of stuff. Reviews You can read Graham’s review for this book and CD whichRead More →

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Bath Books 2001 Paperback 85 illustrations Frederick (Freddy) Bannister was a major UK music promoter during the 1960s and 1970s. He handled the European tours of most of the big acts from America at the time, as well as organising some of the biggest festivals – Bath, Lincoln, Knebworth – in the UK. He promoted the 1970s tours in the UK by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. And he must be in all Beefheart fans’ debt for getting Don back performing by offering him a gig at the 1975 Knebworth Festival. This book of reminiscences of his career is a fascinating read that includesRead More →

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Rock Music Memorabilia, in collaboration with collector Paul Brown, has produced a commemorative boxset, in a limited edition of 200 copies. These are numbered and signed by promoter Freddy Bannister. It comes in an impressive red box (although this is slightly misleadingly labelled as Festivals 1969-1979) and contains all kinds of goodies. The set includes the following: There Must Be A Better Way – the excellent memoir by Freddy Bannister facsimiles of the programme and flyer from the 1975 Knebworth Festival featuring Captain Beefheart facsimiles of the programme and flyer from the 1978 Knebworth Festival featuring Frank Zappa 10 pictures from the archives of collectorRead More →

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Published by Music Magazine, Japan 2011 240 Pages Paperback Overview by Andy Bean This is a full-colour 240-page large paperback, which is basically an illustrated Zappa/Beefheart discography. Given the relative size of their catalogues, Beefheart fans who don’t like Zappa are at a disadvantage, however. You get: 6-page photospread of Zappa in Japan in 1976 10- page ‘Collections’ section, featuring pics of rare single sleeves and labels, sleeve variations (a whole page of ‘Safe as Milk’ sleeves), etc, for both Zappa and Beefheart. This section also includes the ‘Stand Up To Be Discontinued’ book/cd, and a 1982 art catalogue/book called “Conjunctions” from 1982. No otherRead More →

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[wp_quote]”He was born in the Desert, became the Zig Zag Child, sold out on the My-O-My, returned with a vengeance as a Hot Head Jazz Punk and now is the Old Fart. Yes, he’s big, he’s bad, he’s beautiful …. he’s Beefheart!! … but sadly he’s not back so how can we have a Fanzine? Pass. SSTS will now skilfully avoid the problem, in this and possibly all future issues, by just dealing with Beefheart’s worldwide memorabilia.”[/wp_quote] The above foreword appeared on the first page of every issue. A closer look at all the issues Issue #8: Love Over Gold Published January 2000 60 pagesRead More →

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What is SSTS? The essential Beefheart fanzine. The “one & only” Beefheart fanzine for collectors. Totally dedicated to preserving the memory of the legendary Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band by devoting each meticulously researched issue of the long running fanzine to documenting in chronological order The Magic Band’s global musical legacy, preserved on glorious vinyl throughout the 60s, 70s and early 80s (& on into the 90s with their reissued metal counterparts!) and of course keeping you all updated on “What’s Shakin’ in Vlietland!” APOCALYPSO FANZINES has delved into each period of The Magic Band’s recording history in almost religious detail starting with StealRead More →

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Published by Babylon Books ISNB: 0 907188 03 6 Many thanks to Steve Froy for the cover scans. Overview by Graham Johnston: This book is a collection of numerous press interviews, reviews, photographs, articles, poems, drawings, lyrics, and any other bit or bob about the Captain. It’s a splendid collection and well worth buying if you happen to find a copy anywhere and fancy a nose through the critics’ view of the history of Captain Beefheart. The sec0nd edition does include additional items not in the first edition.Read More →

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Published by Kawabata Press 1st edition published in 1987 2nd edition published in 1989 ISBN: 0 906110 61 0 Many thanks to Steve Froy for all the cover scans. Overview by Graham Johnston Captain Beefheart: The Man & His Music is a serious and entertaining attempt at telling the story of the Magic Band from Don and Frank’s first meeting to Ice Cream For Crow and Don’s retirement from the music industry, though it does contain considerably more music than man. It includes a section of quotes, a look at his painting exhibitions, Magic Band line-ups, discography, live-tape and bootleg discography, Beefheart trivia, a MagicRead More →

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Published by Cantz Paperback £21.95 1993 ISBN 3-9801320-2-1 Hardback Limited Edition (1500) with CD £32.50 1993 ISBN 3-9801320-3-X Deluxe Slip Cased Limited Edition (120) with original etching £180.00 1994 136 pages with 70 colour plates Contents: Don van Vliet in Bielefeld: Andreas Beaugrand Animals and Black Ladies: Karsten Ohrt Don van Vliet – The Painting: Jessica Rutherford “Stand Up To Be Discontinued”. On Don van Vliet as Painter and Musician: Paolo Bianchi Pearls before Swine. Ice Cream for Crow. On the Relationship between Music and Painting in Captain Beefheart’s Work: Luca Ferrari Captain Beefheart: Diedrich Diedrichsen Don van Vliet: Roberto Ohrt Fur Don van Vliet:Read More →

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A tribute to the art of Captain Beefheart Published by Sonic Books Price unknown 1996 118 pages plus CD Contents: Introduction. Pointed at the Moon, Looked at the Finger. The Past Sure Is Tense. A pocket history of Captain Beefheart Fast ‘n’ Bulbous. A modest attempt to savage Don Van Vliet’s music Old Fart At Play. Reprint of 1983 ‘Heavy Metal’ interview with Lou Stathis Ten Poems by The Captain Beefheartiana (collection of aphorisms) Walking with Rembrandt. Short notes for an analysis of the paintings of Don Van Vliet Discography, June 1996 Exhibitions Bibliography 8 photographs 10 paintings 4 drawings Overview by Steve Froy SonicRead More →

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Published by Agenda ISBN 1 899882 25 1 Price £5.99 July 1996 86 pages Synopsis from the back of the book The enduring story of an innovator, an artist in oils, a sculptor in soap, a poet, and a creative musician. Don Van Vliet was to change his name to Captain Beefheart and then invent by altering the blues, a new modern music. A cult following which paralleled the music of his good friend Frank Zappa, with whom he wrote a screen-play in their high school days. Relinquishing the music business from where he experienced problems both with his music and the inability to obtainRead More →

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LUNAR NOTES; ZOOT HORN ROLLO’S CAPTAIN BEEFHEART EXPERIENCE Bill Harkleroad with Billy James 151 pp, illustrated SAF Publishing Ltd 1SBN 0 94671921 7 £11.95 ONE OF THE GREAT MUSICAL MINDS OF THE late 20th century, Don Van Vliet was a greedy, violent, spiteful, manipulative, self-important, lazy, cowardly control freak with a taste for flashy cars, hard drugs and expensive clothes. Bill Harkleroad played guitar for him and this is his story. It’s one thing to be ripped off by record companies – a staple part of any rock ‘n’ roll story – and Beefheart and his Magic Band suffered as much as anyone else. ButRead More →

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AS ZOOT Horn Rollo, Don Van Vliet’s most faithful lieutenant in The Magic Band, Bill Harkleroad was one of the most influential guitarists in rock music, though as this memoir makes clear it was always a labour of love, first and foremost. Not only did he have to suffer the bizarre whims of Beefheart’s absurd regime but, as he reveals here, he ultimately received “no money whatsoever” from any of the albums he played on. Harkleroad admits this was probably due to his own youthful naivete, which was abundantly evident in his attitude at the time, but that doesn’t excuse his boss’s disgraceful behaviour towardsRead More →

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An insider’s story. Published by SAF Publishing Ltd ISBN 0 946719 21 7 Price £11.95 1998 151 pages 16 photographs Synopsis from the back cover: Bill Harkleroad joined Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band at a time when they were changing from a straight ahead blues band into something completely different. Through the vision of Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) they created a new form of music which many at the time considered atonal and difficult, but which over the years has continued to exert a powerful influence. Beefheart re-christened Harkleroad as Zoot Horn Rollo, and they embarked on recording one of the classic rock albums ofRead More →

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A critical overview of the artistic output of Don Van Vliet. W C Bamberger, a one-time member of the Fire Party (the Radar Station’s Beefheart discussion list), has published a book focussing on the vision and message contained within the work of Don Van Vliet, including his paintings, poems and songs. Author: WC Bamberger Title: ‘Riding Some Kind of Unusual Skull Sleigh: On The Arts Of Don Van Vliet’ ISBN: 0-917453-35-2 Small Press Distribution 1341 7th St. Berkeley CA 94710 USA Synopsis from the back of the book Riding Some Kind Of Unusual Skull Sleigh looks at the phases of Van Vliet’s musical career throughRead More →