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In: Strictly Personal
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The front cover of Strictly Personal was, at the time, quite unusual although it didn’t really hint at the strangeness that lay within those vinyl grooves. However, if you opened up the gatefold sleeve you were confronted head-on with the weirdness that was Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band even if he did say himself that “I may be hungry but I sure ain’t weird”. This certainly wasn’t your usual band photo call, no cheesy smiles, no macho posturing and no dodgy hairdos. Have you ever wondered who was who in that iconic photograph by Guy Webster? Well, we can tell you. Thanks to JerryRead More →

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In: Music info, Strictly Personal
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The late Gary Marker, a jazz and session bassist at the time, was a close associate of Don Van Vliet during the 1960s. He produced some demos for the band, as well as early versions of some of the Safe As Milk songs. He also played bass on Moonlight  on Vermont and Veteran’s Day Poppy on Trout Mask Replica. Gary often graced the online forums devoted to chat about Beefheart where he responded to questions and comments freely and extravagantly in his own inimitable way. Here are some of his posts concerning the Strictly Personal album. In 2001 Gary was asked about the lines “Cheese inRead More →

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In: Trout Mask Replica
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This release, Vault Package #36, by Jack White’s Third Man Records has caused a bit of a buzz amongst fans not least because of the way it had to be pre-ordered on subscription via the label’s website and at $60 it was not cheap. Understandably the cost put many people off but plenty more battled with the website and signed up for it. Third Man Records blurb: In full partnership with the Zappa Family Trust and to celebrate the relaunch of the seminal Bizarre label imprint, Third Man Records is proud to announce its 36th Vault package focused squarely on Captain Beefheart and the MagicRead More →

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In: Safe As Milk
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The sound quality of Safe As Milk is something that has been discussed in one way or another quite a bit over the years. Why does it sound the way it does and which release is the best version available? Some (but not all) of the issues can be traced back to the way the album was recorded in the first place. Ry Cooder and Gary Marker have both been critical about the way Bob Krasnow and Richard Perry took the recording out the superior eight track Sunset Sound Studios and moved it to the four track RCA Studios to the detriment of the overall soundRead More →

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In: Safe As Milk
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Before the recording of the Safe As Milk album there was a studio session where a number of demos were recorded produced by Gary Marker which became known as the Safe as Milk Demos, or the Buddah Takes or the Disneyland Demos. March [?] 1967 Original Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California Producer: Gary Marker Track List Sure Nuff ‘n’ Yes I Do Yellow Brick Road Plastic Factory Electricity Abba Zaba (Follow links above to hear the songs on Youtube) The story behind the demos The band finally left the desert and moved to Los Angeles, to a rented place off Armor Road in Laurel Canyon, inRead More →

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In: Safe As Milk
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The Safe As Milk baby featured in the 27 May 1967 edition of Cashbox: … and in the 17 June 1967 edition of Billboard; This version has the ‘Beware!’ caption added. From World Countdown, June 1967: Here’s another advertisement from World Countdown, July 1967: One side of the inner sleeve of the album plus the lyrics to two songs, Sure Nuff ‘N’ Yes I Do and Zig Zag Wanderer have been crammed together for this ad. From World Countdown, August 1967: Note the presence of Ry Cooder’s replacement, Gerry McGee (second from the left), who played with the Magic Band for only two live shows and did not appear onRead More →

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In: Lyrics, The Spotlight Kid
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Now here ya come baby With yer tail draggin’ the gravy Y’ know yer P’s ‘n Q’s What ya don’t know baby Is you givin’ me the blues Ya got juice on your chin Eggs on the drain-board Pie on the wall Dirt on the rug I come home late ‘N I stumbled ‘n swore Ya won’t even give me a hug Ya had my things all laid out by the door I’m leavin’ I’m gonna take up with ah mermaid ‘N leave you land lubbin’ women alone ‘N leave you land-lubbin’ women alone Ya said ya had it together once Now yer head’s aroundRead More →

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In: Discography, Official albums, Sun Zoom Spark 1970 to 1972
With: 39 Comments

Song List Disc 1 – Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970) [as original release] Disc 2 – The Spotlight Kid (1971) [as original release] Disc 3 – Clear Spot (1972) [as original release] Disc 4 – Out-takes 1. Alice in Blunderland – Alternate Version 2. Harry Irene 3. I Can’t Do This Unless I Can Do This/Seam Crooked Sam 4. Pompadour Swamp/Suction Prints 5. The Witch Doctor Life – Instrumental Take 6. Two Rips in a Haystack/Kiss Me My Love 7. Best Batch Yet – (Track) Version 1 8. Your Love Brought Me To Life – Instrumental 9. Dirty Blue Gene – Alternate Version 1Read More →

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In: Mirror Man, Song notes
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Steve Brewster writes about the opening lines “Baby Percy told Elixir Sue / Listen to me baby / I’m gonna tell it to you”: Don was referring to a common product in the USA in the 1950s – Percy Medicine and their mascot “Baby Percy”. I’m sending a photo of the box for the stuff that clearly shows who Baby Percy is.Read More →

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In: Bluejeans And Moonbeams, Lyrics
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I’ve been hoping on Monday’s Some-how’s and moon days Sundays and some days Never seen the sun days I’m trying and always And running in between Bluejeans and Moonbeams Bluejeans and Moonbeams I’ve been working I’ve been loving Under ‘neath the moon stone sky I know there’s many thing I’ve never seen Blue Jeans and Moonbeams Mondays and moonbeams Bluejeans and Moonbeams Bluejeans and Moonbeams I’ve been hoping on Monday’s Some-how’s and moon days Sundays and some days Never seen the sun days I’m trying and always And running in between Bluejeans and Moonbeams Bluejeans and Moonbeams I’ve been working I’ve been loving Under ‘neathRead More →

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In: Bluejeans And Moonbeams, Lyrics
With: 4 Comments

Further than we’ve gone The stars sing a song Together That only lovers can hear Come up close to me lover Under heavens beautiful cover We’re here at last Open up And let our love appear Further than we’ve gone The stars sing a song Together That only lovers can hear Come up close to me lover Under heavens beautiful cover Open up And let our love appear (1974) Kindly transcribed by Jory.Read More →

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In: Bluejeans And Moonbeams, Lyrics
With: 6 Comments

While the city was busy We wanted to rest She deiced to drive up to Observatory Crest We just saw the concert and heard all the best We went on a ride We got outside The sand was hot She wanted to dance We went ’round and ’round at Observatory Crest Thought we saw flying saucers and all of the rest Pawns in high Spain from Observatory crest While the city was busy We wanted to rest She deiced to drive up to Observatory Crest We just saw the concert and heard all the best So the only thing to do Was to drive upRead More →

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In: Buddah Years
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Track list Sure Nuff N Yes I Do Zig Zag Wanderer Dropout Boogie Electricity Yellow Brick Road Abba Zaba Plastic Factory Big Black Baby Shoes Safe As Milk Gimme Dat Harp Boy Trust Us Kandy Korn Tracks 1-9: Safe As Milk (1999 remastered) Tracks 10-12: Mirror Man (1999 remastered) Album overview from Steve Froy When I first heard about this I thought, oh no, not yet another collection of tracks from Safe As Milk and Mirror Man. However, this one has a bit of a twist to it. A short (47 minutes), sharp compilation of tracks from the remastered releases of Safe As Milk and TheRead More →

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In: Hot Head (compilation)
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Track list Safe As Milk Upon The My-O-My Son of Mirror Man – Mere Man Party Of Special Things To Do The Floppy Boot Stomp Tropical Hot Dog Night Hot Head This Is The Day You Know You’re A Man Ice Cream For Crow Pompadour Swamp Suction Prints Semi Multicolored Caucasian Gimme Dat Harp Boy Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey on My Knee Sheriff Of Hong Kong The Witch Doctor Life Tracks 1, 3, 14: Strictly Personal (1968) Tracks 2, 8: Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974) Tracks 4, 11: Blue Jeans & Moonbeams (1974) Tracks 5, 6, 9, 12: Shiny Beast (1979) Tracks 7,Read More →

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In: Best Of The Virgin and Liberty Years
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Track list Safe As Milk Gimme Dat Harp Boy Kandy Korn Upon The My-O-My New Electric Ride Party Of Special Things Twist Uh Luck Blue Jeans & Moonbeams The Floppy Boot Stomp Bat Chan Puller Run Paint Run Run Hot Head Ashtray Heart Ice Cream For Crow The Past Sure Is Tense The Witch Doctor Life Tracks 1-3: Strictly Personal (1968) Tracks 4-5: Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974) Tracks 6-8: Blue Jeans & Moonbeams (1974) Tracks 9-10: Shiny Beast (1979) Tracks 11-13: Doc At The Radar Station (1980) Tracks 14-16: Ice Cream For Crow (1982) Album overview from Steve Froy The cover says ‘The Best Of Captain BeefheartRead More →

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In: Electricity
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Track list Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do 2:16 Zig Zag Wanderer 2:39 Dropout Boogie 2:30 I’m Glad 3:29 Electricity 3:05 Yellow Brick Road 2:25 Abba Zaba 2:41 Plastic Factory 3:07 Trust Us 7:15 Beatle Bones N’ Smokin’ Stones 3:10 Moody Liz 4:31 Big Black Baby Shoes 4:49 Gimme Dat Harp Boy 3:35 Dirty Blue Gene 2:40 Tarotplane 19:04 Kandy Korn 8:02 Album overview from Graham Johnston Another compilation featuring material from the Magic Band’s early years, containing a selection of pre-Trout Mask tunes. If you already have these songs then just forget it. If you don’t already have them then you should still forget itRead More →

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In: A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond
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Track list Sugar Bowl The Past Sure Is Tense Happy Love Song The Floppy Boot Stomp Blue Jeans and Moonbeams Run Paint Run Run This Is the Day Tropical Hot Dog Night Observatory Crest The Host, the Ghost, the Most Holy-O Harry Irene I Got Love on My Mind Pompadour Swamp Love Lies Sheriff of Hong Kong Further Than We’ve Gone Candle Mambo Light Reflected off the Oceands of the Moon A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond Album overview from Graham Johnston Compilation of mid-to-late / Virgin-era Beefheart with a track list which seems to have been chosen at random.Read More →

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In: It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper
With: 2 Comments

  Track list Side 1 Gimme Dat Harp Boy Dirty Blue Gene Beatle Bones ’n’ Smokin’ Stones Pt. 1 & 2 Trust Us (take 9) Side 2 Safe as Milk (take 12) Moody Liz (take 8) On Tomorrow Side 3 Big Black Baby Shoes Flower Pot Korn Ring Finger Side 4 Safe as Milk (take 5) Trust Us (take 6) Moody Liz (take 16) Recorded November 1967 at TTG Studios, Hollywood, California 2-LP set on high definition vinyl Sundazed publicity Mastered directly from the original analog tapes and featuring a wealth of unedited takes never before on vinyl, Sundazed’s stunning gatefold double-LP release of this infamouslyRead More →

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In: The Dust Blows Forward
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For the first time in the seventeen years since the musical career of Captain Beefheart drew to a close a comprehensive retrospective collection has been released honouring his work. I am not normally one to buy ‘greatest hits’ albums, but the conspicuous absence of a good Magic Band compilation probing his recorded history has been surprising. Plus the fact that Captain Beefheart never had so much as a whiff of a hit is bound to make this a more interesting collection, especially if you are new to his music. It is a whopping collection as well – two CDs filled with 45 tunes – andRead More →

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In: Bat Chain Puller
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Few rock artists as washed up – and seemingly past it – as Captain Beefheart was in 1974 have come back with new music as dazzling as that on Bat Chain Puller. Having flirted disastrously with commercialism, the nadir of which was Bluejeans and Moonbeams, he took a lengthy sabbatical, returning two years later, aged 35, with an album legendary for the wrong reason – it has never been released. Occasionally it harks back to the complexities of Trout Mask Replica but is more measured, with a vivid, plangent, colourful sound. The remit is as wide as anything Beefheart had attempted before: pop songs, poeticRead More →