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On the 19 November 1977 Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band played a gig, Fete du P.S.U, at Le Nouvel Hippodrome, in Paris. This was a two-day music festival in aid of the French National Socialist Party. An audience of about 10,000 under a big top! Other acts included Buffy St Marie, David Allen’s Gong, Tim Blake’s Crystal Machine, Tania Maria and the Mike Westbrook Orchestra. The Hippodrome de Pantin, Le Nouvel Hippodrome, was a permanent circus located in the Parc de la Villette, near the Porte de Pantin metro station in the north-east of Paris. This was the only performance by the band in UKRead More →

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featuring Nona Hendryx and Gary Lucas interpreting a selection of Beefheart favourites   Sun Zoom Spark My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do I’m Glad The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or The Big Dig) Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles Suction Prints Sugar ‘N Spikes When Big Joan Sets Up Too Much Time When It Blows Its Stacks Tropical Hot Dog Night Publicity blurb: … a comprehensive overview of the man also known as Don Van Vliet’s towering legacy, re-imagined and infused with new blood by vocalist extraordinaire Nona Hendryx and avant-guitar legend Gary Lucas. The World ofRead More →

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A Giraffe is Listening to the Radio is a collection of Beefheart songs recorded in rehearsal and performance during 1979 and 1980. Side A Electricity Moonlight on Vermont Doctor Dark The Spotlight Kid Nowaday’s a Woman’s Gotta Hit a Man Side B Owed T’Alex Clear Spot Grow Fins Lick My Decals Off, Baby Steal Softly Thru Snow Abba Zabba   Review Men & Volts recordings of Beefheart songs have become almost the stuff of legend, we knew they were out there but no one seemed to have heard them. Some cassettes and later some CDRs were made available discreetly but not released on a label.Read More →

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In: Blog, John French, Magic Band members, Tributes
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Around July 2017 John French was invited to take part in the Austin Corn Lovers Fiesta in October to celebrate the music of Captain Beefheart with a collection of local musicians. This was an exciting opportunity for John to not only perform in the US but also to present some of Don’s songs with an extended band, horns, back-up singers and even a concert level theremin player! The Radar Station was unable to attend the show but we know someone who did and he has sent us this review of the event. Review by Patrick Grant Threadgill’s is a bar/restaurant/music venue in Austin, Texas havingRead More →

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Song List Obeah Man (1966 Demo) Just Got Back From The City (1966 Demo) I’m Glad (1966 Demo) Triple Combination (1966 Demo) Here I Am I Always Am (Early 1966 Demo) Here I Am I Always Am (Later 1966 Demo) Somebody In My Home (1966 Live) Tupelo (1966 Live) Evil Is Going On (1966 Live) Old Folks Boogie (1966 Live) Call On Me (1965 Demo) Sure Nuff N Yes I Do (1967 Demo) Yellow Brick Road (1967 Demo) Plastic Factory (1967 Demo) Review If the song list appears familiar it’s because this is a straightforward copy of the first disc from the Grow Fins boxRead More →

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Song List Electricity (1968 live) Sure Nuff N Yes I Do (1968 live) Rollin N Tumblin (1968 live) Electricty (1968 live) Yer gonna need somebody on yer bond (1968 live) Kandy Korn (1968 live) Korn ring finger (1967 demo) The title and contents of this release are a direct rip-off of disc two from the Grow Fins set but in traditional bootleg fashion has a bunch of incorrect information in the accompanying booklet. Although the correct venues are mentioned in the text they are not matched up with the correct songs. If you haven’t figured it out for yourself tracks one and two are from theRead 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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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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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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Song List: Hair pie: bake 1 Hair pie: bake 2 Jam one Hobo chang ba (take one) Hobo chang ba (take two) Dachau blues Old fart at play Pachuco cadaver Sugar N’ spikes jam two Sweet sweet bulbs Frownland (take one) Frownland Ella guru She’s too much for my mirror Steal softly through snow My human gets me blues (take one and cut) My human gets me blues (take two) When big joan sets up (take one) When big joan sets up (take two) Jam three China pig Blimp Herb Overdub Septic tank Jam four Jam five Jam six Publicity blurb: The Captain had aRead More →

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Takes on the music of Captain Beefheart Song List Hot Head I Love You, You Big Dummy Click Clack Ice Rose Ant Man Bee When I See Mommy, I Feel Like A Mummy When It Blows Its Stacks Flavor Bud Living / Veteran’s Day Poppy Tracks 1 – 7 recorded and mixed at The Clock Tower Studios, Edinburgh June 2016 Track 8 was recorded live at Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh 19 August 2016. Notes From the sleeve: The music of Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band remains a beacon of wild creativity for those with ears to listen. Orange Claw Hammer have approached this musicRead 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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Song List Disc 1 Hair Pie Nowadays A Woman’s Gotta Hit A Man I Wanna Find A Woman That’ll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go Hot Head Ashtray Heart Dirty Blue Gene The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or The Big Dig) Best Batch Yet Safe As Milk One Red Rose That I Mean China Pig Disc 2 Sue Egypt Doctor Dark Bat Chain Puller My Human Gets Me Blues Sugar ‘N’ Spikes Sheriff Of Hong Kong Kandy Korn Veteran’s Day Poppy Big Eyed Beans From Venus Notes From the sleevenotes: One of the last concerts of what would turn out to be Beefheart’sRead More →

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In: 1969.03 Aquarius Theater, Photos
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A few photographs have surfaced taken at the Trout Mask Replica band’s only live gig. This was at the Aquarius Theater in Los Angeles on 31st March 1969. Find out more about the Aquarius show. Thanks to R. Michael DeChellis for permission to post his photographs here on the Radar Station. You can get good quality copies at his website and while you’re there check the other bands’ photos too – https://www.dechellisphotography.com/ (Note: website address updated July 2022) Here are two of Don with his sax: And here in all his sartorial splendour is Jeff Cotton (aka Antennae Jimmy Semens):    Read More →

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The Magic Band rehearsed for months to perfect their parts for the Trout Mask Replica album but they only once performed any of the album live together as a band. And that was on 31st March 1969 at the Aquarius Theater as part of a fund-raiser for the L.A. Free Clinic. The Mothers were also on the bill. The band had recorded the Trout Mask album at Whitney Studios earlier in the month so were well rehearsed and ready to go. The Earl Carroll Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles became the Hullabaloo Club in 1965 and was given a psychedelic makeover in 1968Read More →

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Ozit’s offering for 2016’s Record Store day vinyl bonanza. Song List Side One Moonlight On Vermont 3.58 Abba Zabba 3.46 Band Introduction 1.14 Orange Claw Hammer 3.34 Dali’s Car 1.36 When It Blows Its Stacks 4.20 My Human Gets Me Blues 3.14 Side Two Alice In Blunderland 4.02 Beatle Bones ‘n’ Smokin’ Stones 3.35 Gimme Dat Harp Boy 5.13 Electricity 4.12 I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby 5 .37 Notes Ozit blurb: Special edition 2000 units only in 180 gram orange vinyl gatefold sleeve. Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band returned to England with a new line up in 1975 to appear on the bill withRead More →

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A three CD collection of instrumental tracks from Clear Spot and Lick My Decals Off, Baby plus a whole bunch of outtakes from The Spotlight Kid/Clear Spot era that didn’t make it onto the recent Reprise/Rhino boxset. Song List Disc 1 My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains (Inst.) Clear Spot (Inst.) Crazy Little Thing (Inst.) Dirty Blue Gene (Inst.) Big Eyed Beans From Venus (Inst.) Untitled Blues Jam (Inst.) Sun Zoom Spark (Inst.) Nowadays A Woman’s Gotta Hit A Man (Inst.) Low Yo Yo Stuff (Inst.) Circumstances (w/Vocal) Li’l Scratch #1 (w/Vocal) Li’l Scratch #2 (w/Vocal) Suzy Murder Wrist U Bean So Cinquo (ObensoRead More →