Too Much Time
Willie The Pimp

1995 US CD New Hat on Wild Cat Records

Apparently an unusual Willie The Pimp with some Tex-Mex and Swamp influences. The instrumentation also includes steel drums!

Willie The Pimp
1970 US vinyl Blue Whale on Warner Records

After breaking up his Retaliation band and before joining the Mothers Aynsley Dunbar released the Blue Whale album on which he'd done a lengthy 'prog' version of Willie The Pimp.

Ice Cream For Crow

2000 UK 7" Ice Cream For Crow/ Tailgating on Damaged Goods Records DAMGOOD146
2000 UK CD Large Door on Damaged Goods Records DG148

Saxophone player honks his way through 'Ice Cream For Crow' in a sort of punk/rockabilly style on a limited edition (500 copies) yellow vinyl. Manically good fun.

Frying Pan (instrumental)

2001 US CD Hold The Vocals. A tribute to the instrumental hits of the 50s 60s 70s on Go-Kustom Records GKR008-2

An interesting album this one but I can't help thinking that something's missing on 'Frying Pan' ... oh yeah, the vocals! Why did they choose this one when there's other tracks that would stand up better as instrumentals? Shouldn't it be Erik 4-A and the Requiems!

Erik 4-A replies:

"I had a version of 'Frying Pan' with vocals but in order to get it on the compilation I had to mix them out (as it was an instrumental tribute comp). Don Van Vliet is an excellent Harp player and that song is an example of his early blues harp work with the Magic Band. I feel I did him justice with my version. I also had help from Evan Foster and Joel Trueblood of the Boss Martians. Hopefully this explains the situation for you."

Thanks to Erik for the explanation ... and I agree he does justice to the song. Are there any labels out there willing to release the version with vocals? I wanna hear that too!

Frying Pan

2005 US CD The Continental Magazine 12 Compilation
2006 US CD Ruff Mix on Vagrant Records

Yes, the vocal version finally got a release on this collection of 'surf, garage, rockabilly tunes' compliation CD available with issue 12 of the Continental Magazine from Bellingham, Washington. This is Erik 4-A but under the moniker of Monkeys With Machine Guns.

It has also been collected on the Ruff Mix album of songs recorded over a number of years and under a variety of names. The CD is credited to Howlin' Houndog & The Infamous Losers - another of Erik-4A's aliases.

Sure Nuff 'n' Yes I Do

2006 US CD Ruff Mix on Vagrant Records

A largely acoustic version - without any slide guitar, which is kinda strange but a nice take on the song nonetheless.

Erik also includes an incomplete version titled 'Mo Strang Breakin', which, as you can probably guess, finishes prematurely due to a breaking string.

My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains

1993 UK vinyl EP I didn't know I was Looking for Love on Blanco Y Negro/WEA Records NE964 4509-93041-7
1993 UK CD I didn't know I was Looking for Love on Blanco Y Negro/WEA Records NE964 4509-93041-2
2002 UK CD Like The Deserts Miss The Rain on Virgin Records

The EP is a bit of a rarity - it took ages to track down a copy. A pretty straight cover here done in the inimitable EBTG style. The other tracks on the EP are 'Political Science' and 'A Piece of My Mind'.

Thanks to Dave McDowell for letting me know about this cover. He added:

"Some years ago, against my better judgement, I went to see Everything But the Girl play on a Sunday afternoon in the Everyman cinema in Hampstead. Dozing gently, I came back to life when they kicked in to "My Head is My Only House" of which they did a fine job."

Suction Prints

2002 live unreleased

Legendary band, The Ex, played a few concerts around European cities in 2002 as The Ex Orkest performing a mixture of jazz, rock, and noise. Much of their performance was improvisation although they did include some conventionally structured pieces including this Beefheart instrumental.

(Note: torrents of their Zurich and Amsterdam shows are/were available on Dime)

Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles

1984 UK vinyl She'll Rape The World on Probe/Skysaw Records

A live album recorded at Mr Pickwicks in Liverpool, April 1984. This is the only song not written by the band. They probably didn't rehearse this enough because they don't really get to grips with it at all - the backing is all over the place and the girl singer doesn't know what she wants to do with it.

My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains

This track is included on the Genus Records' Mama Kangaroos tribute album.

Beatle Bones 'n' Smokin' Stones

1996 BBC Radio Session for John Peel Show (broadcast 18th August)

Peel's favourite band do a cover of Peel's other favourite band! Mark E. Smith has awful trouble with the lyrics resorting to making them up or just mumbling more than usual. Great fun none the less!

A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond
Abba Zaba
The Blimp
Click Clack
Ice Cream For Crow
Infra Grams (poem)
Pachuco Cadaver
Suction Prints
Tropical Hot Dog Night
Veteran’s Day Poppy
When Big Joan Sets Up
When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy
When It Blows Its Stacks
Willie The Pimp

were played live at various venues.

A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond
Abba Zaba
Dali's Car
Evening Bell
Kandy Korn
Pachuco Cadaver
Suction Prints
Sugar 'N' Spikes
Tropical Hot Dog Night
Veteran's Day Poppy
When Big Joan Sets Up
When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy
When It Blows Its Stacks

2005 US CD Pork Chop Blue Around The Rind on Cuneiform Records 224

A seven piece tribute band with jazz leanings led by sax player Phillip Johnston and including Gary Lucas in their line-up.

More information about Fast 'n' Bulbous

Gimme Dat Harp Boy

???? UK Cassette Bood on the Frets on Indie-Pendant Blues IB006

Witch Doctor Life (studio)

1999 UK CD Far Further privately released

A carrot is as close...
Alice In Blunderland
Bat Chain Puller
Call On Me
Hair Pie
Ice Rose
Making Love To A Vampire...
Sun Zoom Spark
Well
When It Blows Its Stacks
Witch Doctor Life

2000 UK CD The Fourfathers - Live privately released

I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby
Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey on My Knee

2003 UK CD Dust privately released

The closest thing we have to a Beefheart tribute band. The Fourfathers are an amateur band who play live intermittently. Their love of Beefheart is obvious from the covers but also is evident in their own compositions. They have covered other Beef songs too including "China Pig", "Beatle Bones...", "Tropical Hot Dog Night" and even "Autumn's Child"! Try to see them if you can - for more information about the band check out Benjamin Horrendous' website.

Abba Zaba (live)
Bat Chain Puller (live)
P K Ro P Beat (live)

1996 BBC Radio Broadcast ('Mixing It') of 5th LMC Annual Festival of Experimental Music at the Conway Hall, London

A very rare solo performance (and a drum 'clinic') by Drumbo which included him talking about his experiences with the Magic Band. This hasn't been officially released but tapes do exist.

Abba Zaba
Bat Chain Puller
Hair Pie
One Thousandth Day Of The Human Totem Pole
P K Ro P Beat
Steal Softly Thru Snow

1998 Japan CD O Solo Drumbo on Avant AVAN024

A fascinating album by John French of just solo drum pieces produced by Henry Kaiser. With many familiar rhythms for Beefheart fans.

Sugar Bowl

This track is included on the Genus Records' Mama Kangaroos tribute album.

Who Do You Think You're Fooling?

1990 US 7" Cleopatra & the Slaves / Who Do You Think You're Fooling? / Mercy on Wig Out RecordsWO2

Witch Doctor Life

This track is included on the Genus Records' Mama Kangaroos tribute album.

Zig Zag Wanderer

1994(?) Canada CD Live at The Mercury Lounge on ???

The band also do covers of songs by Neil Young and Love on this short live album.

Click Clack

2001 US CD Halfway to Memphis on Dixiefrog/Cordova Bay Records CBR0232

Crazy Little Thing

2000 US CD Bare Bones on Rugged Pup/Cordova Bay Records CBR0122

Some good covers here from a guy who plays mainly blues. He gives 'Crazy Little Thing' an acoustic outing. Other songs on the Halfway to Memphis release include a number of blues that also have Beefheart connections - 'Rollin n Tumblin', 'Smokestack Lightnin' and 'Wang Dang Doodle'.

Frownland

2001 Canadian CD Storybook Endings on ??? CBR0232

"Captain Beefheart fans are a bit cultish, [...] Lyrically 'Frownland' is an amazing song and I kept the music exactly the same. Besides if you're going to do a cover, you got to do an oddball cover. I turned that into a Bruce Springsteen song."

Harry Irene

see Fast 'n' Bulbous Tribute Album

I have found no information about this band nor any releases of this song apart from its inclusion on the tribute album.

Neon Meate Dream Of An Octafish (live)
Willie The Pimp (live)

1993 Holland CD Who Could Imagine? on Network/Munich NETCD53

Grow Fins

2008 unreleased (?)

This Danish band claim influences of Beefheart, Tom Waits and R L Burnside so you get a good idea where they're coming from. This slightly slowed down version of Grow Fins with distorted lead guitar is available on their MySpace site

My Head Is My Only House

2000 CD Anhedonia on Scapular Winging Records