This listing shows 7 inch singles and EPs plus 12 inch eps, promos and acetates. Many thanks to the late Gerry Pratt, Justin Sherill, Hakon Busterud, Paul Brown and everyone who have sent along updates. (Click on the images for bigger and complete versions.)
7 inch Singles
1966 US Diddy Wah Diddy / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling on A&M794
White Label Promo with PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE – A&M logo in red. Side A has “PLUG SIDE”.
Note: Diddy Wah Diddy is credited to A. Christensen – who he?! – where this is usually credited to E. McDaniels / Willie Dixon. Matrix # is 1182 (on side A) and 1183 (on side B) – 60775 on both sides (all handwritten). Stock copy on A&M(Tan) 794 with A. Christensen credit. Stock copy on A&M(Tan) 794 with E.McDaniels/Willie Dixon credit.
1966 US Moonchild / Frying Pan on A&M818 – White Label Promo with PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE – A&M logo in red. Has Supervised by Leonard Grant. Moonchild is credited to Dave Gates.
Matrix #is 1228 (on side A) and 1229 (on side B) – 63923 on both sides (all handwritten).
1966 Belgian Diddy Wah Diddy / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling on London Records 5.559
Seriously rare release. Originally thought to be released in 1968 but the numbering seems to suggest it actually came out in 1966!
Thanks to Paul Brown for his dogged pursuit of this obscurity
1967 US Yellow Brick Road / Abba Zaba on Buddah BDA 9 (BUD 5016/7)
White Label Promo with NOT FOR SALE printed on label.
Stock copy on Buddah (Green) BDA 9
The music business magazine Billboard of 16 September 1967 carried the following review of Yellow Brick Road:
Culled from their hit LP “Safe as Milk”, the group should soon find themselves riding high on the singles chart with their driving workout of this clever rock material. Flip: “Abba Zaba”
1967 UK Yellow Brick Road / Abba Zaba on Pye International 7N25443
Promo single on Pye International (Yellow with Black lettering) – ADVANCE PROMOTION COPY and NOT FOR SALE and A in centre of label side A. Also has 9 JAN faintly overstamped on side A (release date 19th. Jan ’68)
Standard issue on Pye International (Blue) 7N25443 – company sleeve is purple with PYE INTERNATIONAL
1968 UK Moonchild / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling on A&M AMS 726. Advanced Promotion Acetate copy with handwritten label. Made by Pye Records! Release date was 24 May as can be seen written on the A side
1968 UK Moonchild / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling on A&M AMS 726. Advance promo copy with yellow label.ADVANCE PROMOTION COPY and NOT FOR SALE and A in centre of label side A.
1968 UK Moonchild / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling on A&M(Tan) AMS 726 – the sleeve is an A&M company sleeve in black with A&MRecords printed concentrically in Red/Tan/Yellow
Many thanks to Craig Pritchard for the scans
19?? Australia Diddy Wah Diddy / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling on Festival FK-1331
This is a rare single.
1968 French Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do / Yellow Brick Road on Buddah 610006
Promo single distributed by Barclay. As can be seen the printing is fairly basic and not aligned very well!
ENCHANTILLON SANS VALEUR COMMERCIALE is printed on edge of label
1970 French Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do / Yellow Brick Road on Buddah 610006
Released the same year as the French ‘Super Group’ version of Safe As Milk which was also ‘Distribution Barclay’.
Picture sleeve based on the SAM cover but with extra handdrawn arms like a hindu god. The label is the rainbow Buddah one.
1970 French Pachuco Cadaver / Wild Life on Straight C006-91200.
The only single to be released off Trout Mask Replica – and only issued in France.
This seriously rare disc has an amazing picture sleeve. The photograph shows Don holding a mike looking sideways directly into the camera with Zoot Horn Rollo in full regalia playing guitar in the background. This was taken in October 1969 onstage at the Amougies festival.
1970 Holland Zig Zag Wanderer / Abba Zaba on Buddah BD1
A white picture sleeve with the SAM fisheye cover photo reproduced in dull purple. The back of the sleeve shows 6 different covers from various artists including Louis Armstrong and Cliff Richard! The label is the rainbow version.
1970 US Plastic Factory / Where There’s Woman on Buddah BDA108
A PROMO only 45 issued to radio stations in the larger US cities to coincide with the reissue of Safe As Milk in the summer of that year. A very rare item.
1972 US Click Clack / Glider on Reprise PRO 514 RECORD 1 – White Label Promo with PROMOTION NOT FOR SALE – part of DJ only promo box according to John Ellis. Matrix #is PCA0841 (on side 1) and PCA0843 (on side 2) – PS is red with “Spot” session photo of CB printed in green and BEEF on front/ HEART on back in white.
8:08 Minutes’ Worth of the Future Two choice selections offered as a preview of the forthcoming-in-January Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band album, The Spotlight Kid: “Click Clack”/”Glider” printed on back of sleeve.
Many thanks to the enigmatic Clark Cucumber for the scans of this excellent release.
1972 US Too Much Time / Low Yo Yo Stuff on REPRISE RECORDS PRO 547 White Label Stereo Promo has PROMOTION NOT FOR SALE. From the Reprise Album MS 2115 CLEAR SPOT.
A real rarity this one with a grey card sleeve. On the front it says “You’ll give me a bullet won’t ya boys? – Captain Beeheart”. The inside includes the words CAPTAIN BEEFHEART HAS GONE COMMERCIAL and on the back there’s a strange wolfman drawing (not by Don). There is also a quote from the DJ, Wolfman Jack – “… his spirit is overwhelming andI wanna tell ya the vibrations coming from this man is just too much. It’s melted my speakers and totally melted the knobs on my console here, ya understand?”
Thanks to Andy Bean for the scans of the disc and cover.
1972 US Too Much Time (Mono) / Too Much Time (Stereo) on Reprise Records REP 1133.
White Label Promo has PROMOTION NOT FOR SALE and timing 2:46 Intro: :08. Says From the Reprise Album MS 2115 CLEAR SPOT.
1972 US Too Much Time / My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains on Reprise Rep 1113
1972 UK Too Much Time / My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains on Reprise K14233
White Label Promo with ADVANCE PROMOTION COPY and Not for sale and A in red in centre of label side A.
Standard issue on Reprise (Tan) K14233
1974 US Upon The My-O-My / I Got Love On My Mind on Mercury 73494
White Label Promo with ADVANCE PROMOTION COPY and Not for sale printed on both sides.
1974 UK Upon The My-O-My / Magic Be on Virgin VS 110
Advance copy with black A on left centre of label side A. B+W “Two Virgins” label.
1974 UK Upon The My-O-My / Magic Be on Virgin VS 110
Standard issue as above without A. Note that there’s no mention of the Magic Band.
1974 Germany Upon The My-O-My / Magic Be on Virgin 13 305
1978 UK Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do / Electricity on Buddah(Purple) BDS 466
Released to coincide with The Captain Beefheart File – the double album release of Buddah material
Advance copy with black A in centre of label side A and (From “The Captain Beefheart File” – FILD 008) and MANUFACTURED &DISTRIBUTED BY PYE RECORDS printed on label. Sleeve has PLEASURE FROM THE BUDDAH GROUP.
1978 UK Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do / Electricity on Buddah(Purple) BDS 466
Released to coincide with The Captain Beefheart File – the double album release of Buddah material
Standard issue on Buddah(Purple) BDS 466
1978 US Hard Workin’ Man on MCA RECORDS MCA-40897
White Label single with PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE printed on centre. In Black printing on White MCA cover. Plays standard “clean” version.
Promo single with PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE printed on centre. In Black printing on Green MCA cover.
1978 UK Hard Workin’ Man on MCA 366 from the film Blue Collar
Demo single with DEMO RECORD NOT FOR SALE printed on centre and A in silver
Standard issue on MCA 366
1982 UK Ice Cream For Crow / Light Reflected Off The Oceands Of the Moon on Virgin (Green/Red) VS 534 DJ – DJ only release
1982 US Ice Cream For Crow / Light Reflected Off The Oceands Of the Moon on Virgin/Epic 14-03190.
Picture Sleeve has Corbijn photo of Don in the desert and is black on cream. Back has four member Magic Photo with Snyder, Tepper, Lucas and Martinez and instrument credits. Label is Virgin/Epic silver on metallic blue.
2012 Diddy Wah Diddy / Who Do You Think You’re Fooling / Moonchild / Frying Pan on Sundazed SEP2-243
A stunning two disc set in gatefold sleeve released as part of Record Store Day April 2012
More info and images about Sundazed’s Diddy Wah Diddy.
2012 Abba Zaba / Yellow Brick Road on Sundazed S254
Nicely packaged mono versions of these two cuts of Safe As Milk. Has a facsimile green Buddah Records label as per the original 1967 release. Limited release as part of Black Friday Record Store Day 2012
2012 Plastic Factory / Where There’s Woman on Sundazed S255
Another two mono tracks from Safe as Milk with packaging based on the album design. Has a facsimile rainbow Buddah Records label as per the original 1970 release. Limited release as part of Black Friday Record Store Day 2012
2012 Upon The My-O-My / I Got Love On My Mind on Sundazed S261
Two tracks in stereo from the Unconditionally Guaranteed album. Has facsimile Mercury Records label. Limited release as part of Black Friday Record Store Day 2012
7 inch EPs
Front sleeve for Diddy Wah Diddy AME600 – many thanks to Chris Wojtecki for these three splendid scans
1971 UK Diddy Wah Diddy EP on A&M(Yellow) AME600.
The promo of the EP that never was. Features the three tracks from the two A&M singles, A and B sides, from 1965. ADVANCE PROMOTION COPY in red printed on label. Recorded in 1964 (sic). Produced by David A. Gates. A Product of Quintus Productions Inc.
Not many copies of this were pressed so it’s a real rarity.
A closer look at the labels will show a number of errors:
- these tracks were not recorded in 1964
- the band did not include John French, who hadn’t joined yet. The drummer was Alex Snouffer and guitarists were Doug Moon and Rich Hepner
Thanks are given to Pete Frame who presumably gave some of the erroneous information, which goes to prove that even the great make mistakes!
See front cover scan above and back cover and label scans below.
Back sleeve for Diddy Wah Diddy AME600
Label for Diddy Wah Diddy AME600
1978 UK Sixpack – Six Track on Virgin SIXPACK1 – 6 tracks from UG and BJ&MB; Upon The My-O-My, Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Evil Doll, New Electric Ride, Sugar Bowl, Same Old Blues, Magic Be
7″ Picture Disc limited to 5,000 copies. GUARANTEED 15 MINUTES PLAYING TIME. MADE TO BE PLAYED. QUALITY BRITISH PRESSING. Sleeve has card foldout stand on back.
12 inch EPs
1982 UK Original 12″ of Light Reflected Off The Oceands Of The Moon on Virgin VC 534-12