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Here are two recent interviews with John ‘Drumbo’ French which are worth checking out. The first can be found at the No Apologies Blog, a Christian oriented blog: https://noapologiesallowed.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/naa-interview-with-john-drumbo-french-the-beefheart-drummer/ This is a text interview where John mainly talks about his Christian faith. However there is plenty of other stuff to keep the Beefheart fan interested. (Thanks to Joshua for contacting the Radar Station about his interview with John). The second interview is a 30 minute audio piece at The Trap Set which focuses on talking to drummers. “Joe Wong talks to John “Drumbo” French about blazing a singular path with Captain Beefheart, slipping under theRead More →

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Album reviews and Magic Band interviews 90 pages A5 Publication Wisdom Twins Books 2015 Printed to order for each customer Publicity blurb: A 90 page album guide to the music of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, with words from Art Tripp, John Drumbo French, Robert Williams, Zoot Horn Rollo, Cliff Martinez and others. Radar Station Overview: As the title so succinctly puts it this is a book of Beefheart album reviews and Magic Band interviews. A fairly slim volume at only 90 pages it keeps to the point and avoids pretentious waffling. As the author says in his introduction “I haven’t gone to writeRead More →

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The third in the series of live shows released by Gonzo Multimedia. Song List 1. Suction Prints 2. Low Yo Yo Stuff 3. Nowadays and 4. Woman’s Gotta Hit a Man 5. Abba Zabba 6. Band Intro 7. Sugar ‘n’ Spikes 8. Peon 9. I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby 10. Old Black Snake 11. Alice in Blunderland 12. I’m a King/Sugar Mama 13. Mirror Man 14. Big Eyed Beans from Venus 15. Golden Birdies The Radar Station Overview This is the third in Gonzo’s releases in their series “Somewhere Over…” or “Live From…”series . They can’t seem to make their mind up which one to go with so have used both – one onRead More →

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Sun Zoom Spark has been one of the most anticipated Beefheart releases for a long time. Subsequently it which has a lot of expectations to live up to. It has certainly created some controversy amongst fans which has rebounded unfavourably on Rhino. Here’s what we think of it at the Radar Station: Read the Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972 reviewRead More →

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A 2 CD set of the excellent show at the Le Nouvel Hippodrome, Paris in 1977. Song List Disk 1 1 Hair Pie: Bake III 2 Suction Prints 3 Low Yo Yo Stuff 4 Bat Chain Puller 5 I Wanna Fina A Woman That ‘ll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go 6 Abba Zaba 7 Dali’s Car 8 One Nest Rolls After Another 9 The Dust Blows Forward and the Dust Blows Back 10 Nowadays a Woman’s Got To Hit A Man 11 Click Clack 12 Grow Fins 13 Golden Birdies Disk 2 1 Electricity 2 A Carrot Is As Close AsRead More →

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Warners have been digging in their archives and are about to release a FOUR disc collection on the Rhino label – ‘Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972‘. Due for release on 11 November 2014 this set will include remastered versions of ‘Lick My Decals Off, Baby‘, ‘The Spotlight Kid‘ and ‘Clear Spot‘ (but with no bonus tracks). The fourth disc is a collection of fourteen outtakes which have not been previously released legitimately. These are the outtakes: 01 Alice in Blunderland (Alternate Version) 02 Harry Irene 03 I Can’t Do This Unless I Can Do This/Seam Crooked Sam 04 Pompadour Swamp/Suction Prints 05 The Witch Doctor LifeRead More →

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Four new tracks released online. It’s been a while since Bill Harkleroad released any new music. Not since 2001, in fact, when We Saw A Bozo Under The Sea was issued. He has just resurfaced, along with a revamp of his website, with four new instrumental tracks each one based on a mask sculpture by Roger Evers. An interesting concept! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Radar Station asked Bill a few questions about this new music: Can you tell us some more about the masks and the artist who created them?Read More →

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The full Avalon 1966 concert available for the first time. Song List The Avalon Ballroom, 1966 1. Down In The Bottom 2. Don’t Start Me To Talkin’ 3. The Sun Is Shining 4. Tupelo 5. Somebody In My Home 6. Old Folks’ Boogie 7. St. James Infirmary 8. Evil (Is Going On) 9. Harp Instrumental Radio Station, 1967 10. Somebody In My Home 11. Sure ‘Nuff ‘n’ Yes I Do 12. Call On Me 13. Yellow Brick Road 14. Plastic Factory 15. Sure ‘Nuff ‘n’ Yes I Do 16. Yellow Brick Road 17. Abba Zaba 18. Kandy Korn Notes Publicity blurb: Captain Beefheart & HisRead More →

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Here’s something special for you all. The first full length interview with one of the original Magic Band members, bass player Jerry Handley. Jerry has been very generous with his time to answer a whole heap of questions I asked him plus he sent me some previously unseen photographs of the early Magic Band to be included with the interview. So what are you waiting for? Read the interviewRead More →

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Okay, so why am I reviewing a book about Jeff Buckley here on the Radar Station? Well, it’s written by Gary Lucas who had, and still continues to have, a big part to play in the music of Don Van Vliet, and I think, should interest a lot of Beefheart fans. Jawbone Press : London 2013 Paperback 318 pages 22 Illustrations Originally published in Italy in Italian this is an updated English version of Gary’s story of his “time with Jeff Buckley”, in which he wants to correct the many previously published errors about their relationship and to counter the attempts at airbrushing him outRead More →

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This isn’t a review of this recent release by Chrome Dreams this is a warning. It’s not a new documentary about the relationship between Don and Frank it’s just a repackaging of the two previous titles “Under Review” and “From Straight to Bizarre” although there is nothing to tell you that on the new package or on the Chrome Dreams website. So if you already have these two DVDs don’t bother wasting money on this release, the new packaging is the only thing new about it. The card box opens up to reveal copies of the earlier DVDs in their original packaging. It smacks ofRead More →

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The Magic Band are now touring the UK and are playing a date in Germany see their site for links to buy tickets. 25 May 2014 Newcastle Upon Tyne – The Cluny 27 May 2014 Leeds – Brudenell Social Club 29 May 2014 Manchester – Band On The Wall 30 May 2014 Liverpool – Eric’s 31 May 2014 Aldershot – West End Centre 01 June 2014 Brighton – The Haunt 03 June 2014 Colchester – Colchester Arts Centre 05 June 2014 Bristol – The Fleece 06 June 2014 Hertford – Hertford Corn Exchange 07 June 2014 London – The Garage 08 June 2014 Tanworth InRead More →

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It’s almost 40 years since Don played the Troubadour in Los Angeles… and far too long since the Magic Band have played in the US. At long last a venue has had the commonsense to book the band so some of our American cousins can see what they’ve been missing. The date of the show is Monday 7th April. Find out more on the Troubadour’s Facebook page for the gig.Read More →

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Gary Lucas brings his Captain Beefheart Symposium to Mexico City on Sunday 1 December 2013 It takes place in the big public park at the Casa Del Lago at 1pm. During the symposium Gary Lucas will show rare archival footage of the band, spin unreleased tracks, project slides of Van Vliet’s paintings and drawings, discuss the history of the group and many of the great musicians who came through the ranks of The Magic Band, and illustrate Van Vliet’s quirky and idiosyncratic methodologies and techniques with a live solo guitar performance. More information is available at Gary Lucas’s website.Read More →

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Gary Lucas will present a live show at Southbank Centre, London on Thursday 14 November at 7.45pm encompassing his collaborations with Jeff Buckley, Lou Reed and Captain Beefheart. The Southbank Centre sent us the following: World-class guitarist and Grammy-nominated songwriter Gary Lucas talks about his new book Touched By Grace: My Time with Jeff Buckley, and performs a solo set featuring songs from his musical collaborations with Jeff Buckley, Captain Beefheart and beyond in the intimate setting of the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, London. His credits include co-writing and playing on his late musical partner Jeff Buckley’s anthems ‘Grace’ and ‘Mojo Pin’, from Jeff’s double platinumRead More →

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Dutch radio presenter and Beefheart fan, Co de Kloet, will be hosting a special Beefheart Night on 17 November 2013. You don’t have to be in the Netherlands to listen to it as it can be heard online in his show CoLive – www.radio6.nl/colive/ – from 20.30 till 2300 hrs. The Beefheart Night show will include: 1. the full “World of Captain Beefheart” show performed on 17 February at Amsterdam’s Paradiso by Gary Lucas with the Metropole Orchestra and special guest, Nona Hendryx 2. an interview with Gary Lucas 3. excerpts of “I Have a Cat” – a phone interview Co did with Don to whichRead More →

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A new Magic Band website announces a new Magic Band tour. The new site provides us with a suitably Magic web presence; my favourite bit being the archive of press reviews of many of the reunion shows. It’s a pleasing reminder that the reunion has been consistently booglarising us for over 10 years now, and the tone of the reviews is as equally thrilled and disbelieving in 2013 as it was in 2003. John French, Mark Boston and Denny Walley, along with their bandmates over the last decade, have achieved something truly remarkable. So get yourself out there if you can, witness an unforgettable show, revelRead More →

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Thanks to Groucho Kangaroo we are able to post this warning to all Beefheart fans about this latest vinyl atrocity. Captain Beefheart: “The Rarest Previously Unreleased 1970s Live And Studio Tracks” Ozit-Morpheus / Dandelion Records, LP, 2013 Side 1: 1. Steal Softly Through Snow – obviously not the Magic Band, newly recorded? 2. I Wanna Find A Woman… – Pepperland Ballroom, San Rafael, Sept. 18th 1970 3. Hair Pie Bake – Pepperland Ballroom, San Rafael, Sept. 18th 1970 4. Golden Birdies – BEAT CLUB session for Radio Bremen, Bremen, April 12th 1972 5. Space Age Couple – Pepperland Ballroom, San Rafael, Sept. 18th 1970 6.Read More →

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Following on from his involvement with the Magic Band reunion, Fast ‘n’ Bulbous and the series of Symposia Gary Lucas continues his celebration of Don’s music with his latest project “The World of Captain Beefheart”. This is based on the show of the same name performed featuring Nona Hendryx (LaBelle, Talking Heads) and several Dutch singers at Amsterdam’s Paradiso in February 2013 with the 65 -piece Metropole Orchestra, which was produced by Dutch radio presenter and Beefheart fan, Co de Kloet. All the musicians involved in the new project – Gary Lucas, Nona Hendryx, Jesse Krakow, Eric Slick and Jordan Shapiro –  have busy schedules so they willRead More →

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This DVD was announced earlier this year and touted as a “documentary,” but even at the announcement stage there was little cause for optimism. Let’s start with the fact that the person pictured on the cover of the package is not even Don Van Vliet, but rather some anonymous mustachioed fellow captured in mid-yowl (Arthur Brown or Nick Mason??) – clearly an indication of the level of care and attention likely to be put into the package. Given how many plainly sub-standard CDs and LPs have been issued by the likes of the execrable Ozit records, there was little hope that this would be anythingRead More →