By:
On:
In: Uncategorized, Unofficial releases
With: 1 Comment

Acetate only release limited to 25 copies Front cover with obi Front cover without obi Disc labels Song list: Side 1: Hair Pie Bake 2 Sugar ‘n Spikes Old Fart At Play My Human Gets Me Blues Dali’s Car Moonlight On Vermont Ella Guru Side 2 When Big Joan Sets Up Hair Pie Bake 2 Steal Softly Thru Snow Hobo Chang Ba Veterans Day Poppy Review by Paul Brown This DELUXE Bootleg LP limited to 25 Copies Only, features live recordings from various venues. the earliest being the “LA Cave” Club in Cleveland Ohio 1971, up to and including two of the album’s stand-out tracksRead More →

By:
On:
In: Unofficial releases
With: 0 Comments

180 gram vinyl double album with gatefold sleeve Song List Side One Suction Prints Crazy Little Thing Electricity Golden Birdies Side Two I’m Gonna Booglarise You Baby King Bee /Sugar Mama Side Three Low Yo Yo Stuff Mirrorman Peon 2 Peon Side Four Bass Solo Suction Prints Sugar ‘n’ Spikes Notes Ozit Publicity: The title obviously is a reworking of Clear Spot – Translucent Fresnel (Fresnel is a spotlight). From the late 1960’s through to 1980 John Peel collected tapes of recordings of Captain Beefheart’s live shows particularly ones in the UK. During a tidy up at Nan True’s Hole in 2003 he discovered aroundRead More →

By:
On:
In: Blog, New releases
With: 18 Comments

Catching up on three remastered CDs and a couple of vinyl boots. The Japanese seem to follow their own odd agenda of releasing Beefheart albums. However, when they do it’s usually worth checking out, especially when they remaster anything. And that’s what we have here. Lick My Decals Off, Baby At the back of 2014 (yes, I know, but I’ve only just got hold of a copy) they released a remastered version of ‘Lick My Decals Off, Baby‘. It’s packaged in a jewel case with booklet containing lyrics in English and Japanese. It has been remastered by Ryuichi Tanaka (Mixer’s Lab) at Warner Music Mastering. This isRead More →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Magic Band people
With: 3 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Books
With: 3 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, New releases, Unofficial releases
With: 4 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, New releases
With: 2 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, New releases, Unofficial releases
With: 1 Comment

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Music, New releases
With: 20 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Magic Band people, Music, New releases
With: 1 Comment

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Music, New releases, Unofficial releases
With: 8 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Magic Band people
With: 0 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Jerry Handley
With: 15 Comments

Back in 1964 when Alex Snouffer was looking to start up the band that would ultimately become Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band the first person he contacted and asked to join him was Jerry Handley. They had already had some experience of playing together, enjoyed the same blues-based music and got on well together. Jerry was to become the bass player. He played on all the early singles plus the “Safe As Milk”, “Strictly Personal” and “Mirror Man” albums. By all accounts he was an easy going and modest kind of guy (still is, in fact!) Incredibly Jerry has never been interviewed before … unlessRead More →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Books, Magic Band people, Related publications, Uncategorized
With: 0 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Multimedia, Videos and DVDs
With: 1 Comment

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 →

By:
On:
In: Magic Band reunion, Music
With: 16 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Blog, Magic Band people, Magic Band reunion, Music, Tributes
With: 9 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Magic Band people, Tributes
With: 0 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Magic Band people
With: 0 Comments

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 →