CAPTAIN BEEFHEART

Generally I like blues. It means , that I can't hate this album.

Captain Beefheart recorded blues album with second-league musicians. His charisma didn't let to kill this album till death, but common feeling is sad enough. Music is very simplistic itself, and is played not at the high level of musicianship. Songs sound uninspired. Just imagine suburbs blues bar Thursday night's band.

Not to much moments there remind Capt.'s great early years. And it's sad... " Further Than We've Gone " is a ballade, almost with tears. Even more sad...

One of his worst works, happily this album is still not the end. Just Magic band missed it's magic for a while...

Honestly, I'm insulted that this album only carries a four-star rating. Sure, everyone's entitled to their opinion, and I can see how this album could be a 'turn-off' to some people, but it's influence on pop music and its artistic freedom are both irrefutable. Sure, Don's combination of blues, poetry, jazz, and, well, sound, are definitely tough to get used to, and an album with so little cohesion could be disenchanting (it certainly does take a few listens to fully grasp the record's concept), it's still a monolith record. It remains the zenith of unconventional rock music, the pinnacle of the strange, and a testament to individuality and creativity. And even with the insanity, it still remains true to its roots; it's still a rock record, even if there's no togetherness, even if it has absolutely no discernible cohesion. I give five-star ratings pretty sparingly, I will admit, and though I'm sure several of my personal favorite albums don't deserve them, this one certainly does.

Shuffling through the other reviews, I couldn't help but notice the mass of negative criticism; I reckon that I'm no master reviewer, that I'm right now saying what's been said a million times, but I know a masterpiece when I hear one. Even the most broken, unintelligible music has some artistic worth. This record isn't about a glossy polish, about complicated keyboard solos, or about impressive, complicated finesse; no, Trout Mask Replica is about singularity and avant-gardeness!

I've heard a million complaints about this type of music...honestly, I have! Beefheart's voice is absolutely unbearable, I've heard, the instruments are too broken, I've heard, but like I mentioned earlier, rock music doesn't solely need to rely on beautiful voices and instrumental complexity; if this were the case, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry wouldn't be legends, would they? Sure, Beefheart's music isn't even remotely reminiscent of Holly's or Berry's, really, but it follows the same structural ideal...it's not about the intricacy or the talent of the band members, it's about the sound, the overall sound, and the emotion that is felt and given off.

I'd say give Trout Mask a few listens before judging it. If you hate the avant-garde and the strange, then this certainly isn't the record for you, but if you're willing to keep an open mind, then this masterwork is an absolute yes.

And then the trouble started.

Van Vliet's men set off into the studio, fresh from the Milk sessions, ready to step a little farther up toward the stars. But it didn't quite work out that way. The intention was to make a double album, It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper, but the sessions seemed to lose their focus and the project failed to flourish. (There are a number of different stories around this. Check out the literature. It's a good day for research anyway.) A number of shorter tracks arose on Strictly Personal, the album that would officially make it as Beefheart's second album. Though "Trust Us" stretched to eight minutes and "Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones" offered some hints forward into the new bizarre, some of the more adventurous and lengthy material was left off. The label, Buddha, reportedly less than chuffed about much of the material hopping and flopping around in the studio at the time, later (as in later than Trout Mask Replica), released Mirror Man, an album that features just four songs, but four of the wilder songs from those sessions. These songs, "Tarotplane," "25th Century Quaker," "Mirror Man" and "Kandy Korn," seem to provide a better picture than Strictly Personal of how Beefheart and his band were trying to march their music into futureland.

Still, it's all a bit of an odd game. While the music found here (or on the longer deluxe package, The Mirror Man Sessions) definitely provides a much clearer picture of how Beefheart got from Safe as Milk to Trout Mask Replica, it doesn't make for much of a thrilling listen. There is an attempt to break out of the three-minute blues song mode, but mostly by playing for much longer. These are fairly simple grooves driving and driving in near endless repetitions. In its best moments it foreshadows some of what Can or later trance artists would get up to, but at its worst, it can get to be a bit of a slog, awaiting a development that never comes.

A tough one to rate, then. Caught between 2 and 3 stars. As a moment in a history, Mirror Man has some fascination to it, but it may only fascinate those who are already fascinated. Which, if I'm remembering correctly, is what Lester Bangs said all those many years ago. So if you can imagine yourself in the studio hearing this as it was being made, it might be best to wait and see which way into the future this beast decides to slouch.

Bursting on the southern California scene with a triumphant rendition of Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy," Don Van Vliet and his band show off even more of their muscular psych blues on their first album, Safe as Milk. The album is like a tour of all the potential directions the late 1960s music scenes could be heading toward. "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" drops the listener into a little funky desert blues as Van Vliet offers up his best Howlin' Wolf impressions. And from there it's a yard sale of grand 60s garage nuggets that drip blues, psychedelia and odd pop in equal measure. And as pop hopping as a number of these tracks are, it's sometimes surprising to hear some fairly straight slow ballads, like "I'm Glad." When I hear ballads like these today, they remind me strangely enough of the first disc of the Mothers' Freak Out. If you'd already heard later Zappa (or Beefheart), or you had heard about how far out they're all supposed to be, it can be a surprise to find how non-radical some of these songs sound, how oddly conventional they sound now. But then history jolts you back and you realize how truly radical albums like Freak Out and Safe as Milk really were, and really are. A song like "I'm Glad" reminds us of where the radio was swimming at the time, and the mind tornado the 60s was really ready to churn was hovering at the horizon and these guys were cheering it on. So, to hear "I'm Glad" move into "Electricity" is to realize how devastatingly original this material is.

Still, hearing it all with ears primed for prog, it is the theremin boogie of "Electricty" and the acid tribal damage of "Abba Zaba" that fly in the air and sing. Of the two, it's the latter that really startles and points the way forward. "Electricity" is a stunner of a song, but (and this is not really a negative) it still feels of the lysergic moment, whereas "Abba Zaba" really sounds like nothing else, except the future. The cod Africana rhythm section and the diagonal lead lines are the real signal here of where the man is planning on taking us.

This is fun, heavy stuff and, as odd as this material can sometimes be, it is the safest milk from the Vliet dairy. I know blues fans who adore this album but really hate all the Beefheart that comes after. And there is great 60s blues here, especially on "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do," "Dropout Boogie" and "Plastic Factory." But for those of us who are ready for the greater adventure, it is "Electricity" and, mostly, mightily, "Abba Zaba" that are the stars of this, the first Really Big Show from the desert.

As Frank Zappa would so elegantly put it: "If you get it, it's wonderful and it works for you. If you don't get it, don't feel too bad, because you probably weren't meant to get it in the first place." (Or something along those lines)

"Trout Mask Replica" is indeed a real piece of work. When one looks at the various grimy components that go into an album such as this (the honking guitars, the raucous wind and brass sections, the wickedly complex drums, the bizarre tempo changes, and of course, Beefheart's strained, dynamic vocals) one probably won't find anything that seems appealing at first glance. However, when taken in as a whole, the sound takes on a quality that is, if not pleasant, at least endearing to the dedicated listener. The tracks range in complexity from outlandish a capella to equally strange narrated avant-garde to noisy blues-rock pieces to lengthy jazz excursions. Though many of these songs share a similar timbre or compositional style, each track is completely unique and equal to its counterparts. Indeed, while I can safely say that nearly all good albums have at least one track that does not shine as brightly as the others, that is not the case with "Trout Mask Replica". Every song on this album (and there are quite a few) contributes equally to the whole, which is, in this reviewer's opinion, meant to be listened to all the way through.

But again I must warn you, that this album is not for everyone. The style of music offered here was not really intended for fans of progressive rock, but rather for the kind of people that good prog fans should be: those with open minds. "Trout Mask Replica" effectively demonstrates that good music should not simply be heard, but really listened to.

Don Van Vliet or pseudonym "Captain Beefheart" has created the most original music I think I've ever heard.His signature sound includes a combination of Rhythm & blues,psychedelia,avant garde,free jazz & spoken word.Certainly not genres for easy listening.You'll either instantly become a fan of his or have a nervous breakdown.Fortunately I become a fan of his.

As a youth he was a good friend of Frank Zappa's who shared a common interested in Rhythm & blues.He also became a promising painter & sculpturer and was offered an art scholarship in Europe which he never perused ....eventually resulting in the creation of Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band.And Like most western bands in the mid sixties rock bands were influenced heavily by blues music & rockn'roll.Bands such as Deep Purple,The rolling Stones,Jimi Hendrix,Led Zeppelin,Cream even Jethro Tull had their débuts soaked in blues,soon to be moulded into something much more their own. Vliet was much the same,he shared the same passion for blues but veered into a different direction

The album still maintains the blues influence dominantly throughout the record.Vliet's graspy vocals and blues harmonica is very reminiscent of Howlin Wolf of whom was a large influence to Vliet.Also helping to maintain the blues,blues specialist Ry Cooder really puts his signature slide style over the album and even feature's a guest appearance of Taj Mahal on tambourine on "Yellow Brick Road".The opening track "Sure 'nuff Yes I do" shares the same "blue"prints (pun intended)of popular delta standard "Rollin and Tumblin" but gains it's own characteristics with interesting rhythms & Cooder's psychedelic slide. Songs such as "Zig Zag Wanderer" & "Drop Out Boogie"also resemble much of the same arrangements and grooves of classic Rnb bands of the time.But on these occasions Beefheart's obscure lyrics & interesting instrumental breaks,you'll soon notice they distance themselves from that scene all together.The experimental tendencies stand out far more on such songs as "Electricity"which features dissonant vocals and theremin and "Grown So Ugly" with irregular drum patterns & irregular blues licks,both only to be met by their catchy chorus's.

This album tends to be my most played Beefheart album and is certainly one of my favourites amongst a few others.but I wouldn't necessarily associate this sound with him as for future releases,he would soon venture to the more abstract.If there's such a thing as commercial Captain Beefheart this certainly would be it.Definitely an important album for prog & classic rock fans but don't be suprised if knowone believes you that's it's Captain Beefheart.

One of the best early freaky albums. For new listeners it could be more associated with early Zappa works, which isn't strange. Zappa and Cpt.Beafheart were friends still from school time, and collaborated making music quite often at thet time.

Looking from today's point of view, album is strange mix of blues, early r'n'b, early avant garde (a la Zappa) and crazy lyrics. From all Cpt. Beafheart albums this one is most acceptable and really has many blues atributes, incl. two great blues/americana musicians Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. If you know, what is typical Cooder's music of his later solo career, you will find plenty of it in this album: kind of bluesy country, cajun, americana.

Don Van Vliet's vocal is unusual and crazy as well, so all components build freaky atmosphere of late sixties avantguarde.

This music isn't for everyone, it's for sure, but this album is best entrance to Captain Beafheart catalogue. If you like early Frank Zappa's works, this album is for you.

Hmmmm.... an album with Don Van Vliet singing, featuring a song called "Peaches"? It must be great. Right? Wait. Is this Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band attempting to make an album of radio friendy songs? In that context, this album might be just what they were trying to do. But did they get any airplay from this? I doubt it.

This is a set of ten hideously normal (read: completely unmemorable) tunes from Van Vliet and his crew. His abstract, borderline insane lyrics are nowhere to be found here, replaced by boring pop drivel, some of it quite insipid.

The music itself is also plain. The only place where you might notice that it's actually The Magic Band playing are the occasional, all too brief guitar solos, which slightly touch upon the feel of the other Beefheart albums.

If you see this album coming, run the other way. Fast.

It was fictional guitarist David St. Hubbins who once said "It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever." And this album is an illustration of how easy it can be to fall on both sides at once. Trout Mask Replica can be both inspiring and insipid, and exceed at both. Where this album works is when the band is sowing the seeds of the oddly disjointed music that became one of the trademarks of The Magic Band. Where it doesn't work is when the band attempts a rock version of "free jazz". It sounds a lot like when my teenage son and his friends are sitting around, all playing different, unassociated riffs, no one listening to each other. I just don't think these guys, at this point in their careers have the chops for it.

Don Van Vliet's poetry here is just as hit or miss. At times it seems inspired. At others, it sounds very similar to some pseudo-intellectual ramblings of some drug addled teenagers I knew in high school.

But being about 50/50 hit and miss, and also originally being a double album, there is still an albums worth of good material here.

As far as I'm concerned, this was the best album Don Van Vliet ever made. The song are more polished than ever, without losing any of that wierness that permeates most of The Captain's music. Perhaps this is because a good portion of this music was originally recorded for the first Bat Chain Puller album, lost in a maze of lawsuits between Van Vliet's friend, Frank Zappa, and Herb Cohen. Anyway, my theory is that instead of having to rely on rough outlines and vocal noises, this band had fully fleshed out musical ideas to start with, and therefore go take it much further than usual.

Most of this album is high points, but my favorite here is "Ice Rose", so technically complex that it sounds like it could have come from a Zappa album.

Other great songs are "Tropical Hot Dog Night", "You Know You're A Man", "Bat Chain Puller" and the slow blues of "Swamp Lies".

If you are afraid to delve into the Beefheart catalog because of his weirdness ans abrasiveness, I suggest you start here.