people use to dread me when i went in the pub , 1990 s ice cream for crow was the only one on the video juke box.....i put it on and at least people knew there was some hash in the building ....
Great video Shaggy. Great ranking which would kinda be similar to mine. Also didn't realise this was a strictly Zappa channel originally (which explains why on your Bowie videos you keep mentioning the Zappa connection). Just a couple of scattered thoughts.....for me Doc is second only to Trout. It's new wave Beefheart. Dirty Blue Gene is the absolute sweet spot of his career. The angles are razor sharp but you can kinda dance to it. Such 'glistening' velocity! I read somewhere, someone describing visiting the Magic band house in the run up to recording Trout and describing it as just like being around the Manson family. Scary. Best get out. Which maybe helps to explain a thought provoking thing Bill Harkleroad said in his book, words to the effect of 'people think it must be cool being involved with the creation of Trout Mask Replica......but it's actually a really difficult thing to have in your past'. Yeah, something pretty exceptional happened there. Some real psychic scars. Took me 10 years to break the code. Four bite sized chunks? Great advice.
Thanks for your in depth comments. Enjoying them and glad to see you enjoying the videos and my takes…..much appreciated. And yes, TMR is a massive meal best not ingested in one sitting.
Bluejeans and Moonbeams is absolutely superb . And ............my wife loves it :) Oh , I almost forgot , Dean Smith's guitar solo on Further Than We've Gone is achingly beautiful.
What an awesome video! Beefheart and the Magic Band are my favorite band of all time….I appreciate the love for Doc at Radar Station, it’s my #2 Beefheart album. I don’t see it get a whole lot of mention elsewhere. Great, well thought out list!!!!!
Who are you??? What a great video! First of all, I have to hand it to ya. Every band you mention on this video is a favorite of mine. Ween, Pavement, Zappa, Henry Kaiser, looks like you sure know your stuff. I'm so happy this music gets some attention these days. Beefheart is definitely amongst my favorite artists of all times. I really liked the ranking, although The Spotlight Kid is ranked higher on my list. You mentioned Nuggets...Diddy wah diddy from 1965 is on that collection. You didn't mention this EP from A&M, but it's ok not to mention it here. Also, it is worth mentioning the Hampton Grease Band and maybe other bands who were associated with that wonderful eccentric period in american music. Thank you! Now I'm subscribed, so I'll follow your videos more closly.
This is what TH-cam was made for! Solid and goddamningly impressive. Now I'm hoping you'll do a Wild Man Fischer album ranking, and one with The Residents as well. (It would surprise me to no end if you don't know most of their stuff.) (I guess that means: one seven-minute video and one three-hour movie.) And I'm actually going to revisit Bluejeans and Moonbeams now, just because of you. I'll admit to thinking it was horribly bland, but I guess one has to approach it from a different angle and with different expectations.
5. Strictly Personal 4. Clear Spot 3. Doc At The Radar Station 2. Trout Mask Replica 1. Lick My Decals Off, Baby But they’re all PERFECT😍even Bluejeans and Moonbeams and Unconditionally Guaranteed are fantastic
Agree, Bluejeans and Moonbeams is still my favorite, but then I heard Clear Spot! In my opinion This Is The Day is one of the best songs ever written. Observatory Crest may just be the best song ever written.
I love Bluejeans And Moonbeams and I totally agree with you about This Is The Day, I think the best version of This is the day is live in London ‘74, Clear Spot is the middle point between the extremes and in my opinion is the best album, it’s a perfect balance, the writing is brilliant, the production and performances are brilliant, also, Shiny Beast is an incredible album, 🙂@@jimjones-s7o
I forget just where you ranked Bluejeans and Moonbeams, but your survey prompted me to check it out. Great album! Lick My Decals off, Baby didn't connect with me much when I first bought it in the 80s, but I'll happily revisit.
I don't know if this will make you change your mind about The Blimp, but I remember reading that Zappa did not add Charles Ives to the song, what happened was that he was working on the multracks for that song in the studio when Beefheart called and had Jeff Cotton read what he had just written over the phone, so Zappa recorded it over the phone on an empty track on the mothers master tapes, and when he listened back he liked it enough to include it on the album as it was. I think the only change I would make from your list is I would move Blue Jeans down one more spot. I just wanted to share my first encounter with CB, in the 80's when I was a teenager and newly heavy into Zappa I had read a lot about CB and wanted to hear him, so when I finally found an album in the stores it was Clear Spot, I was massivly dissapointed, it seemed so straight, I remember thinking is this was all the fuss was about???? Fast forward a few months the next album I found was Trout Mask Replica, and that I fell in love with right away, it also made me appreciate Clear Spot more after hearing that.
Thanks. I do remember reading that same story….thanks for reminding me. Makes it more understandable but as a track, The Blimp still removes me from the unique musical world that is TMR. I know Charles Ives immediately and for some reason, hearing it on here, played by The Mothers, just doesn’t work for me. If the Magic Band had played the Ives vamp….!?!?!?!? But as far as why it is that way, more acceptable knowing this. Though Frank still inserts himself elsewhere….ugh!!! But thanks for this and the comment. :-)
Ned from Spain here and hugely huge Beefheart freak. My ranking is different from yours but your reasons for that are beautifully laid out and explained. I do have to say that I prefer the original version of Owed T'Alex with Denny Whalley going full tilt without the trombone, much as I love Mr Fowler. I do wish that they had given Denny a few more choruses to stretch out some more. Thanks Shaggy for a solid video. Peace and good health. By the by are you a fan of any of the offshoot bands like Mallard, Zoot Horn Rollo or the reformed Magic Band ??
I am a fan of those bands and have them on my list to eventually….eventually…discuss. Thanks for the comment! And I agree that more Denny is always a good thing…
We were in the Commodore ballroom in Vancouver. Beefheart was our favorite artist. By far. Hands down. And the late sixties early 70's Renaissance sounds all the time all around Seattle people were spoiled rotten ..Jimi Hendrix? ID at our door please. Don't like van Vliet? Uff da ...thank you for your list, insights and tremendous knowledge.
My Dad's collection had Blue Jeans and for a long time I just didn't get Beefheart when I put that on, I hadn't heard of Trout Mask Replica or whatever back then so I guess I simply had no idea what to look for. But then I found Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller and it was off to the races!
That was an excellent ranking not my choice but probably possible for everyone to agree,love that blue jeans was appreciated.I love that myself very well explained,everything you said was summed up perfectly in observatory crest.
Great video! I'm pretty much in agreement with you, the first Beefheart album I heard was Lick My Decals Off Baby when it was released. Shortly after I bought Trout Mask Replica and Safe as Milk and have been a fan ever since.
Great video! Yep, 1. Trout 2. Decals. Both masterpieces. Surprisingly, two of my favourite Beefheart songs are on Unconditionally Guaranteed: 'Upon The My-O-My' and 'This Is The Day', which has an impressive guitar solo.
Thank you for appreciating what bruce fowler did in SB. The voice he brought to that album always made me wonder what the captain could’ve done if he had a musicians that can play different instruments
I agree that Decals is a more perfect album than Trout (both perfect, in different ways). But I find the flaws of Trout ultimately call me back to the album a little more often….but yeah, I had a hard time not putting Decals at number one.
@@theopinionatedhippie470 I know for most Beefheart fans Trout Mask is #1 but I've always struggled with it a bit, although I do still dig it. For me Decals, Clear Spot and Radar Station have always been my go-to's.
My friend John Thomas who is now professional story musician played on Bat chain puller I think John was living at my house at the time and hit a funky old dodge van and we are a funky old house and he go all the way from Palmdale California all the way down the San Fernando Valley with Don in the car and one of the songs on that album was inspired by John’s windshield wiper going back-and-forth
I think Upon The My O My is really good but I agree Unconditionally Guaranteed is the worst. I don’t mind the Mirror Man jams but the horn and harmonica is horribly ear piercing. I like Bluejeans and Moon Beams and would rate it higher than 11. I’m sure I would rate Trout Mask Replica lower than you are going to rate it. I may do a Captain Beefheart video.
I have been a Beefheart fan for 35 years now, I own all his records and many bootlegs, have read all there is to read about the man, watched all movies and youtube videos ... I remain bewildered at the equivocal enthusiasm about Trout Mask Replica. I understand why it sparks people's interest. It's one of the weirdest albums by an established artist ever. I give it a yearly turn on the table, so I have listened to it 30 times or more. But to this date I can't convince myself it's actually a *good* album, let alone a great one. It's one of my least favorite albums by my favorite artist. It's not that it's inaccessible and takes time to appreciate. I did that with "Lick my decals ..." or "Ice cream ..." or other hard to get ones. Sure there are some interesting polyrhythms and Moonlight on Vermont is a great song - not coincidentally it dates from the Strictly Personal era. No, it's simply awful by design, or rather, by neglect. If you read John French's biography, much of the myth about this album is busted. French did an amazing job transcribing Beefheart's visions into music, but later on Beefheart ruined most of what the band had conceived with his tenor sax improvisations and overly loud singing or talking across the tracks. Almost the same happened on "Lick my decals ..." where Harkleroad was the transcriber at his service, but here Beefheart was more restrained in his "post production". Still, if you listen to the bootleg of "Lick my decals ..." before Beefheart did his thing, you get the real congeniality. Beefheart is an "idiot savant" rather than a genius. Throughout his career he has always needed real musicians to bring out the best in him. Whenever he allows true producers to take the lead, like Ry Cooder on his debut album, Ted Templeman on Clear Spot, or later on Gary Lucas, the strengths of his originality and their musicianship combine. When he assumes full control, like on TMR, the result is an unlistenable mess. Now that's my take at it. If people really truly like it, I envy them because I can't.
And here comes the inexperienced driver in the Don van fleet! RESPONSES: 1. I wouldn't know where to put Safe As Milk in a chart like this. To me it's a separate phenomenon - impossible to dislike, an iconic and classic mid '60s album, but one which sounds like the work of a totally different person from all the others. Same comments apply to the short album one could assemble from the A&M sessions and the stuff on Grow Fins D1 and D2 2. I would argue Un G has at least a couple of other tracks which almost work, they have potential but still sound unfinished (This Is The Day and Happy Love Song - if I was feeling generous I'd throw My-Oh-My in there too). 3. Mirror Man - I wish he'd let the guys jam more, kept out of their way - there's only so much harp riffing we need, and he's audibly struggling to get something useful out of his double-reeds 4. Bluejeans and Moonbeams - it is definitely better than its predecessor but not "the real Don" - and incidentally Clapton's Same Old Blues is a different song. And Don's not on Captains Holiday. 5. Strictly Personal - I don't hear it as a sequel to S@M, rather as the first sign of the "real" Beefheart style emerging, even though he's still getting the pop-R&B out of his system. And it does prove that the anomalous nature of the debut doesn't stem from the contributions of either St Clair or Bermann. 6. Clear Spot - of the two ballads I always preferred My Head Is... The other one falls victim to his lyric-imbalance syndrome (so often, there's either not enough words to go with the music, or there's so many that he can't pin them together satisfactorily) 7. Bat Chain Puller - I thought it was the lawsuit with Cohen that caused the trouble with this album. We know about the Don/Frank confrontation in '81, but maybe they were both winding each other up - a few years after that Frank said to Henry Kaiser that he had no clue who owned the audio copyrights. Seam Crooked Sam is a fine bit of bizarre data overload - here the poem and the music, even more so than usual, need to be separated in one's mind. Don't forget the reissue has a version of Candle Mambo added - plus, for what its worth, Hoboism. 8. Ice Cream For Crow - setting aside the late-era poetry readings, Don's never sounded, on tape, so much like a frail old man. Source: the MS, or just self-harm? Another especially bizarre data-overload here - Cardboard Cutout Sundown. Unlike some I prefer Totem Pole with the horns. Squeaking of which, the reissue adds Light... where he breaks out the old b-cl for the first time in years. 9. Doc At The Radar Station - The "mellotron album". For this listener, Hong Kong is a weak spot (that "lyric imbalance" again, plus arhythmic cymbal-bashing). I would single out Sue Egypt and Vampire as highlights among the genuinely new pieces. 10. Shiny Beast - Check your metaphors at the door. Black licorice = going to the bathroom too much! There are only three genuinely "new" songs on it, and of these...I'm admitting through gritted teeth that the most memorable is Mummy/Mommy. I'm sure Love Lies/Mark X sounded better back in 1967. Btw: Don's meant to have demonstrated somewhere that Harry Irene is one big mondegreen, and there are actually five characters in the story. Er, que? 11. Lick My Decals - The first "eco-horror lyrics" album. Chaos trimmed down, surely because Harkleroad did a lot more trimming down (and cutting-and-pasting) of the raw material than his predecessor ever dared. 12. "Carp Face Duplicate" - XTC did indeed record Ella Guru (...obviously JG knows that). It's likely that the main producer was Dick Kunc - and Frank managed the more homemade-sounding cuts, and The Blimp of course. John French said in a documentary that Dali's Car was one time Don actually managed to memorize his piano parts and say "this is the bass", "this is Bill's part" etc. After that it was back to the haphazard meanderings and...who's going to play this? oh, you know, just write it down, man! Idea: When I listen to this now, I move Hair Pie 2 to "side one", and, at the end, I add the long two-part edit of Hair Pie 1 from Grow Fins #3. (That gets in the full-length horn duet - yes, and the soundcheck, but so what).
A fine video. Very articulated thoughts. I agree with most of your choices, except that for me Doc and Ice Cream are above Shiny Beast. Doc has the best B side of the Captain and Ice Cream is criminally underrated. Nonetheless, a good video.
Great list! I prefer Lick My Decals to Trout Mask personally, much tighter album experience and a bit more cohesion than chaos. All personal preference where you want the level of crazy, I just love that only minor level of restraint that ends in refinement. Still weird as hell but I can feel the groove in most of the songs, fantastic rhythms!
Although I grew up in the era (60`s & 70`s) and I had a love of all genres of music from pop to heavy rock I could never get into Capt Beefheart. But here is a strange thing that even I can`t understand. One of my favourite albums (not just by Beefheart but all my collection) is Unconditionally Gauranteed . I know it is universally disliked by Beefheart fans and was criticised when released by band and critics alike but I loved it .....and still do. Go figure.
I've been listening to and loving The Captain since '67 and my ears are surprisingly different to yours. I hate the songs you like on Unconditionally, Mirror Man still sounds wonderful and I worry that everything he did after Decals - including stuff I love- were driven by the desire to escape from or recapture the lofty peaks of 69-70. I can't include Bat Chain Puller because I still see it as the bootleg I bought. My top 5... 5 Safe as Milk 4 Clear Spot 3 Decals 2 Trout Mask 1 (I just keep playing it).....Strictly Personal. So I suppose the stuff that created the myth and the legacy. And I put Mirror Man at 6. But I agree with much you say. Different ears.🙄
My frist album was Shiny Beast, after reading a review that sid the album won't attract any new fans, to CB. As a Zappa fan, I guessed they were wrong, and and they were.
You're into squids, eating dough? - *Reported to TH-cam moderators!!* Mascara snakes are off limits too, ya weirdo (I'm off-kilter too). Join the club, Mr. Bill Keon. Don't even mention tin teardrops.....that's a whole 'nother story!
I would be elated to hear "Magic Bee" on Deep Tracks compared to some other more serious stuff played. Unconditionally Guaranteed only gets a bad rap when compared to everything else that's so outsider art. "Magic Bee" rules.
**Michael Hunson,** What the? I haven't heard of some on your list and I'm a diehard Zappa fan *AND* Beefheart fanatic. We learn something everyday.....lol
@@michaelhudson2912 I know ya did. Still, there are two in your list I've never heard of; the "Mirror Man Sessions," and "Strictly Personal." I'll need to check them on TH-cam. As I recall, (a few years back) I couldn't buy 'Lick my Decals Off' thru Amazon.....wtf? It may be available now so, I'll need to jump my ass back onto the Amazon site to check it. Keep rockin'. - Bulbous also tapered (also, with a tin teardrop).
@@michaelhudson2912 No kidding? I need to order me the CD. I have a couple Beefheart vinyl LP's still sealed in plastic. One is "Ice Cream for Crow." I'll never open them. A bunch of Zappa LP's too (about 10) that will never be opened. *Thanks for this info.* - Fast and Bulbous! Look to the sky brother, "The blimp, the blimp..."
Hey if you need a number for information about captain Beefheart he grew up here in Rosemont and the antelope valley with Frank Zappa I got a whole lotta stories about him I don’t care how you write his albums he was a creative genius but he had no business as Frank Zappa had business Don van vliet had no business sense We grew up here in the valley Dans Vanvleet was our idol as was Frank Zappa My friend ended up playing with don He still is is a studio musician So captain Beefheart Trump mask replica end up becoming a very popular over in Europe amongst Brian Eno and the very famous David Bowie I got how much is stories to tell about Don vanvliet Houston show up at parties here used to see him at the library out here in the antelope Valley My friends name is John Thomas
Mike Keneally for good reason (IMHO) cites the Mirror Man version of Kandy Korn as apex Beefheart... on a plane where there is no such thing as "better". This track and Tarotplane have a narcotic quality that wasn't available anywhere else, (parts of the Sargent Pepper album maybe came close). The recording quality may in some ways limit it's impact, but it can print in the brain and playback gorgeously in a Beefheart fan's head. I can't rank Van Vliet's recorded output any more than I can say milk is better than orange juice, but I would say that Mirror Man is obviously more groundbreaking than some of his releases and for sure, that more thought and work went into Mirror Man than went into Bluejeans and Moonbeams. Putting Bluejeans and Moonbeams above Mirror Man is just plain wrong. Unfortunately this isn't the only spot in the video where opinionated hippie is opinionated but is not well informed.
I find it hilarious that you are arguing that I am wrong about which albums I like more. I will say it again to be clear: regardless of any historical or musical importance, I enjoy Bluejeans more than I enjoy Mirror Man. Super confused as to how I can be wrong about my opinion but hey….you know better about what I like. Enjoy your day….😀
Fair (though now I am confused about how ranking my favorites could be described as “wrong”). I would also say that Orange Juice is far better than Milk….
All is good. I just never get used to how…..not even sure what the word is…..how people react to other people’s opinions about music. Obviously I know reactions will be provoked and I am here to just have fun….so hopefully that is understood. But yeah….music is the best, no matter what you like.
OK what you don’t understand about Captain Beefheart as he doesn’t play an instrument he was very good at whistling very good at singing but he couldn’t play an instrument at all he didn’t know how to read notes nothing his musicians were the ones that were were supporting them he would tell them what to do and they would do whatever they wanted to especially take a look at Trump mask Rebecca I know intimately about what that album was about and Dans was on task masker almost like Charlie Manson His musicians were younger than him and he talked down to them he was mean and they knew far more about music that Dans did and it was John French also knows as Drumbo that was really the backbone of the whole band during the Trump mask replica album the two album set John French jumbo still lives out here in the valley and I’ve talked to many many times about what happened during the trial mask replica sex and I know a lot about Dans vanvliet Dans vanvliet didn’t like didn’t go to school he didn’t study music but he was a genius he was a goddamn fucking genius he could whistle like he’ll any new music to his ear and his brain in his eyes and his vocals and his lyrics were incredible he was an incredible genius but he didn’t know nothing about music
@@mikegburnside Let’s do it that’s true he did play harmonica and I want concert somebody gave him a clarinet as a gift and he came out and played it for the first time and he didn’t know really how to plant had met a lot of good noise though
Huh, Beefheart melodic, sorry Beefheart is a "groove' nothing more nothing less. To enjoy Trout Mask you have to get into the "groove". If you can keep TMR CD on repeat in your car and enjoy it every play then you get the "groove" No specific genius, no melody just crazy groove. Most rate Beefheart because it's cool to do so, but secretly they never ever listen and I think this reviewer may fall into the latter?
Great Video By the time you got to 10 I knew why it took you 2 years to put this list together Absolutely agree with #1 TMR , a perfect album Honorable mention to A&M Sessions Diddy Wah Diddy was the perfect start for what was to follow
people use to dread me when i went in the pub , 1990 s ice cream for crow was the only one on the video juke box.....i put it on and at least people knew there was some hash in the building ....
Great video Shaggy. Great ranking which would kinda be similar to mine. Also didn't realise this was a strictly Zappa channel originally (which explains why on your Bowie videos you keep mentioning the Zappa connection). Just a couple of scattered thoughts.....for me Doc is second only to Trout. It's new wave Beefheart. Dirty Blue Gene is the absolute sweet spot of his career. The angles are razor sharp but you can kinda dance to it. Such 'glistening' velocity!
I read somewhere, someone describing visiting the Magic band house in the run up to recording Trout and describing it as just like being around the Manson family. Scary. Best get out. Which maybe helps to explain a thought provoking thing Bill Harkleroad said in his book, words to the effect of 'people think it must be cool being involved with the creation of Trout Mask Replica......but it's actually a really difficult thing to have in your past'. Yeah, something pretty exceptional happened there. Some real psychic scars. Took me 10 years to break the code. Four bite sized chunks? Great advice.
Thanks for your in depth comments. Enjoying them and glad to see you enjoying the videos and my takes…..much appreciated. And yes, TMR is a massive meal best not ingested in one sitting.
Bluejeans and Moonbeams is absolutely superb . And ............my wife loves it :)
Oh , I almost forgot , Dean Smith's guitar solo on Further Than We've Gone is achingly beautiful.
I love Bluejeans and Moonbeams too. Just a great album in spite of it's accessibility :)
I agree with everything said.
Bluejeans and Moonbeams is absolutely beautiful, one of the best albums ever made, love it🙂
What an awesome video! Beefheart and the Magic Band are my favorite band of all time….I appreciate the love for Doc at Radar Station, it’s my #2 Beefheart album. I don’t see it get a whole lot of mention elsewhere. Great, well thought out list!!!!!
Who are you??? What a great video! First of all, I have to hand it to ya. Every band you mention on this video is a favorite of mine. Ween, Pavement, Zappa, Henry Kaiser, looks like you sure know your stuff. I'm so happy this music gets some attention these days. Beefheart is definitely amongst my favorite artists of all times. I really liked the ranking, although The Spotlight Kid is ranked higher on my list. You mentioned Nuggets...Diddy wah diddy from 1965 is on that collection. You didn't mention this EP from A&M, but it's ok not to mention it here. Also, it is worth mentioning the Hampton Grease Band and maybe other bands who were associated with that wonderful eccentric period in american music. Thank you! Now I'm subscribed, so I'll follow your videos more closly.
This is excellent
This is what TH-cam was made for! Solid and goddamningly impressive. Now I'm hoping you'll do a Wild Man Fischer album ranking, and one with The Residents as well. (It would surprise me to no end if you don't know most of their stuff.) (I guess that means: one seven-minute video and one three-hour movie.)
And I'm actually going to revisit Bluejeans and Moonbeams now, just because of you. I'll admit to thinking it was horribly bland, but I guess one has to approach it from a different angle and with different expectations.
Thanks for the comment….The Residents are on my list, but how is the question. And Wild Man is on my short list so hopefully before the year is out.
5. Strictly Personal
4. Clear Spot
3. Doc At The Radar Station
2. Trout Mask Replica
1. Lick My Decals Off, Baby
But they’re all PERFECT😍even Bluejeans and Moonbeams and Unconditionally Guaranteed are fantastic
Agree, Bluejeans and Moonbeams is still my favorite, but then I heard Clear Spot! In my opinion This Is The Day is one of the best songs ever written. Observatory Crest may just be the best song ever written.
I love Bluejeans And Moonbeams and I totally agree with you about This Is The Day, I think the best version of This is the day is live in London ‘74, Clear Spot is the middle point between the extremes and in my opinion is the best album, it’s a perfect balance, the writing is brilliant, the production and performances are brilliant, also, Shiny Beast is an incredible album, 🙂@@jimjones-s7o
Haven't heard Strictly Personal but I share your top 3. I'd put Shiny Beast #4 and Clear Spot #5.
I forget just where you ranked Bluejeans and Moonbeams, but your survey prompted me to check it out. Great album! Lick My Decals off, Baby didn't connect with me much when I first bought it in the 80s, but I'll happily revisit.
I don't know if this will make you change your mind about The Blimp, but I remember reading that Zappa did not add Charles Ives to the song, what happened was that he was working on the multracks for that song in the studio when Beefheart called and had Jeff Cotton read what he had just written over the phone, so Zappa recorded it over the phone on an empty track on the mothers master tapes, and when he listened back he liked it enough to include it on the album as it was.
I think the only change I would make from your list is I would move Blue Jeans down one more spot.
I just wanted to share my first encounter with CB, in the 80's when I was a teenager and newly heavy into Zappa I had read a lot about CB and wanted to hear him, so when I finally found an album in the stores it was Clear Spot, I was massivly dissapointed, it seemed so straight, I remember thinking is this was all the fuss was about????
Fast forward a few months the next album I found was Trout Mask Replica, and that I fell in love with right away, it also made me appreciate Clear Spot more after hearing that.
Thanks. I do remember reading that same story….thanks for reminding me. Makes it more understandable but as a track, The Blimp still removes me from the unique musical world that is TMR. I know Charles Ives immediately and for some reason, hearing it on here, played by The Mothers, just doesn’t work for me. If the Magic Band had played the Ives vamp….!?!?!?!? But as far as why it is that way, more acceptable knowing this. Though Frank still inserts himself elsewhere….ugh!!! But thanks for this and the comment. :-)
Very interesting. I like what you do.
Ned from Spain here and hugely huge Beefheart freak. My ranking is different from yours but your reasons for that are beautifully laid out and explained. I do have to say that I prefer the original version of Owed T'Alex with Denny Whalley going full tilt without the trombone, much as I love Mr Fowler. I do wish that they had given Denny a few more choruses to stretch out some more. Thanks Shaggy for a solid video. Peace and good health. By the by are you a fan of any of the offshoot bands like Mallard, Zoot Horn Rollo or the reformed Magic Band ??
I am a fan of those bands and have them on my list to eventually….eventually…discuss. Thanks for the comment! And I agree that more Denny is always a good thing…
We were in the Commodore ballroom in Vancouver. Beefheart was our favorite artist. By far. Hands down. And the late sixties early 70's Renaissance sounds all the time all around Seattle people were spoiled rotten ..Jimi Hendrix? ID at our door please. Don't like van Vliet? Uff da ...thank you for your list, insights and tremendous knowledge.
My Dad's collection had Blue Jeans and for a long time I just didn't get Beefheart when I put that on, I hadn't heard of Trout Mask Replica or whatever back then so I guess I simply had no idea what to look for.
But then I found Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller and it was off to the races!
That was an excellent ranking not my choice but probably possible for everyone to agree,love that blue jeans was appreciated.I love that myself very well explained,everything you said was summed up perfectly in observatory crest.
Full Moon, hot sun, sure 'nuff baby you've had your fun. Love Beefheart's ballads best.
Strictly Personal was and is my fav.
Great video! I'm pretty much in agreement with you, the first Beefheart album I heard was Lick My Decals Off Baby when it was released. Shortly after I bought Trout Mask Replica and Safe as Milk and have been a fan ever since.
All discussion regarding Beefheart is interesting, you should review the excellent Grow Fins set.
I have that on the list….eventually :-)
Great video! Yep, 1. Trout 2. Decals. Both masterpieces.
Surprisingly, two of my favourite Beefheart songs are on Unconditionally Guaranteed: 'Upon The My-O-My' and 'This Is The Day', which has an impressive guitar solo.
You don't like Upon The My Oh My? I think that's a pretty tasty track.
great channel Hippie! 👏 🎉
Thank you for appreciating what bruce fowler did in SB. The voice he brought to that album always made me wonder what the captain could’ve done if he had a musicians that can play different instruments
A dissection of trout mask replica would be great.
Fully agree on listening to it in segments.
Captain Beefheart did seem to do albums in pairs.
Excellent. I like SB and Doc. Just enough abstract beefheartiness with some actual melody thrown in.
Decals is my favorite...perfect album
I agree that Decals is a more perfect album than Trout (both perfect, in different ways). But I find the flaws of Trout ultimately call me back to the album a little more often….but yeah, I had a hard time not putting Decals at number one.
@@theopinionatedhippie470 I know for most Beefheart fans Trout Mask is #1 but I've always struggled with it a bit, although I do still dig it. For me Decals, Clear Spot and Radar Station have always been my go-to's.
My friend John Thomas who is now professional story musician played on
Bat chain puller
I think John was living at my house at the time and hit a funky old dodge van and we are a funky old house and he go all the way from Palmdale California all the way down the San Fernando Valley with Don
in the car and one of the songs on that album was inspired by John’s windshield wiper going back-and-forth
I often tell people Captain Beefheart is like if you were trying to listen to blues but the speaker is sentient and trolling you, absolutely superb.
I'm pretty sure the issue with Bat Chain Puller was that Herb Cohen greenlit the album and funded it with Frank's money without telling him.
Mostly I agree, but I would move Safe As Milk and Bat Chain Puller two ranks up.
Clear Spot is my number one
It's weird yet accessible -
an unusual combination....
I agree with about your number 11 choice..I like it...
Bluejeans and Moonbeams is so good!!!!
Clear Spot is an incredibly good album.
Clear Spot is also my #1. Thanks for being there!
I think Upon The My O My is really good but I agree Unconditionally Guaranteed is the worst. I don’t mind the Mirror Man jams but the horn and harmonica is horribly ear piercing. I like Bluejeans and Moon Beams and would rate it higher than 11. I’m sure I would rate Trout Mask Replica lower than you are going to rate it. I may do a Captain Beefheart video.
I named my cat Hairy Irene.
Funny you should mention XTC in relation to Ella Guru. They actually did a note for note 'cover' of Ella Guru
😉
I have been a Beefheart fan for 35 years now, I own all his records and many bootlegs, have read all there is to read about the man, watched all movies and youtube videos ... I remain bewildered at the equivocal enthusiasm about Trout Mask Replica. I understand why it sparks people's interest. It's one of the weirdest albums by an established artist ever. I give it a yearly turn on the table, so I have listened to it 30 times or more. But to this date I can't convince myself it's actually a *good* album, let alone a great one. It's one of my least favorite albums by my favorite artist. It's not that it's inaccessible and takes time to appreciate. I did that with "Lick my decals ..." or "Ice cream ..." or other hard to get ones. Sure there are some interesting polyrhythms and Moonlight on Vermont is a great song - not coincidentally it dates from the Strictly Personal era. No, it's simply awful by design, or rather, by neglect.
If you read John French's biography, much of the myth about this album is busted. French did an amazing job transcribing Beefheart's visions into music, but later on Beefheart ruined most of what the band had conceived with his tenor sax improvisations and overly loud singing or talking across the tracks. Almost the same happened on "Lick my decals ..." where Harkleroad was the transcriber at his service, but here Beefheart was more restrained in his "post production". Still, if you listen to the bootleg of "Lick my decals ..." before Beefheart did his thing, you get the real congeniality.
Beefheart is an "idiot savant" rather than a genius. Throughout his career he has always needed real musicians to bring out the best in him. Whenever he allows true producers to take the lead, like Ry Cooder on his debut album, Ted Templeman on Clear Spot, or later on Gary Lucas, the strengths of his originality and their musicianship combine. When he assumes full control, like on TMR, the result is an unlistenable mess.
Now that's my take at it. If people really truly like it, I envy them because I can't.
Awesome comment. Thanks.
Bluejeans and Moonbeams is a great album, no two ways about it. Chicks dig it too.
And here comes the inexperienced driver in the Don van fleet!
RESPONSES:
1. I wouldn't know where to put Safe As Milk in a chart like this. To me it's a separate phenomenon - impossible to dislike, an iconic and classic mid '60s album, but one which sounds like the work of a totally different person from all the others. Same comments apply to the short album one could assemble from the A&M sessions and the stuff on Grow Fins D1 and D2
2. I would argue Un G has at least a couple of other tracks which almost work, they have potential but still sound unfinished (This Is The Day and Happy Love Song - if I was feeling generous I'd throw My-Oh-My in there too).
3. Mirror Man - I wish he'd let the guys jam more, kept out of their way - there's only so much harp riffing we need, and he's audibly struggling to get something useful out of his double-reeds
4. Bluejeans and Moonbeams - it is definitely better than its predecessor but not "the real Don" - and incidentally Clapton's Same Old Blues is a different song. And Don's not on Captains Holiday.
5. Strictly Personal - I don't hear it as a sequel to S@M, rather as the first sign of the "real" Beefheart style emerging, even though he's still getting the pop-R&B out of his system. And it does prove that the anomalous nature of the debut doesn't stem from the contributions of either St Clair or Bermann.
6. Clear Spot - of the two ballads I always preferred My Head Is... The other one falls victim to his lyric-imbalance syndrome (so often, there's either not enough words to go with the music, or there's so many that he can't pin them together satisfactorily)
7. Bat Chain Puller - I thought it was the lawsuit with Cohen that caused the trouble with this album. We know about the Don/Frank confrontation in '81, but maybe they were both winding each other up - a few years after that Frank said to Henry Kaiser that he had no clue who owned the audio copyrights. Seam Crooked Sam is a fine bit of bizarre data overload - here the poem and the music, even more so than usual, need to be separated in one's mind. Don't forget the reissue has a version of Candle Mambo added - plus, for what its worth, Hoboism.
8. Ice Cream For Crow - setting aside the late-era poetry readings, Don's never sounded, on tape, so much like a frail old man. Source: the MS, or just self-harm? Another especially bizarre data-overload here - Cardboard Cutout Sundown. Unlike some I prefer Totem Pole with the horns. Squeaking of which, the reissue adds Light... where he breaks out the old b-cl for the first time in years.
9. Doc At The Radar Station - The "mellotron album". For this listener, Hong Kong is a weak spot (that "lyric imbalance" again, plus arhythmic cymbal-bashing). I would single out Sue Egypt and Vampire as highlights among the genuinely new pieces.
10. Shiny Beast - Check your metaphors at the door. Black licorice = going to the bathroom too much! There are only three genuinely "new" songs on it, and of these...I'm admitting through gritted teeth that the most memorable is Mummy/Mommy. I'm sure Love Lies/Mark X sounded better back in 1967. Btw: Don's meant to have demonstrated somewhere that Harry Irene is one big mondegreen, and there are actually five characters in the story. Er, que?
11. Lick My Decals - The first "eco-horror lyrics" album. Chaos trimmed down, surely because Harkleroad did a lot more trimming down (and cutting-and-pasting) of the raw material than his predecessor ever dared.
12. "Carp Face Duplicate" - XTC did indeed record Ella Guru (...obviously JG knows that). It's likely that the main producer was Dick Kunc - and Frank managed the more homemade-sounding cuts, and The Blimp of course. John French said in a documentary that Dali's Car was one time Don actually managed to memorize his piano parts and say "this is the bass", "this is Bill's part" etc. After that it was back to the haphazard meanderings and...who's going to play this? oh, you know, just write it down, man!
Idea: When I listen to this now, I move Hair Pie 2 to "side one", and, at the end, I add the long two-part edit of Hair Pie 1 from Grow Fins #3. (That gets in the full-length horn duet - yes, and the soundcheck, but so what).
A fine video. Very articulated thoughts. I agree with most of your choices, except that for me Doc and Ice Cream are above Shiny Beast. Doc has the best B side of the Captain and Ice Cream is criminally underrated. Nonetheless, a good video.
Great list! I prefer Lick My Decals to Trout Mask personally, much tighter album experience and a bit more cohesion than chaos. All personal preference where you want the level of crazy, I just love that only minor level of restraint that ends in refinement. Still weird as hell but I can feel the groove in most of the songs, fantastic rhythms!
I agree with you about the FZ moments, should have ducked out, loved your video🙂
Although I grew up in the era (60`s & 70`s) and I had a love of all genres of music from pop to heavy rock I could never get into Capt Beefheart.
But here is a strange thing that even I can`t understand. One of my favourite albums (not just by Beefheart but all my collection) is Unconditionally Gauranteed .
I know it is universally disliked by Beefheart fans and was criticised when released by band and critics alike but I loved it .....and still do.
Go figure.
The beauty of music and the different ways it effects us each differently
I've been listening to and loving The Captain since '67 and my ears are surprisingly different to yours. I hate the songs you like on Unconditionally, Mirror Man still sounds wonderful and I worry that everything he did after Decals - including stuff I love- were driven by the desire to escape from or recapture the lofty peaks of 69-70. I can't include Bat Chain Puller because I still see it as the bootleg I bought. My top 5... 5 Safe as Milk 4 Clear Spot 3 Decals 2 Trout Mask 1 (I just keep playing it).....Strictly Personal. So I suppose the stuff that created the myth and the legacy. And I put Mirror Man at 6. But I agree with much you say. Different ears.🙄
The beauty of music….
what do you think of the cure?
Love them. I am definitely going make a Cure video or two someday. Amazing live band, also
I love Robert Smiths version on Small Hours his tribute to John Martyn
Cool video. You did Mirror Man dirty, though. But s'all good. Anyone that digs Beefheart is alright by me.
Glad you like the album,I love it even my son likes it although he only likes safe as milk 👍
'The stakes are ridiculously NOT high, nor do they matter at all...BUT..'...LOL
My frist album was Shiny Beast, after reading a review that sid the album won't attract any new fans, to CB. As a Zappa fan, I guessed they were wrong, and and they were.
YESSSS!!!!!!
Fast and bulbous…get me? Yes we do
You're into squids, eating dough?
- *Reported to TH-cam moderators!!*
Mascara snakes are off limits too, ya weirdo (I'm off-kilter too). Join the club, Mr. Bill Keon.
Don't even mention tin teardrops.....that's a whole 'nother story!
I would be elated to hear "Magic Bee" on Deep Tracks compared to some other more serious stuff played. Unconditionally Guaranteed only gets a bad rap when compared to everything else that's so outsider art. "Magic Bee" rules.
1. Decals
2. Trout
3. Doc
4. Shiny
5. Ice Cream
6. Safe
7. Clear Spot
8. Mirror Man Sessions
9. Strictly
10. Spotlight
11. Unconditionally/Bluejeans, honestly I never really listened to these two
**Michael Hunson,** What the?
I haven't heard of some on your list and I'm a diehard Zappa fan *AND* Beefheart fanatic. We learn something everyday.....lol
@@JamminClemmons Huh? I just shortened the titles
@@michaelhudson2912 I know ya did. Still, there are two in your list I've never heard of; the "Mirror Man Sessions," and "Strictly Personal." I'll need to check them on TH-cam. As I recall, (a few years back) I couldn't buy 'Lick my Decals Off' thru Amazon.....wtf? It may be available now so, I'll need to jump my ass back onto the Amazon site to check it. Keep rockin'.
- Bulbous also tapered (also, with a tin teardrop).
@@JamminClemmons looks like Lick My Decals has been reissued
@@michaelhudson2912 No kidding?
I need to order me the CD. I have a couple Beefheart vinyl LP's still sealed in plastic. One is "Ice Cream for Crow." I'll never open them. A bunch of Zappa LP's too (about 10) that will never be opened.
*Thanks for this info.* - Fast and Bulbous! Look to the sky brother, "The blimp, the blimp..."
Hey if you need a number for information about captain Beefheart he grew up here in Rosemont and the antelope valley with Frank Zappa I got a whole lotta stories about him I don’t care how you write his albums he was a creative genius but he had no business as Frank Zappa had business
Don van vliet had no business sense
We grew up here in the valley Dans Vanvleet was our idol as was Frank Zappa
My friend ended up playing with don
He still is is a studio musician
So captain Beefheart Trump mask replica end up becoming a very popular over in Europe amongst Brian Eno and the very famous David Bowie
I got how much is stories to tell about Don vanvliet Houston show up at parties here
used to see him at the library out here in the antelope Valley
My friends name is John Thomas
Mike Keneally for good reason (IMHO) cites the Mirror Man version of Kandy Korn as apex Beefheart... on a plane where there is no such thing as "better". This track and Tarotplane have a narcotic quality that wasn't available anywhere else, (parts of the Sargent Pepper album maybe came close). The recording quality may in some ways limit it's impact, but it can print in the brain and playback gorgeously in a Beefheart fan's head. I can't rank Van Vliet's recorded output any more than I can say milk is better than orange juice, but I would say that Mirror Man is obviously more groundbreaking than some of his releases and for sure, that more thought and work went into Mirror Man than went into Bluejeans and Moonbeams. Putting Bluejeans and Moonbeams above Mirror Man is just plain wrong. Unfortunately this isn't the only spot in the video where opinionated hippie is opinionated but is not well informed.
I find it hilarious that you are arguing that I am wrong about which albums I like more. I will say it again to be clear: regardless of any historical or musical importance, I enjoy Bluejeans more than I enjoy Mirror Man. Super confused as to how I can be wrong about my opinion but hey….you know better about what I like.
Enjoy your day….😀
@@theopinionatedhippie470 The assumption that I disagreed with you about what you like or don't like also misses the mark.
Fair (though now I am confused about how ranking my favorites could be described as “wrong”). I would also say that Orange Juice is far better than Milk….
All is good. I just never get used to how…..not even sure what the word is…..how people react to other people’s opinions about music. Obviously I know reactions will be provoked and I am here to just have fun….so hopefully that is understood. But yeah….music is the best, no matter what you like.
x t c did record ella guru.....
I’ve got a poop lode a stories to tell about Don Vanvliet
Dude… This Is The Day…Lazy Music… epic tunes. Total morning high music.
Ashtray Heart and Hothead from SNL are the best.
OK what you don’t understand about Captain Beefheart as he doesn’t play an instrument he was very good at whistling very good at singing but he couldn’t play an instrument at all he didn’t know how to read notes nothing his musicians were the ones that were were supporting them he would tell them what to do and they would do whatever they wanted to especially take a look at Trump mask Rebecca I know intimately about what that album was about and Dans was on task masker almost like Charlie Manson His musicians were younger than him and he talked down to them he was mean and they knew far more about music that Dans did and it was John French also knows as Drumbo that was really the backbone of the whole band during the Trump mask replica album the two album set
John French jumbo still lives out here in the valley and I’ve talked to many many times about what happened during the trial mask replica sex and I know a lot about Dans vanvliet Dans vanvliet didn’t like didn’t go to school he didn’t study music but he was a genius he was a goddamn fucking genius he could whistle like he’ll any new music to his ear and his brain in his eyes and his vocals and his lyrics were incredible he was an incredible genius but he didn’t know nothing about music
He played harmonica
@@mikegburnside Let’s do it that’s true he did play harmonica and I want concert somebody gave him a clarinet as a gift and he came out and played it for the first time and he didn’t know really how to plant had met a lot of good noise though
Huh, Beefheart melodic, sorry Beefheart is a "groove' nothing more nothing less. To enjoy Trout Mask you have to get into the "groove". If you can keep TMR CD on repeat in your car and enjoy it every play then you get the "groove" No specific genius, no melody just crazy groove. Most rate Beefheart because it's cool to do so, but secretly they never ever listen and I think this reviewer may fall into the latter?
Throwing the shade….interesting. I hear melody all over the place.
Great Video
By the time you got to 10 I knew why it took you 2 years to put this list together
Absolutely agree with #1 TMR , a perfect album
Honorable mention to A&M Sessions
Diddy Wah Diddy was the perfect start for what was to follow