12.18.2010

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND.



It's been a long, slow, grueling week - always is right before Xmess, ain't it - and after a long Friday at work getting drunk on the clock and then coming home for an hour or two, then going back out for a nice dinner & cocktails at three different bars, I return to find out one of my musical mentors has passed on from from this mortal coil - this after spending the evening drinking w/ a friend whose brother died recently & I hadn't seen since that happened - R.I.P. WISP.

There will be a million posts on "The Good Captain" on many a blog worth its weight, and you either loved him or "just didn't get it", but for me as a young impressionable open-minded teen, his bag of tricks always mesmerized the fuck out of me - not an easy listen by any means - but to me he was sort of the "White James Brown" in many ways.

When I think of Death Valley I will always think him. Never mind - if you don't know by now, here's a shot at (your) redemption...

Rest In Peace, Don Van Vliet - and thank you for helping me along on my way to wherever the fuck it is that I'm headed - For reals.



Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Doc at the Radar Station


Link in comments.

9 comments:

  1. A work colleague turned me on to Beefheart and Zappa about 20 years ago. I loved Beefheart's performance on Zappa's Hot Rats album, and Trout Mask Replica is a masterpiece.
    I must admit neither artists feature regularly on my playlist these days, but I have nothing but fond memories and admiration for the pair of them.
    Beefheart will be greatly missed, or should be. Unfortunately, in this day and age of bland formulaic pop, his passing will be ignored and his legacy forgotten, which is a great shame.

    R.I.P Captain.

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  2. Picked up a CD of Safe As Milk just last week, no shit - Opened it up, looking at the booklet, I realized that I already own the fucking CD. Duh. - Some Jackoff

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  3. Clear Spot has always been by fave. I bought for the cover and was blown away by the music. My wife never appreciated that "Long Neck Bottles" was written for her. Oh well, we know golden birdies lifted Don to his destination.

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  4. Clear Spot was the first thing I bought by Him. I heard Big Eyed Beans from Venus and that's all it took. I bought a used copy for $3.00 from TNT / Rizon Records in Saginaw, MI in 1983.
    That store is long gone, & I haven't lived in that neck of the woods nearly 20 years, but I still have that same scratchy copy w/ the super-cool thick-vinyl slipcover.

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  5. clear spot is one of my all time favorite records by far. a soulful album for sure. too much time, my head is my only house when it rains... good shit. dan will be missed.

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  6. The Captain always sounded like Howlin Wolf on acid.

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  7. thanks so much for the chance to hear this wonderful record again...he was a brilliant artist who will be dearly missed....
    d

    http://ratsinthebelfry.blogspot.com/2010/12/real-captain-america.html

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  8. Dugg - Really nice post you did on your blog, man - I'm linking you up right now. Cancer is a bitch & I lost two that I really fucking loved alot last year within 4 months of each other, good luck in your camp, etc. Cheers.

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