Re: Captain Beefheart

From: Pat Fulgoni (chocolatefireguard.artistes@virgin.net)
Date: Fri Dec 15 2000 - 16:45:07 CET

  • Next message: Jussi Vesikansa: "Re: Marcel, Lahr, Geb.el, Lemongrass etc."

    Yep, Ella Guru and "when big joan sets up...." etc..... awesome weirdo
    grooves and lyrics.......and what about "Freak Out" by Don Van Vliet's
    school mate Frank Zappa?! Bring back the freaks and maggot brains I say !!!
    Sometimes people forget the music and take themselves far too seriously. We
    need people like the Captain and P Funk Clinton to remind us that humour can
    belong in music.

    Pat
    Chocolate Fireguard Music
    http://www.chocolatefireguard.co.uk

    ----------
    From: "Leslie N. Shill" <icehouse@redshift.com>
    To: "Stimp" <stimp@sympatico.ca>
    Subject: Re: Captain Beefheart
    Date: Fri, Dec 15, 2000, 6:19 am

    I sure am glad to see another Beefheart fan around, i usually feel like a
    dinosaur when i talk about him and people look at me with that "yeah,
    right!" look. I know that he has been a very difficult man to work with for
    his bandmembers but he apparently has, as you point out, some very exacting
    standards which is not all bad. As Don Van Vliet he has also done some
    interesting paintings, hot rats, hot cats, gimme tha Captain!

    leslie/The Power of Sound

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Stimp <mailto:stimp@sympatico.ca>
    To: Leslie N. Shill <mailto:icehouse@redshift.com> ; robert@vaneglory.com
    <mailto:robert@vaneglory.com>
    Cc: acid <mailto:acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 4:32 PM
    Subject: Re: Captain Beefheart

    Cool, another Beefheart fan!! I got to know Beefheart thru Zappa, and loved
    what I heard. My buddy then lent me "Trout Mask Replica", and I was hooked!
    This is one of the most challenging, unorthodox, heavy records I've ever
    heard, and it kept me wanting more. I eventually picked up his latest 2 cd
    comp "The Dust Blows Forward", and it features a pretty good cross section
    of his material with The Magic Band. However, it should be noted that not
    all of Beefheart's music is as free and unstructured as "Trout Mask
    Replica". Actually, I would categorize most of his work as being
    alternative blues, acid blues, or free blues. Basically, blues with an
    interesting twist.

        For those who prefer the weird stuff found on "Trout Mask Replica",
    Rhino records released a 4 cd boxset of the Trout Mask outtakes, and
    although I haven't heard it myself, a few knowledgable Beefheart fans that I
    know have said that it's nothing short of brilliant, essential listening.

        Lastly, for those who are still interested to keep reading, Beefhearts
    drummer circa the Trout Mask years, Drumbo, recently wrote a book on the
    time that he spent in the Magic Band, and let me tell you, it was
    interesting to say the least. According to him, Beefheart used to force his
    musicians to stay indoors for days at a time, rehearsing until they got the
    material right. Also, Drumbo claims that Beefheart used pretty extreme
    psychological cruelty to get his band to do his bidding. In any case, even
    those who are casual fans will have a blast reading this book. Check it
    out.

    Stimp
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Leslie N. Shill <mailto:icehouse@redshift.com>
    To: robert@vaneglory.com <mailto:robert@vaneglory.com>
    Cc: acid <mailto:acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 1:40 PM
    Subject: Re: Re:Buena Vista

    Robert,

    i played one of your tracks last night, did you see the playlist i posted?

    as far as Ry is concerned, if you think about Captain Beefheart and Cooder's
    contribution to his music, say on "Safe As Milk", and you extrapolate that
    out through Ry's film scores, it is a really huge body of work but for the
    first time on Buena Vista, he was more obvious to me as the tourist, even as
    amazing a tourist as Ry is, he is definitely not Cuban! i comment on this in
    all respect for Ry Cooder, who i first met with the Captain.

    Does anyone else on the list know the work of Captain Beefheart? some of his
    work with Zappa is astonishing and i daresay that some of those songs,
    perhaps "Hot Rats" could be the basis for pretty sick remix tricks.

    leslie/The Power of Sound

    leslie
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: robert@vaneglory.com <mailto:robert@vaneglory.com>
    To: Leslie N. Shill <mailto:icehouse@redshift.com>
    Cc: acid-jazz@ucsd.edu <mailto:acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 10:17 AM
    Subject: Re:Buena Vista

    Leslie,

    And I've been watching Ry since 'Into the Purple Valley' and respected his
    contributions
    to the commercial music biz over the years.
    It was just comforting to have my guilty criticism validated aloud by
    others.

    Cheers!
    Robert

    "Leslie N. Shill" wrote:
    Robert, I have to agree with you about Ry Cooder on Buena Vista. Although I
    hold him very high regard as a musician, a writer and as a producer. the
    Cuban musicians are so connected to each other and intuitive about the
    playing of their fellow band members that Ry is pretty much superfluous. i
    understand why he went for the slide guitar but the result is a bit of a
    mish-mash for me. With Ali Farka Toure the production and seamless playing
    gave Ry a textural fit that was not at all obtrusive. To me the Cubans are
    just so damn goooood and they seem steeped in the foundation and layers of
    Cuban music! leslie/The Power of Sound



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