On This Day – A Squid Eats Down Into a Polyethelene Bag
Jan 15, 2010 On This Day, arrivals
Yes, that’s right the Maskara Snake, on this day in 1941 the world of music saw the birth of a stone cold genius.
The ZigZag Wanderer himself, Don Van Vliet, made his appearance in Glendale California. The old fart was playing and the mothership was flying when, 28, years later the best album ever made hit our shelves (and has rarely been off my turntable or out of my CD player ever since).
Trout Mask Replica is unconditionaly guaranteed to amaze and delight you in your blue jeans under the moonbeams while the doc at the radar station watches a black bird eating ice cream and a man in a hat picks up his easel says goodbye and then walks down his yellow brick road. Its the same ol’ blues, again. Ella Guru sheds a tin teardrop and says that he was the one red rose that she meant.
Just Throwing This One In a Captain Tribute Band – And they ain’t Bad!
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On This Day – Wanna Buy a Record Player?
Aug 23, 2009 Uncategorized
On this day, well nearly – actually on 22nd August 1906 – the Victor Talking Machine Company (New Jersey) started selling record players. The price was about $200 which must have been huge at the time. Records ranged from $1 to $7.
This was one of those pivotal moments in the history of popular music. There were some who said that it was the end of the world, culture available for the masses? A dreadful development. Having said that no Victrolar (that’s what it was called) and there would have been no James Blunt or Celine Dion and so the world would have been a better place. On the other hand, there would also be no Tim Fite, Nick Cave, Beefheart, Zappa, Patti, or Lou.
OK, on the whole it was a good thing.
J P Sousa (a renowned conductor) was off the mark when he said that recorded music would be the end of the amateur musician. About as right as the head of IBM predicting that there would only ever be 7 mainframe computers in the world, or the American politician (can’t remember his name) who said that the Japanese did not make things that the American public would want to buy…….
Tags: captain beefheart, classic rock music, On This Day, real rock and blues
Captain Beefheart
Aug 6, 2009 rock and blues
In 1968 Captain Beefheart was taken to Cannes to play as part of the record company’s publicity push. It would appear that they had visions of The Captain and the Magic Band rivaling The Rolling Stones….
Anyway, here is a video of The Captain playing on the beach.
I have been asked what is so great about The Captain anyway? I can not answer that objectively as I have loved him and his music for years. There was also a wonderful documentary about The Captain. here it is in 6 parts. It begins, just begins to tell the story………
Tags: captain beefheart, classic rock music, frank zappa, love rock music, real rock and blues, rock and blues, ry cooder
White Denim
Aug 4, 2009 About and things, Uncategorized, rock and blues
I often read reviews of bands that refer to influences and there seems to be a settled list of arty influences claimed by most new bands with pretensions. That list includes Lou Reed (Velvet Underground), Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, The Doors, The Beatles. I usually ignore that bit of the review. When I read an article about White Denim some time ago I saw that one of them said “Zappa? yeah, but I think Beefheart has stayed with us more.” Now, that I could understand. That they would engage in a discussion about influences rather than just name check people was interesting.
Later I saw a review of the first album “Workout Holiday” which compared it with “Trout Mask Replica” (which, if you do not know is simply just the best rock album ever made, bar none). That, of course was rubbish, besides the reviewer was someone who’s judgment I did not trust. Then, in Mojo, there was a review of the second album “Fits”. In that it said that the comparison with “Trout Mask Replica” made on behalf of “Workout Holiday” was entirely justified. Now, here is a magazine I rate saying the same as the Sunday Times. I had to listen to White Denim.
Guess what?
The comparison between “Workout Holiday” and “Trout mask Replica” is entirely justified. These are not some lads trying to be The Magic Band. These are guys that seem to ‘get’ it. They are not reincarnations of Zoot Horn Rollo, The Mascara Snake, and Drumbo. They are their own people.
If you like the Captain you really should listen to the first album, you will not regret it.
Tags: captain beefheart, classic rock music, real rock and blues, rock and blues, white denim
