R*I*P Captain Beefheart

I've been soaking up his music for the last couple of days. It's just as new now as it was thirty years ago.

Very deep music with some of the most skewed drum tracks ever recorded.

I'd like to see one of our guys here do a cover of Pachuco Cadaver.
 
Anyone read about his magic band and how he treated them?
Wiki said:
The group rehearsed Van Vliet's difficult compositions for eight months, living communally in a small rented house in the Woodland Hills suburb of Los Angeles. Van Vliet implemented his vision by asserting complete artistic and emotional domination of his musicians. At various times one or another of the group members was put "in the barrel," with Van Vliet berating him continually, sometimes for days, until the musician collapsed in tears or in total submission to Van Vliet.[4] According to John French and Bill Harkleroad these sessions often included physical violence. French described the situation as "cultlike"[5] and a visiting friend said "the environment in that house was positively Manson-esque."[6] Their material circumstances also were dire. With no income other than welfare and contributions from relatives, the group survived on a bare subsistence diet. French recounted living on no more than a small cup of soybeans a day for a month[7] and at one point band members were arrested for shoplifting food (with Zappa bailing them out).[8] A visitor described their appearance as "cadaverous" and said that "they all looked in poor health." Band members were restricted from leaving the house and practiced for 14 or more hours a day.
 
Very sad, but I guess at this age the heroes from our youth tend to either become decrepit or fall off the perch. Time sucks. Anyway, Don vV had quit music a long time ago to focus on his art.

There was no one like the Captain. I had the Shiny Beast album - some great tracks on it ... Bat Chain Puller, Tropical Hot Dog Night and Suction Prints was an amazing instrumental. I always loved the crazy rhythms he'd get his drummers to play.

I also loved his nuts soprano sax playing. He played it on a song by The Tubes (before they got desperate to pay the rent) called Cathy's Clone and he really helped give that track its vibe. My fave song by the band.

And I still maintain that Fleetwood Mac pinched the riff and feel of Aba Zaba in Tusk.
 
Still, 69 is pretty young. He'd been quite ill for many years, though. Multiple Sclerosis.

Just heard the news on the car radio yesterday and then I got distracted by something and forgot. Yes, you're right, thanks. Guess my point was that a lot of musos lead ... interesting lives, which ages them faster than usual. Seen a lot of famous age peers fall off the perch. Of course the Captain couldn't help MS, poor bugger. Horrible disease but at least he doesn't have to deal with it any more.

On a more upbeat note, here are some of my Captn faves:

Bat Chain Puller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj3yGg899h0 ... I didn't like this at all for years but I listened to it for the first time again about a year ago and fell in love. No one else sounds like that and the atmosphere is unbelievable.

Cathy's Clone, with Don vV on soprano sax: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCL9XFfYTns

I saw him with Uncle Frank in the mid 70s at the Hordern Pavilion, but all I can remember of the gig is Zappa's lead playing being miles high in the mix, Napoleon Murphy Brock carrying on like a pork chop, a young Terry Bozzio playing his toms amazingly, and being utterly confused by this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAwQRtQdhrE
 
That's pretty sad, I heard him as the crazy voice singing on a few crazy Zappa tunes.

Yep, my first experience too ... although he was hardly alone as a crazy voice in Uncle Frank's Bands :)

Another side of him - this is a great instrumental with heaps of weird, funky rhythms and some very Zappa-ish moments and changes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8jfnyOyqX8

With the loss of both Frank and Don one can only fear for the future of trombonists ...
 
Safe as milk really opened up many doors for me musically.

Trout mask replica i am not so familiar with, but from what I heard i liked.

As far as Frank goes= I could write a book. But then I would have to write another book.

The caliber of musicianship among either of these two is immense.

Zoot Allures! I always liked the snare sound on Safe as milk. Sounds like old Ludwigs to me.
 
He had a great quote on David Letterman, evidently he only had a half day of Kindergarten as his formal education.

Quote was: If you want to be a different fish, you have to jump out of school.

Starting bucking the system as a 5 year old. Amazing.
 
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