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mikeb
Old Love
United Kingdom
516 Posts |
 Posted - 17/12/2010 : 23:45:30
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Just listening to Tom Ravencroft, John Peel's son, on 6 Music and he has announced the sad news that Captain Beefheart has died and played Safe As Milk.
Thanks largely to John's patronage in playing the records week after week on Top Gear on national Radio 1 both Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby made the UK album charts, the latter, which I think is the better of the two albums, was in the charts for eleven weeks peaking at 20 and like a lot of the Straight catalogue is unfortunately not available on CD.
I must have got just about everything officially released, as well as a great bootleg of Top Gear sessions that I clearly remember hearing as a teenager on the radio with 60's hippyesque comments by John on the importance of the music and lyrics.
Report and some videos on Pitchfork:
http://pitchfork.com/news/41062-rip-captain-beefheart/
Couple more videos I have dug out:
Electricity live on Cannes Beach in 1968, Pitchfork links to Sure Nuff and Yes i do they performed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JEOtSVkjJc&feature=related
BBC documentary narrated by John from 1997 uploaded to YouTube in 6 parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5YE_a4B1U
I remember that someone just a year older than me and living in the same village, and who had the longest hair in my small grammar school in North Yorkshire, hitchiked all the way to London and back one weekend to see the Captain and his band. |
Edited by - mikeb on 18/12/2010 00:07:19 |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 00:03:56
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Yay! Captain Beefheart is dead! Yay!!  |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 00:28:12
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Sad loss. Great music from a unique artist....Don Van Vliet
He always took us on a new electric ride! RIP.
_____________________________________________
Letting your freak flag fly is a state of mind,
not a fashion statement.
-lk |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 02:08:39
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wasn't he into brainwashing and mind control?
Yikes! hate to be in a band with him!!  |
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sometimesmylifeissoeerie
Fourth Love
198 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 02:52:13
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I never liked Beefheart's music when I listened to it years ago.
I'm not sure if there was any "there" there, like there is with AL.
I just turned on some young (well, younger than me) science teachers on to AL and Love (FC) at the school I teach at, and there was a look of "wow!" who the hell was this? on their faces.
They tried to come off as know-it-alls about rock to me, a musician and music teacher, and when we played some tracks from FC on youtube, they were sufficiently humbled.
Young whippersnappers!
Then I turned them on to Judee Sill, and there was the same "but I never heard of her" from them. |
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waxburn
Old Love
USA
735 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 03:16:06
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quote:
Originally posted by mikeb
Just listening to Tom Ravencroft, John Peel's son, on 6 Music and he has announced the sad news that Captain Beefheart has died and played Safe As Milk.
Thanks largely to John's patronage in playing the records week after week on Top Gear on national Radio 1 both Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby made the UK album charts, the latter, which I think is the better of the two albums, was in the charts for eleven weeks peaking at 20 and like a lot of the Straight catalogue is unfortunately not available on CD.
I must have got just about everything officially released, as well as a great bootleg of Top Gear sessions that I clearly remember hearing as a teenager on the radio with 60's hippyesque comments by John on the importance of the music and lyrics.
Report and some videos on Pitchfork:
http://pitchfork.com/news/41062-rip-captain-beefheart/
Couple more videos I have dug out:
Electricity live on Cannes Beach in 1968, Pitchfork links to Sure Nuff and Yes i do they performed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JEOtSVkjJc&feature=related
BBC documentary narrated by John from 1997 uploaded to YouTube in 6 parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5YE_a4B1U
I remember that someone just a year older than me and living in the same village, and who had the longest hair in my small grammar school in North Yorkshire, hitchiked all the way to London and back one weekend to see the Captain and his band.
RIP Captain Beefheart, one of the GREATS and a true original. |
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Tina
Old Love
United Kingdom
678 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 07:03:21
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| This is sad news indeed, a real shocker. I had the privilege of seeing the Captain and the Magic Band perform on two occasions when I ws 18 or so, the first time at Newcastle City Hall with my good friend Lizzy B. To say they blew my mind was an understatement. There are comments above about the Captain being very controlling of his band mates but it was apparent that the man had a musical vision that he wanted to realise, and he did that night, it was one of the most intense musical experiences I can ever rememeber having in my lifetime. I also remember reading a review John Peel did of that same concert and him saying it was as perfect a sound as it was possible to achieve - probably why the Captain stopped performing live not long after that. RIP Don, you were one of the greats. |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 07:12:37
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Yeah, hows anyone gonna hear of Judee Sill or Love if you don't actually sit them down and play them at them!?
Haven't heard too much Judee aside from a track (demo?) where she breaks a glass at the start of the recording. A hooker apparently
as for the Captain, well theres Trout Mask Replica, one of those albums that would be MUCH easier to get through as a single album! 
I understand Robyn Hitchcock covered "China Pig" recently live - great fun some of their stuff (Ant man bee, Willie the pimp, Ella guru!) but Zappa (NOW on the cover of a new Mojo special!) seems to fared better than Beefheart (aside from being dead) cos Beefheart signed every contract that was before him!
Still would rather listen to Lumpy Gravy than Trout Mask, but thats just a personal thing! |
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Tina
Old Love
United Kingdom
678 Posts |
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Old_Man
Old Love
United Kingdom
668 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 11:32:40
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| RIP Captain. Only ever saw him and his band once at the very first Knebworth festival in '74 I think. His voice really freaked a few people out. I seem to remember too he spent quite a lot of time on stage flat on his back..........or was that me!? Crazy hazy days :o) |
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ALLANAGAIN
Old Love
United Kingdom
687 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 12:33:13
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r.i.p. D.V.V. aka CAPTAIN BEEFHEART....one of the very best in my book, Just woke up to find a text from my son telling me the news.
I,m playing "blue jeans and Moonbeams" right now.....****ing LOVED this guy.
Another genius has left us..a sad day.......
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waxburn
Old Love
USA
735 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 15:53:32
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[quote]Originally posted by ALLANAGAIN
r.i.p. D.V.V. aka CAPTAIN BEEFHEART....one of the very best in my book, Just woke up to find a text from my son telling me the news.
I,m playing "blue jeans and Moonbeams" right now.....****ing LOVED this guy.
Another genius has left us..a sad day.......
I would say that Captain Beefhearts music was intoxicating. Once you were hooked you were hooked. I tried to hide his cds because once i started playing one, i couldnt stop.
Doc, Shiny Beast, Lick My Decals, Ice Cream, and the great Safe as Milk
with Electricity.
A genius is an understatement. |
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Joe Morris
Old Love
3492 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 16:38:54
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were Floyd at the 1974 Knebworth, along with Graham Chapman (ex Python)?
I understand the Captain had sacked the Magic Band at that point in order to win a grammy!
the 2 albums he released around that period aren't as highly regarded as Clear Spot, Hot Rats, Trout Mask, I understand
Not even sure if they're on cd! Rather like Squeezed by Velvet Underground..
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 17:13:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Tina
This is sad news indeed, a real shocker. I had the privilege of seeing the Captain and the Magic Band perform on two occasions when I ws 18 or so, the first time at Newcastle City Hall with my good friend Lizzy B. To say they blew my mind was an understatement. There are comments above about the Captain being very controlling of his band mates but it was apparent that the man had a musical vision that he wanted to realise, and he did that night, it was one of the most intense musical experiences I can ever rememeber having in my lifetime. I also remember reading a review John Peel did of that same concert and him saying it was as perfect a sound as it was possible to achieve - probably why the Captain stopped performing live not long after that. RIP Don, you were one of the greats.
Right to all, Tina. Any artist that has a vision and will not be stopped is sometimes considered "controlling"....Zappa, Beefheart.....Arthur Lee maybe?!!!
Visionaries ALL. Masters of their art.
_____________________________________________
Letting your freak flag fly is a state of mind,
not a fashion statement.
-lk |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9876 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2010 : 17:26:29
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"Upon The My-O-My" The Captain & his Magic Band always rocked!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr2G9j9Lvgc&NR=1
_____________________________________________
Letting your freak flag fly is a state of mind,
not a fashion statement.
-lk |
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Captain Beefheart R.I.P.
