This band was forced upon me. As odd as it sounds, its true.

Ok, so here's how I got into this band. One of my best friends is an absolute massive DMB fan. In fact he is such a big fan of them, for a brief period of time, he would never stop talking about them. So one fateful day, while we had study hall for 3 periods in a row (yes, this takes story takes place in school, and I was 16 at the time), my friend shoves his I Pod into my hands and basically forces me to listen to the album (also checking up on me to see if I was enjoying it throughout). Luckily enough he is one of my dearest friends, cause anyone else I would have told to f*** off. Another odd thing, was that even by force, this album is still amazing.

Now, these guys have changed a lot. From their jam band beginnings to their very dangerous flirtations with a more poppier sound, it really came to fruition on this album and from their newly formed sound, it received a lot of success. But...this album does have a slight morbid undertone.

Sadly this album is in tribute to their former saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who sadly passed away before the album was released. But oddly enough, despite the albums death laced tribute, the album itself is almost a celebration of life and love. Lyrically the album deals with topics such as love, happiness, rejection of religion towards happiness, evolution and a whole mixed bag of odd joy.

The band as always are tighter than a vice. Instrumentally, these guys are gods on their instruments. But the real highlight of the band is Dave. An amazing guitarist...but, also, an amazing vocalist. Knowing his range so well, he can really shock and suprise you at times.

The album opener “Shake Me Like A Monkey” is a perfect opener. A rather comical song with some nice rocking rhythms. And an amazing vocal performance from Dave.

The albums lead single “Funny The Way It Is” received a lot of radio attention, and I'm not so surprised, because it is a brilliant song. Mixing an incredibly catchy chorus with some rather odd timed instrumental passages, it is a real beautiful work of instrumentation. Another highlight is the lyrics, which are really some of the best I've seen in a long time.

Another successful single from this album was “Why I Am.” One of the best songs on the album and definitely one of the catchiest these guys have ever done.

One of my favourite tracks has to be “Squirm.” One of the more darker sounding songs on the album, dwelling with minor keys and eastern sounding melodies and arrangements, it really is a rather epic song and even sounds a bit like a Bond theme.

One of the albums most interesting moments has to be “Time Bomb.” Starting off like an acoustic ballad, it explodes into a rather angry song, with Dave screaming the lyrics at you.

In conclusion...what can I say, I love this album. This is just a wonderfully crafted, feel good, groovy, sugar coated collection of songs that never seem to not put a smile on my face. It's just good song after good song, which is what most albums should be after all.

8.8/10

This being his last album, it's really sad to know that he will no longer be making music. Out of all his albums, besides Trout Mask Replica, this is one of his most popular releases. Now the album's title track, which was released as a single did boost its popularity slightly, especially due to an eye catching music video.

Now I won't lie, I do prefer Trout Mask Replica over this album. Not that this is a bad album, it's just the experiments on this album are more similar to each other, with some tracks even having similar vibes, whilst on Trout Mask, each song was a big suprise.

Musically the album is better than Trout Mask, with the music being structured more and more contemporary. There is a big Zappa esque feeling at times to the songs, mainly due to the use of instruments and even the playing ability of the musicians. But I did prefer the random outbursts on Trout Mask.

One of the negatives of this album is that Beefheart doesn't really sing as much as he did before. The albums vocals are mainly either spoken, done in a funny voice or mainly just poetic in nature, but to be honest, it does give the album a unique flair. It seems that the album is more based around lyrical ideas and rhythms rather than music. Now this is seen in the beat poem esque songs, and the song where it's just poetry with no music.

1. Ice Cream For Crow - Great instrumentation. Beefhearts delivery is amazing. Great lyrics with some interesting imagery being portrayed. 10/10

2. The Host, The Ghost, The Most Holy-O - A beat poem like moment. Great instrumental sections with some really interesting points. 7/10

3. Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian - Very Zappa esque. Great instrumetal work, with a jazzy backbone. 8/10

4. Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat - Another beat poem song, with dramatic instrumentation. Great arrangement. 8/10

5. Evening Bell - Pretty impressive bluesy guitar improvisation with some nice fingerpicking. 6/10

6. Cardboard Cutout Sundown - I love the gruffness in Beefheart's voice in this song. Nice instrumental section at the end. 6/10

7. The Past Is Sure Tense - I do love the jaunty guitar riff in this song. The vocals are quite funny at times, and the delivery is pretty cool too. Nice word play in the song too. I love how chaotic the song gets at the end. 9/10

8. Ink Mathematics - I love how odd and random the song is. Reminds me more of something from Trout Mask Replica. 10/10

9. The Witch Doctor Life - Love the use of xylophone (very reminscent of Zappa instrumentation). Love the way Beefheart use's both singing and narrative vocals in the song. 9/10

10. 81 Poop Hatch - Does anyone think that when Beefheart talks, he sounds a lot like his fellow avante garde musician Frank Zappa? Great poetic narration, with great use of words. I love how raw this recording sounds, where you can hear his voice crackling and even his breathing. 8/10

11. The Thousandth & Tenth Day Of The Human Totem - I love the very odd story told in the song, and how the musicians are perfectly on time with Beefheart's vocal rhythms. It's also good to heart Beefheart's crazy saxophone and clarinet playing is heard again. Nice instrumental outro, I love how raw it sounds.

12. Skeleton Makes Good - A very crazy ending song. Very sporadic in nature, but the nice guitar riff in the middle which continues to the end is really cool, and quite pretty. 8/10

CONCLUSION: I think overall, it is a great release, but to be honest, compared to Trout Mask Repilca, it feels that theirs something missing. The songs are great to listen to, but with Trout Mask, each song would do a certain thing to you, make you laugh, cry, ponder, huddle in fright. With this album, it was less of an emotional experience. It does take you on some vivid poetic journey's though. Song wise, the songs aren't as strong as the material on Trout Mask Replica, but I do admit that this album is more consistent. This being his last album, it really reflected on who Captain Beefheart was as a person...a crazy man with a moustache.

6.8/10

RIP CAPTAIN BEEFHEART (Don Van Vilet)

This album is a landmark plain and simple... This album has even adopted a tag for many different albums...for example, if I were to say that an album was a Trout Mask Replica, it means either you love it and completely understand it or you don't understand it at all and can't see any artistic merit in it.

This album does seem to be a bit of a joke at times to be honest, with Beefheart (and Zappa) being slightly smug and parodying many different things...but just like me (with Hitler's Brain), we can secretly repsect all forms of music...and parodying them is a good way to start.

This album is a bit of a joke...but it's a great joke. And also it takes a few listens to get into (it took me 3 I think)

The songs take on many forms, from avante garde jazz songs, word poems (bit like Gill Scott Heron, but with more poetic stupidity), weird narrative parts and just plain oddness...and it really is experimental music at its best.

I really don't know why I like it so much, I just do (I was recomended to them by my dad actually, cause at that time I was getting into Zappa)

1. Frownland - Great offbeat jazz arrangment. Beefhearts vocals are amazing. 10/10

2. The Dust Blows Forward 'N The Dust Blows Back - I did a parody of this type of song actually, ...Some interesting images being brought foward. The hissing ambient sound, which usually would annoy me, is actually quite calming. 10/10

3. Dachau Blues - It's odd trying to make a song about a concentration camp haha...Grreat lyrics and some evil vocals from Beefheart. 10/10

4. Ella Guru - The pop song of the album. Beefheart manipulates his voice so well. 10/10

5. Hair Pie: Bake 1 - Very noisy instrumental. Very experimental noises from the clarinet are heard. Its quite unlistenable, but soo good. 9/10

6. Moonlight On Vermont - I love the guitar work on this song. Quite bluesy, but still great. 9/10

7. Pachuco Cadaver - The arrangment is so crazy but it works so well. I love the ending instrumental. 10/10

8. Bills Corpse - Another crazy ranting song. Great lyrics. 9/10

9. Sweet Sweet Bulbs - Maybe a bit too crazy at times. Interesting arrangment. 8/10

10. Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish - He really has a way with words. Great lyrical palletes. 10/10

11. China Pig - I don't like blues...but I do like this song. 9/10

12. My Human Gets Me Blues - Very in your face. Beefhearts voice really does make you want to listen and grabs your attention. 9/10

13. Dali'sCar - Very discordant and noisy. But such a step foward for guitarists. 10/10

14. Hair Pie: Bake 2 - Very jazzy. 9/10

15. Pena - Love how the vocals where pitched. Interesting lyrical images. 10/10

16. Well - He could read the phone book. 10/10

17. When Big Joan Sets Up - I love how the song goes from crazy...to absolute nuts. 10/10

18. Fallin' Ditch - I love all the crazy nonsensical intros. The song itself sounds a bit too similar to the rest of the album. Although I do like the crazy time changes. 8/10

19. Sugar 'N Spikes - A little bit more contemporary. The ending is pretty impressive. I love the crazy scatting. 9/10

20. Ant Man Bee - A bit like dark skiffle. 9/10

21. Orange Claw Hammer - So hypnotic with some nice lyrics. 10/10

22. Wild Life - Such a crazy arrangment. Very Tom Waits. 10/10

23. She's Too Much For My Mirror - I love how rhythmically odd this song is. 10/10

24. Hobo Chang Ba - Interesting vocals. Great time changes through out. 10/10

25. The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica) - Obvious Zappa instrumentation. Great crazy arrangment though. 10/10

26. Steal Softly Thru Snow - Very crazy and interesting arrangment. 10/10

27. Old Fart At Play - Such a great way with words. 10/10

28. Veteran's Day Poppy - Amazing ending. The instrumental is very diferent to the whole album. Quite King Crimson. 9/10

CONCLUSION: Everyone who I've reccomended this album has really liked it. And I reccomend it all to you

RIP Captain Beefheart

I think with all first albums, you can have a lot of freedom. Especially in the 60's, where music was at times trying to be controlled and some bands just had to kind of give in to pressure and the current trends at the time. One prime example of this is The Moody Blues. Originally a Beatles rip off, after a flirtation with an orchestra, they really adopted their style and kind of sprouted the seeds for the prog genre. This album is an example of a very infantile album. I think when comparing this to other classic albums from the 60's, e.g. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, Sgt. Peppers, Days Of Future Passed, it just doesn't match up. Even though the album is pretty ground breaking for its time, in comparison to some experiments in the 60's, it's just not as impressive.

This is a good album nonetheless. The real positives at times is the musicians and Beefheart himself. His vocals are always top notch, and the arrangements and lyrics are always interesting to hear. The guitar work of young Ry Cooder is also pretty cool too. There are some weak moments on the album, but overall, it is a great album

1. Sure 'Nuff Yes I Do - Now I really don't like blues. But this I'm not too bad with. Still not my style, but hey, it's Captain Beefheart. I love the jauntyness towards the end of the song. 6/10

2. Zig Zag Wanderer - Ok, now this is what I love about the 60's. Jangly guitars, and an overall sense of fun. Quite reminiscent of early Pink Floyd at times. 9/10

3. Call On Me - A bit too much of a standard 60's jangly pop song. And maybe a bit too bluesy for my liking. 5/10

4. Dropout Boogie - I love when Beefheart sings in this evil raspy voice. The instrumental section is pretty cool too, and very odd to hear during the 60's. The lyrics are pretty cool, and maybe a bit odd. 8/10

5. I'm Glad - Best song on the album, and maybe one of my favourite Captain Beefheart tracks. The falsetto vocals are a bit cheesy, but to be honest it really is nice and pretty. Maybe this was Beefheart's way of trying to achieve a top 10 hit or something (a bit like Frank Zappa's doo wopp album), but this song is 10 times more interesting and successful than that whole album. Beefheart's vocals also are full of emotion and are really raw, which really reflects the emotion of the song (although at times there is very Procol Harum moments, especially in the vocals). 10/10

6. Electricity - The kind of blues I can stand. Basically blues with a backbone really to try out new things. There is some even jazzy moments in the song. The use of guitar really is something to be marvelled at (especially how Ry Cooder makes those noises). Love the raspiness of Beefhearts vocals as well. 8/10

7. Yellow Brick Road - A bit like a country parody. Now I hate country, but I actually really like this song. I love the melody of the verse. It's so easy, yet so memorable. 9/10

8. Abba Zaba - It is a bit silly, but it does work. The silly lyrics are memorable and they do stick in your head, in fact you'll probably sing along to this song soon after listening to it. The use of almost gibberish does add a rhythmic edge to the song. 8/10

9. Plastic Factory - I really hate the use of harmonica in blues. In fact it's the worst part of this song. The best part is obviously Beefhearts vocals. I just really don't like blues. The instrumental section does make the song more interesting, I have to admit. 4/10

10. Where There's A Woman - Pretty interesting instrumental work and a nice arrangement. Their's something very gospel about this song too. Pretty cool chorus too. 8/10

11. Grown So Ugly - Even though the lyrics are pretty funny, the song is a bit too bluesy for my liking. Still not too bad though. 5/10

12. Autumn's Child - I like the dramatic nature of the song. Maybe a bit too "silly psychedalia," but meh it's a pretty fun song. 7/10

CONCLUSION: Don't get me wrong, this is still a highly enjoyable album, it's just at moments, it's just not my thing. The 60's music for me at times can be touch and go. In fact theirs only a few albums from this era that I would admit I love. A great album, but we all knew better things were to come.

6.3/10

To be honest, I have never been a big Jimi Hendrix fan. I always found him a tad overated, and never really made up for it with great songs. But I do love this album.

The cover enough is worth the price for me (I love Indian mythology).

This album does have some real underlooked and classic Jimi songs, and as an album, it just flows extremely well.

Their is some amazing songs on this, and the weaker material is still very strong.

With an added psychadellic factor to Jimi's guitar playing, it really is an achievment for him, and it made me respect more as a guitar player.

This album isn't the best produced eitherm with some aged flaws.

1. EXP- I'm guessing this is where Merzbow got his influence from. Very noisy and very well done. 9/10

2. Up From The Skies - Nice jazz influenced laidback song. Some nice guitar work. 8/10

3. Spanish Castle Magic - Great chorus and some kick ass riffs. Great vocals. 10/10

4. Wait Until Tomorrow - Love the chorus. Amazing guitar work. 10/10

5. Ain't No Telling - Quite funky. The backing vocals are quite weak though. 9/10

6. Little Wing - Just pure beauty. Amazing arrangement. Beautiful guitar work. The added glockenspiel counter melody is very nice as well, and quite unusual. 10/10

7. If 6 Was 9 - Love the lyrics. Great instrumental work. 9/10

8. You Got Me Floatin' - Great chorus. Very cathcy. Great production. 9/10

9. Castles Made Of Sand - Love the arrangement. The lyrics are also quite nice. Very soothing. 10/10

10. She's So Fine - Best song on the album, and Jimi had no real creative force behind it. My favourite Jimi Hendrix song ever. 10/10

11. One Rainy Wish - Quite dreamy with a nice arrangment. 9/10

12. Little Miss Lover - Wow, the drumming on this song is phenomanal. One of the first real uses of double bass pedals. Very funky. 10/10

13. Bold As Love - A nice end to the album. Love the improv bits. 10/10

CONCLUSION: Not perfect, but still an amazing album.