Monday, 29 September 2014

6. Captain Beefheart - My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains


6. Captain Beefheart – My Head Is My Only Home Unless It Rains

I wonder how many people have done this:

I must listen to Miles Davis…what’s a well-known Miles Davis album?...I know…Bitches Brew...”

Shit and rice! I can’t listen to this!!!”

When what they should do is start with Kind of Blue, work their way up to In A Silent Way, then take on Bitches Brew when they’re good and ready.

Same goes for Captain Beefheart.

Here’s a link to this beautiful, mellow song, and a video with a a dog just having fun running around some woods with its stick:


My heart won’t beat,
Until I wrap my arms around you

Captain Beefheart, the name goes with Trout Mask Replica. Another disastrous album to introduce a new listener. Clear Spot would be a much better kicking off point. No Beefheart album is ever going to exactly be easy listening from start to finish. Apart from anything else, he’s got some sort of fantastic, one-in-a-million vocal range, in terms of the low to high notes he can bang out, octaves apart (or something).

Also from Clear Spot:


Years ahead of its time, in every way.

Another mellow Clear Spot song is:


Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles, and it was a close-run thing between that and My Head Is…

Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were regular collaborators. Zappa, a notoriously intelligent but belligerent at the slightest hint of disrespect for rock 'n' roll interviewee, was the first in a “Don't Vote, It Only Encourages 'Em” t-shirt. Neither was interested in making easy listening, moon in June rhyming music, but both were able to effortlessly produce moments of outstanding beauty.


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