zappa and beefheart - bongo fury

This years Frank Zappa's epic reissue series has reached Bongo Fury this month. The concert recorded in Austin,Texas in 1975 saw Zappa and Captain Beefheart meeting up for the first time since the monster Hot Rats album in 1969.
By 1975, Don Van Vliet (Beefheart) had managed himself into somewhat of a financial disaster by a series of appalling contractual decisions and record company screw ups. He'd actually got himself into a position where he couldn't tour and couldn't record under his own name.
Frank Zappa, an old school friend of Van Vliet's had seemed a sort of nemesis to him in many ways, maybe it was his commercial success, maybe it was the musical methods. Zappa was a methodical, rigorous and intense band leader, you needed real stamina to rehearse with his bands. Beefheart more like an inspired authoritarian with his. It's easy to see how that partnership could be highly infllamable.
But being their history was long and Zappa had seen Van Vliet's talent before, he'd produced rocks groundbreaking Trout Mask Replica back in 1969 with The Magic Band and Beefheart, Frank had wanted to see Van Vliet survive his present depression.
The two stories of exactly how the liaison actually came about are unsurprisingly conflicting but it had started just before the tour with Beefheart guesting on Zappa's 'One Size Fits All' album in June 75.
Despite the inevitable difficulties of getting Beefheart in the right frame of mind and musical discipline Zappa eventually got the balance right for the forthcoming tour. Beefheart was to do the main vocals on 6 or so numbers, plus soprano and harmonica.when needed.
The moment the tour began it was fraught. Ego, obstinacy, frustration from Zappa. Alloofness, cynisism, obstinacy from Van Vliet.
By the time the tour got to El Paso neither were talking. Zappa wouldn't have anymore to do with him, and Van Vliet was spending his time with the ever present sketch book and continually producing drawings of Frank with horns, as in the devil. A fine mess.
But they did get that recording that night in Texas. There never was a studio CD but on May 20th in Austin there was Bongo Fury
From the moment the roar of 'Debra Kadabra' starts the set off to the final voice of Zappa closing the concert at the end of 'Muffin Man' there is a sense you'll never hear anything quite like them again.
Here is Muffin Man.

beefheart at cannes 1968

"Well I was born in the desert" Van Vliet sings on the opening song (of Safe As Milk), and takes off on a metaphysical journey from Lancaster (California) into a new territory. Accompanied solely by slide guitar at the outset, he gives a thumbnail sketch of his travels to New Orleans, through tornadoes and into a landscape drenched in sunlight, all observed with the moon sticking in his eye. In the first few bars he sounds much older than his 26 years, but drunk on life.
MIKE BARNES. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART BIOGRAPHY.

This excellent and rare film footage of Captain Beefhert and The Magic Band playing Sure'Nuff'N Yes I Do (Safe As Milk album) in 1968 at the Cannes Midem Festival.
Which in the day would have seemed to the curious on lookers more like visitors from Planet Zog.
From stage left to right, the band was Antennae Jimmy Semens (Jeff Cotton), Jerry Handley, Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), Drumbo (John French) and Snouffer (Alex St. Clair).

the magic band

For over a decade now, 'All Tomorrow’s Parties' have been laying on some of the best line-ups you’ll see at a rock festival.
Now ATP is doing a new series of artist-curated music festivals called "I'll Be Your Mirror" in various cities around the world.
The three nights of the Dulli/ATP co-curated "I'll Be Your Mirror" shows will take place from 21st-23rd September at Pier 36, a newly renovated $13 million dollar indoor concert venue near the East River in Lower Manhattan
(aside.. given summer festivals in the UK have been a thoroughly rain soaked trial of endurance it does seem an obvious solution. Hold them inside).
One of the ATP bands appearing on Sunday 23rd September is The Magic Band. Now Captain Beefheart has long gone many expected the songs would never be heard again but here they are being performed with some intent. They had a short tour of the UK in March 2012.
"Blasting out explosive, raw, spiky, jaw-on-the-floor renditions of some of the best tunes ever recorded by Beefheart and the Magic Band, this was no flaccid cash-in, it was the real deal and they absolutely blew our stacks". beefheart.com
John French (Drumbo) and Mark Boston (Rockette Morton) lead the old school through the Beefheart hits.
Here's a taste of them in Exeter this year.. Sure Nuff'n'Yes I Do

american bandstand

One of America's most best loved personalities Dick Clark died yesterday, April 18th. His American Bandstand variety show saw generations of young people pass through either in the audience or in performance.
Often referred to as "America's oldest teenager" because of his youthful appearance and enthusiasm for "youth culture" Clark's show ran consistently from the fifties to the eighties.
Here's Captain Beefheart on the Hot Line at American Bandstand on June 18, 1966 which captures Clark's style perfectly. Youtube uploader "bigdavej69" describes it, "After Don answers some probing questions from one of the shows dancers everyone gets to jump around to Diddy Wah Diddy", (hilariously)
"markwynn01" also informs us "The girl on the phone was Squeeky Fromm". Now there's a name to conjure with.
It can be said these are bygone days of innocence and optimism.

captain beefheart

We really can't let December pass without a short tribute (this time) to Captain Beefheart who died on the 17th last year.
Here are the famous words set to a splendid cartoon by YouTubes Dannrayv2.

Fast and Bulbous. (part 1 of 'Pena' from Trout Mask Replica).
The voices are Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), Mascara Snake (Victor Hayden) and Frank Zappa from the studio mic.