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Rating: Captain Beefheart... a great name, a great genius.
Childhood friend of the great Frank Zappa, though they often had disagreements, their friendship led to several high-quality projects together, first among these the Bongo Fury tour of 1975. I usually don't review Best Of albums, but this is the only Captain Beefheart record I own, and since I find it interesting, I've decided to review it here.
The anthology takes tracks from only 3 albums: "Safe As Milk," "Strictly Personal Sessions," and "Mirror Man." The tracks from the first are my favorites. Here you can see the versatility of this great musician also as a composer. Yes, because from a classic blues ("Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do"), we move to captivating boogies ("Dropout Boogie," "Zig Zag Wanderer"), to other great tracks more in the classic rock style ("Yellow Brick Road," "Electricity," "Plastic Factory"), or to sweet ballads ("I'm So Glad").
My favorite remains that engaging and captivating African rhythm found in "Abba Zaba," also featuring a splendid bass solo. The tracks from the second album seem more like improvisations. Some are very good ("Dirty Blue Gene") while others leave much to be desired (the satirical "Beatle, Bones 'n Smoking Stones").
Other interesting tracks from this section of the album are the long "Trust Us" and the wild "Gimme Dat Harp Boy." As for the "Mirror Man" album, only two tracks have been included, but both are very long. "Tarotplane" ventures out for 19 minutes, and it's a long experimental blues with excellent harmonica evolutions, perhaps a bit too long (especially the ending), but still very good. "Kandy Korn" is shorter but still very long. Indescribable in my opinion: it begins with a pop ditty that then transforms into an intricate track in perfect Beefheart style.
This compilation can be a good starting point for those who want to discover the Captain's music, so I recommend it. Only regret: no track from "Trout Mask Replica." The only one from such an album that I've heard ("Pachuco Cadaver") wouldn't have looked out of place here.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 Zig Zag Wanderer (02:39)
Zig zag wanderer, zig zag wanderer (rep.)
You can huff, you can puff
You'll never blow my house down
You can zig, you can zag
Whoa I'm gonna stay, gonna stay around (rep.)
You can jump, you can holler
Never lose what I found
Heaven's free 'cept for a dollar
You can zig, you can zag
Whoa I'm gonna stay, gonna stay around (rep.)
The zig zag wanderer had a zigzag child
Zig zag traveller for the mercy mile
Found his wheels and nature scene
Quenched his thirst, (in a?) way it never been
Zig zag wanderer (rep.)
You can dance, you can prance
Freeze those timbers, drop some beams
Hide my shield, throw away my lance
Zig zag child, mercy mile
Zig zag dream, zig zag dream
Zig zag
04 I'm Glad (03:30)
(so sad baby so glad girl)
When you first came round I was sad
My head hung down I felt really bad
Now I'm glad, glad about the good times that we've had
Walked in the park
kissed in the dark
leaves burned just like just like a spark
Now I'm glad
glad about the good times that we've had
You went away I cried night and day
for what you done I had to pay
Left me so blue I don't know
where to go or what to do
please come back and let the sun shine through
Sun passed behind a cloud
I felt so proud
We walk down the street people smile that we meet
And I'm glad glad about the good times that we've had
You said I was the best man that you've ever had oh!
Now I'm glad oh so glad
05 Electricity (03:06)
Singin' through you to me
Thunderbolts caught easily
Shouts the truth peacefully
Electricity
High voltage man kisses night to bring the light to those who need to hide their shadow deed
Go into bright find the light and know that friends don't mind just how you grow
Midnight cowboy stained in black reads dark roads without a map
To free-seeking electricity (repeat) (Repeat both lines)
Lighthouse beacon straight ahead straight ahead across black seas to bring
Seeking electricity
High voltage man kisses night to bring the light to those who need to hide their shadow-deed hide their shadow-deed (repeat)
Seek electricity...........
07 Abba Zaba (02:42)
Long [originally 'song'] before song before song blues
Babbette baboon [repeat] abba zaba zoom
Two shadows at Noon, Babbette baboon [repeat]
Comin' over pretty soon, Babbette baboon
Run, run, catch her [originally 'catch her up'] soon, draft of dawn, sunshine on Babbette baboon
Mother say son, she say son, you can't lose, with the stuff you use
Abba Zaba go-zoom Babbette baboon [repeat both]
Run, run, monsoon, Indian dream, tiger moon
Yellow bird fly high, tabacco sky, two shadows at Noon [Don scrawled this
line "2 shadas at noon"]
Babbette baboon gonna catch her soon Babbette baboon
Song before song before song blues
Babbette baboon abba zaba zoom [repeat both]
Two shadows at noon, abba zaba zoom
Gonna zaba her soon Babbette baboon abba zaba zoom [repeat]
Gonna catch her soon [repeat]
08 Plastic Factory (03:07)
Phos'phrous chimney burnin'
Modern-men's a-learnin'
Time and space a-turnin'
Motor's engine churnin'
fac'trys no place for me boss man let me be
Wind and wave all blowin'
Mountain 'n sky showin'
Bee 'n flower growin'
Boy 'n girl are glowin'
fac'trys no place for me boss man let me be
Minds inside are goin'
Muscle 'n bone are showin''
One thing sure am knowin'
Get a fire goin'
factory's no place for me boss man let me be
boss man let me be boss man leave me be
15 Tarotplane (19:04)
Baby person told Elixir Sue
Listen to me baby
I'm gonna tell it to you
Gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
I say bear this in mind
I say bear this in mind
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Ya done put mice in the radiator
Razors in the clay
Well, they keeps us working all night
Don't give us no pay
Don't give us no pay
Automatic Sam told Everready Betty told Prestcold Milly
With the long...
Automatic Sam told Everready Betty told Prestcold Milly
With the long black wavy mane
With the long black...
With the long black wavy mane
Little girl, Little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
I wanta take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
For a fly, for a fly
Baby person told Elixir Sue
Oh, listen to me baby
I'm gonna tell it to you
You ain't too old
Oh, you ain't too old
Just what you been heard - just what you been told
You gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Baby person told Elixir Sue
Listen to me baby
Mice in the razors, clay in the heaters
Mice in the razors, clay in the heaters
You gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Automatic Sam told Everready Betty told Prestcold Milly
With the long black wavey mane
Oh listen little girl don't you understand?
Oh, you ain't too old
No you ain't too old
Well you ain't too lold
As long as you can boogie you ain't too old
Little girl, little girl
Little girl, little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
You goin' flyin'
You goin' flyin'
Come on little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
Come on little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
Come on little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
You gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
16 Kandy Korn (08:02)
Yellow and orange and
Well they taste so good I want to eat 'em
And they taste so good I get to need 'em
Can-can-can-candy
candy
Candy corn
yellow and orange and
candy corn
yellow and orange and
candy
be reborn
be reformed
stay stay warm
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