AAAAAAAARGH wrote:

fiery jack wrote:That "Lick My Decals..." is still out of print is a searing indictment of something, possibly everything

It's still in print, but only on 180 gram vinyl (most of us probably won't have a problem with that).

I just bought this. On 180 gram vinyl. Reasonable price too.

Everybody guessed wrong.

The correct answer is:

Rather than I wanna hold yer hand I wanna swallow ya whole an' I wanna lick you everywhere it's pi-ink and ev-ery-way you thi-ink...

Pure genius.

It's clearly Lick My Decals Off, Baby. Nowhere near as ear-piercing and harsh as listening to Trout Mask can be, and the songs are even better. A beautiful, brilliant masterwork, and one of the peaks of music in the 21st century.

I meant to say 20th, but...Beefheart really is timeless, so that is how it will stand. He is still ahead of his time.

Lick My Decals Off, Baby.

Man alive, I love this record.

Trout Mask Replica and Like My Decals Off Baby are the peak.

Clear Spot is excellent. Ice Cream For Crow is excellent. Doc At The Radar Station and Bat Chain Puller/Shiny Beast might've been even better if the band hadn't meddled so much. Sorta karma coming back for Don at the end of the 70s - he started to get fucked over and manipulated by his band(s).

Earlier Beefheart has so many songs that I jizz for, but none of those albums really does it for like Trout Mask and later.

big_dave wrote:Doc At The Radar Station and Bat Chain Puller/Shiny Beast might've been even better if the band hadn't meddled so much. Sorta karma coming back for Don at the end of the 70s - he started to get fucked over and manipulated by his band(s).

I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no band meddling or manipulation on these records.

Every song on every Beefheart/Magic Band record is totally composed. There is no improvisation whatsoever, with the exception of Beefheart & Mascara Snake's sax solos, and Elliot Ingber's solo on "Alice in Blunderland."

What are you talking about?

katie, a douchebag wrote:

big_dave wrote:Doc At The Radar Station and Bat Chain Puller/Shiny Beast might've been even better if the band hadn't meddled so much. Sorta karma coming back for Don at the end of the 70s - he started to get fucked over and manipulated by his band(s).

I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no band meddling or manipulation on these records.

Every song on every Beefheart/Magic Band record is totally composed. There is no improvisation whatsoever, with the exception of Beefheart & Mascara Snake's sax solos, and Elliot Ingber's solo on "Alice in Blunderland."

What are you talking about?

Yeah, I agree: where did you hear this from? I've never heard anything like that before about those albums (which are great, though I have to say that the guitar tones on Doc really are pretty annoying sometimes).

katie, a douchebag wrote:

big_dave wrote:Doc At The Radar Station and Bat Chain Puller/Shiny Beast might've been even better if the band hadn't meddled so much. Sorta karma coming back for Don at the end of the 70s - he started to get fucked over and manipulated by his band(s).

I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no band meddling or manipulation on these records.

Every song on every Beefheart/Magic Band record is totally composed. There is no improvisation whatsoever, with the exception of Beefheart & Mascara Snake's sax solos, and Elliot Ingber's solo on "Alice in Blunderland."

What are you talking about?

Both those records were "tampered" with. Less so on Doc because Beefheart agreed for New Wave style arrangements as suggested by the band for a few of the songs. I think the mellotron solo on Ashtray Heart may have been played by Beefheart himself. According to some sources I've read he loved being able to use the "Strawberry Fields" sound on something out of tune and aggressive.

But several different versions of Bat Chain Puller/Shiny Beast were recorded and re-mixed by the band. There are marimbas, horns, and all sorts over the top on the "official" version and the original is owned by Zappa and his wife who denied Beefheart access. There is another version released recently that is of worse quality. And another with a different line-up that Beefheart scrapped in favour of the version that Zappa has.

Its a shame. Both albums shine on older Beefheart singing young Beefheart's best material that he was too unsure to record. "Owed T'Alex" is towering and "Bat Chain Puller" is scary as shit.

I guess Beefheart learnt from his mistakes, because he hired an all new (and all excellent) band and stopped treating them with paranoia and disdain. And then recorded "Ice Cream for Crow", one of the greatest things he ever did.

Everything LP the Captain put out, with the exceptions of
"Unconditionally Guaranteed" and "Bluejeans and Moonbeams"
is fucking amazing. (even those 'tragic band' lps have some good stuff).
Cool to see so many peeps here dig on 'Doc at the Radar Station".
If i had to choose one, I'd take "Decals". Hearing Zoot Horn Rollo as the lone guitarist really, really highlights his mindbogglingly amazing playing.

"Buggy Boogie Woogie" and "Dr Dark" stand out as great Zoot tunes.