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Captain Beefheart - Safe As Milk |
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ALBUM REVIEWSPick of the Chick: Our Favorite Releases, 1999-Present |
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The folks at Buddha Records have reissued Safe As Milk, the 1967 debut from Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. Most people know Beefheart from his cult classic Trout Mask Replica album--an album that is best described as Ajax in the ear canal. Safe As Milk has some of the gritty, percussive-driven blues found on Trout Mask, but overall Beefheart's debut isn't nearly as abrasive or dissonant. Safe As Milk has an abundance of melody. "Zig Zag Wanderer," for example, is a catchy pop song that has a Byrd's feel. "I'm Glad" is straight doo-wop (à la The Miracles) where Beefheart's gruff voice softens to putty. Although Safe As Milk is more listenable than some of Beefheart's later work, the album is still pretty weird for 1967. On "Dropout Boogie," the Magic Band grind out dirty garage rock, while Beefheart growls out his vocals. This song could qualify as punk, if it weren't for the bridge, where the musical theme abruptly shifts to a waltz! The weirdness doesn't end there. Beefheart makes use of the theremin on "Electricity" and "Autumn's Child." Only a year earlier, Brian Wilson introduced the rock world to the theremin on "Good Vibrations"--a song that gave this bizarre instrument a friendlier sound. Beefheart, however, brings the instrument back to its sci-fi movie roots. By taking advantage of the instrument's creepier elements, Beefheart gives these tracks a weird vibe. Safe As Milk also exhibits some oddball humor (e.g., "Abba Zabba") in the vein of Zappa, which isn't surprising since Beefheart and Zappa were friends. Beefheart does shy away from the bathroom humor that mars (or garnishes, depending on your perspective) much of Zappa's work. This reissue comes with a nice collection of mostly-instrumental bonus tracks. Many of these tracks were recorded for the Mirror Man album. Their inclusion on the Safe As Milk reissue is a bit odd, but not unwelcomed. (Buddha Records apparently couldn't fit all these tracks onto their Mirror Man reissue, so they slapped them onto this release.). Got Beefheart? If not, go pick this one up. PIGEONHOLE: Weird
blues-based rock from one of rock's more eccentric artists.
Andrew Helminger |
CAPTAIN
BEEFHEART & HIS MAGIC BAND
