Skip to content
- Released: August 2006
- Album titles and ratings at the bottom of this review
Only one of these titles, Ice Cream For Crow, charted in the UK charts in 1982 (no.90) and its pretty easy to see why.
Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart has always been a cult figurerather than a commercial success in the UK, though its thought that hissubsequent influence on Punk and New Wave was incalculable. That is opento question.
A simultaneous release of the above albums is guaranteed to bring thespotlight once again on the 1982 retired troubadour. Nowadays preferringto paint at his Mojave Desert home (making few public appearances possiblydue to his reported multiple sclerosis), Beefheart, who had a rotating choiceof musicians under the banner of The Magic Band (which one-time includedRy Cooder) was a singer and capable harmonica player, along with someadventurous sax playing, described as untrained free jazz.
These albums span eight years of eclectic music, few accessible and somedown right weird and annoyingly grating. Ultimately, it was his grandexperimentation that would prove to be his commercial downfall, though he hasto be credited for not selling-out. In a nutshell, hes an acquired taste.
Disc 1, has some effective alt-blues like Sugar Bowl, through to themellower Magic Be, the harmonica fuelled Full Moon Hot Sunand country rocker Peaches. Highlights of Bluejeans and Moonbeamsrange from the divinely simplistic Observatory Crest, dripping withpedal steel sojourns, to the floaty mid-paced Further Than Wewe Gone.Closer, Bluejeans and Moonbeams, is a graceful synth-driven gem.
Third disc Shiny Beast opens with a cacophonous blast The FloppyBoot Stomp, endorsing his outrageous experimentation along with turgidIce Rose and You Know Youre A Man. Bat Chain Puller andOwed TAlex are nothing short of musical disasters, with the exceptionof slow-stomper Harry Irene, without doubt the Captains best song ever.Spoken word Apes-Ma beggars belief.
Doc At The Radar Station and Ice Cream For Crow sound like aman whos totally lost the plot, containing mostly bizarre musak.
The live album recorded at Drury Lane in 74 is hardly a thrilling experience,with Peaches proving the only highlight.
The six albums included are :
1. Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974) – Rating: 6/10
2. Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974) – Rating: 6/10
3. Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978) – Rating: 0/10
4. Doc At The Radar Station (1980) – Rating: 0/10
5. Ice Cream For Crow (1982) – Rating: 0/10
6. Live In London (Drury Lane 1974) (Previously unavailable)
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.