Trancending Music And Beefheart

When you hear the word psychedelic in music one man rises above all, Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart. With his Magic Band Beefheart blew minds and changed times. On December 17th 2010 Vliet passed away after a long battle with  multiple sclerosis. This blog is my tribute to Vliet, writing how i feel about his debut and in my mind his greatest album Safe As Milk. He was a composer, musician, painter, innovator and a music luminary. His music blended jazz, rock, blues, folk, psychedelia,  and whatever else crossed his mind that day. He had no boundaries, nothing was impossible. He was a dear friend of Frank Zappa, who he met at an early age as an artist. So without a due here is my critique of the late great Captain Beefhearts Safe As Milk.
The album starts off with the great slide guitar of a young Ry Cooder on Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do. It has a blues style to it, especially with Cooders slick slide guitar. Sure 'Nuff' is based on Rollin and Tumblin, a well known Muddy waters song and you can tell from the opening lick. It sure enough takes you back to the days of the delta and you can tell how influential the delta blues singers were on Beefhearts musical style.
Zig Zag Wanderer slides in next, it has a different sound to that of Sure 'Nuff. Sounding more like a Animals or a Kinks song on drugs. With backing vocals coming from behind him this song sounds is great to just pop on and get taken away to another place. Surreal I do think so.
Call On Me comes in next with tambourine clanging on Beefhearts knee. You can tell how great of a songwriter this man can be on this song.  This song is up there with any Buffalo Springfeild song with great licks and a gravely but yet soft voice that only Beefheart can pull off. This song is great and Beefheart called it.
Dropout boogie sounds way ahead of its time. A surrealists dream song. Beefhearts voice sounds more like a monster or creature than a actual singer/songwriter. You can see the influence on Tom Waits  on  this song. Building his career from the growl of his voice and nonsense lyrics, but its sounds good to the ears. Away from the over dubbed and over worked songs of today. Beefheart did it straight from the heart and never looked back.
I'm Glad flows in now. It really don't sound like it belongs on this album. But its why I love Safe As Milk so much, you can hear so many different types of music from one album and one band. This song is Beefheart rendition of a motown RnB song, and he pulls it off nicely. His voice goes from gravely with a growl to a sweet heartbroken swoon-er. Very sweet song from a broken heart.
One of Beefhearts strangest songs closes out side one. Electricity, it is strange to say the least but still great. Beefhearts voice sounds electric at points and normal at others. Sounds like two different people singing but its all Beefheart all the time. The song was later covered by Sonic Youth on their album Daydream Nation. Take a listen and be blown away by Electricity!!!
Yellow Brick Road starts off side two. Sounding like a mash up of Zappa and a Beatles tune. Its strange yet sweet. Beautiful sound mixed with strange lyrics are a great mix for a fine song and Yellow Brick Road dont hold back.
Next chimes in Abba Zabba. With lyrics that dont make sense and a african inspired beat in the background how can you not love this song.
Plastic Factory horns in with Beefheart on harmonica. Again with his signature sharp voice that cuts like a razor. Beefheart shows how great at lyrics and the rhyming scheme he really is on this song. And this guy can really wail on the harmonica, his talent really shows on Plastic Factory.
His song Where There's Women comes in next with a very relaxing beat. Its his tribute to the women around the world. This song also shows off the great range in Beefhearts voice.
Next is the only song on the album that Beefheart did write or help write. Grown So Ugly was written originally by blues legend Robert Pete Williams. Its a rambunctious song, with Beefhearts voice muffled in the background and Cooders guitar laying down the blues licks just like they were back in the delta on the back porch. Just like Beefheart wanted it.
Last on the album is the song Autumn's Child. Very strange with a very sweet melody but then all of a sudden Beefhearts voice blasts in with reckless abandon. It has a very playful sound to it, they really had fun on this song with strange lyrics and an even stranger arrangment.
Don Van Vliet will be sorely missed. Even John Lennon loved Safe As Milk, showing his love he placed two promotional stickers for the album on a cabinet in his homes sunroom. Vliet was an amazing artist along with being a great musician. He painted and even sculpted. He leaves behind a huge legacy from recordings, videos and art. After his retirement from music Vliet escapted to Trinidad California, wheelchair bound from his disease close friends thought that he still seemed to be in good health. Unfortunately that wasn't true and today the world lost a great artist, in all accounts of the word. RIP Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, may you enjoy creating great music in a better place.