Archive Review: Blind Willie Johnson’s Dark Was the Night (1998)

Although revered by folk and rock artists like Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin, seldom does Blind Willie Johnson’s name come up in conversation when people talk about the giants of the blues. One reason for this, perhaps, is that Johnson’s songs hewed closer to the gospel roots of the blues than those of his musical contemporaries. Another reason for Johnson’s relative obscurity was his personal struggle for salvation that would cause him to turn his back on “the devil’s music.”

Regardless, Blind Willie Johnson’s catalog of songs – many derived from the church hymns of his youth – stand up alongside any of the early-era bluesmen, and have been covered by artists as diverse as the Rev. Gary Davis, Son House, Hot Tuna, and the Rolling Stones. Johnson’s haunting vocals often times mimic the glossolalia, the “speaking in tongues” of the fundamentalist church. Johnson also developed a unique and powerful slide-guitar technique that modern-day artists have tried to master for decades.

Blind Willie Johnson’s Dark Was the Night

A sixteen-song compilation that includes some of Blind Willie Johnson’s best performances, Dark Was the Night is part of Sony Legacy’s late ‘90s Mojo Workin’ series of blues releases. The album’s namesake, “Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)” is the heart of any Blind Willie Johnson compilation, the song included on a “sounds of the earth” recording that was shot into space with the Voyager One space probe. For good reasons, too, was this song chosen as one of humankind’s best moments to introduce to whatever life may exist elsewhere – Johnson’s performance here is as otherworldly as you get.

Recorded solo by Johnson in December 1928, the song opens with a weeping slide-guitar run that will chill your blood, followed quickly by Johnson’s mournful moan, a non-verbal expression of emotion that needs no words. By contrast, the gruff “Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying,” recorded in session just a couple of days later, is a fierce, determined gospel-blues foot-stomper that features Johnson’s roaring vocals rising above his serpentine slide playing. His wife, Willie B. Harris, provides higher-pitched backing vocals that stand in stark counterpoint to Johnson’s growling voice.

It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine

Dark Was the Night features many of Johnson’s gospel-oriented tunes, which are uniformly graceful and dignified. Some stand out, though, exemplary performances like that of “Let Your Light Shine On Me,” recorded in 1929, sitting a little closer to traditional folk hymns while others, like the incredible “John the Revelator,” existing on an entirely higher level. With Harris once again accompanying, Johnson’s inspired vocals here truly jump out of the grooves to grab you by the ears. With just a perfunctory rhythm guitar soundtrack, Johnson delivers a powerful, feverish performance of the tradition song that would later inspire the great Son House to try and duplicate it on his own.

Johnson’s “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine” is one of his better-known songs and, since its release in 1928, has become a blues standard. Johnson’s vocals here are often slurred, reduced to grunting out the words with a religious fervor while his stellar guitar work sounds like a heavenly chorus. Although suffering somewhat by sub-standard sound…probably taken from an old 78rpm record rather than whatever master may have survived…“The Soul of A Man” is an upbeat, spiritually-charged essay on man’s place in this world, Johnson’s soulful, earthbound vocals complimented by Harris’s more ethereal harmonies.     

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

There are a number of Blind Willie Johnson compilation albums on the market, and although I personally consider Dark Was the Night to be one of the best available for sound quality and song selection, most any of ‘em will do if you’re looking to experience this gifted artist’s music. As long as the album you’re looking to buy includes a few key songs – “Dark Was The Night,” “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” and “John the Revelator” among them – then you can’t go wrong. More transcendent music doesn’t exist in the blues world, and Blind Willie Johnson’s mesmerizing slide-guitar work is second to none. (Legacy Recordings, released June 30th, 1998)

Archive Review: Jello Biafra & the Melvins’ Never Breath What You Can’t See (2004)

Over the past decade, punk rock icon Jello Biafra has become known by young audiences more for his incendiary spoken word performances than for the ground-breaking, earth-shaking rock ‘n’ roll that he once created with his band the Dead Kennedys. While you won’t see a DK reunion as long as Biafra and his former bandmates remain estranged and some former child actor fronts the band, with the Melvins backing him on Never Breathe What You Can’t See, who needs the past?

Jello Biafra & the Melvins’ Never Breath What You Can’t See

It’s good to hear Biafra jump back into the fray and kick out some righteous rock ‘n’ roll jams once again. While disciples like Anti-Flag and Corporate Avenger have taken the politically-edged punk that Biafra helped define to new extremes, Biafra remains a master of his craft. Never Breathe What You Can’t See cuts to the bone, Jello’s acerbic lyrics, skewed sense of humor and manic vocals providing a rush of fresh air that blows away the foul stench of “W” and his cronies. Biafra has never been afraid of baiting the powers that be, and his work here with the Melvins is no exception. What other rocker today would have the cajones to open a song with lyrics like “Thank you, Osama/You are the savior/Of our economy today” as Biafra does on “McGruff The Crime Dog?” Questioning the false sense of security provided in our homeland by color charts and anti-terror legislation that only fattens the corporate bottom line, Biafra asks “Why not hire half the country/To spy on the other half?”

The Melvins

 

The rest of Never Breathe What You Can’t See follows much the same line of thought, Biafra’s razor-sharp, wickedly satirical lyrics tackling such heady subjects as Christian fundamentalism, Conservative politics, America’s fawning consumerism and fascination with the wealthy. Jello’s bombastic verbiage wouldn’t hit nearly as hard if the music wasn’t strong; in the Melvins Biafra may well have found the perfect foils for his high-voltage performing style. Veterans of the early ‘90s great northwestern music industry gold rush that killed Kurt and cloned Eddie, the Melvins know a thing or two about creating a joyous noise, and they do so behind Biafra. King Buzzo’s guitars dance and sting like a horde of angry hornets while the explosive backing rhythm blasts out of your speakers like rubber bullets from a riot squad’s rifles.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

    
It’s interesting to note that Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys burst onto the hardcore punk scene at the dawn of the conservative Reagan era, mocking the institutions that America held dear with blistering three-chord abandon and reckless lyrics. With “King George” re-elected to another four years in office, now – more than ever – we need Jello Biafra and the unflagging spirit of defiance that his music represents. As biting as acid on the tongue and as relevant as tomorrow’s headlines, Never Breathe What You Can’t See is exactly what the doctor ordered to chase away your post-election blues. Hopefully this will be but the first of several collaborations between Biafra and the Melvins. (Alternative Tentacles, released 2004)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ zine...

Archive Review: Alex Skolnick Trio's Transformation (2004)

Anyone who doubts the technical proficiency of metal guitarists or dismisses the efforts of musicians who choose to play in the heavy metal genre as no-talent hacks is just plain ignorant. As proven by Transformation, Alex Skolnick shuts down any arguments concerning the abilities of six-string shredders. Although he is best known as the former guitarslinger for thrash-metal cult faves Testament (and, to a lesser degree, Savatage), Skolnick has always been a jazzbo at heart. As such, Transformation – a collection of Skolnick originals blended with metal and prog-rock covers, all provided a modern jazz arrangement – is a fantastic showcase for Skolnick’s true passion and considerable talents.

The album opens with the title cut, a perfect introduction for that which follows. Skolnick and his band hit a loping groove, kind of a soft shuffle on top of which the guitarist lays down layer after dense layer of guitar. Skolnick’s rhythms and leads often clash, working at cross-purposes, creating an invigorating tension. You can’t really figure out where the song is going, and that’s a good thing. From here, Skolnick jumps into a Spanish-guitar flavored cover of Judas Priest’s “Electric Eye,” stripping the song down to its bare essentials and reinventing it as a spry instrumental work-out, sounding not dissimilar to some of Al DiMeola’s best work. Transformation’s other high points include “Fear of Flying,” a lush instrumental with swelling cymbals and drum fills; a bass-heavy reading of Pink Floyd’s “Money,” Skolnick’s leads approximating David Gilmour’s vocals; and a fast-paced, wild cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star.” Skolnick and his trio also offer “transformed” tunes by Scorpions and Dio alongside their spirited original jams.

Skolnick’s band – the other two members of the “trio” – includes Nathan Peck, who provides a solid double-bass rhythm beneath the guitarist’s six-string wizardry, and drummer Matt Zebroski, who adds significantly to the sound here with his strong, subtle percussion work. They are talented players, no doubt, but first and foremost this is Alex Skolnick’s show. The guitarist stretches his talents, embroidering each song on Transformation with an indelible energy and performance. If you’re a metalhead who knows Skolnick primarily for his rock & roll guitarwork, you owe it to yourself to expand your horizons and listen to the musical possibilities explored by Alex Skolnick with his piece of wood and string. If you open your ears, you might just be amazed at the power and grace of Transformation. (Magnatude Records, released 2004)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ zine...

Archive Review: The Gossip's Undead In NYC (2003)

Although the Reverend has vintage bootlegs in his collection with better sound quality than Undead In NYC, there’s no denying the power and the passion of the Gossip’s performance. Kicking out mutant punk blooze with a whiskey edge and an amphetamine heart, the Gossip’s secret weapon is singer Beth Ditto. Ditto’s sweaty, leather-lunged vocals rise above the muddy mix to grab the listener by the ears and shake ‘em out of their major label induced coma. Axeman Nathan Howdeschell rails at the world with all the subtlety of the Mississippi River breaking through its levees and flooding the Delta.

With Ditto’s vocals lost in the din, and her lyrical obsessions with love and lust all but indecipherable, the band rocks like a drunken fratmonkey and the audience’s obvious enthusiasm is contagious. A raucous cover of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” performed with friends from Chromatics, quickly spirals out of control and into chaos before ending in an orgy of feedback and clashing instrumentation. Undead In NYC may not be the best example of the Gossip’s charms but it does show that 30 minutes is all it takes for this Arkansas trio to rock your world. (Dim Mak Records)

Review originally published by Jersey Beat music zine, 2003

Remembering Dave Cousins & Strawbs

Photo courtesy strawbsweb.co.uk

British folk-rock innovator Dave Cousins passed away on Sunday, July 13th, 2025 after a lengthy illness; he was 85 years old.

Cousins is best known as the frontman and creative force behind the Strawbs, the ground-breaking and influential 1970s-era British rock band. Cousins and the Strawbs took on many faces over the years. The band’s first incarnation was as the Strawberry Hill Boys, a traditional bluegrass band formed in 1964 by Cousins, guitarist Tony Hooper, and bassist John Berry, who would later be replaced by double-bass player Ron Chesterman. 

The band changed its name to the Strawbs for a 1967 concert, and gradually began to move towards an original folk-rock sound fueled by Cousins’ imaginative lyrical prowess. The trio added singer Sandy Denny to the group and recorded 13 songs in Denmark for a proposed debut album, All Our Own Work. When the band couldn’t find a record deal in the U.K. Denny left to join Fairport Convention. All Our Own Work was later released in 1973 by budget label Pickwick Records, the album including one of Denny’s most beloved songs, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?,” which she later re-recorded with Fairport Convention.

The Strawbs were the first British band signed to the American A&M Records label, the trio releasing their self-titled debut album in 1969, accompanied in the studio by bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and pianist Nicky Hopkins. The Strawbs followed up its debut a year later with the critically-acclaimed Dragonfly, after which Chesterman left the band. The Strawbs expanded its sound, adding keyboardist Rick Wakeman, bassist John Ford, and drummer Richard Hudson for the mostly live album Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios, which was the band’s first charting album, peaking at #27 in the U.K.

After recording 1971’s From the Witchwood, Wakeman left the Strawbs to join Yes, replaced by keyboardist Blue Weaver for the band’s 1972 breakthrough, Grave New World. Peaking at #11 on the U.K. charts and inching onto the Billboard ‘Top 200’ albums chart stateside, songs like Cousins’ “Benedictus” and Ford’s “Heavy Disguise” received heavy FM radio airplay. Feeling that the band was moving away from folk and deeper into rock ‘n’ roll, Hooper left after the release of Grave New World, replaced by guitarist Dave Lambert of the psych-rock band Fire.

During a short summer hiatus, Cousins recorded his 1972 solo album, Two Weeks Last Summer, with guest musicians like Deep Purple’s Roger Glover, Miller Anderson of the Keef Hartley Band, and Jon Hiseman from Colosseum as well as members of the Strawbs. Underpromoted by A&M, the album failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic. Returning to the Strawbs, Cousins pursued a harder-rocking, almost proggy sound for 1973’s Bursting At the Seams, scoring hit singles in the U.K. with Cousins’ “Lay Down” and the Hudson/Ford song “Part of the Union.” The album proved to be their most commercially successful, hitting #2 in the U.K. while also charting in the U.S. and Canada. Tensions grew during the album’s supporting tour, however; afterwards Hudson and Ford left to form the pop-oriented Hudson Ford band while Weaver went to work for the Bee Gees. 

Cousins and Lambert recruited keyboardist John Hawken of the Nashville Teens and Renaissance along with bassist Chas Cronk and drummer Rod Coombes of Juicy Lucy. This is the line-up that recorded 1974’s classic Hero and Heroine and 1975’s Ghosts, the former being the last Strawbs’ album to chart in the U.K. while the latter achieved the band’s highest position on the U.S. chart, rising to #47 as the band toured heavily in North America. Released in late 1975, Nomadness found critical acclaim but continued the band’s commercial slide; it was their last album for A&M Records.

The band’s tenth album, 1976’s Deep Cuts, was released exclusively in the U.K. by Deep Purple’s Oyster Records imprint, while the following year’s Burning For You was picked up for North American distribution by Polydor Records. Cousins intended Burning For You to be the band’s swansong, but the band’s management got them a deal with Arista Records and the singer was convinced by label head Clive Davis to record one more album. Working with an unsympathetic producer for 1978’s Deadlines – one who Cousins felt didn’t understand the band – the Strawbs recorded Deadlines in Dublin, Ireland.

Disaster struck when the tapes for Deadlines were almost entirely accidentally erased; Strawbs re-recorded the songs, but as Cousins stated in the liner notes for the album’s CD reissue, the new performances failed to capture the unique flavor of the original recordings. The Strawbs completed a second Arista album in 1978, Heartbreak Hill, recorded largely without Lambert, who was working on a solo album. When Cousins decided in 1980 to leave Strawbs and get into the radio industry, the album was shelved and remained unreleased until 1995. Cousins recorded a second solo album, Old School Songs, in 1979 with guitarist Brian Willoughby. 

Invited to headline the 1983 Cambridge Folk Festival, the Strawbs’ Grave New World line-up reunited to perform with Willoughby on guitar in place of Lambert. The reunion led to a 1987 album, Don’t Say Goodbye, released by the band’s own Strawberry Hill Productions label. It was fairly quiet for the Strawbs during the ‘90s, the band releasing a single album – 1991’s Ringing Down the Years – and touring the U.K. in 1993 in celebration of their 25th anniversary. Cousins’ second album with Willoughby, The Bridge, was released in 1994. Cousins staged a 30th anniversary Strawbs reunion performance at Chiswick Park in London in 1998, which led to a relatively prolific and productive period for the band, versions of which (“Acoustic Strawbs” and “Electric Strawbs”) toured the U.K. and North America throughout the early 2000s.

The Strawbs and Cousins were both busy in the studio during this period. Cousins released a number of acclaimed solo albums, including 2002’s Hummingbird (with Rick Wakeman), 2005’s High Seas (with German guitarist Conny Conrad), 2007’s The Boy In the Sailor Suit (with Miller Anderson), 2008’s Secret Paths, and the live 2008 set Duochrome (with violinist Ian Cutler), all distributed through the Cousins’ own Witchwood Media label. The Strawbs were no slackers during this period, either, the acoustic version of the band comprised of Cousins, Willoughby, and Lambert releasing 2001’s Baroque & Roll. 

Strawbs’ 2003 album Blue Angel featured new material alongside re-worked versions of Cousins’ solo songs and 1970s-era Strawbs tunes. The album also featuring a literal Strawbs’ “Hall of Fame” of bandmembers, including Lambert, Willoughby, Blue Weaver, Richard Hudson, Chas Cronk, and Rod Coombes. The band’s 16th studio LP, 2004’s, Déjà Fou, brought John Hawkens back into the fold, and was followed by critically-acclaimed fare like Painted Sky (2006), The Broken Hearted Bride (2008), Dancing To the Devil’s Beat (2009 and featuring Rick’s son Oliver Wakeman on keyboards), Hero & Heroine In Ascencia (2011), the band’s previously-unreleased debut album Of A Time (2012), Prognostic (2014), The Ferryman’s Curse (2017), and Settlement (2021) as well as a number of live performance albums.

The Strawbs toured the U.S. in 2019 in celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary, including a three-day event in New Jersey that included former members and friends of the band like Annie Haslam (Renaissance), Larry Fast (Synergy), and singer/songwriter Wesley Stace. Cousins released his autobiography, Exorcising Ghosts: Strawbs and Other Lives, in 2014 and retired from live performances at the end of 2021 due to health reasons. 

When South African filmmaker Niel van Deventer contacted Cousins about creating a Strawbs documentary, the director wanted to film the recording of new songs at a studio in Cape Town. These sessions, featuring Cousins, Blue Weaver, and John Ford resulted in the final Strawbs’ album, 2023’s The Magic of It All. Released by U.K. label Cherry Red Records, who had bought the entire Strawbs catalog, van Deventer’s documentary film will be completed sometime in the future. Cousins and Strawbs performed their final concert in August 2023.

Dave Cousins had a unique creative vision and performance style, and he managed to record a massive body of impressive work that spans seven decades and better than two dozen live and studio albums. In my dealings with the artist, he was also the consummate British gentleman, wryly humorous and as enchanting as Strawbs’ music. He will be missed by the band’s loyal worldwide legion of fans...

 

Archive Review: Velvet Crush's Free Expression (2003)

Velvet Crush is one of those great little pop/rock outfits that continuously cranks out choice tuneage with little or nothing gained in the way of commercial success, fame, or even respect, fer christ sakes. If you haven’t heard of VC before, well, Free Expression is as good a place as any to get your feet wet. Originally released in 1999 on the band’s own Action Musik label, this two-CD deluxe reissue from Parasol is the way to go. Disc one offers the complete original Free Expression album as produced by Matthew Sweet (no neophyte around a pop song himself), as well as a bonus song tacked onto the Japanese version of the album. The second disc holds the original demo versions of many of the songs on Free Expression, recorded by vocalist/guitarist Paul Chastain in his home studio (including several cool unreleased tunes!)

The demo disc holds several unheard gems and holds up well on its own; sounding better than most of the legitimate album releases you’ll hear this year. The full-bore Sweet-produced version of Free Expression is a marvel though, Chastain and partner Ric Menck crafting an excellent collection of power-pop and twangy rock that will have you humming for days. Imagine the Byrds jamming with Big Star with the Everly Brothers adding harmonies. Sweet contributes some of his own underrated guitar work here, but Free Expression is Chastain and Menck’s show, an obvious labor of love resulting in an obscure classic that stands tall among the giants of rock ‘n’ roll. (Action Musik/Parasol)

Review originally published by Jersey Beat music zine, 2003

Archive Review: Jarboe’s Thirteen Masks (2004)

The enigmatic Jarboe is best known as the musical partner and collaborator of Swans mastermind Michael Gira. A haunting vocalist with an impressive, expressive range and a captivating stage presence, Jarboe has placed a human face on Gira’s often musically oppressive songs. After recording a number of albums with Swans and Skin – an even more musically experimental side project – Jarboe stepped out on her own with Thirteen Masks, her surprisingly diverse 1991 debut. Reissued with three bonus tracks by Atavistic after having been out-of-print for a number of years, Thirteen Masks is worth seeking out for listeners who prefer their music to be unpredictable, exhilarating and intellectually challenging.

Jarboe’s Thirteen Masks

Recorded over a number of different sessions, the material on Thirteen Masks evidently reflects the artist’s vision and mindset at the particular time. Given the stylistic diversity and varied performances, one wouldn’t expect Thirteen Masks to exhibit the thematic and musical cohesion that it does. “Listen” opens the album with an almost prayerlike quality, Jarboe’s lonely voice accompanied by a ringing chime, random percussion, and meager string instrumentation. It is a haunting moment that sets the stage for what follows on Thirteen Masks.

The album quickly jumps into a higher gear, “Red” evincing a dancefloor beat and aggressive, often altered vocals describing various (unknown) aspects of the color red. It’s an interesting and intriguing bit of wordplay, playful and thought provoking with a cacophonic soundtrack. “The Believers” offers Jarboe’s ethereal vocals layered on top of staccato drumbeats and explosive instrumentation, the martial rhythms balanced by the song’s soaring lyrical imagery. “The Never Deserting Shadow” is a folkish, ebony-hued track with beautiful instrumentation and powerful guitarplay matching obsessive lyrics, reminiscent of Current 93.

Two of the most powerful moments on Thirteen Masks come near the end, and the two songs couldn’t seem more different on the surface. “Shotgun Road (Redemption)” pairs a delicate guitar track with Jarboe’s almost-whispered vocals. The reflective lyrics speak of love and salvation, frustration, and betrayal. The gentle nature of the instrumentation belies the fury that lies beneath the words. “I Got A Gun” is equally moving (and disturbing); the repetitive refrain of “I got a gun” an expression of self-empowerment, shouted over a pounding drumbeat and chaotic guitar. When Jarboe states authoritatively that “I won’t stop until I get what I want,” you have to know that it’s true! Of the three bonus tracks, “We Are the Prophecy” stands out, Middle Eastern influenced instrumentation and chanted melodies lying beneath the artist’s breathless vocals.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Jarboe is assisted on Thirteen Masks by Gira, Swans’ guitarists Clinton Steele and Norm Westberg and the ever-changing musical terrorist Foetus, among others. The album’s focus and direction are entirely Jarboe’s, however, the music an unreal hybrid of Gothic rock, industrial dance, and dark jazz with the heart of a Delta bluesman and the soul of a German cabaret singer. Jarboe’s emergence as a skilled songwriter is evident, her potent pen blending emotional resonance, spiritual yearning, and a strong defiance of conformity, creating unique and thoughtful lyrical poetry.

Thirteen Masks was a powerful debut, a fiercely independent album too often (sadly) overlooked in the overall discussion of popular music. Restored here with pristine remastering and an expanded tracklist, Thirteen Masks is well worth rediscovery. (Atavistic Records, reissued 2004)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ zine

Bootleg Review: Captain Beefheart’s Captain, My Captain (1999)

SOURCE: Radio broadcast on WLIR-FM, live from My Father’s Place in Roslyn, New York; November 18, 1978 (although some sources claim that it was December 18th).

SOUND QUALITY: Good to Very Good FM broadcast (7-8) with some hollowness and echo, especially on the horns. The good Captain’s vocals are clearly up front though and the entire set is quite listenable without causing any aggravation.

COVER: Single-sided panel with color picture of Beefheart on the front cover and a different shot of the Captain on the back cover with tracklist and venue info.

TRACKLIST: Tropical Hot Dog Night (listed as “Hot Dog”)/ Hit A Man (listed as “Woman’s Gotta Hit A Man”)/ Owed t’Alex/ Dropout Boogie/ Harry Irene/ Abba Zaba/ Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles (listed as “Million Blue Miles”)/ Old Fart At Play (listed as “Old Fart”)/ Well (listed as “Well, Well, Well”)/ Ice Rose/ Moonlight On Vermont/ Floppy Boot Stomp (listed as “Floppy Boot”)/ You Know You’re A Man (listed as “You’re A Man”)/ Bat Chain Puller/ Apes, Ma        

COMMENTS: Although I don’t share many of my critical brethren’s adoration of Don Van Vleit, a/k/a Captain Beefheart, I can easily see his influence on a generation of young noisemakers. Beefheart’s blues-infused improvisational jazz skronk can be followed in a steady timeline from the early seventies through numerous bands up to, and including Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and other current critic’s darlings. Personally, when one of Beefheart’s Kenny G-wannabe brassmen start blowing and choogling like a pale Coltrane imitation, it makes me want to take a freshly-sharpened fireaxe to the box from which said offending decibels are bleating.

That said, I must admit that Captain, My Captain is a fairly accessible live performance from Captain Beefheart and crew, including his aural executioner of choice, ex-Mother of Invention trombonist Bruce Fowler. Dating from the time period of Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), the set is representative of where Beefheart seemed to be artistically situated at the time, mixing mutant blues with clever pop/rock and jazzlike, avant-garde musical experimentation. The Captain is a truly unique vocalist, sort of like Howlin’ Wolf on a steady liquid diet of broken glass and rotgut whiskey while the band, which includes guitarists Jeff Morris Tepper and Richard Redus, were capable of handling most of what Beefheart might ask of them.

This particular performance is a familiar one to fans of the Captain, having been previously circulated on vinyl and CD under such titles as Live At My Father’s Place and New York Hot Dog Night. This Tendolar CD-R version doesn’t include the entire performance, missing some four songs and at least a quarter hour from what I can tell. The neophyte Beefheart fan might find Captain, My Captain to be a heady brew, difficult to swallow in light of Beefheart’s penchant for surrealistic, stream-of-consciousness lyrics and discordant instrumentation.

The newbie might want to start with the legitimate release Safe As Milk, work their way up to Trout Mask Replica and then jump into Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) before searching for the one of many Beefheart boots that circulate in fan circles. As for the dedicated follower, they probably already have the material here, albeit in not as sonically pleasing a form. An acquired taste and touchstone of modern alt-rock, the good Captain is nothing if not a true original. (Tendolar Records CD-R, released 1999)

Review originally published by Live! Music Review zine...