Captain Beefheart, And Why You Should Check Him Out

NJ · 2019-09-18T00:32:58-04:00

The name Captain Beefheart is bound to bring up debates on forums such as these; he's a very controversial figure in music history. He is known primarily for the avant-guard double LP 'Trout Mask Replica,' whose difficult, polyrythmic sounds alienates many listeners. Many listen to the album and hate it, dismissing its fans as pretentious and many have a hard time accepting that people can unironically enjoy it (they can). Many listen to it and find it funny but stupid, and while they still think it's terrible, they have some kind of ironic enjoyment. And, of course, there's the pretentious group I belong to that genuinely likes listening to the album (in fact, I'd go as far as saying that listening to it makes everything else boring and hard to listen to for a while). Regardless of your stance on the album, you're not wrong. It's a long album that definitely challenges the listener. If you don't "get it" (I hate that term, but for lack of a better one...), that's fine. The point of this post isn't actually about that album, or the extremely interesting story behind it (which you should totally read about, even if you can't stand the album). It's actually about the Captain's other albums. Though that album is what he's known for, if you didn't know, he's released a large body of legendary albums, which you might be able to enjoy even if you don't like 'Trout Mask Replica.' His first album, 'Safe As Milk,' is a more standard blues rock album, with some great tracks on it ('Electricity' being my personal favorite). It's definitely a great starting place for his work - it's an easy listen. None of his works come close to 'Trout Mask Replica' in the difficulty department. His follow up to 'Trout Mask Replica,' 'Lick My Decals Off, Baby,' is kind of just a sequel to the former. I wouldn't recommend it to those who don't like 'Trout Mask Replica,' but it's great for those who do. It's much, much shorter, and the production is much cleaner and more skillful. It loses a lot of the magic of 'Trout Mask Replica,' in my opinion, due to its conciseness, but it's probably to most realized expression of the Captain's style, even if it's not quite as sprawling and unique as its predecessor. Like 'Safe As Milk,' 'The Clear Spot' and 'The Spotlight Kid' were more standard, mainstream albums (at least as mainstream as he could be), but they're still very good, and if you liked 'Safe As Milk,' these'd also be worth checking out. After those two albums, however, the Captain hit a bit of a rough spot for a few years as he desperately tried to reach mainstream success (he didn't). For his last three albums, they were a return to form. Falling somewhere between his easier albums and his more experimental works, 'Shiny Beasts (Bat Chain Puller),' 'Doc at the Radar Station' and 'Ice Cream For Crow' are a good next step after 'Safe As Milk,' 'The Spotlight Kid' and 'Clear Spot.' They definitely represent an artist with a lot of experience under his belt, and are all fantastic albums. I know I didn't go over all his albums, but the others aren't as recommended unless you're a fan. None of the albums are nearly as difficult and bizarre as 'Trout Mask Replica,' except for perhaps 'Lick My Decals Off, Baby,' so I think the Captain gets a poor rep because that's what he's known for. Unlike 'Trout Mask Replica,' pretty much all his other albums are very short and concise, so don't worry that you'll have to sit through another 28-song baggy epic - they're just good, often very unique collections of songs. If you haven't, you should consider checking out some of his other works. Perhaps you'll like them. He might just not be your style, but you never know until you try. Edit: Took some of your posts into consideration and edited accordingly. Thanks for your responses!

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Poll: Do You Enjoy Trout Mask Replica?

Yes, but ironically, and I enjoy his other works:	0%	[0]
Yes, but ironically, and I haven't listened to/do not enjoy his other works:	9%	[2]
Yes, unironically, and I do enjoy his other works:	36%	[8]
Yes, unironically, but I do not enjoy/have not heard his other works:	13%	[3]
No, but I do like some or all of his other works:	13%	[3]
No, and I don't like/haven't heard his other works:	13%	[3]
I haven't listened to the album:	13%	[3]

Total Votes : 22

cestuneblague Otana, but No Hito Profile
Straight Outta Ballard

Is captain beefheart supposed to be some kind of unknown?

NJ Profile
WA

Quote:

Quote:

Is captain beefheart supposed to be some kind of unknown?

No, that wasn't the point of my post. Too many people simply don't explore any of his works after checking out his most famous one, though. 'Trout Mask Replica' is a bad starting place for him. Clearly people know who he is, but he gets somewhat of a bad rep from too many people, at least that I've perceived, over TMR, when he has a lot of great music, a lot of which is much more digestible than that album. Perhaps a better title would've been "And Why You Should Check Out His Other Works." It wasn't really directed at his fanbase, though...

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