It was with great sadness that I learned a minute ago of the death of Don Van Vliet, a.k.a. Captain Beefheart. The music the Captain made with his Magic Band was unlike anything before it, or after it: an odd mix of jazz, R&B, zydeco, avant garage rock ‘n’ roll, and everything in between, all of it wonderful when mixed together.

Captain Beefheart’s last album, “Ice Cream for Crow,” was released almost 20 years ago, and no more were planned. Disgruntled at low sales and a sense that his sound had been ripped off by punks without his getting any acknowledgement (check out “Ashtray Heart” and draw your own conclusion, although it should be said that The White Stripes did later cover this song), he retired from music, focusing instead on his burgeoning visual art career. I didn’t expect any more music, but I liked knowing that he was around. And now I’m hoping that the Magic Band will resurface for a tribute concert.

Although I went on to delight in such albums as “Trout Mask Replica” and “Doc at the Radar Station,” it was “Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)” that was the LP that introduced me to the Captain, and it remains close to my heart. Here are two representative tracks that highlight both the Magic Band’s fearsome musicianship and Captain Beefheart’s astonishing vocal range. The cover painting is by Beefheart.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 17th, 2010 at 6:06 pm and is filed under Music, Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.