Wednesday 9 May 2012

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART: Further than I have been

Watching the DVDs about Straight and Bizarre records, got me thinking on the subject about the good Captain. Whilst it is completely unarguable that albums like Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals off Baby are ground-breaking pieces of material, it has always been another one of Captain Beefheart’s albums – Blue Jeans and Moonbeams – from 1974, which has always been my favourite. I can feel the horror emanating from all Beefheart fans as they read this. A statement like that is tantamount to apostasy in the eyes of most Captain Beefheart fans.

But why should it be? There is something – to my ears at least – incredibly warm and endearing about these songs, especially those on what was originally side 2 of the album. Indeed, there is a little piano phrase in 'Further than we've gone' which, no matter my life is at that particular moment, or whatever pits of despair my unholy amalgam of manic depression and diabetes thrust me into, never fails to make me happy. Just listen to it:

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