Tuesday 3 February 2015

Capt. Beefheart - Paris 77: US review

http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=17184

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band: Somewhere Over Paris

Don Glen Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, became an icon of eclectic rock music, performing and recording with his Magic Band from 1965 to 1982 after which he retired from music to become an expressionist painter. Vliet sadly passed away in 2010 due to complications from multiple sclerosis.

This is another one of those memory inducing albums that will find a home for many fans wanting to relive past glories. For us fans that grew up in the '70s it is important to keep these classic bands close to our hearts. This performance takes place at Le Nouvel Hippodrome, Paris Sorbonne University, Paris, France in 1977.

This revamped Beefheart line-up included Captain Beefheart (vocals, saxophones, Chinese gongs), Eric Drew Feldman (bass, keyboards, synthesizer), Denny Walley (guitar, slide-guitar), Jeff Moris Tepper (guitar, slide-guitar), Robert Williams (drums, percussion) and Harry Duncan (harmonica).

The songs are spread over two CDs and Beefheart and his band put in a gritty performance. Songs like "Low Yo Yo Stuff" and "Bat Chain Puller" show the hard rocking bluesier side of the band. Beefheart's music has always had an eclectic edge and that side of the band is well represented with songs such as the angular rock of "Suction Prints", the wild eclecticism of "Abba Zabba" and the weird talking vocals in "The Dust Blows Forward And The Dust Blows Back" being prime examples. His vocals have always been an acquired taste and it is no different here as his throaty rasp sounds as hoarse as ever.

The main complaint I have is the poor recording quality. The thin production and muddled sound did effect my overall enjoyment of the disc. Still, if you can accept the sound production flaws there is a good performance here.

While this set won't gain any new fans, followers of the band will probably want this in their collection as it is an important live statement from one of rock's more eclectic and innovative performers. Released on Gonzo Multimedia.


Track Listing: 
Disk One 
1. Hair Pie: Bake III 
2. Suction Prints 
3. Low Yo Yo Stuff 
4. Bat Chain Puller 
5. I Wanna Find A Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go 
6. Abba Zabba 
7. Dali's Car 
8. One Nest Rolls After Another 
9. The Dust Blows Forward And The Dust Blows Back 
10. Nowadays A Woman's Got To Hit A Man 
11. Click Clack 
12. Grow Fins 
13. Golden Birdies


Disk Two 
1. Electricity 
2. A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond 
3. China Pig 
4. Sun Zoom Spark 
5. My Human Gets Me Blues 
6. Floppy Boot Stomp 
7. Moonlight On Vermont 
8. Carson City 
9. Old Black Snake 
10. Pachuco Cadaver 
11. Veteran's Day Poppy/Band Intro 
12. The Blimp 
13. Big Eyed Beans From Venus

Added: January 24th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:

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