Monday 17 November 2014

Captain Beefheart: German review (translated)


There are indeed all sorts of posthumous live albums from the Captain, which are usually published without the observance of copyright. This is common in the rule that the sound is pretty bad (as in not just bootlegs rarely the case), what with the already very edgy music of the Magic Band has the effect that one has when listening to the impression that there a wire brush through the ear canals moves.

Of the few legal discs of live Beefheart have to date only two satisfactory sound quality (since they were the purpose of radio transmission recorded). That's once the 2006 album "Amsterdam '80", which holds a concert in Paradiso in November 1980. The second is the legendary "Live at my Father's Place", a concert of November 1978, by which there are several bootleg versions on LP and CD (was), but this at least once regularly in 2000 by Rhino Handmade under the title "I ' m Going To Do What I Wanna Do: Live At My Father's Place was published in 1978 "as a double CD (now out of print but is hopeless).

Oh yes, to come of course made by the Virgin for a planned live album recordings of a London concert in June 1974 the band Tragic, which as "London Live '74" is now available on CD. This has a very good sound ... but who wants to hear already the pop version of Beefheart's band?

Now Gonzo Multimedia have the motto "am the bootleg / support the artist" started a series with Beefheart live albums. In April 2014 "Live at Harpo's Detroit 1980" appeared, the now "Live from Paris 1977" is followed. In November, to be followed by a concert from 1973 by Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver still a CD. Here it is to go to the recording from Paris.

On "Live from Paris 1977" is (again) to find 1977 under Beefheart freaks quite legendary concert in November, which was recorded in "Le Nouvel Hippodrome" in Paris (presumably by someone in the audience or a stagehand). You can hear a quintet of Magic Band, which was identical to the core of the formation, the later the album " Shiny Beast has taken "(this is very occasion, the then band manager Harry Duncan with text and harmonica). On offer is a cross-section of Van Vliet creative with numbers of all previously released albums (with the exception of "Strictly Personal" and the two Virgin LPs). Here are a few new pieces from the then current album "Bat Chain Puller" come (the Beefheart accordingly announced), but that - although already completed in 1976 included - due to legal disputes (between Frank Zappa and his former manager Herb Cohen) was on ice ( and was never published). The numbers should then appear on the next two studio discs of the band.

In terms of music is of course first class commandments. The band is very well placed and recorded, the Captain is very good voice and otherwise in good shape, and it presents the most convincing on its own and a very bizarre blues-rock slant-Dada, known for the Captain, was notorious and famous , The most important criterion for the evaluation of "Live from Paris 1977" therefore remains the Klagqualität. This is ... well ... neat. With the two recordings mentioned above this is in this respect not to be compared to listening, but the sound is not bad (and clearly better than the first gonzo-disc "Live at Harpo's Detroit 1980"). And as usual, you get used to it after a while. Something quiet and dosig the music comes out of the speakers, but you can hear everything well, every instrument and of course the Captain and the audience is not too loud. Only the recitations (who probably did not understand the French mostly) the listeners are somewhat indignant, especially in the long "The dust blows forward and the dust blows back". Now and in the announcements or the applause is cut somewhat abruptly, otherwise it has one present a relatively complete recording of the show.

Who wants to hear a refreshing view of the resurrected Magic Band from the time of "Bat Chain Puller" and thus does not interfere in the good bootleg quality, may well invest here.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT GONZO:

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