Captain Beefheart - The Early Years 1959 - 1969

Info from beefheart.com:
Song list:

1. Lost In A Whirlpool
2. Teenage Maltshop
3. Metal Man Has Lost His Wings
4. Tupelo Mississippi
5. Somebody's Walking
6. Old Folks Boogie
7. Evil
8. Blues Jam
9. Out Of The Frying Pan - alt version
10. Almost Grown
11. Call On Me - slow version
12. Sure Nuff and Yes I Do
13. Moody Liz - rare acetate version
14. Korn Ring Finger
15. Frownland
16. Ella Guru
17. Hair Pie - Bake 1 / Hair Pie Bake 2
18. Pachuco Cadaver
19. Sugar 'N Spikes
20. Neon Meat Dream Of A Octofish
21. The Blimp - edit / Candy Man / China Pig
22. Well Well Well (sung by Rockette Morton)

Tracks 5 - 8: Avalon Ballroom 1966 (incorrectly says 1968 on cover)
Track 12: John Peel show 1968

fast & bulbous

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Radar Station Overview

A nicely packaged European bootleg bringing together a whole bunch of rare and unavailable Magic Band goodies. Much of the content has since been included on the Grow Fins box set and Zappa's Mystery Disc CD but there are a couple of items here that are still not available commercially.

Overall the sound is pretty good although the Avalon tracks are not as good as they could have been (still great to get the very rare 'Blues Jam' track included though).

For a change this is a boot that has been compiled by a real fan and this shows in the sleeve notes which I'll include here:-

"The first track in this collection is probably the earliest recording of Don Van Vliet, recorded in a classroom at Antelope Valley College/High with Zappa on guitar and Beefheart on Vocals.

'Teenage Maltshop': believed to have been recorded circa 1963/4 at Zappa's Cucamonga studio Z, as part of a Teenage Opera, offered to Dot Records but turned down because of the distorted guitar. 'Metal Man...' also recorded in Studio Z in the main studio, but with Beefheart outside in the corridor to the studio singing whatever words were scribbled on the walls!

'Avalon Ballroom' 1966 was the first CB & Magic BAnd, probably CB, Doug Moon, Jerry Handley & Paul Blakely. This shows the influence of Howlin Wolf - he even says people have requested a Wolf song before singing 'Evil'.

'Frying Pan Acetate': An alt version. predates release on A&M.

'Almost Grown': Is an unreleased variation of a Chuck Berry song, & 'Call On Me': A much slower version than as released on Safe As Milk.

The 'Moody Liz Acetate', although very similar to the recently located Strictly Personal OT found by Sequel, is a White Label test Pressing with a similar as released version of 'On Tomorrow'. An item this fan would give my right arm to own.

Possibly more exciting is 'Korn Ring Finger'. Why this was not included on the Sequel CD amazed me ... An excellent track that you hope will never end.

This brings us up to the 'Trout Rehearsals' - they sound if they were made to be a part warm-up to the actual recordings. You can hear Don in the back throughout blowin his Sax from different parts of the room experimenting with the sound on 'Hair Pie' Variations. It was said by Beefheart that although the album was recorded very quickly, the amount of work that must have been put in by all the band members; to get to a stage where the instrumental backing was rteady for Beefheart to sing over these complex rhythms is awe inspiring ... & how he actually managed to add the vocals only he knows.

The immediate contrast between 'Moody Liz' & 'Korn Ring Finger' from the S. Personal Ots is extraordinary especially considering there is barely a year between the recordings ... 'Ella Guru' is a sheer delight to hear in its instrumental form, as are others on the CD.

These are not the digital recordings of the 90s ... But to be 'a fly on the wall' whilst one of the most amazing albums was being prepared for an unsuspecting public, & to hear some of the Early Years of Mr Don V Vliet playing with an equally very young Mr Zappa is a treat. We have included hopefully some of the rarities that maybe, just maybe will entice someone to try to dig into the vaults & find these hidden gems.

'Ha Ha! That's Right...Just Dig It!!' D.V.Vliet 1969"

This was one of the great Beefheart boots when it was released. Unfortunately the projected Early Years Volume 2 never appeared.

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Browse Captain Beefheart Official Studio Albums Discography by clicking here.

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Captain Beefheart - Captain Hook ('74-'77)

Song list:

1. Mirror Man
2. Upon The My-Oh-My
3. Crazy Little Things
4. Full Moon Hot Sun
5. Sugar Bowl
6. This Is The Day
7. Keep On Rubbing
8. Be Your Dog
9. Sweet Georgia Brown
10. Abba Zaba
11. Peaches
12. Sam with the scalp showing flat top
13. Grow Fins

Tracks 1-11: recorded at Cowtown, Kansas City 22nd April 1974
Track 12: recorded May 1975
Track 13: recorded 1977

A huge gem in Beefheart's bootleg discography.

When I see mommy I feel like a mummy.

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Notes from beefheart.com:

This is the excellent quality FM broadcast Cowtown show that was also booted as 'Crazy Little Things'. However it does also include a version of 'Sam with the showing scalp...' from a May 1975 Bongo Fury tour show and a great 'Grow Fins' from an unknown venue in 1977. Both 'Sam' and 'Fins' sound as if they were dubbed from vinyl - 'Sam' could well be from the Los Botas Graciosas Marchan Polonia boot.

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Browse Captain Beefheart Official Studio Albums Discography by clicking here.

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Henry Grimes Trio with David Murray & Hamid Drake, Barcelona, 2005-10-03

Henry Grimes- Double bass
David Murray- Tenor saxophone
Hamid Drake- Drums & percussions

1) 28:48
2) 17:28
3) 15:56
4) 21:05
5) 16:53
6) 10:10
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1h 50' 20"

Phoenix  bird.

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Some notes from Wikipedia.org:

Henry Grimes (born November 3, 1935, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a jazz double bassist.

After more than a decade of activity and performance, notably as a leading bassist in free jazz, Grimes completely disappeared from the music scene by 1970. Grimes was often presumed dead, but he was rediscovered in 2002 and returned to performing.

Early life & performing career

As a child, Grimes took up the violin, then began playing tuba, English horn, percussion, and finally the double bass at age 13 or 14, while he was in high school. Grimes furthered his musical studies at Juilliard, and established a reputation as a versatile bassist in the mid 1950s. He recorded or performed with saxophonists Gerry Mulligan and Sonny Rollins, pianist Thelonious Monk, singer Anita O'Day, clarinetist Benny Goodman and many others. At a time when bassist Charles Mingus was experimenting with a second bass player in his band, Grimes was the person he selected for the job.

Gradually growing interested in free jazz, Grimes performed with most of the music's important names, including pianist Cecil Taylor, trumpeter Don Cherry, saxophonists Steve Lacy, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler. He released one album, The Call as a trio leader for the ESP-Disk record label in 1965. The album features Perry Robinson on clarinet, Tom Price on drums and is considered to be of a great quality representative of his career.

Disappearance & resurrection

In the late 1960s, Grimes career came to a halt after his move to California. It was commonly assumed Grimes had died; he was listed as such in several jazz reference works. Then Marshall Marrotte, a social worker and jazz fan, set out to discover Grimes's fate once and for all. In 2003, he found Grimes alive but nearly destitute, without a bass to play, renting a tiny apartment in Los Angeles, California, writing poetry and doing odd jobs to support himself. He had fallen out of touch with the jazz world and was unaware Albert Ayler had died, but was eager to perform again.

Word spread of Grimes's 'resurrection', and some musicians and fans offered their help. Bassist William Parker donated a bass (nicknamed "Olive Oil", for its distinctive greenish color) and with David Gage's help had it shipped from New York to Los Angeles, and others assisted with travel expenses and arranging performances. Grimes's return was featured in The New York Times and on National Public Radio. A documentary film is planned, as is a biography.

(...)

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Henry's latest record:



Henry's astounding, impassioned non-stop 2&1/2-hour-plus bass and violin session for ILK Music (Denmark) that took place in March, 'O8 was released in January, 'O9 (ilkmusic.com #151 CD). Here's a review from Bruce Lee Gallanter of Downtown Music Gallery:

"... This fabulous two-disc set features an entire unedited and uninterrupted solo bass and violin performance. Henry takes his time and works his way through many layers and textures of plucked and bowed double bass and violin, digging deep into his most creative world of sounds. One would think that it is difficult to sustain interest throughout a long solo bass performance, but not here. This disc is superbly recorded and Henry's bass sounds warm, strong and life-affirming. I turned this disc up while listening to it at home and in the store and let it wash over me like layers of warm molasses. It sounds and feels so good to me and no doubt will work its magic over you."

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CDs & books by Henry Grimes: click here.

Reactions:

Jewels & Binoculars play the music of Bob Dylan, Barcelona, 2005-12-07

Lindsey Horner - Double Bass
Michael Moore - Clarinet, Alto saxophone, Melodica.
Michael Vatcher- Drums

1) 12:34
2) 9:00
3) 14:17
4) 14:32
5) 13:31
6) 8:16
7) 8:49
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1h 20' 59" (VBR @ 192)

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Notes thru lindseyhorner.com:

Jewels and Binoculars was born out of Lindsey Horner and Michael Moore’s mutual love of Dylan’s music. Starting in the late 90's, New York bassist Lindsey Horner would get together with reedist Michael Moore and percussionist Michael Vatcher, longtime residents of Amsterdam, Holland, to explore that repertoire.

Interpreting the songs instrumentally, the trio uses the power of the tried and true folk song forms as the starting point for their improvisational flights, all the while keeping the power of the words and images fresh in mind.

Rather than guitar,voice and harmonica, the instrumentation relies primarily on the clarinet, bass clarinet or alto saxophone for the melody, the acoustic bass for the harmony, and Michael Vatcher’s wide variety of percussion instruments for textural variation.

The latest recording, the third from this collective trio and which features guitarist Bill Frisell as a guest on three tracks, is entitled Ships With Tattooed Sails on Horner's Upshot Records label. As of May 2007 it is available through www.lindseyhorner.com, downtownmusicgallery.com or cdbaby.com.

The previous two releases, Floater and Jewels and Binoculars were released on Moore's Ramboy Recordings label.

 

PLEASE NOTE: There have been misperceptions that Jewels and Binoculars is led by Michael Moore or that it is Lindsey Horner’s project. Neither is accurate.

Jewels and Binoculars/Michael Moore, Lindsey Horner, Michael Vatcher play music of Bob Dylan is a collective trio and always has been since its inception in the year 2000. All three members share equally in the responsibilities and artistic direction of the group.

Please keep this fact in mind when writing about the band, this recording or any previous release.

Reactions:

George Lewis Quintet "Homage to Charlie Parker" June 2, 1979 Moers

Photo by Andy Newcombe.

George Lewis, tb;
Douglas Ewart, as, bamboo fl, bcl;
Wallace McMillan, fl, as;
Anthony Davis, p;
Richard Teidelbaum, synth

1. Title, Part one 35:58
2. Title, Part two 21:15
3. Blues (1977) 12:59

Total  70:11

Here you have one of my favorite bootlegs by George Lewis Quintet (Trombonist). It's performed in a very slow pace but it's very intense. Read more info about him in wikipedia.

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The studio version of this homage to Charlie Parker is very recommendable too.


Click on the image to check this item at Amazon.com.

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Captain Beefheart - Hoboism

This is a real MUST for every Captain Beefheart fan.
Its contains astonishing blues and also psychedelic tunes as well.
Click on the images for seing (and saving) them in real size.

Gimme that harp boy.

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Peter Brötzmann's Die Like a Dog Trio, 2004, two concerts

Black'n' Blue Theater, Hallwalls, Buffalo, NY
March 8, 2004

Peter Brotzmann - tarogato, tenor & alto saxophones, a-clarinet
William Parker - bass, strange 2-string afican looking bass, african horn
Hamid Drake - trap kit, frame drum

1) 38:20
2) 15:02
3) 25:11
4) 26:14
5) 19:26
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2:04:13

Albert Ayler lives! (VBR @ 160)

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Theatre du Pavé (Toulouse) 21.nov.2004

1) 58:42
2) 47:36
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1:46:18

New  links!!! (3rd try)

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Any record by this band in trio, quartet or whatever is recommendable. The quartet is composed by the mentioned musicians plus Toshinori Kondo on trumpet.

If you wanna buy some records by the quartet my special recommendation is "Die Like a Dog Quartet complete FMP recordings" which contains the following records:

• Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler
• Little Birds Have Fast Hearts, Vol.1
• Little Birds Have Fast Hearts, Vol.2
• Aoyama Crows

(Clicking on the image takes you to this item entry at Amazon.com)

Reactions:

Dennis González Yells at Eels with Rodrigo Amado, Barcelona, 2009-11-10

Zac Club, Barcelona, Spain

Another fine production by Arco y Flecha.

Dennis González - Trumpets
Stefan González - Drums
Aaron González - Double bass
Rodrigo Amado - Tenor sax

Sound quality: A+

1) (6:40)
2) (8:11)
3) (12:35)
4) (1:06) Band Intro
5) (8:17)
6) (13:26)
7) (15:38)
8) (8:36) (Encore)
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1:14:29

Tequila  connection!

concert review (in spanish).

If you like this concert you might also like Dennis' official records. Visit his great blog where you can see some videos, read updated info and order records.

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