b. Don Van Vliet,
15 January 1941, Glendale, California, USA. As a child he
achieved some fame as a talented sculptor but for more than
three decades the enigmatic and charismatic
"Captain," together with his various Magic Bands
has been one of rock music's more interesting subjects.
During his teens he met Frank Zappa, who shared the same
interest in R&B, and while an attempt to form a band
together fell through, Zappa (and members of the Mothers Of
Invention), would crop up every now and again during
Beefheart's career. The first Magic Band was formed in 1964,
although it was not until 1966 that they secured a record
contract. The unit comprised, in addition to Beefheart, Alex
St. Clair Snouffer (guitar), Doug Moon (guitar), Paul Blakely
(drums) and Jerry Handley (bass). The ensuing singles,
including "Diddy Wah Diddy," were a commercial
disaster and he was dropped by the record label A&M.
Beefheart reappeared with the pioneering Safe As Milk in
April 1967, and was immediately adopted by the underground
scene as a mentor. The album was helped by Ry Cooder's
unmistakable guitar and it was a critical success throughout
the ‘summer of love’. Beefheart found that Europe
was more receptive to his wonderfully alliterated lyrics,
full of nonsensical juxtaposition that defied the listener to
decode. The follow-up, Strictly Personal has fallen from
grace as a critics’ favourite, but at the time it was
one of the most advanced albums of the '60s. It is now
regarded as more of a blues-based album, with a heavily
phased recording that was at times hard to listen to. Titles
such as "Beatle Bones And Smokin' Stones" and
"Ah Feel Like Ahcid" were astonishing
hallucinogenic voyages. It was with the remarkable Trout Mask
Replica that Beefheart reached his peak. The double album,
crudely recorded by Frank Zappa, contained a wealth of
bizarre pieces, including "Old Fart At Play,"
"Veterans Day Poppy," "Hair Pie Bake One"
and "Neon Meat Dream Of A Octofish." Beefheart used
his incredible octave range to great effect as he narrated
and sang a wealth of lyrical ‘malarkey’. The
definitive Magic Band were present on this record, consisting
of the Mascara Snake (unidentified, reputedly Beefheart's
cousin), Antennae Jimmy Semens (Jeff Cotton), Drumbo (John
French), Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkelroad) and Rockette
Morton (Mark Boston). It was reliably reported that the band
recorded and played most of the tracks in one studio, while
Beefheart added his lyrics in another (out of ear-shot). The
structure and sound of many of the pieces was reminiscent of
Ornette Coleman. At one stage on the record, Beefheart is
heard laconically stating; ‘Shit, how did the harmony
get in there?’ The listener required a high tolerance
level, and while Beefheart and Zappa may have intended to
inflict one of the greatest musical jokes of our time, the
album is cherished as one of the classic albums from the
psychedelic era of the '60s.
A similar theme was adopted for Lick My Decals Off, Baby and Spotlight Kid, although the latter had a more structured musical format. This album contained the delightfully perceptive "Blabber And Smoke," written by Jan Van Vliet commenting on her husband. Beefheart sings her lyrics, ‘Why don't you stop acting like a silly dope, all you ever do is blabber and smoke’. Beefheart also received considerable attention by contributing the vocals to "Willie The Pimp" on Zappa's Hot Rats in 1969. Following the release of the overtly commercial (by Beefheart standards) Clear Spot and a heavy touring schedule, the Magic Band split from Beefheart to form Mallard. The Captain signed to the UK Virgin Records label, releasing two albums, including the critically acclaimed Unconditionally Guaranteed. In 1975 Beefheart and Frank Zappa released Bongo Fury, a superb live set recorded in Austin, Texas. However, the release of the album resulted in protracted litigation with Virgin Records, which won an injunction over Warner Brothers on the sale of the album in the UK. Beefheart began to spend more time with his other interest, painting. His colourful oils were in the style of Francis Bacon, and it eventually became his main interest. Beefheart has toured and recorded only occasionally and seemed destined to be an important cult figure until the release of Ice Cream For Crow in 1982. This excellent return to form saw him writing and performing with renewed fervour. The album glanced the UK charts but was ignored in his homeland. Since that time there have been no new recordings and Don Van Vliet, as he is now known, is a respected artist, exhibiting regularly. His paintings are now fetching considerable prices. In 1993 it was alleged that the Captain was suffering from multiple sclerosis.
(source: Microsoft Music Central)
