January 11, 2013 Playlist

"The Spotlight Kid" by Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band (1972)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Captain Beefheart (& The Magic Band)  "The Spotlight Kid"  1972 (USA)
It's Donny Vliet's birthday this week -- he was the notorious psychedelic surrealist rocker known as Captain Beefheart, visionary and leader of the extraordinary Magic Band.  Though he passed away a few years ago (after retiring from music in the early 1980's), Beefheart music will probably be remembered longer than most late 20th century sounds, for the simple reason that it is so utterly unique.  Formed by a gang of isolated desert kids steeped in the blues but then deranged by psychedelia during the late 1960's, by 1972 the group was ready to make a last-ditch attempt to trade in their weirdo cred for some commercial success.  Two albums were released that year:  The Spotlight Kid came first and is a relatively straightforward bluesrock record compared to the albums that preceded it, though still sounding like no other band (the album's flop single "Click Clack" creates a weird rhythmic effect by featuring 3/4 riffs played against a 4/4 beat, and so on).  Later in the year, a reduced lineup ("Drumbo" and "Winged Eel Fingerling" departed) recorded an even more "commercial" album Clear Spot with producer Ted Templeman -- the man who brought you The Doobie Brothers and Van Halen!  However that record didn't sell either, thus leading to the dissolution of the last lineup of the Magic Band to be composed primarily of the original desert-dwellers.  But that will have to be a tale for a future CAOTW . . .
Here's a classic clip of the greatest avant-garde jazz-blues-surrealist-rock band ever live in 1971 featuring the lineup that recorded The Spotlight Kid.  Here's another lengthy and celebrated clip of Beefheart live on Beat Club 1972, with a slightly different lineup (John "Drumbo" French got fired for the second time before Spotlight was released, leaving "Ed Marimba" AKA ex-Mother Art Tripp in the drummer role -- though French would later return to record two more albums in 1976 and 1980).  The Magic Band quit (or was fired) entirely after the 1972 albums and formed their own group (while Van Vliet led a lame new lineup nicknamed "the Tragic Band" through some shallow years) -- this spinoff group including "Zoot Horn Rollo" (Bill Harkleroad lead guitar) and "Rockette Morton" (Mark Boston bass) was called Mallard ("Drumbo" was also involved for a time, but did not tour with them).
(N) = New Release
   
Artist Song Album Year (Label) Country
Dr. John
The Patriotic Flag-Waiver
 		Babylon
1969
USA
Dr. John
Angola Anthem
 		Remedies
1970
USA
 
 
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
(Don Van Vliet born Jan 15, 1941)
Click Clack
 		The Spotlight Kid
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1972
USA
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Grow Fins
 		The Spotlight Kid
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1972
USA
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Alice In Blunderland
 		The Spotlight Kid
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1972
USA
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Big Eyed Beans From Venus
 		Clear Spot
1972
USA
Scott Walker PhrasingBish Bosch (N)2012 (4AD)USA/UK
Scott Walker
(born Jan 9, 1943) 		Mathilde (Jacques Brel)
 		Scott
1967
USA/UK
   
 
Scott Walker
Jackie (Jacques Brel)
 		Scott 2
1968
USA/UK
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Trepanated Earth
 		Worn Copy
2005
USA
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Inmates Of Heartaches
 		Sacred Famous
2007
USA
Tame Impala
Runway, Houses, City, Clouds
 		Innerspeaker
2011
Australia
 
 
Swans A Piece Of The SkyThe Seer (N)2012 (Young Gods)USA
Archie Shepp
Mamarose / Poem For Malcolm
 		Poem For Malcolm 1969
USA
Racoo-oo-oon
Mirror Blanket
 		Behold Secret Kingdom
2007
USA
 
  
The HussyHarsh My High / Mind Alright
Weed Seizure (N)2012 (Tic Tac Totally)
USA
Bes MondeCoach Likes My Hustle
Baseball Lady 7" (N)2012 (SuperWOW)
USA
Golden DonnaInfinite Earths
Golden Donna (N)2012 (Not Not Fun)
USA
Spirit
Aren't You Glad
 		The Family That Plays Together 1969
USA
Meat Puppets
(Curt Kirkwood born Jan 10, 1959) 		Our Friends
 		Meat Puppets 1982
USA
Meat Puppets
Two Rivers
 		Up On The Sun 1985
USA
 
 
Fairport Convention
Sloth
 		Full House 1970
UK
Robbie Basho
Song For The Queen
 		Venus In Cancer 1969
USA
Fotheringay (Sandy Denny)
The Way I Feel (Gordon Lightfoot)
 		Fotheringay 1970
UK
      
Back to playlists         Back to main