Captain Beefheart - Transmission Impossible [3 CD, 2015, FLAC]

 

Noted for his powerful singing voice with its wide range, Van Vliet also played the harmonica, saxophone and numerous other wind instruments. The group drew attention with their cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy", which became a regional hit. It was followed by their acclaimed debut album Safe as Milk, released in 1967 on Buddah Records. The first disc in this set concentrates on this period of Beefheart s career, featuring a radio broadcast of a live performance at The Avalon Ballroom in 1966, and a number of other tracks from various radio sessions from 1967 and 1968. By 1974, six albums in and frustrated by a lack of commercial success, Beefheart released two records of more conventional rock music that at the time were critically panned. This move, combined with not having been paid for a European tour and enduring Beefheart's less than benevolent behavior towards them, led the entire band to quit. Beefheart eventually formed a new Magic Band with a group of younger musicians. The second disc of this collection comes from this era and features a solid performance by a group who have at times been unfairly dubbed The Tragic Band ; but as this broadcast attests, they were actually a solid unit of master musicians playing some quite extraordinary rock music - albeit music less challenging than Beefheart s previous fare. Fast forward to 1980 and Beefheart has his original fan-base back intact, following his critically acclaimed Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) and Doc at the Radar Station albums - and is out on the road promoting the latter. Stopping off in January 81 at Vancouver s Commodore Ballroom, for a performance that again is the subject of an FM radio broadcast, this show from his late resurgence forms the basis of the third disc in this collection. Beefheart would completely retire from music a year later to concentrate on his work in the areas of art and sculpture - ironically a venture which proved to be his most financially secure. His expressionist paintings and drawings command high prices, and have been exhibited in art galleries and museums across the world. Captain Beefheart died in 2010, having suffered from multiple sclerosis for many years.

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band discography [1967-1999] (FLAC)

 

Don Van Vliet (born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12 studio albums. Noted for his powerful singing voice with its wide range, Van Vliet also played the harmonica, saxophone and numerous other wind instruments. His music blended rock, blues and psychedelia with free jazz, avant-garde and contemporary experimental composition. Beefheart was also known for exercising an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians, and for often constructing myths about his life.

Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band - Grow Fins: Rarities 1965–1982 [5 CD, 1999/FLAC]

 

Grow Fins: Rarities 1965–1982 is a 5-CD box set compiled from previously unreleased recordings by Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band. The featured material spans the band's entire career, but focuses mainly on their work up to the late-1960s and the sessions for Beefheart's best-known album, Trout Mask Replica (1969).