Originally Posted by atsonicpark

OHHH! Duh at me. Consider ALICE IN BLUNDERLAND replaced on my list with FLAVOR BUD LIVING ("non-religious" version... haha. ie.. Gary Lucas' version, not John French's).

Those two albums from 1974 are like the Pantera glam rock albums or the Slayer non-Satan-worshipping albums or Bad Religion's psychadelic album and so on and so forth. They don't exist in the eyes of the fans.

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

SUCTION PRINTS, by far. It's in his 5 most complex songs.


My top 10 would be:

1. SUCTION PRINTS
2. Hair Pie
3. One Red Rose That I Mean
4. Dali's Car (beautiful study in disonnance)
5. Peon
6. Ice Rose
7. Evening Bell (this is his most complex piece for guitar only, it's not very melodic, but just hearing how Gary Lucas put it together is nuts.. basically, Don played an ALL OVER THE PLACE piano piece for two minutes, randomly banging on keys, truely 100% random. Gary decided to transcribe it. He worked out 10 seconds a week. It's a 120 second track, so it took 3 months to get down perfectly. And it shows, because this thing is complex as hell -- and there are videos on youtube of him playing it note-for-note perfectly, which is unbelievable. The way this thing jumps around is nuts)
8. Semi Multi Coloured Caucasian
9. A Carrot is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond (might be better if it was in tune)
10. Alice in Blunderland (that guitar solo ruins it imo)

Can't forget the 9 minute SPITBALL SCALPED A BABY, an instrumental only performed live.

Instrumentally, his best songs were

1. Thousand and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole (the most complex song ever recorded by a rock band)
2. Sheriff of Hong Kong (see above... the bass and the drums lock into this one in INSANE grooves and rhythmic switches. Just un fucking believable)
3. Frownland (while this has never been one of my favorite songs, if you listen closely it's clearly the most complex song on Trout Mask, there are no 'touch points', so everyone kinda plays to a pulse, very strange)
4. Odd Jobs (after a minute of vocals, the next 4 1/2 minutes are vocal-less and feature the most insane guitar interplay ever)
5. Steal Softly THru Snow (this one totally rocks but there's literally about 30 riffs on it, it is hell to play perfectly)
6. Best Batch Yet (another one that must be hell to play, there are 3 guitars on this piece, and the way them and the bassist switch notes is impossibly complex)
7. Making Love to a Vampire With a Monkey On My Knee (ack! There's so much going on.)
8. When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy (see above)
9. The Clouds are Full of Wine (just that bass/guitar/marimbo intro alone, probably the craziest little 30 seconds of musical interplay in a Beefheart song; also see "Bellerin' Plain" from the same album)
10. Doctor Dark (EVERY instrument is playing in different time signatures, and then the guitar begins to slow down, and all the other instruments slow down and lock time with it but it still remains awkward, the drums do a loooong roll and suddenly EVERY instrument is together. Then they break apart again and all go in completely different directions. Then they lock back in. Is the only Beefheart song with a pretty noticeable guitar mistake in it, in the middle, as Zoot shifts from a weird "Solo" to a part where he plays single notes perfectly locked to the bass and the hi-hat, I like this mistake because it makes the song seem less robotic and really reinforces the fact that this fucking song is hell to play. Instrumentally, LICK MY DECALS OFF BABY is thier most insane album)

Which is why I have a treat for you all..

http://www.mediafire.com/?jtmtyotwdmy

LICK MY DECALS OFF BABY: INSTRUMENTAL.

Yeah, seriously. It's the entire DECALS album, some are the versions you've heard but instrumental, some are versions you never heard, instrumental (keep in mind the ACTUAL instrumental songs aren't on here). 18 songs long. Lots of goodies. So, this might be just what you were looking for, DISCODILDO!

I gotta say, they should've probably kept FLASH GORDON'S APE an insturmental, and took out the horn. On the actual version, the mixing is stupid, the horn is in the extreme left and LOUD, the band is in the extreme right and quiet, and the vocal is louder than both (actually, that whole album really needs remastered, it sounds pretty thin and ugly and there's so much going on that is hard to hear; SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE BLUES has 3 guitars, a bass, a marimba, two drum tracks, and vocals... it's a great song but it's scuh a mess with that shitty production. It reminds me of the production of sister.. the songs are so good that it doesn't matter, but it's in DESPARATE need of a remaster!!!!!!!).

Originally Posted by Derek

you right click the songs and hit 'download folder'

you shouldn't delete it though, it's a very helpful tool

Originally Posted by Mortte Jousimo

Captains Holiday is quite horrible, I think it´s his worst song. Maybe he truly was on holiday when that song was recorded?

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

Quote from Don Van Vliet, via (now out of print, so pick up a copy before this thing costs $500; it's really really worth it -- it's nearly 900 pages long and is fucking extensive, tells some hilarious / embarassing / heart wrenching / tearjerking / wonderful / stupid / ridiculous / unholy stories via JOHN "Drumbo" FRENCH, who is smart and talented as hell -- I had no idea he played many drum and bass parts on the later material AS WELL AS playing guitar on every song on DOC... did you guys know that he played the guitar parts on Odd Jobs, Seam-Crooked Sam, and Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole, on the original version of Bat Chain Puller? These are the most fucking complex songs ever. Technically, he might not have been as talented -- i.e. "the ability to play lots of notes really fast" -- as someone like Gary Lucas, but as far as having a musical memory and a great EAR, John was the man, and you know, he actually helped Beefheart compose just about every Beefheart song ever, except some of the stuff on DECALS, which Zoot did; some of the stuff on SAFE, which RY did; and most of the stuff on ICE CREAM, which Lucas did) BEEFHEART: THROUGH THE EYES OF MAGIC........

"Look at this song!" Don exclaimed, pointing at a song called Captain's Holiday. "I didn't even play on this one... I didn't go to the studio that day, so they did a whole song without me, and it ended up on the record!"

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

which songs? you mean, Mallard? Or the reformed magic band? the reformed magic band didn't have any original songs. As for mallard -- the first mallard album, with art tripp and drumbo and zoot horn and rocket morton and so on.. that is actually a damn good album. The second mallard album isn't even as good as UNCONDITIONALLY GURANTEED.

Drubmo released a new cd a few years back called CITY OF REFUGE.. it has gary lucas on it, I beleive, as well as rocket morton,ella guru, zoot horn rollo, etc.. all songs written by drumbo. It's got some damn good songs on it. There are at least 4 songs on that disc that are as good as, oh, CLEAR SPOT, or something. But all in all it's not the most consistent release in the world, but I do dig it.

drumbo did some stuff with henry kaiser that is worth a listen also.

Originally Posted by Mortte Jousimo

I meaned reformed Magic Band. I have heard the album they made isn´t very good. I have known they formed Mallard in the seventies, but never heard any songs from them. Never heard about that Drumbo´s solos. I have to listen the Mallard and Drumbo material some day.

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

I guess I'm confused, because it's basically just perfect (mostly instrumental) versions of old Magic Band songs. There really isn't anything to it other than that. It's nothing less than stellar, considering it's just the same musicians palying the same awesome songs they've been playing for 40 years. Granted, no Captain on top ranting away kinda sucks, but it helps to highlight the music.

BTW, everyone, my new # 1 is the 2nd half of VETERAN'S DAY POPPY. I'm going to just call it (instrumental part of vdp). Hell, Black Sabbath would have given it its own title!