|
Even after 8 years of listening, Captain Beefheart still blows me the fuck away. I mean, the dude hasn't even recorded anything in nearly 30 years, and yet he is still the standard by which "experimental rock" is judged. Has anyone even come close? (yeah, a few have come close) He basically made his own language, yet every album is really different than the one before it. Just loaded with ideas, and he pumped them out at an incredible rate. When I listen to his albums, it's hard to believe that a musician like this actually existed at all. I mean, even after 1000 listens, this shit still confounds me. What really is amazing is how effortless it all sounds. Besides a few instrumentals, and actually a few songs on "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", the music usually sounds quite relaxed and organic.. it doesn't sound like the musicians are being pushed to the limit too bad, which really boggles my mind... how much further could they have went? Better yet, where did the Captain find these fucking people? Zoot Horn Rollo played with all 10 of his fingers. I mean, what the fuck? How do you find people like that? The only sad thing about Beefheart's music is that it really should have changed some things. There's no drummer out there like John French (I can think of a few that come close, like that girl from the Warmers, and even some of Greg Saunier's surprisingly 'off' beats) -- instead, we're stuck in the 4/4 "mother's heartbeat" rhythms forever. I dunno, the music is so weird, because it really is so... I can't even put my finger on it. Have you ever tried to play a song like a Trout Mask-era song? It likely just sounds like a tuneless racket. He made the tuneless.. tuneful. That's what's really amazing about his music.
__________________
|