Overlooked Classics: Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band-Safe As Milk

Running the gamut of genres- from Delta blues to experimental psych- the magnificent debut album from Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band is all about the inimitable singer songwriter and musical fruitloop, aka Don Van Vliet, finding his feet after an attempt at popularity with the swampy hit, the cover of Bo Diddley’s Diddy Wah Diddy. A misfit among the hippy counter-culture oddalls, his singularity was already there, fully -formed in both that feral, hiccupy drawl and the various sonic detours.

Sure ‘Nuff ‘n Yes I Do is the perfect opener, an aperitif for the ensuing lunacy. Gnawing, priapic blues that sounds both gnarled and futuristic, it seems to burst out of the speakers, the guitar bubbling up and trickling down like lava.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=HE32tcojArI&pp=ygURY2FwdGFpbiBiZWVmaGVhcnQ

Abba Zabba, the peerless Electricity, and Dropout Boogie seem to point to the more eccentric sounds and Dadaist wordplay of future classics, Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off Baby, but I’m Glad flirts with a more conventional doowop, a not quite homage as it sits jarringly apart from the wildness of the rest.

Nothing is as unwieldy as what followed, of course, but there are clear signs of an uncompromising mind, pulling balloon animals from his many influences, then just as soon puncturing them as he saw fit.Theremins, gongs and angular tempos kept listeners on their toes.

Even the closing track Autumn’s Child seemed unpredictable – it appeared to sputter to a halt, petering out like an exhausted toddler who’s cried their last after too much sugar, recklessness and skinned knees – which is exactly how you feel after experiencing this glorious album for the first time. It’s a helluva trip: he was a game changer.