FEATURE:
The Lockdown Playlist
PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Freeberg
Captain Beefheart at Eighty: His Prime Cuts
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I am going to bring in a large chunk of information…
from Wikipedia because, whilst I know his music pretty well, I am not too firm about some of the biographical details and facts. The iconic Captain Beefheart was born on 15th January, 1941 and, as what would have been his eightieth birthday is approaching fast, this Lockdown Playlist is a collection of some of his best songs (with His Magic Band). Here are some more details about a hugely influential musician:
“Don Van Vliet (/væn ˈvliːt/, born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. He conducted a rotating ensemble called the Magic Band, with whom he recorded 13 studio albums between 1964 and 1982. His music blended elements of blues, free jazz, rock, and avant-garde composition with idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist wordplay, and his wide vocal range. Known for his enigmatic persona, Beefheart frequently constructed myths about his life and was known to exercise an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians. Although he achieved little commercial success, he sustained a cult following as a "highly significant" and "incalculable" influence on an array of new wave, punk, and experimental rock artists. An artistic prodigy in his childhood, Van Vliet developed an eclectic musical taste during his teen years in Lancaster, California, and formed "a mutually useful but volatile" friendship with musician Frank Zappa, with whom he sporadically competed and collaborated.He began performing with his Captain Beefheart persona in 1964 and joined the original Magic Band line-up, initiated by Alexis Snouffer, the same year.
REVELATION and inspiration.