Don Van Vliet was an American singer,songwriter,multi-instrumentalist,and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the Magic Band,he recorded 13 studio albums between 1967 and 1982. His music blended elements of blues,free jazz,rock,and avant-garde composition with idiosyncratic rhythms,absurdist wordplay,a gravelly voice,and a 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 an influence on an array of experimental rock and punk-era artists.
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist,singer and composer.
Trout Mask Replica is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band,released as a double album on June 16,1969,by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart and arranged by drummer John "Drumbo" French. Combining elements of R&B,garage rock,and blues with free jazz and avant-garde composition,the album is regarded as an important work of experimental rock. Its unconventional musical style,which includes polyrhythm,multi-octave vocals,and polytonality,has given the album a reputation as one of the most challenging recordings in the 20th century musical canon.
Grown Backwards is the seventh studio album by musician David Byrne,released on March 16,2004.
John Stephen French is an American drummer and former member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band,where he was known by the nickname Drumbo. He was the principal drummer on several of Beefheart's albums,including 1969's Trout Mask Replica,for which he also acted as arranger. He later released several albums as a solo artist as well as with the collaborative group French Frith Kaiser Thompson.
Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer,known as an idiosyncratic soloist,a sideman,an ethnomusicologist,and a film score composer. Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music,Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "second generation" of American free improvisers. He is married to Canadian artist Brandy Gale. He is the son of Henry J. Kaiser Jr. and the grandson of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.
Michael Joseph Keneally is an American session guitarist,keyboardist,vocalist and composer.
Dixie Dregs is an American rock band from Augusta,Georgia. Formed in 1970,the band is known for instrumental music that fuses elements of rock,classical music,country,jazz and bluegrass into an eclectic sound that is difficult to categorize. Recognized for their virtuoso playing,the Dixie Dregs were identified with the southern rock,progressive rock and jazz fusion scenes of the 1970s.
"Rain" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles,released on 30 May 1966 as the B-side of their "Paperback Writer" single. Both songs were recorded during the sessions for Revolver,although neither appear on that album. "Rain" was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. He described it as being "about people moaning about the weather all the time".
Bongo Fury is a collaborative album by American artists Frank Zappa,Captain Beefheart,and Zappa's band the Mothers,released in October 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 and 21,1975,at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin,Texas. Tracks 5,6 and 9 are studio tracks recorded in January 1975 during the sessions which produced One Size Fits All (1975) and much of Studio Tan (1978).
Bluejeans &Moonbeams is the ninth LP by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band,released in 1974. Despite its uncharacteristically mainstream sound the album failed to chart.
Safe as Milk is the debut studio album by American music group Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band,released in June 1967 by Buddah Records. A heavily blues-influenced work,the album features a 20-year-old Ry Cooder,who played guitar and wrote some of the arrangements.
The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer,songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. Originally Beefheart had simply been the lead singer of the group,formed by guitarist Alex St. Clair,but eventually they morphed into a backing band for him. The rotating lineup featured dozens of performers,many of whom became known by nicknames given to them by Beefheart. Longtime members during the band's heyday included drummer/arranger John French,guitarist Bill Harkleroad,bassist/guitarist Mark Boston,percussionist/keyboardist Art Tripp,guitarist Jeff Cotton,and guitarist Elliot Ingber. Ex-members of the Magic Band formed the short-lived group Mallard in 1974. The Magic Band reformed in 2003,without Beefheart.
The Lost Episodes is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his career,and as early as 1958,into the mid-1970s. Zappa had been working on these tracks in the years before his death in 1993.
French Frith Kaiser Thompson was an English/American experimental rock quartet comprising John French,Fred Frith,Henry Kaiser and Richard Thompson. The band was formed in 1987 to create an album,Live,Love,Larf &Loaf. In 1990 they recorded their second album,Invisible Means,and performed live in Berkeley,California to promote this album.
Invisible Means is a studio album by the English/American experimental rock quartet French Frith Kaiser Thompson. It was the group's second album and was recorded at Mobius Music in San Francisco on March 19–23,1990. The album was released in 1990 in the United States by Windham Hill Records on CD. The album was reissued in 2008 by Fledg'ling Records with one extra track recorded live.
"Willie the Pimp" is a song from Frank Zappa's 1969 album Hot Rats. It features an idiosyncratic Captain Beefheart vocal and one of Zappa's classic guitar solos. It is the only track that is not instrumental on the album,though the track features a long guitar solo.
Andy West is an American bass guitarist and composer who is an original founding member of the Dixie Dregs along with Steve Morse. Since the breakup of the original band in 1983,West has been on albums with Mike Keneally,Henry Kaiser,Paul Barrere,Vinnie Moore,and many others. His frequent style of playing bass is with a guitar pick,although he has performed in fingerstyle on several occasions. Since 1985,West has simultaneously pursued a career in the software industry while continuing to release albums sporadically. He currently works as a vice president for Analytics and Adaptive Learning at Pearson Education.
Back to the Front is the debut album by American experimental rock group The Magic Band,who had previously backed Captain Beefheart live and on record for several years. It received mixed reviews from critics.
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