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Reunited for the All Tomorrows Parties event, this formation of Captain Beefhearts Magic Band amazes. John French, Gary Lucas, Denny Walley, and Mark Boston turn back the clock to the days of Trout Mask Madness (or look far ahead, depending on how you view Beefhearts music).

French's drumming is as incredible as ever, and when he sings, well, he sounds real familar to a voice we all miss. This is a far better record than it should have been, and considering it was recorded at a very early rehersal, it's nothing short of amazing. The Magic Band. Ain't nobody even close.

This disc is simply amazing and yet another chronicle for Beefheart fans who desire more. French's drumming and singing definitely captures the essence of years past.

I would recommend this as one of the more accessible, as well as introduction to the chaos and melody the Magic Band can inflict on the psyche.

The Crew without the Captain have put out a worthy disc, but it kind of pales next to the original versions of these fantastic songs. Don't get me wrong, nostalgia from The Magic Band is more relevant than 99% of the newly released stuff out there. It's just that I can't help comparing these to the originals, and the originals are the best rock music ever!

John French is an incredibly innovative drummer, and he is a credible Beefheart impersonator. He sounds pretty close on Circumstances and Dropout Boogie, but why impersonate a voice that is beyond duplication? Captain Don's voice was a force of nature. I don't mean to sound unkind, I'd see this band live in a second! It's just that I find the instrumental versions of these classics to be the most effective.

Speaking of which: the instrumental versions of My Human Gets Me Blues, Abba Zaba, and Steal Softly Thru Snow are simply incredible!! It's a pity that this band didn't perform more of the Trout Mask Replica tracks as instrumentals. I'd love to hear Ella Guru, Pachuco Cadaver, and Hobo Chang Ba in all their instrumental complexity !!! Hair Pie lacks the great Zoot Horn Rollo's aggressive technique, but it's still an incredible experience. Hopefully the new Magic Band will tour around our neck of the woods. I wouldn't miss it!

Unlike the Grandmothers (ex-Mothers of Invention), this band of ex-Captain Beefheart alums seems content to coast on 30-year old laurels. Although the sound here is close to the original (even without their leading talent Bill "Zoot Horn" Harkleroad), the band slogs through essentially unchanged renditions from the Beefheart catalog. It's like a particularly-qualified Beefheart cover band -- and who wants to hear ersatz Beefheart without Don?

I would have much preferred if they'd taken their undoubted talents and come up with a album of new tunes. They always said the Magic Band wrote "Trout Mask" as much as Don -- why not prove it?

When Captain Beefheart hung up his microphone in 1982 and retired to an artist's easel in the desert, it was to some the day the music died, felt just as powerfully as when Buddy Holly or Elvis or John Lennon had left the building. Although Beefheart was the acknowledged driving creative force behind his musicians, the Magic Band, having been made to unlearn what they already knew and to jump through hoops of fire and walk across hot coals in the pursuit of his musical vision, each successive line-up had attained an appropriately magical level in their playing. Without their helmsman, the band inevitably dissolved and some of its members were entirely lost to music.

Fast forward twenty years and some key players have come "back to the front" as a kind of tribute band, and who better to keep his phenomenal catalogue alive than the musicians he worked with to create it in the first place? It seems that this reformation of the Magic Band was primarily intended to bring Captain Beefheart's repertoire to life on stage in live performance, an ambition highly to be applauded, and indeed this album is described in Matt Groening's notes as "live-to-tape rehearsals". It was made in Palmdale CA in February 2003 in preparation for their live shows, and made available on CD by the label All Tomorrow's Parties Recordings, a wing of the festival organizers at whose event in Camber Sands, England the Magic Band appeared two months later, led by John "Drumbo" French.

All the members of the re-formed Magic Band had recorded and toured with Captain Beeheart in versions of the Magic Band, but not at the same time. John French had joined the band as drummer in late 1966, having been the featured vocalist in a band called Blues In The Bottle, and left in 1971, though he was to continue to be involved with the band sporadically thereafter almost to its end. Mark Boston, aka Rockette Morton, first appeared on Trout Mask Replica and played on all the albums up to Unconditionally Guaranteed. He and John French also played together in the mid-seventies ex-Magic Band spin-off band Mallard. Gary Lucas was a later recruit, both managing Beefheart and appearing on the eighties' albums. Denny Walley (aka Feelers Reebo) came into the fold in 1975 for the Zappa/Beefheart Bongo Fury tour and the unreleased Bat Chain Puller sessions.

Without Beefheart's powerful vocals it was John French's task to acquire the techniques to belt out the vocals without destroying his larynx. "I'm not trying to take anybody's place," he said at All Tomorrow's Parties, "but I'm his biggest fan." He also provides some weirdly blueswailing harmonica on top of his propulsive drumming. Furthermore, these are not stale, slavish recreations of past glories, but living breathing entities of classic material, performed with gusto, precision and abandon. My Human Gets Me Blues, Abba Zaba and Steal Softly Thru Snow have been divested of their lyrics, showing them in a new light alongside instrumentals Alice In Blunderland and Hair Pie. Other songs, like Moonlight On Vermont and The Floppy Boot Stomp, appear in newly revised arrangements. Most chapters of their career with the Captain are represented, with tunes from Safe as Milk, Strictly Personal, The Spotlight Kid/Clear Spot, Trout Mask Replica, Lick My Decals Off, Baby and Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) bursting out of the speakers.

There is, of course, a ghost at the party, but one being celebrated and toasted, and if he gets to hear these "rehearsals" one imagines he will not be too displeased.

Although this album will not replace the original material (most now available mostly as imports from the UK) it is well worth the price or admission for Beefheart fans to hear versions of the Magic Band material that retains most of their original impact, yet have (slightly) updated improved sonic variations and musical arrangements. Considering how much input John French reportedly had into the original compositions, this new "greatest hits" is certainly justified.

The resemblance to the Captain Beefheart vocals by John "Drumbo" French are quite convincing. In fact, they are so indistinguishable from the original Van Vliet vocals, it is a bit scary.

The only drawbacks to this collection, is that the selections come disproportionately from the band's more straightforward "pop" blues-rock back catalogue. Also, Walley's guitar playing occasionally descend to Spinal Tapish hard rock solos; excesses Van Vliet would have reigned in. Nevertheless the selections are mostly fresh, and feel well produced, especially for rehearsal productions.

For those fans of the angular guitar work of the Magic Band - who may be looking for post 1982 songs (when the Captain "retired" from music) - one should check out some of the neo-no wave groups who have built upon the Captain's tradition such as the Bride of No No or Erase Errata, as well as the newly re-released and amazing collection of David Thomas' 80's - 90's catalogue, "Monster".

The first time I heard some vocals on this CD I could have sworn it was the Captain himself. To hear John French growl out the vocals to songs like Click Clack, Moonlight on Vermont, Circumstances and other efforts is truly amazing. The only dissapointment I found is that there were no vocals on Steal softly thru snow and My human gets me blues but ...... the musicians are so incredibly good that you hardly notice. The current line up has John French and Mark Boston from the Trout Mask LP, Gary Lucas from the Ice Cream for Crow and Doc at the Radar era and Denny Walley who was with the band just prior to the release of Shiny Beast. The band has never sounded so tight and this is a MUST buy for all fans of the Captain. I'm looking for airline tickets now so I can see these guys for myself and I certainly hope that there is another effort from this line up.

If you like Beefheart's music, you'll love this CD. I read some of the other reviews and they knock the fact that this is all updated old material, but isn't that what we really want to hear, anyway? This band still rocks and that's what counts. Plus, it's a lot better than 99% of the crap that passes for rock/alternative music today.

How embarassing. You'd think these guys, most of whom who claim to have been great enough to earn co-arrangment credits along with Van Vliet, would be too busy creating their own fine and dandy material to have time for stuff already 30+ years old. Use the Mallard name again, produce some NEW music. Eh?

Don's moved on, shame they haven't.

John French, you're talented & smart! Why in God's name are you making an ass of yourself by poorly imitating the Captain's vocals? They were given the chance to tackle the stuff again, why not leave it at instrumentals? The sample of "Moonlight on Vermont" alone reveals the singing as what it is. Shoddy emulation.