“At last, the inside story of the best rock band of the 20th century. Zoot Horn Rollo tells all and opens the door to the secret history of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band.”—Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. Rechristened as Zoot Horn Rollo, guitarist Harkleroad recalls what it was like to live, record and play with a temperamental genius such as Captain Beefheart on landmark albums such as Trout Mask Replica.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
More like a chat in a bar than a book,
This review is from: Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience (Music) (Paperback)
While Captain Beefheart fans will eat up the song-by-song dissection of the group's most important albums, this short volume is a brutal read. There is no vision or point of view here beyond Harkleroad's gentle attempt to reclaim some musical contributions that have been credited to the Captain. Is he disillusioned? Proud? Philosphical? Bored? You never really find out as he vaccilates between light bitterness and grudging admiration for Beefheart, a.k.a. Don Van Vliet --- a man whose personality is so poorly conveyed that you never get a sense of what he was really like. For example, Harkleroad talks about Van Vliet's brainwashing and manipulation without ever really explaining what those tactics involved. Shockingly, Harkleroad had a collaborator who supposedly put the whole thing together. Clearly, this collaborator is no editor: grammatical mistakes and sloppy errors pop up way too often. The best way to approach it is to imagine you are buying Zoot a few rounds at the local bar, Beefheart collection in hand, and asking him to reminisce.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Typical Music experience in a Unconventional Band,
By A Customer
This review is from: Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience (Music) (Paperback)
Bill aka Zoot Horn Rollo may sound bitter regarding his days with Captain Beefheart but it in many ways is typical in the Music Business. The money goes to who set themselves up to get it with contracts and the like. Zoot signed a bad deal and in retrospect is bitter. That being said this book is very insightful on the real persona of Don Van Vliet(Capt Beefheart)Like most successful people he got there by using others to his advantage. A nice easy read that is less than flattering at times to the beef but the truth is kinda funny that way.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good perspective for Beefheart afficionados,
By A Customer
This review is from: Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience (Music) (Paperback)
Zoot Horn Rollo,aka Bill Harkleroad fills the gaps in Captain Beefheart's murky history without the worshipful reverence of the Captain's followers or the dismissive smugness of his detractors. As guitarist in a 'cult of personality' band,Bill was forced to render his leader's artistic vision into musical form. This process seems to have been full of struggle,and a bitter tone creeps in from time to time,despite his obvious affection and respect for Beefheart's huge talent(and ego). A good insider's account of an enigmatic group. Most readers,however,will be put off by the conversational tone of the book,which seems to have been poorly ghostwritten. The thoughts and feelings of the author come through clearly,but I was left feeling more like I'd heard an interview than read a personal account. I am a fan of Harkleroad's guitar playing,and interested in his musical history,so I found it interesting and it did fill in many unknowns for me. Those not familiar with Captain Beefheart will be bored. A cult book for a cult band.
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