Mama Kangaroos: Philly Women Sing Captain Beefheart

Various Artists - Alternative - Pop/Rock | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 7, 2005)
• Original Release Date: June 7, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Genus Records
• ASIN: B0009VF2OY
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Where There’s Woman (Sweetie)

2. The Past Sure is Tense (Winterbrief)

3. The Witch Doctor Life (Global Transmission)

4. Run Paint Run Run (Big Mess Orchestra)

5. Apes-Ma (Radio Eris)

6. Abba Zaba (Voices of Africa)

7. Sugar Bowl (Jane Gilday)

8. Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles (Faye Davis w/Skip Heller)

9. My Head is My Only House Unless It Rains (Nancy Falkow)

10. Crazy Little Thing (Mia Johnson w/Tom Gillam Band)

11. Lick My Decals Off Baby (Kiss Kiss Kill)

12. Party of Special Things to Do (Essra Mohawk w/EDO)

13. Safe As Milk (Take 3) (Hoppy The Frog)

14. When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy (Tintinabulus)

15. I’m Glad (Friends of Janet)

16. Ashtray Heart (Beware)

17. Frying Pan (Thorazine)

18. Plastic Factory (Lisa Christ Superstar)

19. Orange Claw Hammer (King of Siam)

20. Well (Nou Rock w/ Interplay)

Editorial Reviews

Steve Froy, Beefheart.com

"The best collection of covers of Don's songs yet released."

Product Description

Mama Kangaroos features twenty emerging and established female artists from Philadelphia performing the songs of painter Don Van Vliet, the man better known as the legendary musician Captain Beefheart. The genre-hopping set covers material spanning the entirety of the Captain's 17 year recording career, while showcasing a diversity of talent and style that once again proves Philly to be one of the country's most vital music centers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tribute album, yet much more, June 18, 2005

By 

R. Garella (Philadelphia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mama Kangaroos: Philly Women Sing Captain Beefheart (Audio CD)

Mama Kangaroo's is no collection of basement tapes, but a very smoothly produced set of fully realized tracks. A well-thought out selection of Beefheart songs, performed with skill and commitment by a grab-bag of female (well, mostly, sort of) artists from Philadelphia's often underrated music scene.

In style, they range from folk to funk to straight blues, to the spooky spoken rhythms of Apes-Ma (my first favorite). The best of these covers take Beefheart's songs in new directions, revealing his beautiful songwriting in a way that's more accessible than the originals but takes nothing away from them. There are few weak spots. The songs are respected at the same time that they are used as artistic vehicles for a new generation of artists with their own visions and styles, and that's what makes a tribute album more than a bunch of covers.

This is an excellent collection that only fails to get a full five-star rating because it is, after all, a collection and not a single conceptual whole by one artist. Highly recommended for Beefheart aficionados and novices alike.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a simple yet inspired concept, August 9, 2005

By 

dj fern (Bristol, U.K.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mama Kangaroos: Philly Women Sing Captain Beefheart (Audio CD)

To the diehard Beefheart fan it would be easy to dismiss this set as travesty and pure novelty, however this misses the point. Most of the reworkings on this set bring out nuances of the originals that are easily overlooked. For me the delight has been listening back to the originals through the different perspective offered by these 'cover versions'

Inevitably some pieces are less inspired than others, but overall there are enough highlights to please all but the most rabid of Beefheart fanatics

'Plastic Factory' as THE seminal piece of garage rock anyone?

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome tribute ......, July 21, 2005

By 

John R. Lassiter (jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mama Kangaroos: Philly Women Sing Captain Beefheart (Audio CD)

........to cap'n beefhart as well as to the philly music scene. The breadth of female talent in this city (and showcased on this album) is quite impressive.

well produced and very very good listening!