Customer Reviews

Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (Hk)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first heard this CD, I was surprised in many ways. First, Shiny Beast is less bluesy than Beefheart's other records. Second, the atmosphere of some of the songs differs completely from anything I had heard from this man. And third, this is one of the best albums I have ever heard in my life.

Many of the songs on this album are very accessible, but the apparent simplicity is deceptive. As usual, Captain Beefheart is strong on arrangements. My absolute favorite in this respect is the title track. There are some sounds on this song that made me think "how the hell did he do that?". Candle Mambo is one of these songs that really surprised me when I thought I was getting to know the man. But Beefheart can be predictible as well: a Beefheart album always contains one or two nice instrumental songs, and Bat Chain Puller is no exception. Ice Rose really is a little jewel.

A must for any Beefheart fan.

The result of a short-lived late 70's association with a major label, reviewers at the time didn't give "Shiny Beast" a lot of sympathy. Too bad, 'cause this is clearly one of the Captain's most accessible albums, managing to be exquisitely tuneful while sacrificing none of his unique brand of home-grown American Surrealism. It's also one of the best incarnations of the Magic Band, mixing all of the threads evident from "Trout Mask Replica" on -- fast meter shifts, slashing guitar, octave-spanning blues hollers, strange lyrics -- with the tender, even (dare I say it?) mellow influences of Bruce Fowler's trombone and Art Tripp's marimba. "Owed T'Alex" wonderfully evokes the San Berdoo/Lancaster California desert Biker world the Captain grew up in, while "Suction Prints" could have come straight off "Trout Mask" (if that album had had better production). The title tune is sheer over-the-top Beefheart madness, a blistering fever-dream of environmental disaster that will leave welts on your mind. If you liked "Doc at the Radar Station", you _must_ have this.

It can be both edgey and accessible in a strange sort of way. I owned this originally in High School on 8 track, which I probably paid a buck or less for in the almighty bargain bin (Remember those good ones with cut outs before they were loaded with pre-fab budget greatest hits releases). That tape was my intro to the Captain, although it is long gone I just got a used copy of the LP at a local record store, and I must say that this record is even better than what I remembered from twenty years ago.I love the title cut; it used to get played often on Towson State's radio station back when this was new.Other favorites are "Tropical Hot Dog Night", "Harry Irene", and "Floppy Boot Stomp"(the title always made me think of a friend of mine's worn out Sunny's Surplus work boots that he just wouldn't throw away). After just hearing it again I must conclude that this is an essential Beefheart release

I'm quite familiar with the work of the captain, and have every album aside from the commercial follies unconditionally guaranteed and bluejeans and moonbeams. While I would say that every other beefheart album is at least as strong as most other things I've heard, this album in particular seems to have the most redeeming qualities. It is, as other reviewers have pointed out, a highly listenable album (with very warm production), and is simultaneously quite an outing in terms of the uniqueness of songwriting and musicianship involved. While not quite as cacophonous as say Trout Mask Replica or Lick my Decals off, Baby; the album is no less adventurous and refreshing. In spite of the unique/experimental nature of the album, there is nevertheless a catchiness and almost dancable quality to many of the songs. The rhythms (with added marimba) are almost buoyant: This is an incredibly happy and uplifting album, in spite of some of the dire ecological warnings; the album also contains what I would call some of the captains' best love songs. All in all, this is possibly Captain Beefhearts' best attempt at combining unique and artistic song-writing with joyful listenability.

okay, for those of you who are the unitiated, here is the lowdown on Captain Beefheart: he's a white guy who sounds like a cross at times between Howlin' Wolf and Skip James, with a lot of great guitars and other instruments playing complex rhythms in the background, grew up as pals listening to blues and doo wop with his high school friend Frank Zappa, and wrote songs with lyrics as complex as anything Dylan ever wrote. What's not to like about this guy? A true original, and this album showcases his talent. And it's not even his best one! (but there's lots of great stuff here and this album would be a good jumping off point for the........................uninitiated!... the more complex music takes some getting used to).

I've had the album, the cassette, and just yesterday my CD arrived. I listened to this "beast" twice already. Maybe I'm just so used to Beefheart (I have them all except "Decals") that I don't know what mainstream is anymore, but most of this stuff seems very accessible, with a few tunes I'll bet even your mother might like (Love Lies, Harry Irene).

Of course, accessible Beefheart is still Beefheart. The two instrumentals (Ice Rose, Suction Prints) are very satisfying, with great interplay between the marimba, the horns and guitars.

Beefheart's vocal stylings are great here and you can't help but notice his low octave range. The title song has one of the coolest grooves ever and you can do some sort of weird dance to it. The kickoff song (Floppy Boot Stomp) sounds like some sort of square dance/hoe down cowboy thing not unlike "Ice Cream for Crow" which would come a few years later. The band is super-tight. "Tropical Hot Dog Night" is one of the most joyous songs Beefheart's ever done. It's almost mainstream without being corny and it fills the mind with imagery of laid back nightime festivities on your favorite island.

"Mommy-Mummy" has a very convincing Egyptian music backing, although the melody and lyrics are not quite up to classic Beef standards. "Candle Mambo" is sounds just as the title suggests, with Beefheart musing on what the candlelight can do to save the night.

Clocking in at 0.38 is the last track "Apes-Ma", which despite it's short length, just may be the best poem Beefheart has ever done. I don't know what it would mean to most people, but for me it's a very ominous warning to Humankind.

If you like Beefheart at all, add this to your collection. It's essential.

Thanks and have a good tropical hayday!

If you consider "Doc at the radar station" to be Beefheart's best, which many do, then this cd is for you. Using basically the same version of the Magic Band, Beefheart delves deep into his free-blues-rock hybrid. The title track is almost disturbing in it's hypnotic ranting. "Floppy Boot Stomp" is great lyrically and the band sounds amazing in it's rythm. Then there is the sublime "Harry Irene" which sounds like Tom Waits by way of the Beatles, if you could imagine such a thing. "You Know You're A Man" almost delves into 70's rock territory, (but with the Captain you know he doesn't quite get there.) "Doc" is probably the pivotal album, "Trout Mask Replica" the watershed. But "Shiny Beast" is definitely in the same league.

Don Vliet's art only gets better with time. Looking back to when this was new and remembering how I compared it to TMR at the time, especially considering my disappointment in "Moonbeams and Bluejeans" and "Unconditionally Guaranteed", it becomes crystal clear to me that, like real estate, they just aren't making any NEW Captain Beefheart albums these days. What we got then was all we're going to get. Yes, there will eventually be a release of the original Bat Chain Puller masters but Captain Beefheart is essentially a known quantity now. Don's days of making music are over.
It always baffles me whenever a "fan" says something like ""Mommy-Mummy"...melody and lyrics are not quite up to classic Beef standards".
What? That song IS classic Beefheart, at least it is now anyway. Check this lyric..."I wanna grab her, pull her up to me 'til I look through her, but she moves so fast that I can't even see her. Her interest fades like breath on a mirror. I try to grab her and the wind from my hand blows her away like a feather." Ever known any mommies like that? Think anybody could relate to that visual? You quickly try to grab a feather and WHOOSH! It flips up and away at the last second. I always think of this lyric when I try to grab a piece of eggshell floating in a bowl of egg whites. Anyway, to me at least this song has great lyrics. The beat is highly syncopated. It epitomizes all that is great about this artist and his art. It has a very visual reference that is presented in a somewhat obscure way that makes it so incredibly satisfying when you see it in your mind's eye. Just fantastic.
Once when Don was asked about his "commercial period" he said something to the effect of, "yes those songs are different than a lot of my other stuff but they are still my songs. I still mean 'em and I like 'em. They are me." So what we have in the body of Don's work is what Don was and is. While I believe it is certainly valid to have personal preferences, I don't believe one can disqualify any of his work based on those preferences, or for ANY reason for that matter. Don is who he is and his work is who he is. Therefore his work is all qualified by THAT fact. We may disregard certain parts or aspects of Don's work, but I think whenever we do that we miss out on a red rose that he meant.
I absolutely love this record and still after all these years it completely commands all of my attention whenever I hear it. In my opinion one of the finest examples of American art ever produced. Essential.

I'm a pretty new Beefheart fan, and not exactly one of these types proclaiming Trout Mask Replica to be the greatest artistic expression of the century. What I will say is that it has been a while since I've been as enamoured with an album as I am now with Shiny Beast. It reminds me of the first time I heard Jethro Tull's Aqualung album, which was one of the great revelations of my life. I was initially drawn to Captain Beefheart when I heard his inimitable and legendary voice on the well-known Zappa tune "Willie the Pimp." At first it seemed ugly, harsh, and difficult to really enjoy. But gradually it grew on me and I got up the guts to check out some of his other material. I have not heard all of his stuff, but I think, given what I do know about his music, that there could not be a better starting point for new fans than Shiny Beast. Not only that, this joyous collection of songs may well be the best work Mr. Van Vliet ever released (musically, that is).

"The Floppy Boot Stomp" starts things off with a ferocious, swamp-blues energy, and even contains some great lyrical one-liners. "Tropical Hot Dog Night" and "Ice Rose" are both lovely, upbeat songs that keep things moving along at a good pace. Interestingly, "Ice Rose" seems to be a vastly improved re-write of "Big Black Baby Shoes," which was recorded back in the Safe as Milk days. Then the Captain pulls a 180 with the mellow, jazzy "Harry Irene," a positively perfect little song in which we catch a glimpse of Beefheart's underrated abilities as a pop crooner. "You Know You're A Man" is a more standard type of blues rock song (as standard as you're going to get from this guy) that contains a great slide guitar solo. Then comes the title track, which I didn't like at first but have come to love. It perfectly embodies Beefheart's idea of "painting" through music. The greatest highlight of this great album is "Owed T'Alex." This song features everything you love about Captain Beefheart: bluesy guitars, deceptively simple rhythms, quasi-goofy horn parts, and great poetry. The part where he just starts laughing insanely at the end must be the single most glorious moment of his career. After that, the album starts to wind down. That's not to say that the songs decrease in quality, because they certainly don't. They simply don't seem as intense or focused. The album ends with a very short but very thought-provoking poem called "Apes-Ma." A word about the backing band: they are all quite excellent throughout, but special credit must be given to trombonist Bruce Fowler. With Beefheart's vision and Fowler's skills, there is no doubt that Shiny Beast contains some of the most innovative and outstanding trombone parts in the history of rock music.

If you have ever considered giving Captain Beefheart a try, start with this album. It is much less of an acquired taste than most of his other stuff, but it's still very unique and weird in that quintessentially Beefheart way. If you have an open mind and would like to have a truly rewarding musical experience, buy this album now.

I admit it: I am one of those people who think that Don Van Vliet is a genius and that Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off, Baby are his masterpieces (though Clear Spot, Doc, and others are way up there, too!).

This, however, is a very good album, and in some ways it shows a more mature form of his genius. This version of the Magic Band were all big fans of Don's music and they worked very hard and did it justice. Not that the previous bands did not, or were not as good (a good argument can be made that the Lick band were the very best of all), just that this album and Doc have a special energy to the playing and arrangements.

So what can I say? You either love Don (Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, for that .1% out there that might not know Beefheart but might be considering the purchase of this fine long player) or you hate him.

Most people hate him; especially women. Most people say this sounds like a horrible noise, not even music. If you want to end a party and drive people out of the house, put this on.

Be prepared, though, for that one guy who loves Beefheart, and says "Hey man! That's awesome! Now that everyone is gone, how about putting on "Doc at the Radar Station" or "Trout Mask Replica"?"

This is a very good album by a true musical genius. I think a hundred years from now this album will be studied in University Music Dept.'s, much the way Stravinsky is studied today.

This is not Don and the MB's best album, but it has a certain sound that may be more accessible to a new listener than his best albums, "Trout" and "Lick". It is pretty ugly music, as Beefheart himself acknowledged; yet also quite beautiful in its own way, like the way a spider or bat can be seen as beautiful.

I will say this, however, to the true fans: By hook or by crook, whatever it takes get your hands on the original mix of this album, the one produced by Zappa, and issued as a 2fer with the MONO Safe As Milk. It is totally studio quality and better - yes, BETTER! - than the released version! It may be the best album Don did after "Clear Spot".

p.s. "Clear Spot" is a great introduction (Beefheart 101) to the music of Beefheart. It is "rock and roll Beefheart" or "rhythm and blues" Beefheart, and is his single most accessible great album, and if you like that you might then move to "Spotlight Kid" (actually there used to be a 2fer available of the 2), then on to something like Doc at the Radar Station or Lick My Decals Off, Baby.

p.p.s. "We all drink from the same pond." - D.V.V.