We Saw a Bozo Under the Sea

Zoot Horn Rollo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 27, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zoot Horn Rollo
• ASIN: B00005TQ7L
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Got a Buzz On

2. Relocating Dirt - Life's Work

3. Miniature Mojo

4. Cowboy Coffee

5. Dancin' With the Doorknob

6. Temporary Tattoo

7. John's Eyes

8. Solo Below

9. Still Living With Mom

10. Detective Charlo

11. Church of the Mowed Lawn

12. Don's Secret

13. Nice Patina

14. Elvis Beans

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant debut by Beefheart's musical architect, December 3, 2001

By 

Cryptic Weevil (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Saw a Bozo Under the Sea (Audio CD)

What a trip! Almost 30 years after the end of Zoot Horn Rollo's tenure with the Magic Band, he picks up almost seemingly where he left off with this startling debut. I say seemingly because he's actually done quite a bit in that time, which has resulted in a matured, modern, fresh approach to composition and the guitar. Because of this, don't expect another Trout Mask Replica.. there can never be another one of those, nor should there be.. if Mallard picked up where the Magic Band left off, think of this as everything Mallard could have been, if they had a couple of decades to hone their chops and material. OK, this is already sounding strained.. you can't really relate this to anything else. I'll say that Beefheart fans will most likely enjoy it, because it has its own brand of heady, quirky, angular melodies crafted by musicians with terrifying chops. Unlike Beefheart recordings, however, this shows a breadth of textures and styles, with each piece having a distinct composition and method unto itself, defying categorization of the album as a whole.
Zoot has picked up the baritone guitar and made it sing.. not a lot of people have ever heard this instrument, tuned halfway between a guitar and a bass, and this album is worth the price of admission alone to hear this unusual instrument played in a way it probably has never been played before.
There's also a ton of ripping electric slide guitar on this album, so for you tech-heads there's a lot to listen to, axe-wise.
Master drummer Gregg Bendian creates more than ample air and punch where it's needed, his drumming and vibe-work is a real high point of the album. Imagine sort of a cross between Elvin Jones and Trilok Gurtu.
But the compositions are where this album really shines. Jagged and odd-metered, they are bordering on Monk-like angularity, but electric, refined, and rocking. If you're already a Beefheart fan or are just open-minded and like a new kind of music, give your ears a treat and expose them to Zoot's new album.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zoot's Return - on his own terms, December 2, 2001

By 

Robert English (Independence, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Saw a Bozo Under the Sea (Audio CD)

After a career of teaching, and sufficiently removed from his magical (and intense) career with Captain Beefheart, Zoot whipped up some compositions and had some friends of his record them. If you like "difficult" music with a sense of humor (ala Frank Zappa, Dixie Dregs, Henry Cow, etc.) you'll like this one.

Zoot wrote these songs with MIDI sofware, and used the MIDI tracks as the blueprint to record the material with live musicians. The result sounds like a very tight band that has rehearsed the material for months, when in fact most of them had never met. One could call this a successful experiment.

This record is not "Trout Mask Replica Part Two" - Beefheart fans who are expecting that will be disappointed with this material. But it is definitely not "mainstream" either. It's as enigmatic as Zoot himself.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Unexpected, November 17, 2002

By 

Roger Reviewer (Thereabouts, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Saw a Bozo Under the Sea (Audio CD)

Usually when I listen to a "This is a member of the XYZ band" album, I am ultimately disappointed by expectation. Not only does the member's new band have no resemblance to the old, but there is nothing worthy of identity in the new sound.

I was supernaturally unexpectedly surprised by the Zoot Horn Rollo CD. All instrumental with a wide range of jazzy-nut sort-a compositions that made me think "hey, this is pretty cool..." One of the best music CDs I have purchased in years, probably because it was such a pleasant surprise. The only thing I have to compare it to is what used to be good about Jean Luke Ponty...in some of his more unpredictable moments -- and that is a stretch.

What more to say but i listen to it all the time between Zappa, Tonio K., Peter Gabriel, The Weasels, XTC, NIN, Tom Waits and Bocelli. Go figure.