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Vliet's output is rooted in blues music and Rock
and roll|rock music, but his idiosyncratic,
diverse approach largely defies classification.
Much of his work was conducted with a rotating
assembly of musicians called the Magic Band. He
was mainly a singer, but Vliet was a capable
harmonica player, and occasionally played noisy,
untrained, free jazz influenced saxophone.

Among the most important of "underground rock"
musicians, Captain Beefheart's legacy is one of
poor record sales, critical acclaim, and a devoted
following. His many admirers include Beck, Tom
Waits, Woody Allen, PJ Harvey, Peter
Christopherson of Coil (band)|Coil, David Lynch,
David Byrne of Talking Heads, Gary Lucas (one of
Van Vliet's former guitarists, and a member of
latest incarnation of the Magic Band), Mark E.
Smith of The Fall (band)|The Fall, John Lydon,
Michael Balzary (a.k.a. Flea), Matt Groening and
Devo. 

Vliet's music has been vastly influential. BBC
disc jockey John Peel stated, "If there has ever
been such a thing as a genius in the history of
popular music, it's Beefheart ... I heard echoes
of his music in some of the records I listened to
last week and I'll hear more echoes in records
that I listen to this week." 
http://www.beefheart.com/zigzag/articles/genius.ht
m 

==History==

Vliet demonstrated prodigious painting and
sculpting talents at a young age — earning
the praise of Augustinio Rodriguez — but
claims his parents turned away several scholarship
offers. His paintings, often reminiscent of Franz
Kline's, were later featured on several of his own
albums.

A teenage friendship with Frank Zappa while both
were students at Antelope Valley High School in
Lancaster, California led to some collaborations
over the years, though this relationship was
subject to peaks and troughs. Over the years,
musicians would drift back and forth from Vliet
and Zappa's groups. Their collaborative work can
be found on the 1975 album Bongo Fury, along with
Zappa rarity collections The Lost Episodes and
Mystery Disc. Also notable is Beefheart's vocal on
"Willie The Pimp" from Zappa's otherwise
instrumental rock|instrumental album Hot Rats.
(1969)

Vliet was reportedly quite shy, but able to
imitate the deep voice of blues singer Howlin'
Wolf. Eventually growing comfortable performing,
he learned harmonica, and played around southern
California, at dances and small clubs.

Beefheart had previously worked with local groups
such as The Omens and The Blackouts and formed the
Magic Band in 1964 with guitarists Alex St. Clair
and Doug Moon, bass guitarist Jerry Handley and
drummer Paul Blakely.

Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band signed to A&M
Records and released a successful single, a
version of Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Diddy".  Their
first album, however, was rejected by the label as
being too negative and uncommercial.  Moon and
Blakely were replaced by Antennae Jimmy Semens and
John French (musician)|John 'Drumbo' French
respectively, as well as adding Ry Cooder
(guitarist) and released their remixed album, Safe
as Milk. In mid-1967 the band was invited to
perform at the landmark Monterey International Pop
Festival, but according to the liner notes to the
CD re-release of Safe As Milk, Ry Cooder convinced
the group not to appear, as he felt that the band
was not ready for such an important showcase.

These early recordings in the late 1960s were
fairly conventional blues rock with touches of
psychedelic music, and gave only hints of the
unique music to come. The 1968 album, Strictly
Personal, does
serve as a transition between the blues rock of
the singles, "Safe as Milk", and the live "Mirror
Man" album, and the innovative explorations to
come. 

Meanwhile, Beefheart's childhood friend, Frank
Zappa, formed Straight Records and signed Captain
Beefheart & the Magic Band, which had added Zoot
Horn Rollo (guitarist), Rockette Morton (bassist)
and The Mascara Snake (bass clarinetist),
resulting in the landmark 1969 album Trout Mask
Replica.

==Trout Mask Replica==

Regarded by many fans as Beefheart's masterpiece,
Trout Mask Replica was — and remains —
one of the strangest, most difficult albums in
Rock and roll|rock music history. The group
rehearsed Vliet's difficult compositions for eight
months, living commune|communally in conditions
drummer John French (musician)|John French
described as cultlike. 

The 28 songs on Trout Mask Replica drew on blues
music, Bo Diddley, free jazz, sea shanty|sea
shanties and much more, but the relentless
practice blended the music into an iconoclastic
whole of conflicting tempo|tempi, harsh slide
guitar, loping drumming, and honking saxophone and
bass clarinet.

Vliet's vocals ranged from growling blues singing
to frenzied falsetto to laconic, casual ramblings.
His lyrics often seem impenetrably strange and
nonsense|nonsensical, but closer examination
reveals complex poetry|poetic use of wordplay,
metaphor and all manner of references:  music
history, United States|American and international
politics, the Holocaust, Steve Reich, gospel
music, conformity and much more. Perhaps due to
Vliet's talent as a painter, many of the songs in
this and subsequent works contain a vivid visual
narrative.

Although the album was effectively recorded live,
Vliet apparently recorded much of the vocals
whilst isolated from the rest of the band in a
different room, only being in partial synch with
the music by hearing the slight sound leakage from
the other room.

(Matt Groening has stated his first thought upon
hearing Trout Mask Replica was that it was
annoying, difficult and pretentious, but so unique
that he could not stop listening to it. He now
lists the album as one of his favorites.)

Critic Steve Huey writes that the album's
influence "was felt more in spirit than in direct
copycatting, as a catalyst rather than a literal
musical starting point. However, its inspiring
reimagining of what was possible in a rock context
laid the groundwork for countless future
experiments in rock surrealism, especially during
the punk rock|punk/new wave music|new wave era."
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:41
q67u50h0ja~T1

==Later music==

Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970) continued in a
similar experimental vein, although the two 1972
follow ups, The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot, were
much more commercial. The Magic Band left
Beefheart and formed Mallard (band)|Mallard. 
Beefheart formed a new Magic Band and released
Unconditionally Guaranteed and Bluejeans &
Moonbeams; neither album was critically well
received.

In the late 1970s, Captain Beefheart found that
there was a younger generation of musicians eager
to work with him and capable of playing his music.
 In several cases they had learned his music from
records before being given auditions.  Keyboard
player and bassist Eric Drew Feldman (who joined
in 1976), guitarist Jeff Moris Tepper (who joined
in 1975 or 1976), drummer Robert Williams (who
joined in 1977), and guitarist Gary Lucas (who
appeared on the last two Beefheart records and was
also Beefheart's manager), had been Beefheart fans
since their teens.

Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978) was largely
regarded as bringing the group back to form after
the lacklustre releases of the early 1970s,
featuring once again the innovative and eccentric
style of the earlier albums.  The excellent Doc at
the Radar Station (1980) helped establish
Beefheart's late resurgence as possibly the most
consistently creative period of his musical
career. In this period, Beefheart made several
appearances on David Letterman's program, and
performed on Saturday Night Live.

After Ice Cream for Crow (1982), Beefheart retired
from music and became a critically acclaimed
painter.

In recent years, Vliet has become somewhat
reclusive and abandoned music, stating he can make
far more money painting. His artwork is as extreme
and innovative as was his music, and commands high
prices, as well as comparisons to Pablo Picasso
and Franz Kline.  Some of his recent sounds and
noises were captured on his guitarist Moris
Tepper's album Moth to Mouth.

Vliet currently lives in Northern California, and
is reportedly suffering from multiple sclerosis or
a similar condition.

The Magic Band, fronted by John French, reformed
without Beefheart in 2003.

==Influence==

Many bands (such as the Clash) have claimed a
Beefheart influence, although few have truly been
able to assimilate Beefheart's idiosyncratic
approach.  Tom Waits's shift in artistic
direction, starting with Swordfishtrombones, is
said to be due to his wife introducing him to
Beefheart's music. Punk rockers The Minutemen
(band)|The Minutemen were great fans of
Beefheart's music, and were arguably among the few
to effectively synthesize his music with their
own, especially their early output, which featured
disjointed guitar and irregular, galloping
rhythms. 

Many musicians who have worked with Captain
Beefheart consider it to be the formative
experience of their lives as musicians (despite
the rigours of Beefheart's unorthodox methods). 
Some of these alumni have subsequently found
collaborators who also seem to have been touched
with Beefheart's creative spirit.  After Beefheart
left the music business, Eric Drew Feldman played
with Snakefinger, Pere Ubu, P. J. Harvey and Frank
Black.  Gary Lucas played guitar and collaborated
with Jeff Buckley.

In 2000, The White Stripes released a limited
(1300 copies) red-and-white 7" vinyl disc on Sub
Pop records' Singles Club. The disc contained
covers of 3 Captain Beefheart songs: The Party Of
Special Things To Do, China Pig, and Ashtray
Heart.

==Studies==

Beefheart has been the subject of at least one
documentary: the BBC's 1994 The Artist Formerly
Known As Captain Beefheart.

==Discography==
*Safe as Milk (1967)
*Strictly Personal (1968)
*Trout Mask Replica (1969)
*Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970)
*Mirror Man (1971)
*The Spotlight Kid (1972)
*Clear Spot (1972)
*Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)
*Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)
*Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978)
*Doc at the Radar Station (1980)
*Ice Cream for Crow (1982)

==References==

Barnes, Mike (2000). Captain Beefheart. Quartet
Books. ISBN 1844494128.

==External links==

* http://www.beefheart.com/ The Captain Beefheart
Radar Station (a fan site; perhaps the most
comprehensive source for Vliet's music, art and
influence) 
*http://starling.rinet.ru/music/captain.htm
Reviews of Captain Beefheart albums by George
Starostin