Let me take you way on down to the year of 1967, when music reached its peak. Many people think some of the best albums of all time came out that year: Some of them are universally acclaimed ‘Classics’, some are extreme obscurities that only few people know about, some again are cult albums celebrated by a small scene. This record somehow manages to fall in all three of these categories.
It’s called “Safe As Milk” and is the full-length debut of Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band. The band leader was Don Van Vliet alias Captain Beefheart who should be familiar to music lovers as a frequent Zappa-collaborator and artist behind the shamelessly indulgent tour de force “Trout Mask Replica” two years after his debut, which we’re dealing with here.
It kicks off with the delta-blues-infused “Sure ‘Nuff ‘n’ Yes, I Do” which could be one of the best album openers ever committed to wax. Its opening lines are almost a cliche mockery of blues and sound like he’s channeling the ghost of Robert Johnson. He builds up a nostalgic wall – just to break it down as soon as the drums kick in. Imagine someone throwing all the ingredients of Rock’n’Roll, cutting them into little pieces and putting it all back in another place. It’s not quite protopunk because it’s way too complicated for that, but it rocks too hard to be artsy avantgarde – it’s the hardest task in all of music to find the soft spot between being accessible and being interesting – and Beefheart found it right here.
On the classic track “Electricity” Captain Beefheart bawls and barks like a rowdy dog along with a screeching theremin and his ever-so-tight band. “Grown So Ugly” finds him shamelessly spewing out a blues cover so raw and punky it’s unreal, only to go psychedelic with odd time-signatures and effects a track later on he surreal “Autumn’s Child”. Beefheart also manages to croon a soulish slow jam on “I’m Glad” and always manages to keep some groove while shifting in and out of time signatures on “Plastic Factories”.
Nevertheless, despite its stylistic diversity, the album never loses its distinctive feel and flavour, thanks to Beefheart’s voice and the characteristic sound of the Magic Band.
Now if you haven’t heard “Safe As Milk” yet, I really recommend you listen right now. Cos if you haven’t heard this one, you haven’t heard shit. And it’s the perfect starting point to get to know one of the most interesting characters in music history. Enjoy the ride!
