A lot of people listen to about 30 seconds of Trout Mask Replica and then immediately write off Van Vliet's music as unlistenable twaddle, just weird for the sake of being weird. And it certainly is weird music--but when you really start listening to the album you start to discover a twisted inner logic to every atonal guitar shreik and weird drum beat. It all comes together to create something pretty unique in the world of music. Captain Beefheart wasn't making rock music--he was reinventing what music could be. There are few artists today who would dare to release something so blatantly off-kilter. Love it or hate it you can't deny it's in a league of its own on the creativity scale.
For some more traditional blues jams I love his Mirror Man Sessions. Not quite as revolutionary, but it shows a different, more listenable, side of Captain Beefheart that might be a gentler introduction to his work.
For some more traditional blues jams I love his Mirror Man Sessions. Not quite as revolutionary, but it shows a different, more listenable, side of Captain Beefheart that might be a gentler introduction to his work.