• Voto:
Captain Beefheart... un grande nome, un grande genio.
Amico d'infanzia del grande Frank Zappa, anche se molto spesso tra i due ci saranno disaccordi, la loro amicizia darà vita ad alcuni progetti insieme di grandissima qualità, primo su tutti il Bongo Fury tour del 1975. Di solito non recensisco Best Of, ma questo è l'unico disco di Captain Beefheart che possiedo, e siccome lo reputo interessante ho deciso di recensirlo qua.
L'antologia prende brani solo da 3 dischi: "Safe As Milk", "Strictly Personal Sessions" e "Mirror Man". I brani dal primo sono quelli che io preferisco. Qui si vede la versatilità di questo grande musicista anche come compositore. Eh sì perché da un blues classico ("Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do"), si passa a trascinanti boogie ("Dropout Boogie", "Zig Zag Wanderer"), ad altri ottimi brani più sul rock classico ("Yellow Brick Road", "Electricity", "Plastic Factory"), o a dolci ballate ("I'm So Glad").
La mia preferita restà però quel coinvolgente e trascinante ritmo africano che ha "Abba Zaba", contenente pure uno splendido assolo di basso. I brani del secondo sembrano di più improvvisazioni. Alcuni sono molto buoni ("Dirty Blue Gene") altri lasciano parecchio a desiderare (la satirica "Beatle, Bones 'n Smoking Stones").
Altri brani interessanti da questa sezione dell'album sono la lunga "Trust Us" e la scatenata "Gimme Dat Harp Boy". Per quanto riguarda il disco "Mirror Man", sono stati inseriti solo due brani, ma entrambi lunghissimi. "Tarotplane" si avventura per 19 minuti, ed è un lunghissimo blues sperimentale con ottime evoluzioni di armonica, forse un po' troppo lungo (soprattutto il finale), ma comunque molto buono. "Kandy Korn" è più breve ma lo stesso molto lunga. Indescrivibile a mio avviso: apertura affidata ad una canzonetta pop che però poi si trasforma in un intricato brano in perfetto stile Beefheart.
Questa compilation può essere un buon punto di inizio per chi vuole scoprire la musica del Capitano, quindi ve la consiglio. Unico rammarico: nessun brano da "Trout Mask Replica". L'unica da tale album che ho sentito ("Pachuco Cadaver") non avrebbe sfigurato qua.
Elenco tracce e testi
02 Zig Zag Wanderer (02:39)
Zig zag wanderer, zig zag wanderer (rep.)
You can huff, you can puff
You'll never blow my house down
You can zig, you can zag
Whoa I'm gonna stay, gonna stay around (rep.)
You can jump, you can holler
Never lose what I found
Heaven's free 'cept for a dollar
You can zig, you can zag
Whoa I'm gonna stay, gonna stay around (rep.)
The zig zag wanderer had a zigzag child
Zig zag traveller for the mercy mile
Found his wheels and nature scene
Quenched his thirst, (in a?) way it never been
Zig zag wanderer (rep.)
You can dance, you can prance
Freeze those timbers, drop some beams
Hide my shield, throw away my lance
Zig zag child, mercy mile
Zig zag dream, zig zag dream
Zig zag
04 I'm Glad (03:30)
(so sad baby so glad girl)
When you first came round I was sad
My head hung down I felt really bad
Now I'm glad, glad about the good times that we've had
Walked in the park
kissed in the dark
leaves burned just like just like a spark
Now I'm glad
glad about the good times that we've had
You went away I cried night and day
for what you done I had to pay
Left me so blue I don't know
where to go or what to do
please come back and let the sun shine through
Sun passed behind a cloud
I felt so proud
We walk down the street people smile that we meet
And I'm glad glad about the good times that we've had
You said I was the best man that you've ever had oh!
Now I'm glad oh so glad
05 Electricity (03:06)
Singin' through you to me
Thunderbolts caught easily
Shouts the truth peacefully
Electricity
High voltage man kisses night to bring the light to those who need to hide their shadow deed
Go into bright find the light and know that friends don't mind just how you grow
Midnight cowboy stained in black reads dark roads without a map
To free-seeking electricity (repeat) (Repeat both lines)
Lighthouse beacon straight ahead straight ahead across black seas to bring
Seeking electricity
High voltage man kisses night to bring the light to those who need to hide their shadow-deed hide their shadow-deed (repeat)
Seek electricity...........
07 Abba Zaba (02:42)
Long [originally 'song'] before song before song blues
Babbette baboon [repeat] abba zaba zoom
Two shadows at Noon, Babbette baboon [repeat]
Comin' over pretty soon, Babbette baboon
Run, run, catch her [originally 'catch her up'] soon, draft of dawn, sunshine on Babbette baboon
Mother say son, she say son, you can't lose, with the stuff you use
Abba Zaba go-zoom Babbette baboon [repeat both]
Run, run, monsoon, Indian dream, tiger moon
Yellow bird fly high, tabacco sky, two shadows at Noon [Don scrawled this
line "2 shadas at noon"]
Babbette baboon gonna catch her soon Babbette baboon
Song before song before song blues
Babbette baboon abba zaba zoom [repeat both]
Two shadows at noon, abba zaba zoom
Gonna zaba her soon Babbette baboon abba zaba zoom [repeat]
Gonna catch her soon [repeat]
08 Plastic Factory (03:07)
Phos'phrous chimney burnin'
Modern-men's a-learnin'
Time and space a-turnin'
Motor's engine churnin'
fac'trys no place for me boss man let me be
Wind and wave all blowin'
Mountain 'n sky showin'
Bee 'n flower growin'
Boy 'n girl are glowin'
fac'trys no place for me boss man let me be
Minds inside are goin'
Muscle 'n bone are showin''
One thing sure am knowin'
Get a fire goin'
factory's no place for me boss man let me be
boss man let me be boss man leave me be
15 Tarotplane (19:04)
Baby person told Elixir Sue
Listen to me baby
I'm gonna tell it to you
Gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
I say bear this in mind
I say bear this in mind
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Ya done put mice in the radiator
Razors in the clay
Well, they keeps us working all night
Don't give us no pay
Don't give us no pay
Automatic Sam told Everready Betty told Prestcold Milly
With the long...
Automatic Sam told Everready Betty told Prestcold Milly
With the long black wavy mane
With the long black...
With the long black wavy mane
Little girl, Little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
I wanta take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
For a fly, for a fly
Baby person told Elixir Sue
Oh, listen to me baby
I'm gonna tell it to you
You ain't too old
Oh, you ain't too old
Just what you been heard - just what you been told
You gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Baby person told Elixir Sue
Listen to me baby
Mice in the razors, clay in the heaters
Mice in the razors, clay in the heaters
You gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Automatic Sam told Everready Betty told Prestcold Milly
With the long black wavey mane
Oh listen little girl don't you understand?
Oh, you ain't too old
No you ain't too old
Well you ain't too lold
As long as you can boogie you ain't too old
Little girl, little girl
Little girl, little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
You goin' flyin'
You goin' flyin'
Come on little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
Come on little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
Come on little girl
Gonna take you for a ride in my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
In my Tarotplane
You gonna need somebody on your bond
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
Just you bear this in mind
True friends is hard to find
You gonna need some bodies on your bond
16 Kandy Korn (08:02)
Yellow and orange and
Well they taste so good I want to eat 'em
And they taste so good I get to need 'em
Can-can-can-candy
candy
Candy corn
yellow and orange and
candy corn
yellow and orange and
candy
be reborn
be reformed
stay stay warm
Carico i commenti... con calma
