1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #81. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe As Milk (1967)

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe As Milk (1967)

Label – Buddah
Producer – Bob Kransnow and Richard Perry
Art Direction – Tom Wilkes
Nationality –USA
Running Time – 35:40

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. Sure Nuff 'n' Yes I Do
2. Zig Zag Wanderer
3. Call On Me
4. Dropout Boogie
5. I'm Glad
6. Electricity
7. Yellow Brick Road
8. Abba Zaba
9. Plastic Factory
10. Where There's A Woman
11. Grown So Ugly
12. Autumn's Child

An interesting record. Following in the acts I had heard of but never actually HEARD before – Captain Beefheart's first proper studio album might have been called ‘Safe As Milk’ but it was anything but safe!! Featuring a 20 year old Ry Cooder on guitar, it’s hard to pin down exactly what type of music this actually is!! It’s blues-rock with jagged, fractured rhythms, soulful, twisting vocals and doo wop, soul, straight blues, and folk-rock. And that really doesn’t accurately describe it!!
"Zig Zag Wanderer," "Call on Me," and "Yellow Brick Road" are perhaps the most accessible riff-driven songs on the record, but there is plenty of experimentation on tracks like "Electricity" and "Abba Zaba." Reading up about Captain Beefheart it appears that this record is perhaps his ‘tamest’ but also features many of the features—such as surreal lyrics and odd time signatures—that would later become trademarks of Beefheart's music. (There is another Captain Beefheart record in the 1001 list – so I get the feeling I am going to get to find out).
The record did not achieve popular success on its release, failing to chart in either the United States, where none of Beefheart's albums would ever enter the top 100, or in the United Kingdom. It is a interesting album and one you should give a listen to.
It is recommended.


You can purchase the CD here.