When I first heard Tom Waits I can remember thinking, “Where does all the weirdness come form?” Now I know. Not only does Waits replicate the Captain’s sound but you can also hear where he drew the inspiration for his husky ‘rabid dog’ voice.
While attending the Antelope Valley High School, Don Glen Vliet met the young Frank Zappa and his pseudonym was born. Zappa inspired Vliet’s entry into music, after hearing him replicating the deep voice of the blues singer Howlin’ Wolf. Some time in 1966, the demos of what became ‘Safe As Milk’ were submitted to A&M. Jerry Moss (the ‘m’) allegedly described the new direction as ‘too negative’ and wouldn’t include the album with the track ‘Electricity’ on it. Van Vliet wouldn’t release the album without it and the label dropped them as a result. But by the end of 1966 they were signed to Buddah Records and John French had joined as drummer. French had the patience required to be able to translate Van Vliet's musical ideas (often expressed by whistling or banging on the piano) for the other players. The ‘Safe as Milk’ material needed a lot of work and the then 20-year-old Ry Cooder was asked to help out with guitar duties, freshly out of his ‘super group’ with Taj Mahal, ‘The Rising Sons’. He didn’t stick around too long after the album was recorded. The album was finally released in September 1967. This album was the last one which Van Vliet would rely on contributions on writing and arranging (aside from a handful of tracks in the 70’s). The original pressing of ‘Safe As Milk’ included a bumper sticker which depicted the album's title and a picture of the head of a baby doll. John Lennon liked the album so much that he bought a second copy so that he could have two of the bumper stickers on display in his home. At the tine of release it was reportedly Lennon’s favourite album.
I had heard some of Captain Beefheart’s material before and was surprised when the opening track "Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do" started with a delta blues guitar part. Surely this couldn’t be the same artist who’s track ‘Big Eyed Beans From Venus’ had left me in a state of bewilderment when I heard it first. However, I soon realised that this album is chock full of blues songs, and also some brilliant experimentalism. ‘Zig Zag Wanderer’ shows the first signs of something more experimental than delta blues. The song seems to establish it’s own structure as it moves through each precisely played section. ‘Call On Me’ seems to be a bit of a regression after the previous track, however ‘Dropout Boogie’ manages to make up for it tenfold! There is a distortion put on the vocals which makes it sound demonic and shows the ‘negative’ direction which A&M were talking about. Some of the early UK editions of the album omitted ‘I’m Glad’ which would have been a good decision as it is the weakest song on the record. It does show however that Van Vliet could have easily become a mainstream singer and probably a successful one at that. The song is your typical run of the mill pop ballad and is the only let down on the album.
The infamous ‘Electricity’ really does shove a spanner in the works. With the eerie cry of “Eeee-lec-tri-ci-tyyy” at the beginning to the mad space age effects at the end, this song is easily the standout of the album. The microphone apparently broke during the recording of the song as Van Vliet was singing so high. The song really marks the delta blues meeting the new psychedelic scene that was becoming ever more popular.
‘Yellow Brick Road’ starts off with a very weird sample about an operating tone and then launches into a roller coaster ride of a song, sounding like a horrid re-imagination of a child’s nursery rhyme. Think of early Genesis material and you’re nearly there. ‘ABBA Zabba’ starts with an African drum part, interspersed with jarring guitar chords. Then Van Vliet enters and makes use of a ‘call back’ vocal technique for the song, half of which is made up of gibberish. Ry Cooder really shines on this track, his guitar used expertly throughout, from the percussive attack of the verse, to the inspired melodies of the chorus.
The electric blues of ‘Plastic Factory’ is up next and the Captain makes use of what I think is a New York accent during the song, giving it a bizarre quality. The cover of Robert Pete Adam’s ‘Grown So Ugly’ goes from strength to strength throughout the duration of the song. It’s an exciting song guitar wise and contains great contrast throughout. The two tracks, ‘Where’s That Woman’ and ‘Autumn’s Child’, both of which feature Russ Titelman on guitar are let down by unimaginative guitar arrangements. It really shows how important Cooder’s twisty guitar lines were in adding depth and quality to the recording. However, the captain’s vocals keep ‘Where’s That Woman’ and ‘Autumn’s Child’ from descending into mediocrity.
While the cd has been very influential, it suffers from some of the production it was given, which is no fault of the band. The producer transferred the original recordings on an 8 track onto the more familiar 4 track, dropping the recording quality. I also find that the bonus tracks are unnecessary additions with the exception of ‘Safe As Milk’ (Take 5). The album is a great tribute to delta blues and experimentalism within genres. It has gone on to influence many notable musicians, including John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Waits (whose artistic shift with 1983’s ‘Swordfishtrombones’ was, Waits claims, as a result of his wife introducing him to Captain Beefheart’s music) and radio presenter John Peel. This cd really is a staple for anyone claiming to have a good music collection.
