I'm totally bummed out as it was announced that Captain Beefheart passed away today at the age of 69.

"Avant-garde rock legend and visual artist Don Van Vliet, who performed under the name Captain Beefheart, passed away today at age 69. A representative of New York City’s Michael Werner Gallery, which hosted several shows of his paintings, confirms the sad news to EW. Van Vliet died of complications from multiple sclerosis at a hospital in Northern California this morning."

I am totally saddened to hear about this.

I loved the guy. Especially his first LP 'Safe As Milk (1967)' and also 'Strictly Personal (1968)'. Both of these really had a big impact on me.

Very sad

RIP Captain Beefheart

My first exposure to Beefheart & the Magic Band was his first single, "Diddy Wah Diddy," which is still as badass as they come. Liking that, and hearing how "influential" it was (but not what it actually sounded like), I picked up Trout Mask Replica.

Oops.

Nonetheless, I tried Safe As Milk, and LOVED it. "Zig Zag Wanderer" totally lives up to his debut.

RIP, Captain.

While I'm aware of who he is, I've never heard a note of his music. But a very sad loss to his fans, no doubt.

Very sad news.

My introduction to both him and Zappa was the Bongo Fury album.....still a personal favorite after all these years. I have all of his albums.

I knew he was sick for a long time, but because of how private he was, never knew when the inevitable would happen.

Huge loss to the music world.

RIP

Franz Ferdinand, Zola Jesus, Klaxons pay tribute to Captain Beefheart
Plus Billy Bragg and The Zutons also give Don Van Vliet a shoutout

December 18, 2010
http://www.nme.com/news/captain-beefhea ... band/54316



Franz Ferdinand, Klaxons and The Zutons are among the musicians to pay tribute to Captain Beefheart, following his death after complications from multiple sclerosis yesterday (December 17).

Captain Beefheart, who's real name was Don Van Vliet, passed away in hospital in California aged 69.

Writing on Twitter, Zola Jesus described the influence has had on her career.

"Gave my brother my old, worn down copy of 'Trout Mask Replica' before I moved as a thank you to introducing me to his music when I was far too young. Nothing he did was a mistake, there were no accidents in his music. Only sheer invention, passion... dear god, why does the world keep losing such important people? Who will fill their shoes? My heart is heavy for you, Don Van Vliet!"

Meanwhile, Billy Bragg Tweeted that "there was only ever one Captain Beefheart", while Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos wrote that he had "very much" influenced his own band.

Klaxons' Jamie Reynolds took to the site to say a simple "god bless", and The Zutons frontman Dave McCabe Tweeted that the musician "will be missed by all fans across the globe".

Very sad. I know he was sick for a very long time but he was one of the best. His vocals on Willie the Pimp on Hot Rats are awesome (it was his ad-lib after the written vocals that gave FZ the title Hot Rats)

Gail has promised that the original Bat Chain Puller will be out soon. She has also promised that one of the concerts from the Bongo Fury tour will one day be released.

After he retired from the music business he was a great painter.

He will one day be inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame.

The next season that should be released of Saturday Night Live should include the week he was the musical guest. I hope that at least this season is released.

Was just listening to FZ/CB from Providence, RI 1975 today - great show. R.I.P. CB ...

Great show! best one to come to light this year!
Zappa / Beefheart / Mothers, April - May 1975:
FZ, Denny Walley, Captain Beefheart, Tom Fowler, Terry Bozzio,
Napoleon Murphy Brock, George Duke, Bruce Fowler.

04/26/75
Setlist:

01 Improvisations [5:46]
02 Camarillo Brillo [4:29]
03 Muffin Man [1:45]
04 Stinkfoot [4:52]
05 I'm Not Satisfied [2:06]
06 Carolina Hard-Core Ecstasy [10:38]
07 The Velvet Sunrise [7:36]
08 A Pound For A Brown [9:59] °°° tf/splice at 8:26
09 The Torture Never Stops [8:10]
10 Montana [12:09]
11 Improvisations (incl. Chariot, Moon Trek, q: Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top) [9:39]
12 Sam With The Showing Scalp Flat Top (q: Straight No Chaser) [2:35]
13 Penguin In Bondage [11:41] °°° tf/splice at 11:26
14 Poofter's Froth Wyoming Plans Ahead [3:18]
15 Echidna's Arf [0:36]
16 Drum Solo [3:05]
17 Advance Romance [15:16]
18 encore break (tuning up) [0:31] °°° cuts in, no music missing
19 Willie The Pimp [8:43]

Total Time 123.02 min

Just sad thing to hear. My exposure is limited...I have Trout and Safe as Milk, and some of Zappa work...but I always loved his spirit, and that voice, a bullfrog on whiskey...nails me everytime I hear it. RIP and I know Frank has a couple of ideas when they meet up.

Very good Captain Beefheart BBC documentary.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5YE_a4B1U

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soNg-RSv6nY

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxH8shHd9I

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9msDItyYvxo

Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LunCzAf6Z5o

Part 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Prs_W5ffs

Try these:







And then there's his weirder stuff:

Safe As Milk and Doc At the Radar Station are my favorite from the Captain. I must have loaned out my copy of Lick My Decals Off Baby or lost it, so I bought another copy on vinyl today. Not sue why the cd is OOP. His music was definitely different and perhaps difficult for some folks to get into. But once he got you hooked, you stayed hooked.

RIP Don Van Vliet

Clear Spot is actually my favorite album of his-- if you don't have it, it's really worth hearing. Great stuff.

TOM WAITS, MATT GROENING PAY TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN BEEFHEART
'He was the one who goes ahead and shows the way,' says Waits



Tom Waits and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening have both paid tribute to Captain Beefheart, who passed away on December 17.

Waits hailed Captain Beefheart, real name Don Van Vliet, by comparing him to Miles Davis and Sun Ra, reports the LA Times.

"He was like the scout on a wagon train," Waits wrote. "He was the one who goes ahead and shows the way. He was a demanding bandleader, a transcendental composer (with emphasis on the dental), up there with Ornette [Coleman], Sun Ra and Miles [Davis].

Groening, who enlisted Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band to play the All Tomorrow's Parties festival he curated in 2003 in California, also spoke of the influence Vliet has had on him.

"Back in my formative years, my buddies and I were looking for the furthest limits in pop music," Groening explained. "We loved avant-garde jazz, and we loved the blues, and Captain Beefheart melded them in a way that no one else has ever done, with the vocal techniques of Howlin' Wolf on top of these crazy, angular songs."