A new 4 CD set by Captain Beefheart, Sun Zoom Spark 1970 To 1972, appears to be an official release featuring remastered versions of Lick My Decals Off, Baby, The Spotlight Kid, Clear Spot and a fourth disc of alternate versions, rehearsals and outtakes from the sessions for the two ‘Spot’ albums.

Product Description
This new four-disc collection revisits the albums Captain Beefheart (aka Don Van Vliet) recorded with the Magic Band in the early Seventies—Lick My Decals Off, Baby, The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot. It includes all three albums, which have been remastered for the first time, as well as a disc of unreleased material.

The fourth and final disc in SUN ZOOM SPARK includes 14 unreleased tracks and is a trove of alternate versions, rehearsals and outtakes from the sessions for The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot. The disc reveals just how much some songs evolved before being released. Among the highlights are a sung-version of “I Can’t Do This Unless I Can Do This/Seam Crooked Sam,” which became a spoken-word performance on Bat Chain Puller; a raucous, off-kilter version of “Dirty Blue Gene” that pointed the way to the final version on Doc at the Radar Station; and an instrumental rehearsal of “The Witch Doctor Life” that is nearly unrecognizable compared to the version heard on 1982’s Ice Cream For Crow.

CD1: Lick My Decals Off, Baby
1. Lick My Decals Off, Baby
2. Doctor Dark
3. I Love You, You Big Dummy
4. Peon
5. Bellerin' Plain
6. Woe-Is-uh-Me-Bop
7. Japan in a Dishpan
8. I Wanna Find a Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have To Go
9. Petrified Forest
10. One Red Rose That I Mean
11. The Buggy Boogie Woogie
12. The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or the Big Dig)
13. Space-Age Couple
14. The Clouds Are Full of Wine (not Whiskey or Rye)
15. Flash Gordon's Ape

CD2: The Spotlight Kid
1. I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby
2. White Jam
3. Blabber 'n Smoke
4. When It Blows Its Stacks
5. Alice in Blunderland
6. The Spotlight Kid
7. Click Clack
8. Grow Fins
9. There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage
10. Glider

CD3: Clear Spot
1. Low Yo Yo Stuff
2. Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man
3. Too Much Time
4. Circumstances
5. My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains
6. Sun Zoom Spark
7. Clear Spot
8. Crazy Little Thing
9. Long Neck Bottles
10. Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles
11. Big Eyed Beans from Venus
12. Golden Birdies

CD4: Out-Takes
1. Alice in Blunderland - Alternate Version
2. Harry Irene
3. I Can't Do This Unless I Can Do This/Seam Crooked Sam
4. Pompadour Swamp/Suction Prints
5. The Witch Doctor Life - Instrumental Take
6. Two Rips in a Haystack/Kiss Me My Love
7. Best Batch Yet - (Track) Version 1
8. Your Love Brought Me To Life - Instrumental
9. Dirty Blue Gene - Alternate Version 1
10. Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man - Early Mix
11. Kiss Where I Kain't
12. Circumstances - Alternate Version 2
13. Little Scratch
14. Dirty Blue Gene - Alternate Version 3

Amazon USA
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N4FAVCA/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon Canada
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00N4FAVCA/?tag=imwanca-20

Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N4FAVCA/?tag=imwan-21

Bump: I've moved all of Robert's information up into the first post, along with the cover image and an Amazon link. It is indeed an official release, on Rhino.

Two words: HELL YEAH

Already ordered. My 3 favorite Beefheart albums!

Better -- the American pre-order price has dropped by $9, and is now $50.98:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N4FAVCA/?tag=imwan-20

Better still -- the British price has dropped to £20.24:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N4FAVCA/?tag=imwan-21

Once again, I'm singing your praises. Thanks for the info.

Just placed my order - could it have dropped again 16.87 lbs WITH shipping 19.95!!!

Linda as Ralph Krandem used to say - You're the GREATEST!

It hasn't dropped again (yet), but what happens is that when you order from the United States, Amazon UK deducts their built-in Value Added Tax (VAT) from the price, so it becomes even cheaper.

Bump: This has been pushed back to November 17th.