Safe As Milk

Ok, this is pretty damn brilliant and wild fun. Absurd, but rooted in the familiarity of blues and r&b, so much of the sound is a real romp. I’ll need to give it another listen or two in order to process more of the lyrics. After a second listen, I’m really blown away. Favorite tracks are Sure ‘Nuff Yes I Do, Electricity, Yellow Brick Road, Abba Zaba, and Plastic Factory. Beefheart has an intense, rumbling voice with great charisma. The music is played brilliantly, whether it is a rootsy blues, or a lurching and leaping number with changes in time, tempo, and attitude. Gonna need to spend more time with this band.

Delightfully weird.

The only Beefheart album I knew before this was Trout Mask Replica, so I wasn't expecting something so... accessible? But still, some pretty experimentally fun stuff here!

incomprehensibly pretentious just the way I like it - 10/10

So eclectic, at some points made me feel like I was in one of those dreams where you can't tell if it's a nightmare or not. Like any minute something will go wrong but it never quite does.

Da beef man

An hour and a half of agony

I don’t know if “Safe as Milk” means that you’re safe or unsafe

Got into this a good decade or so ago, needs a couple of listens to appreciate how great it is, while also being pretty accessible straight away. I love the fact that Dropout Boogie is followed immediately by I'm Glad, two songs that couldn't be more different to eachother. The listener settles back and relaxes into the silky soul. And then wham! Electricity wallops them in the face. So many bangers. Fucking magical album.

amazing and inventive

I bought this album a few weeks ago. It's funny because for years, I avoided Captain Beefheart like the plague, just because of the hoax/scam/swindle that Trout Mask Replica is (at least to my ears). I think I'm an open-minded person, but there's a limit to the sort of musical nonsense one should be exposed to. And affecting some sort of conceptual pretension to justify the barrage of sheer crap that this other record is is NOT an acceptable solution for me. I'd rather plug my ears with toilet paper, thank you. In other words, Thelonious Monk, my ass (to refer to a stupid comparison I've often read to describe Beefheart's hoax here). Trout Mask Replica is just an interesting footnote in the pages of music history, not an essential album you must absolutely listen to. I'll fight tooth and nail anyone who says the contrary. Even a genius like David Lynch (who once said he loves this record). The thing is, it was a stupid mistake on my part to start my exploration of Beefheart's repertoire with this particular album. As it turns out, I really like what Beefheart and his "magic band" did before TMR (*Safe As Milk*) and after it (*The Spotlight Kid*). The grassroots yet twisted tunes of *Safe As Milk*, especially, have something quite addictive to them. Beefheart's growl on this collection of blues songs serves them right--as in opener "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do"--just as said growl nicely contrasts with the stellar musicianship of the band (including a young Ry Cooder, or so I hear). I also enjoy the stylistic asides this record go through, especially the more psychedelic cuts or that mock doo wop soul ballad that "I'm Glad" is. And my oh my! "Electricity". What an incredible track! Here is the sort of experimentation that can be both haunting and mesmerizing. I know David Lynch has been listening to this song as well (there's a literal quote of Von Vliet's delivery of the song's chorus in the Twin Peaks movie, for instance). And here I certainly won't contend with man's genius. This song and its incredible instrumentation is the cherry on the cake here. And its inclusion in *Safe As Milk* finally reconciled me with anything Beefheart. Except Trout Mask Replica, of course. Maybe with more *real* groove and a theremin, as in "Electricity", I would have liked that other album. Too bad Von Vliet never thought of that. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

About as good as it gets. First track 'Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do' has one of the greatest opening lines in rock music. The run of 'Electricity', 'Yellow Brick Road', Abba Zabba' and 'Plastic Factory' is remarkable, packing in more than many bands do in their careers. 'Abba Zabba' is one of my favourite songs of all time - there's one point where Ry Cooder's guitar simply glides. Beefheart sounds utterly demented, utterly in control. There was no need for any blues rock after 'Plastic Factory', it's all there, right there.

Quite the introduction to Captain Beefheart. Definitely need to hear more of him. This shit is cool.

Pretty good, but I sure they'll never make a dime. 4 stars.

6/2 be fart

I hate Captain Beefheart.

Now THIS is why I’m doing this challenge, to find music that’s new to me and hopefully discover some gems. Today I hit the motherlode; I’m a new fan. I don’t know what I expected but the mix of Louisiana gutbucket blues, 50s soul & R&B, 60s rock and just about everything else they could throw in works. There’s even a track that sounds like the roots of what will become Punk. Every track is so different than the next that I find myself sucked in, waiting to be surprised. And how can you go wrong when the lead singer sounds like a buzzed Wolfman Jack?I know their next release has the famous “fish face” on the cover; if it’s anything like this I’ll be smiling.

If a bunch of stoned white kids are going to play Chicago Blues, thank the Lard that it's this group. This is what the Yardbirds, Cream, and the rest of those Brits aspired to but were too insecure and pretentious about their skills to do right. Lean into the Howlin' Wolf and Willie Dixon, but get WEIRD about it. Roll a fat joint in the crease of the album jacket and puff-puff-pass, as the Good Lard intended.

Now this is the kinda music ppl in the 70s did drugs to. Captain Beefheart's Wikipedia page is an interesting read, he was an eccentric guy and a musical innovator. You can hear the early beginnings of punk rock mixed in with blues/jazz. It's such a cool and unique sound, I think this opened the door for a lot of experimental stuff coming in the years after. I'm Glad ❤️❤️❤️ Electricity💜💜 Zigzag Wanderer 💜💜

Oh Captain my Captain! The thing that really annoys me about Trout Mask is that is completely overshadows the rest of his his exceptional output. Lennon loved this record and for two good reasons: great song writing and a great performance by the band. He sets the template for so much pop music to come, he's got a fine ear for melody does Don, but he also know how to create the right feel through the performance. We often think about the context in which these 60's records appear, and this must have sounded amazing to 1967 ears. So much of what he's doing with each and every genre on this record has now become part of the modern soundscape, but back then, oy vey! Ry Cooder is Al Kooper's music doppelganger, whenever he pops up, he does to great effect. I don't think he's ever been on a bad record, what a player. And who has been listening to this record in their sheds eh? I'd count young Tommy Waits and those two kids from Akron Ohio known as the Black Keys as dedicated fans of this album amongst many others. And I wonder if Georgie Harrison started thinking about doing his thing on the slide after listening to this (might be why he asked Delaney to show him how to do it). Each song is splendid, a truly great record.

First album of Captain Beefheart might be his best. Combination of blues and psychedelic rock: very accessible but still far from being straightforward. Favourite track: Electricity.

Started off strong, tapered off

good album, I can understand its importance

It was weird. I think getting so many experimental ground breaking albums in such a short time is taking it's toll on me. 4/10

An unenjoyable listen

Love their swampy psychedelic bluesy sound

A classic, and a personal favourite - but on reevaluation I did find it more pleasant to listen to a mono version, oddly. The vocals especially have a weird channel distribution at times that I wasn't really digging

a little weird but a lot of fun. i went in knowing very little about captain beefheart but it was really enjoyable. it’s my understanding his other album on the list is a lot weirder and not as fun, im looking forward to it

What a wild album

I don't consider myself an *out and out* Beefhead but I think his more accessible albums - particularly this one and Clear Spot -are genius slices of avant-garde Delta blues psychedelia. Abba Zaba is one of the songs of the 60s for me and as a whole album I don't think this is far behind.

fast and bulbous!

Electricity is the only song from this album I really knew properly though I think I have listened to Safe as Milk before. It's a great blues rock sound and a much better entry point to the strange world of Beefheart than Trout Mask Replica.

Here’s the beef!

I LOVED seeing so many five star reviews for this album. About thirty in a row. Beautiful. I gave this a lot of listens a few years ago as part of a campaign to appreciate Beefheart, and quickly became obsessed with it (also TMR, LMDOB). A terrific album.

This was great. Loved that final freak out.

wow this is amazing... was expecting "Frownland" but this is much more pleasant but still experimenetal. All the songs are great, even the extra disc of instrumentals at the end.

This guys music is out there. I love it.

I discovered Captain Beefheart 2 summers ago. I read some of the reviews about Trout Mask Replica. I listened to some of Trout Mask Replica. I understood the reviews. Then I got this album with songs I recognized and a few new ones. Thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. *zig zag*

Sounding like the bastard offspring of delta blues, this beautifully strange album combines RnB, doo-wop, country and psychedelic rock to mesmerising effect. What sticks out is how tight and disciplined the band play and how little improvisation there is. Basically it's quite a radio friendly record (the songs mostly just over 2 minutes) although I doubt Don Van Vliet's gruff voice had too many DJs spinning these tracks on AM radio back in 1967. The Captain's voice is, of course, terrific. The mood is generally playful and there's plenty of highlights. My personal faves are 'Abba Zabba', 'Yellow Brick Road', 'Zig Zag Wanderer' and 'Autumn's Child's. But there's no duff tracks and for my money, this is one of the best, most consistent records of the decade.

It's Capt Beefy - has to be 5 stars.

Nasteeee as shit! But on a good way and I loved it!

1967. Blues. Folk Rock. Acid Rock. 9/10 Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do/Zig Zag Wanderer/ Call On Me/. Dropout Boogie/I'm Glad/Electricity/Yellow Brick Road/Abba Zaba/Plastic Factory/Where There's Woman/Grown So Ugly/Autumn's Child

Wow it's so cool to listen to bands who have influenced your favorite bands I can definitely hear how early Grateful Dead was influenced by Caption Beefheart & His Magic Band. What a joy listening to Chicago blues and psychedelic rock fusion.

goofy. dinky. fun music. thank you beefheart

Incredibly fun to listen to. It’s like a virtuoso Gremlin got really into delta blues and psychedelic rock and threw an album together.

Epic

Discazo. Nunca lo había escuchado, ni sabía de su existencia, y me pareció una barbaridad. No me imagino lo que fue esto en los sesenta.

A masterpiece. Just such a fun and unique album.

I kind of loved this one. The name of Beefheart was familiar through collaborations with Frank Zappa, but I had never heard his music before. It's sort of a wild mix based on blues rock but also with touches of what would later be known as sludge, southern americana, grunge even. At times, this albums also sounds something of a predecessor to the kind of southern-influenced-mash-up indie rock that is still popular today (think Counting Crows and Black Keys). In any case, this was vastly ahead of it's time, and fantastic throughout in terms of musicianship.

A dirty, fun blues/psych rock record from the 60's. I like that this has the personality of the band and captain beefheart with none of the artsy, avant garde stuff from trout mask replica. While that album may be more unique and technically impressive, it's good to know they still have the capability to write instant catchy songs as well and makes me appreciate them more.

i love this album. Captain Beef is severely underrated in my opinion.

Till now, the only Beefheart album I'd ever listened to was "Trout Mask Replica", and like most, I always found it intriguing but inaccessible and impenetrable, no matter how many times I subjected myself to it. This album, though, is solid. Actual tunes, great bluesy vocals with a hefty dose of soul, and some excellent guitar riffs. I'll becoming back to this one.

Always wanted to listen to Captain Beefheart so this is a fantastic opportunity! This is wonderful blues rock with an artsy bend to it that clearly influenced a lot of following acts, including his contemporary Frank Zappa. Long live Beefheart!

this is built for more than background music and I might have to come back to it. but even tired, this is interesting and fun to listen to :)

Blues rocks master work, one of the best

Catchy, anarchic blues.

Trip friendly. 70s before 70s. Very weird panning but very cool and great all around.

Might revisit

For a second was scared it was Trout Mask Replica - then realised this is the record I like - it’s stellar start to finish. Love this album.

Having heard Trout Mask Replica before this album, this one seems almost genteel with something resembling conventional form for a lot of the album. You can see the demon horns of experimentation start to peek its way in right from the beginning, but hasn't gone off the deep end until Frank Zappa's guidance with Trout Mask Replica. Heavily blues influenced, with some R&B variation thrown in. Some of it feels like it could be Psychedelic but it lacks the reverb-spacey sound for the guitar. Among my faves: I'm Glad sounds almost doo-wop/50's soul.... Yellow Brick Road sounds kind of like CCR... Autumn Child sounds the most like a psychedelic song... The 3 instrumentals: On Tomorrow, Big Black Baby Shoes, and Dirty Blue Gene, as well as Trust Us, all start showing that going off the deep end that was greatly explored in the next album.

I was introduced to Capt Beefheart in college through Trout Mask Replica, which I anticipate seeing in this list. Weird, challenging album. Entirely unique and honestly haven't heard it in ages. I was introduced to Safe as Milk about a year afterwards (2005 or so). I was shell shocked by how much more accessible the album was and truthfully genius. You can clearly here where the band is going and where their influences came from. A wonderful blues album that gets slightly more acid laced psychedelic as it goes on. The CD reissue tracks are clearly unfinished but if you wrap the album up after the Autumns Child you have a wonderful and cohesive 12 song run. The Grown So Ugly cover also inspired me to listen to the Black Keys, which is definitely a positive for the early Black Keys work. Top Tracks, Zig Zag Wanderer, Where there's woman, Grown so ugly

What. A. Ride. Did not expect what came through my headphones when I put this on. I’m a sucker for a steel slide guitar and a gravelly blues voice. Loved how the songs seemed to grow organically, like they all sat down and someone came up with a riff or had a little fragment they were fiddling with and suddenly there’s a full blown jam session. 5/5 magic beefhearts

What a blast this album is. Putting this on high rotation for sure. Fave track is easily Electricity. Zig Zag Wanderer, and Abba Zaba are highlights too. I can see why people seem to be into I'm Glad and I'm sure it'll grow on me.

Oh man, I really tarred this with the "Trout Mask Replica" brush and have barely listened to it, on the assumption it's avant-garde AF. It's actually really accessible and I'm digging it a lot! Will definitely be revisiting. Fave tracks - "Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do" and "Zig Zag Wanderer" are great openers. "Electricity" and "Abba Zabba" are the true highlights though.

This is one of my favourites, I had already heard this plenty of times, but it's so delightfully off-kilter, him being best mates with Frank Zappa means Beefheart is more than a bit out there in his musical approach. This is classic 60s avant-garde rock, but don't take that to mean it's hard to enjoy, the music is fantastic all the way through.

Amazing album I never knew existed. Reminds me of Ty Segall or KGLW

On the surface, it can seem like this album is solid blues inspired rock. A closer listen will reveal experimental rhythms, chromaticism, and avant garde lyrics. This album feels like a joyous fever dream and is very much a product of its time. Having said that, I think this album is brilliant. Its grooves pull you in and its, melodies and rhythms keep you there. I'm not sure what to make out of much of the lyrics, but I suppose that's the fun of avant garde music.

This is the only Captain Beefheart album I thoroughly enjoy. Stuff like Trout Mask Replica is too experimental for me. I like him more when his weirdness is tethered to traditional form. Here he’s still strange and unique and unpredictable, but he’s matched with songs that are catchy and flat out rock. This is one of my favorites of the Nuggets psychedelic garage rock era.

Beatles-lite. Great jams.

"Zig Zag Wanderer" - a bop, "I'm Glad" - a sad banger. Cpt. Beefheart & His (indeed) Magic Band had absolute range with this album. Loved loved it!

Its a great album, altough it can be a little hard to listen if the person are not used to prog/jazz/experimental. But for me its amazing.

I only knew "so glad" which is a song I really liked, but the rest of the album was great too! Seems like quite a progressive sound for 1967, I can see how it has gone on to be very influential.

A very pleasant mix of the Doors, Animals, and Ben E. King. Got completed for playing it and will definitely listen again. 4.75

A great Blues Rock record. I like the energetic first half of the record more but the rest is still fantastic!

Didn't expect it to like it this much. Sounded raw and heavy and at other times like soul. Good stuff.

Spot on

Great

Safe as Milk.

Safe As Milk is probably the most accessible Captain Beefheart I’ve listened to but that doesn’t mean it lacks weird. I’ve always enjoyed this album, bluesy, Jammy, quirky. Beefheart even slows it down and gets romantic on I’m so Glad. This is a 5 star

I've heard of Captain Beefheart a lot but had not ever listened and expected something much weirder. This is a charming, fairly unweird, blues-rock album and I liked it very much.

I debated whether to listen to the stereo or mono releases of this album and then decided to try both. I was surprised at the difference - the stereo presentation opens up the songs and I the difference was a lot more than I expected. This is one of those bands I kept hearing of over the years but I didn’t have any sense of what their music was like. The blues are strong here and I liked that part, but the more rock guitars and other interesting bits (like a theremin!) really hooked me. I didn’t think this was my style of music but Captain Beefheart may have made that thought obsolete. I guess I like my blues with a hit of acid. I listened to this four times in a row and each time liked this more and more. Fantastic!

This album stands the test of time! Straight ahead blues rock Crank it up and ENJOY the Captain!!!

COOLIO DADDY

Absolutely fantastic album. Five stars. Gets a pretty regular rotation from me.

Didn’t know what to expect, loved this.

excellent!

Wow! What a great album. I really should have listened to more of Captain Beefheart when I was younger. It's certainly more accessible than TMR, but still off enough to make it stand out from most 1960's artists. This will certainly be getting a few more listens in future.

This album is FAR better than Trout Mask Replica. I understand this was his first album and he hadn’t “found his sound” yet. If critics want to lie to themselves and dress up the turd that is Trout Mask, go for it I guess. There are actual songs throughout this album…many of them are good. Is it perfect? No, but at least I can enjoy it. This record reminds me Gris-Gris by Dr. John…another cool discovery on this project. They both have a swampy New Orleans psychedelic vibe that I’m finding I truly love.

Safe As Milk is a strange beast. It’s not an album that gets under your skin right away, but it has a glint in its eye and a crooked kind of energy that keeps pulling you back. Not because everything works – but because something feels different. It’s blues, it’s psychedelic rock, and it’s pure nonsense. But somehow it all holds together. My favorite tracks are “Zig Zag Wanderer,” “Dropout Boogie,” “Yellow Brick Road,” and the bizarre “Abba Zaba” – songs that balance the catchy with the completely chaotic in a wonderfully reckless way. Captain Beefheart’s voice is an experience in itself – rough, theatrical, and never boring. When he steps back, as in the more instrumental sections, the album loses some of its soul and starts to feel a bit monotonous. But that just makes the vocal-driven songs come alive even more. This isn’t a top 100 album for me, but it’s one I’m genuinely glad to know. It stands out – bold enough to be silly and artistic at the same time. Not everything hits the mark, but when it does, it’s like getting a crooked smile from a man with a guitar and a wild idea. 4/5

Truly safer than Beefheart's 1969 masterpiece, Safe as Milk is still unlike anything you've heard before: 'High voltage man kisses night to bring the light to those who need to hide their shadow deed'; 'Song before song before song blues / Babbette baboon abba zaba zoom.' Weirdness ever rules the day here, but listenability is hardly an obstacle you'll need to overcome. The same can't be said about Trout Mask Replica. My favorite tracks, the R&B-inspired 'I'm Glad' and the somehow catchy 'Electricity,' are permanent achievements. Finally, however, the debut is a mere tuneup for his far more virtuosic, erudite, and satisfying masterwork. A first step in the evolution of our foremost musicologist. 'Harvest moon be nimble.'

Day509 - i wasn’t expecting straight up blues then r&b from the captain. all in all i really enjoyed it

One of my biggest fears came true… I enjoyed a Captain Beefheart album.

I will not include the CD bonus tracks in this review. Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band are a group that I started listening to within the past year. In fact, I already heard two tracks from their debut right here, "Zig Zag Wanderer" and "Electricity". Don Van Vilet, the man who would assume the on-stage persona of Captain Beefheart, started as a young sculpting apprentice. However, his parents never financially supported his pursuit of such a career due to pre-conceived notions of artists as being "queer". Don would become so bitter that he abandoned art until he turned 23. He and his family moved during his teenage years to the Mojave Desert area, where he developed his taste in music from the blues and jazz musicians who were popular around this time. Don made friends with the members of local bands, one of whom was Frank Zappa. Through frequent collaborations with Zappa, Don started getting comfortable performing at small clubs and venues. He was invited to front the first iteration of the Magic Band by guitarist Alex St. Clair and assumed the role of Captain Beefheart. After a few other lineup changes and going through a few labels with their demos, the band was able to record and release their debut, Safe as Milk. Right from the get-go, the Magic Band wore their influences on their sleeve with this record, particularly the Delta blues that Don and the rest grew into, while taking the style into a more garage rock direction. It does get abrasive and esoteric in places, with the grainy production quality, John French's well-accented percussion, the twin guitar complement of Alex and Ry Cooder, and the occasional use of theremin by Sam Hoffman on "Electricity" and "Autumn's Child". Of course, the standout player would be Don as Captain Beefheart, able to croon and howl like the big-name blues musicians while stretching his voice to higher registers that weren't thought of back in 1967. There were even moments where he sang gravelly on tracks like "Dropout Boogie" and "Electricity", which were probably alien for the time but pretty cool to find all these years later. If anything, the band played it "safe" on Safe as Milk and could've gone a little weirder. Yeah, this is the group's debut album, where they were getting their foot in the door by keeping themselves rooted in the Delta blues with little variations. There's potential for growth here in distinguishing themselves from their influences, which I'm sure has been explored in the rest of their catalog. All in all, this was a solid debut from Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band. I'd be interested to hear how they turned out a little later down the line.

Fun fun fun

Wow, what a fun ride this one was! I love how eccentric and whimsical the songs are without being too far-out. Electricity and Abba Zaba were especially surreal. I also really liked Zig Zag Wanderer and Autumn's Child.

3.5/5.0: Very Good

This is almost the ultimate border of creativity.

I /just/ listened to Trout Mask Replica, so the timing of this is excellent. I like this much more - this isn't a review of TMR, but this is unquestionably the better album if we were comparing. It's almost incomparable, and I only am as both are Beefheart albums, but where Trout... is lauded as maybe the better 'art' I think this is where the Captain's talents are maybe better placed. This is very accessible, varied and interesting - big fan!

Yeah I just listened to it twice in a row. While it’s not a perfect album, it probably my favourite one so far. The stand out track for me was “Zig Zag Wanderer.”

I never really had much interest in checking out Captain Beefheart, mostly because of the Zappa association, but I think maybe I shouldn’t have been so reticent. Make no mistake, this is still weirdo rock, but it’s for grimey weirdos, not uptight, self-important weirdos like Frank Zappa is.