Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Good, but not my thing.
went into this with a scowl on my face after troutmask and was pleasantly surprised to discover some actual songs on here instead of noisy dicking around. it's still mostly the kind of 60s rock that drives me up the wall, but it is at least a listenable album.
Second star is for not being Trout Mask Replica
I've heard of Captain Beefheart over the years but never heard any of their music. It's difficult to pin a style on this. Best I could come up with is Blues mixed with some Rolling Stones and The Kinks, but even that's not close. Musically it's not a bad album but I just found lots of the vocals, e.g. Electricity, and lyrics, e.g. Abba Zaba, a bit too weird. There was a lot of weird music in the 60's so perhaps this shouldn't be surprising.
Okay ... so this is either an acquired taste, or something where you had to have been there to get it. I love lots of 60s experimental music, but this I just don't get!
Weird
A little more accessible than Trout Mask Replica but still weird enough to annoy.
I wanted to like it, but it didnt work for me
Not my thing. But funky
I liked I'm Glad, didn't really click with me otherwise
It started off okay but at some point, I actively wanted it all to stop listening. I got to the bonus tracks and didn't even bother with them...
The nicest thing I can say about this one is it’s probably not the worst album on the list so far
Some interesting moments, but some moments that needed to be skipped.
Funky stuff. Its just about ok.
Don't love it. Bluesier than I was expecting and definitely less weird, but not enough to put me over the top and say anything too kind about it.
I agree with the user who mentioned in their review that drugs would have helped while listening to this album lol. I like blues rocks/R&B but this wasn't for me. I found it to be pretty unpleasant to listen to most of the time. I liked the theremin. I just listened to the original 33 minute album, not the bonus tracks that would have made it longer than an hour. Guess I should brace myself for when I get Trout Mask Replica from what I've read so far.
It was different, I found myself less engaged and just enjoyed it in the background
Definitely better than Trout Head Replica but by the 2nd or 3rd song I was already skipping ahead to the next song after hearing the beginning of each successive song. 2.5/5
gad denkt ou naai. aber alles wo de ry cooder druf isch cha nöd soo scheisse sii. erste track premium slide ry intro. ich lieb de dude. he s sind zum teil kohärenti songs?? i'm glad isch en song song so. und finden nice :). aso vlt mess ich wells de captain beefheart isch au chli andersch. electricity meega cooli giti. wie hesch mit 20i scho so en eigene sound. abba zaba isch chli ass gad. de captain mues amel scho chli extra schräg sii. schochli dum. plastic factory tönt wieder bluesig, verzerrt mega geil. aber de captain singt weird und ich find s git etz besseri bluesrock songs. nüt bsunders. ha die letste paar au ehner ustuschbar beefheartig gfunde. weiss nöd ganz wiso dem typ so viel platz geh wird.
I read in the liner notes that Captain Beefheart (aka Don Van Vliet) had difficulty finding a label to release “Safe As Milk” because it was too unconventional. That surprises me, because to me it sounds like a normal blues rock album with great guitar sound (Ry Cooder!) and poorly produced vocals. The experimental elements I expected are few and far between and, for my taste, not well placed. You could probably describe the Captain's singing style as “experimental,” but in my opinion, that would just be a nice way of saying that he doesn't measure up to the Magic Band and their songs. As for the latter, the relatively well-known “Yellow Brick Road” stands out slightly for me.
Not for me, but I'm Glad brought it another star. 2.5/5. Captain Beefheart, eh?
Much better than Trout Mask Replica. Still nothing I would return to. 2.5/5
Didn't enjoy it that much, maybe I will if I relisten. But for now it is below average, 2 stars.
Meh. Old and aged beyond being weird
Honestly no. Terrible.
Psykedeelistä ja blues rokkia, aika räyhäkkää. Vähän ehkä liian sekavaa ja kokeellista ollakseen kauheen hyvää. Vaikka ei nyt toki hirveimmästäkään päästä. Tavallaan kuitenkin sellainen ihan hyvä ajan hengen fiilis. Parhaat: Autumn's Child, I'm Glad
Meh
Well its not Trout mask replica so that is a positive and the first track gave me some hope with it’s bluesy feel. From there it is either boring standard blues rock or the occasional foray into something that points to their more experimental future. Better than the experimental guff, but still not for me
Having still not recovered from the last time I had to listen to Captain Beefheart, I dreaded starting this. The biggest compliment that it can have is that it’s nothing like “that” album - indeed, it sounds completely different, as if it’s by a totally different artist. I still didn’t like it, though. It’s just not for me.
Again another act I must be tone deaf to, and really missing the innovative etc.etc. that is being labelled on this. I just don’t hear the "freak out" experiment that people are saying. Band/person heard a lot about never heard. Gather this is early album and not as weird as led to believe they can be? That trout face thing always comes up. Maybe time has dulled the impact of this or without knowing all the background noise like the early Zappa it just comes over to me as competent white blues and r&b at best, nothing innovative. Dressing it up as eccentric is just covering up the songwriting being a bit, well shit. Well I have now heard them/him and not sure I gained anything, not revisiting 2 Star.
I was listening to this album as I was reading Stoner by John Williams, and an hour went by in a totally 1966 "twee-psych" manner which is serviceable and inoffensive.
2.5 A couple songs I thought were okay, but I really didn’t need to listen to two Captain Beefheart albums in my life.
It was pretty decent. Not something I’d search back out though
On balance, annoying.
5/10
2-/5
2 sterne
could i write poetry to this? n
Okay, fair. ONE Captain Beefheart album and that's it. Here it is and it's just like everyone says...weird and somehow influential. We're talking about it, so it must be art or something, right? I'm just glad to get it over with. But I'd better not see "Trout Mask Replica" on here or I'm gonna be pissed.
ok
Not so magic
Very strange album. Almost felt like an early Frank Zappa impression, but worse in every way. Some decent songs and the shorter runtime helps, but largely forgettable and not noteworthy. Top tracks: I'm Glad, Plastic Factory
I was expecting the worst because Trout Mask Replica was quite possibly the worst album in the entire 1001 list so far. With that expectation, this album actually wasn't *that* bad. It has a kind of traditional blues-rock sound. But towards the end of the album is starts becoming kind of annoying, especially tracks like: On Tomorrow, Trust Us, Korn Ring Finger. So in the end it's still not an album I want to hear again.
Comparing this to Trout Mask Replica puts this at a 3. Comparing it to anything else puts it at a 2. Grading down for today.
Prescindible
Nope, too old for me.
eh
Weird shit, man. Not that that is bad, it's just weird.
Just when I start enjoying a song, some guy starts doing a weird voice. Not good enough to justify the weirdness
can’t tell if i hate it or if i’m neutral towards it
Just ok
Genre defying, and silly to the point of annoying. Still, there are really great guitar riffs buried in here. Not a total waste of time.
"Safe As Milk" was strangely accessible despite Captain Beefheart's, er, ""singular"" sound. I still found the album's polyrhythmic sound and Beefheart's passionate...growls...to be deeply overwhelming though. Maybe I'll give myself another ten-or-so years to train my ears, and then, I'll return to the album.
Pretty weird and playful. Not exactly my jam, but I certainly love how it pushes the envelope.
At the heart of this, there are some good blues tunes. Unfortunately (intentionally) it is if they are mocking music and embracing weirdness. Which wouldn't necessarily a bad thing, IF it was done in a progressive or interesting way. I'm also not a fan of the gravelly vocals used on a good number of the tracks. There is some deranged genius here, but I guess this is the result you get when you let the drugs do the talking.
Self-indulgent
I hate it
THERE WAS ONE GOOD SONG ON THIS. I’m glad IS THE ONLY REASON WHY THIS ISNT A 1/5. 60’s psychedelic rock SUCKS AND I CANT STAND IT. Omg wow how good does drugs make music, hahahaahahahhaha. It’s boring, whilst trying to be pretentious. AND THIS ALBUM GOES ON FOR 70 MINS ???????? ALSO WHATS UP WITH THE PANNING ON THIS ALBUM????? The sound and mixing engineer should never be allowed to be on any other records because this is such a piss poor job of how to treat music. Also the main singer just sounds drunk the whole album, ur not a vibe… Edit. I wrote this 2 songs before the ending. Oh god. How bad are the last 2 songs. How did this even pass production. They approved this?????
You know it was a good sounding road trip album however it became completely unmemorable and a bit dull though it.
I liked the more blues-y stuff but overall this is not for me
Basking in mild lunacy, drugs drawing others into the glow, a youth full of freedom and abandon. Older, sober, amused, slightly embarrassed. Wistful for better days? Can’t go back, please don’t try. Not a good look.
Once upon a time, there was was a guy in my dorm who had the best stereo and the best weed and a penchant for medieval weapons. Sometimes I'd get high with him and he'd play really terrible Captain Beefheart albums. I was afraid this would be like that, but it wasn't quite.
Safe As Milk is the debut album from Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. Captain Beefheart is the stage name for Don Van Vliet. Guitarist Alex St. Clair founded the band, but over time, the band evolved into a backing band for Van Vliet. During the band's original run, Van Vliet was the only consistent member. While they never achieved significant commercial success, they gathered a cult following, and enough support for a reunited version, which toured for a decade without Van Vliet. The band made psychedelic, blues-based rock. It's heavy, and intense at times - weird and intense enough that it may have been a bit-too-much for mainstream success.
Well, it's better than Trout Mask Replica!!
At three tracks in, everything I have heard so far sounds pretty deeply nested within the country/rock/hippie genre that was in fashion at the time. Dropout Boogie is pretty bad, and apparently starts a shift in the album to "weird and not really good" Electricity has a lot of really annoying shit in it Abba Zaba: ridiculous. Couldn't finish Grown So Ugly: bluesy and not bad at all Safe as Milk Take 5: needed at least a 6th take Big Black Baby Shoes: disclaimer: I am not a guitarist. These guitars are out of tune and terrible sounding Flower Pot: WILL IT EVER BE OVER? Trust Us: I almost didn't make through the intro. The song actually wound up to be maybe my favorite on the album so far. Pretty low bar there though. Oops, wrote that before the 3 hour outro. No thanks Korn Ring Finger: Absolutely fucking not. Terrible Final thoughts: Not great, overall. Weird, atonal, and uninspiring. Also, perhaps the squeakiest drum pedal in all of recorded music history
It twangs like '67, but nothing really draws me in to want to listen more. And there's too much to listen to on this already.
This record is okay, until it's not. How much fuck around time does one album need? Here it's half.
i didn’t love this. i do really like psychedelic rock and a lot of the stuff seemingly in the same realm as these guys but this didn’t really do anything for me. i think it might be because of the heavier blues base that they had going on
About halfway through, my sole thought was, gee, this is a lotta beefheart.
4/10 - another strange album but this one was more fun to listen to. The guitar was sometimes interesting
Second album proposé par le générateur après 'Trout Mask Replica' que j'avais noté 1/5. Ce second album est plus abordable. Je n'apprécie toujours pas la voix du chanteur, mais là les morceaux sont plus construits tout en restant originaux (+1). Il évite donc la note minimale, mais le chant me rebute tellement que je ne souhaite pas l'écouter une seconde fois. =>2/5
Didn't grab me at all.
Nichts ist hängegeblieben. Es war einfach da und es ging vorbei.
Very strange band, and music. Figure you can only enjoy it ,unless your high.
I saw the band name and was instantly like, "oh god, another 60s band" Kinda funky. kinda weird, kinda aimless? 2*
bof
A bit weird rock music. Didn't like it much. Stand-out: Yellow Brick Road
I've been down all the roads that run parallel and cross over this one so I am very familiar with the territory and don't feel like I've discovered much by listening to this all the way through. I'm sure in its original context this probably is more noteworthy and I feel like I'm coming into it wrong footed.
started from thats quited good ended with ok it's boring make it stop
Weird and kind of funny-annoying, I'd not visit this again lol
you know, some people just music isn’t their thing and that’s okay
I can understand why my younger self at the age of 14 would not like this record. I was much too immature to appreciate blues music when my head was being turned by the sounds of The Beatles. A few years later thanks to the likes of Clapton the Blues did awaken in me. My record collection therefore has a sizeable amount of Blues associated music but alas no Captain Beefheart (even Trout Mask Replica). So today I listened to this album with the intention of probably righting this wrong. It turns out that in fact there is no wrong to be righted. Not certain if you can pigeon hole this pure Blues and after listening confirmed my suspicions all along that Captain Beefheart was more a product of Southern States drawl if you get my meaning. Turns out my younger self was right all along (as he normally is - the little bastard) 2/5 20/5/25
Listened Before? N These goofy mofos. Musically this album is pretty good. It just feels like a giant joke - much like their other stuff I've heard. Sometimes it borders on serious before going back to it's tongue in cheek humor. I don't really like it overall. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: I'm Glad
This is my first time experiencing Beefheart, so my opinion may change the more I listen to them. This sounds like music for people that don’t enjoy listening to music
Not bad, don't think I'm likely to go back to this one necessarily
Nee joh, een verzameling manieren om kinderachtig te zingen. Volgens het boek is het een 'doorleefde bluesstem'. Kom op... Er is in elk geval voldoende variatie. Saai kan ik het niet noemen. Daarmee kan ik er nog wel 1,5 ster voor over hebben.
Ik ben Kapitein Vleeshart en ik doe met een gek stemmetje Muddy Waters na. Ik ben Kapitein Vleeshart en ik doe met een gek stemmetje Jefferson Airplane na. Ik ben Kapitein Vleeshart en ik doe met een gek stemmetje Ray Charles na. Het lijkt een grote parodie op muziekstijlen als delta blues, folkrock en rhythm n blues. Moet ik deze man serieus nemen? Neemt hij de muziek wel serieus? Neemt hij zijn collega's serieus? Wat wil hij met deze muziek zeggen? Is hij oprecht bezig om mooie of goede muziek te maken of loopt hij expres de boel te verstieren met gekke stemmetjes en rare geluidjes. Het stomme is dat de achtergrondmuziek best prima is. Alleen lijkt het meer een verzameling diss-tracks. Voor de muziek zou ik een 4 kunnen geven, maar ik kan er niet om heen dat ik er ook boos door word. Dit zijn van die gasten die je een klap op hun muil wil geven en tegen ze zeggen dat ze gewoon normaal moeten doen. Ga muziek maken. Het is dat ik bij dit album geen Muldertje hoef te pullen, zoals bij het vorige album wat we van hem kregen. Deze heb ik redelijk eenvoudig af kunnen luisteren. Maar ik twijfel of ik dat album laat meewegen. Dat had zoveel strafpunten, dat ik er nog wel een paar over heb om dit ook mee omlaag te halen.
Albumi #178, 17.03.2025 Safe As Milk on Captain Beefheart & His Magic Bandin debyyttialbumi vuodelta 1967. Ihan kiinnostavaa musisointia, mutta silti aika perusmeininkiä.
When I first started thinking about putting a number rating on this I thought: “Well, a lot of it isn’t that weird and unpleasant so I can give it a three (obviously some of it is a bit weird and unpleasant)” But then what if the bits that are “normal” and “pleasant”? They’re not actually all that good, they’re just surprising like standard music. So if the lows are low and the highs are only OK, I think we have to go with a two.
I had high hopes....there were moments...not enough of 'em tho.
I’m lactose intolerant
An experimental album that just falls on its face with more missteps than success.
No los conocía. Suenan muy bien, pero no es lo que me apetece últimamente. La primera canción es bastante buena: "Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do".
A precursor to their infamous Trout Mask Replica album, though not nearly as experimental. Safe As Milk still displays some of Captain Beefheart's oddball delivery with his interesting vocals and playful lyrics. Is it alright? Sure, but it also comes across as incredibly unpolished an amateurish. This is a rough draft of some pretty middle-of-the-road songs. It's fine.
Whew. This was not easy. Had peaks and valleys. more valleys... Capt Beefheart was ahead of their time, but when their time caught uo with them, that still did not help.
Far from the worst thing I've ever heard (especially considering I know what's coming with another Captain Beefheart album on this list), but overall still a really sloppy and boring album.
Too much going on to enjoy for me. Some cool concepts but not enough space to flesh any of them out. I might come back to explore but this is not a great introduction.
Yeah, no. Sixties fayre that, i think, tried to be at the slightly edgier/alternative end of the spectrum. I just found it lacked the purity of others of this time and none of the hooks.
Not a huge fan. Electricity was a stand out track for me, but overall kind of boring blues with not great instrumentation.
Boy another tough album to rate. I thought the range from blues to rock to weird and even some R&B sounding song (I'm Glad) was pretty interesting. But in the end seem to drag on a bit too long for me. Though the first half the album was the strongest and there were a few songs that stood out for me. The opening 2 songs were solid in Sure Nuff and Zig Zag. I'm Glad sounded remined me of and old R&B song, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Some of the stranger songs I enjoyed include Dropout Boogie and Electricity. This album was good enough to keep my interest for most of the way and there were several parts of the album I thought were pretty good. Not sure if I would ever seek these guys out, but overall it kept me listening. For the older crowd, the one singer sounds like Wolfman Jack. Ha. Another album right down the middle for me. 2.5
In Lieu of a review here are excerpts from Marc Maron's Thinky Pain: "Captain Beefheart has been hanging over me, like this weird, you know, cryptic– you know, I can’t even– I’m not even– I will never be smart enough or large enough of mind to assess and understand Captain Beefheart. Like, it’s just been hanging there, but as soon as I start getting into records, I was like, “I got to fucking understand Beefheart" ... "I just walk into this record store, and it was only open for, like, ten more minutes. I just barge in. I’m like, “Beefheart! Where’s the Beefheart?” And the the guy in there, it was almost as if he was expecting me. He’s like, “Yep.” And he walks me over to this bin, and I’m like, “WHICH one? WHICH one?” “Safe as Milk?” “All right, this is the one? All right, good.” And as I’m walking out, I see there’s a sealed Kraftwerk album, and I’m like, “Well, I’m still kind of gay.” So, like, I get that" ... "then I’m waiting in the line. I got my records, and there’s some big old weird-looking dude behind me, and I approached the cashier kid, and he says, “What’d you get?” I’m like, “You wouldn’t understand.” That’s what I’m doing in my mind. So I go, “I got Captain Beefheart.” He’s like, “Oh, really? Which one?” I’m like, “Safe as Milk.” He’s like, “That’s a good start.” I’m like, “Who the fuck are you?”
2 I don’t really know a ton about Captain Beefheart, though I do know he’s allegedly an avant-garde sort of musician courtesy of Frank Zappa’s circle of cronies and that him and his so-called Magic Band are responsible for Trout Mask Replica - an album I’m admittedly not super well-versed in but that gives off the impression it’s the kind of thing music nerds would refer to as “challenging” when what they really mean is “unlistenable”. I’ll reserve my judgment until I give it a proper listen (and I’m sure I will before this list is through), but I say that all to say I was very, very surprised with how accessible this album ended up being. Though, it’s still not particularly good. While there have been quite a few albums on this list thus far that have grown on me with repeat listenings, this ended up being one I found myself hating more and more each subsequent time through. You definitely hear traces of what’s to come with Beefheart’s later, more experimental work, but it doesn’t result in anything overly remarkable or enjoyable here, and compounded with the lo-fi recording style of the era, some of this stuff is flat-out grating. Like, holy shit, Electricity was borderline painful. If that’s a sign of things to come with Trout Mask Replica, God help us all. Thankfully, most of the stuff here isn’t THAT bad, with the vast majority of it sounding like pretty standard 60s rock fare, though there are two bright spots that elevate this above a 1 for me - one of those being Yellow Brick Road, which is probably the catchiest track to be found (I also admittedly have a bit of a soft spot for the Wizard of Oz), and the other being Plastic Factory, which is just a fun blues number, like the kind you would expect to hear walking into a saloon. I wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re two songs I’m itching to listen to again per se, but they at least stuck out to me. Overall, not great, and it doesn’t make me particularly excited to listen to TMR. Still, considering I am one of said music nerds with more pretentious takes than I’d care to admit, there’s probably a scarily decent chance I end up referring to it as challenging as well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Better then the other Beefy album on this list.
Pretty sick, some cool sounds and unique moments
Not sure how a selection like this makes it too the list?
How did this make the list? it sucked and is not innovative or influential.
- Sure, I see that it was a good album, and yeah, I technically like this style of music - I just got a bit bored listening to it
Better than the last one I listened to by captain beefheart but holy hell that is not hard
Vreemd en psychedelisch, maar niet op een goede manier
Late 60's jazzy/blues idiosyncrasy music. Influential for later punk/rock. Kinda whacky but ok to listen to
This was way more "normal" than the trout album, I will give it that. But then...doesn't that defeat the purpose of it being on the list?
I'm not familiar with Captain Beefheart, but hoping to not hear from him again. Maybe General Porkbrain would've done better.
Eh this was too eccentric and experimental. There were some highlights ("Zig Zag Wanderer") but that difficult tracks ("Dropout Boogie") were too much to get through.
cool blend of genres but it just didn’t click for me (outside of I’m Glad)
The panning messed me up. I am not judging it because it's from 1967 and they didn't know yet very much about mixing. The album itself is ok, it is pretty much like The Rolling Stones.
Weird and interesting. Not overly enjoyable though Standout songs: Zig Zag Wanderer Electricity
I like quirky but this wasn’t fun.
This was not good. I like the blues - this isn’t it
Ok
Ehh
Eh
Nah
Hard one to rate. It almost goes like an “every other song” situation, where one song is good, but the next song is just art for art’s sake. I did enjoy some of it, but I wouldn’t say I liked the album. Reminds me of Zappa, but without the musical talent to back it up.
Aimless, pointless musical meanderings - I hate the avant garde. There's some musicality there somewhere, but it never sticks around long enough.
Did not enjoy. Captain Beefheart sounds like the worst porno name I've ever heard.
Not for me
They're just not very good. At least it was better than the Trout one
..
Pretty out there. Also kind of bluesy. Interesting in a way. Not one I'd repeat play much though.
Safe As Milk is not as bad as Trout Mask Replica, but it's close.
There’s some fun but admittedly generic jamming in this album, and I will admit this sounds very dated compared to other favs of this era I’ve found through this challenge. I think I’ll leave this one to Parish New York.
Good classic rock
It's ok but not sure it's a must listen. TMR better
Psychedellic Blues? - Annoying bordering on the unlistenable. 2/5
Doesn’t have the weirdness of Trout Mask Replica but also doesn’t really have the uniqueness of it. Forgettable album save a few songs.
This ain't no trout mask replica
How does one even describe this music; Swampy prog-rock blues-funk? This is an enjoyable album, but I think it’s the musical equivalent of an impressionist painting. When you ‘zoom in’ on the particular lyrics, or the individual instruments in each arrangement it becomes less enjoyable. But when you focus on how it generally ‘feels,’ it feels very good- and somehow sounds simultaneously familiar and fresh. My favourite is the opening track; “Sure ‘Nuff ’n’ Yes, I Do.”
Had its moments, but not for me.
Hey I call them when I see this, this is just as unnecessary as the British version. We’ve had a bunch of psych rock already, next!
Definitely an interesting band name. On first impression this is going to be a difficult listen. The instruments completely drown out the vocals and this style of singing just grates on me. I like the upbeat instrumentations and attempts at experimentation but it all blends in at some point. Highlights: Call On Me
Different, variated, interesting... but didn't resonate with me. 4/10
No private session used for Spotify. Captain Beefheart is out there musically however this album was a little more straightforward which was a surprise, at least that is how the album started and then it got more into the Captain Beefheart I was used to and can take, but only in small doses.
#63 - Some good songs in here but the overall vibe is quite experimental and unfortunately grating.
Avant garde does not equal good……
Kinda sounds interesting but it's tot for me, middling 2.
I have a visceral memory of hearing Zig Zag Wanderer blasting in my basement waking me up with a terrible hangover, and thats how I felt listening to this whole thing; disoriented and mad. I'm Glad was okay but its the album high point. The lead singers voice gets incredibly grating at time, especially in Electricity (although the spooky sounds were a nice touch I guess). I appreciate the experimental psychadelic stuff for what it is but its mostly terrible.
No thanks. I didn’t enjoy Trout Mask Replica and I didn’t enjoy this
About as safe as old milk
Dudes voice is pretty bad. Not for me
Fine. I just didn't connect to it.
It’s funny. I love Tom Waits, but have never enjoyed some of the artists that I think you can draw direct lines to and from. This is a good example of one that I could take or leave.
It seemed like it had potential at the start but it got worse, not better
I will say this: it's better than "Trout Mask Replica." There's more of a sense of songs here, and not anti-songs, like in "TMR". I wouldn't call the album "Safe" by any means. There's still a sense of experimentation, but the songs still feel like there is a full band going through something here. Definitely the finished product is better than the bonus tracks. The instrumentals there go nowhere. I can see why the record company was so negative on "Electricity," but I would have been more "WTF" on "Abba Zaba". I'm a huge fan of Zappa, but Beefheart is to Dada for me. Still, there were a few tracks I liked: "Sure 'Nuff 'n Yes I Do," "Plastic Boogie" "When There Is Woman." Still, I can't recommend it. It's just too "we're being weird for weird's sake" for me, and not finding the actual song. But I didn't hate it.
This once again proves that my patience for psychedelic music is nil. I won’t deny that the irreverent tone is occasionally fun. But it’s a lot of nonsense underscored by music that I mostly find insufferable. 2/5
Favorite Track: I’m Glad
I don’t know, I found it kind of weird.
not my thing
Ein echtes blues album aber nicht schön für mich
Нечего сказать, простите
i'm really sad that i only liked 'I'm Glad' off of this album. i always loved that song and i thought that the rest of it would be the same, buuutt i was wrong. not for me, but that's fine!
Average at best...
I did not think I would like this, and I was right.
this is not the first band on this list that made me realize that musicians choose to make garbage and pass it off as music. i'm not saying i'm in love with safe as milk, but good lord, we now have solid proof that captain beefheart and his magic band can make music, unlike the monstrosity that is trout mask replica. safe as milk even has a steady presence in the blues genre. i wasn't even aware beefheart could have such a focus! the vocals leave something to be desired, but aside from that, there's solid instrumentation happening. i'm just so glad this album wasn't a chore that i am close to giving this a 5.
For what its worth, this album is somehow much more accessible than the other Beefheart album on this project, Trout Mask Replica. But don't get me wrong, this album is still Captain Beefheart at it's core, in every sense of the word. It's very bluesy and very folky, but is overlayed with a thick layer of garage, acid, and psychedelic weirdness and plenty of weird vocalizations and lyrics. And with these genres, they manage to achieve quite a bit of diversity on the album. I still don't think I liked this quite enough to make it a 3, but was surprised that I was able to tolerate it and even had moments where I kind of liked it.
fine...but also forgettable
Eclectic but not particularly noteworthy.
Decent, but not much there songwriting wise. Strengths in the guitar tone/riffs.
Beefheart is regularly noted as one of the most important influences on new wave, punk, grunge, and post-punk. John Peel, Lester Bangs, and Robert Christgau all love him. The tracks on this album that I liked all feature Ry Cooder going to town, so I don’t know if I like Beefheart like all of those knowledgeable music types do. It’s not that I didn’t like it; it’s that some of the non-Cooder tracks turned into annoying background noise.
Fine OK Nothing to write home about Liked that it was short
Not my cup of tea
# 224 : I don't love it. I don't hate it, it is ok but it's not particularly exciting and doesn't have anything catchy enough to make me want to give it a second listen. Yawn.
Voelt een beetje alsof dit een verzameling is van een hele hoop bekende bands, maar dat de nummers dan net allemaal net iets slechter zijn
Sure nuff - just your average blues with a steel guitar and rockabilly sound. 3/10 Zig Zag - 60s with raspy vocals. 3/10 Call on me - more freeform than the first two. 6/10 Dropout - psychedelic dance with a decent riff. 6/10 I'm glad - slow crap. 1/10 Electricity - 6/10. Decent music, nothing special Yellow Brick Road - crap. 1/10 ...that's enough. 2 star
the yellow brick road one was a big no no
Long and boring and felt very pretentious
Good mostly
Blues rock, garage rock, rhythm & blues, acid rock. Rollo.
Listened to the whole album but wondered why I left it on the whole time by the end. This album was ok but nothing special.
more to be admired than enjoyed
Blues rock, garage rock, rhythm & blues, acid rock. Rollo
Cha tiene su par de bangers pero está muy acido para mí. 4/10. Podría ser 5/10 pero me pasaría de generoso.
Important stuff, but not that fun to listen to. Trout Mask Replica is better.
Some of it was okay, and some of it is just a bit too experimental/weird for me
I could appreciate their musicianship. But I’m never going to listen to this again
I love the guitar
I dunno
Okay well… hmmm… no
Definitely a product of the times. Don't hate, but probably will never listen again.
Not a fan of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
I know nothing about this album and it was ok. But I didn't exactly want to know more. Ok listening.
Okay at times
Mostly a tough listen
Safe As Milk would be a sick band name
don't get quite how people see this guy as the godfather of modern rock/punk, actually preferred the madness of the other of his albums on this list
Didn't know milk was safe for Ramadan. Tried the stereo version, regretted it 15 seconds in. Not what I expected. Tbh I was in the mood for whatever mess Trout Mask Replica was so I got disappointed. Safe indeed.
not good but not bothersome
I'd heard of this band but never heard them. They were a bit Beatles, a bit Rolling Stones and started off too shouty and loud. I would be unlikely to listen to this again.
Hm nee, te eentonig en oubollig voor mij sorry
I've listened to Trout Mask Replica before, and this is significantly better. That is too say at least there's a few songs that are halfway decent. Still nothing great.
I was not expecting to think this lesser than the listenable case of Stockholm Syndrome that is Trout Mask Replica, but this album is far more dull than anything that album came up with. Replacing odd time signatures and recognizably talented instrumentation is boring bluesy rock 'n' roll with a singer who doesn't have a great voice, and nothing more. There isn't anything overtly ironic about this record compared to Frank Zappa's band at the time, and even if there us I'm not picking up on it. This record is probably a solid enough time if you follow the garage rock scene from the era, but this feels more like "predictable as milk."
My first exposure to Captain Beefheart. Mixed feelings on this. Although there’s some interesting playing musically on this, there’s also a fair share of noise and the vocal parts can be stupidly annoying at times
Not that safe. Or that decent
After the song Grown So Ugly, the album descended into some really weird stuff. Up until that point, it was a fairly solid blues rock album, similar by times to The Doors style of psychadelic blues rock. I must admit when I first saw the band name this morning, I got nervous of what I was in for because of the notoriety around the strange album Trout Mask Replica, however, the first song on this record: "Sure 'Nuff 'n' Yes, I Do", was a fantastic Delta blues number. Seems like this album was founded in good music, but the psychadelic drug use and experimentation just went too far, and things just kind of descended into a weird mess. It's a Shame, because the album started with so much promise. Favourite songs: "Sure 'Nuff 'n' Yes, I Do", Plastic Factory, Zig Zag Wanderer, Where There's Woman, I'm Glad, Yellow Brick Road Least favourite songs: Electricity, Autumn's Child, Safe As Milk, On Tomorrow, Big Black Baby Shoes, Dirty Blue Gene, Korn Ring Finger 2/5
You know, there's some gritty stuff in here but overall it feels too chaotic, unstructured given its potential. Was Beefheart changing up his band too often?
Only listened to a few tracks. Sad we didn’t get Trout Mask Replica
Not bad, a couple good tracks but all-in-all a little repetitive sounding
I really liked it at points but ultimately a bit too weird for me and not really my taste in music
This was a whole lot less "weird" than I expected it to be, given Beefheart's reputation. It turned out to be fairly run of the mill blues rock. I actually liked the more off-beat tracks best, like Abba Zaba. Maybe I'll love Trout Mask Replica once we get to it.
Tedious!
Maybe it's cuz I got this one right after Jeff Beck, but it seemed pretty generic. Did get me a nice nap, though.
favorites: zig zag wanderer, i'm glad, electricity
Weird, don’t like his vocals at all but some of the jams could be good I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it
Startet erfrischend mit R&B, aber wird dann teilweise zu psychadelisch einzelne Songs gefallen aber das Album weniger
Better than the previous captain Beefheart but I still can’t forgive them for that one.
Not feeling it
Better than the other one we had to listen to. But still shite.
considering we had him just about two weeks ago and it was one of if not the worst album I’ve heard I could say that this was 1000% improvement given saying that it wasn’t my favourite album. Obviously some of the music was a cool vibe and the lyrics did make me laugh sometimes, all in all better than I expected.
Definitely not my thing. For some reason I associate Captain Beefheart with Tom Waits based on the gravelly voices and avant garde mix of genres.
Pretentious, and much too annoying despite occasional sparks of good music.
Good things happening instrumental but I was just waiting for captain Beef Fart to be done the whole time
Same thing I'm gonna hit this with 30 secs per song. Initially I love the whole cap beefheart phenomenon. The music sounds derivative tho. Maybe that's cuz it's one of those situations where everyone copied it. Im gonna listen to this as if it was the first time anyone did anything like this. Which I bet is the case cuz I know beefhearts story. It's a little presumptuous to make this album 70 minutes you fucking artistic ass fuckhead. Is dropout boogie a song that got ripped off by cream. I'm glad is my fav so far. Trout mask replica is a cool ass album but listening to cap beef in one sitting is a lot to ask. I guess if you're trying to blast minds pre summer of love then you gotta go to extremes. Wish I brought water on this bus. I think I'm done with this one. I gave it a lot of chances. It's fine for what it is. Which is revolutionary.
Not sure
Not my cup of tea.
not really my jam, not so cohesive as a whole, but there was good stuff in here too!
didnt HATE this, but also not my jam? hard to describe so lets put that at 2*
Voða margir hrifnir af þessu, en ekki hann ég. Jújú, sixties blússoundið er allt í lagi, Ry Cooder átti líka öflug móment síðar, og kannski var allt þetta djamm einhverjum inspiration á þessum tíma. En er þetta skemmtilegt? Nei.
Captain Beefheart is definitely a name I’ve come across before. You do t forget a name like that, do you? I’m not actually sure I’ve heard anything by him or his Magic Band before. Something is telling me to expect southern rock, but I’m not positive. Well let’s have a listen and find out if he can live up to his name (whatever that means). Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Grown So Ugly There were parts of this album that I quite enjoyed, but for the most part it just felt very middle of the road to me. Nothing about it blew me away. It felt like if you were to ask ChatGPT to write some dirty southern rock - it didn’t really stand apart from others. Even after listening, I’m not sure I’d recognise if Captain Beefheart came on the radio. It’s fine music, but nothing amazing so I’m not going to be rushing to hear more.
Jam band for the psych rock era. At times slow and dreary, but at others bizarre and esoteric. You hear echos of the style in more well known acts like The Rolling Stones, The Doors and Cream. Perhaps Beefheart was just a little more out there without the usual hooks those other acts were so good at melding with the quirky guitars and early synth sounds. This might be why the recognition for the layered intricacies did not come immediately (or ever).
Didn’t really do anything for me.
Kind of lame
I love the blues so in the beginning I thought I was going to love this. But it was dull.
Didn't find much joy with this one
Definitely a talented band, but overall I find this album vacillates between a little on the boring side and occasionally annoying (particularly the vocal deliveries at times).
Too weird for me. Very psychedelic and indulgent.
Not a fan
I thought this was a decent album. That is until I got to electric. I want some of this weed.
Blues rock, garage rock, rhythm & blues, acid rock. Rollo
Some blues guitar riffs and harmonica give this a bluesy feeling with the rest of the album sounding like a bit like a mixture of the Who and George Thorogood rock.
Gets an extra star for not being Trout Mask Replica
Meh
Þetta er nú meiri sýran..
This is an assortment of forgettable rock-pop tracks with nothing special going on in any of them. They definitely cultivated a sound and style unique to them, but the only issue is that it’s not enjoyable whatsoever. It makes the music a little grittier, but in a disorienting way that leaves the listener with a headache. The last track caught my attention after all the repetitive songs before. Couldn’t save the album, though. 2/5
Had some decent moments but some awful ones too, not a lot for me to hold on to.
Not totally uninteresting, but didn't really give me anything to hang onto. Slightly weird energy to it, bluesy rock stuff verging on psychedelia in places. We've had a lot of stuff that sounds similar to this on the list so far, and most of it has been better than this. 2/5.
It has an interesting vibe, but wasn't really my taste. I may have to revisit it some other time to see if my opinion changes.
I was expecting more, but I forgot about the album almost immediately after it ended.
Cool elements but I couldn't make it through the whole album
Tylsähkö ja turhan pitkä
Kävi pidemmän päälle ärsyttää. Meni jotenki oudoks sekoiluks loppua kohden
Honestly this just sounds like generic 60s rock that I've heard a number of times in the last 600+ albums I've heard so far and this one isn't very special. 5/10.
Pretty standard late 60’s sound. It was good but nothing really hooked me.
Light 4
More like Captain Tryhard. Sure there are some interesting things in here, but that's just because he threw everything at the wall he could find. meh
Not great. Getting old
Highly experimental. Not fully fleshed out. Perhaps that’s why some like it. Bluesy and folksy. Poor quality. Some interesting sounds. Otherwise ehhhh. All instrumental in backhalf.
Its alright, kind of cool sounds, and there were moments I liked, but none of it really sticks afterwards.
Not a fan.
Strange, edgy, psychedelic blues rock with some cool riffs. It's kind of muddy sounding and a lot of the lyrics were hard to decipher, but that's probably the point. I like a little weird in the norm. This guy wasn't following anyone's directions. Don't think this one is too difficult to get through, it's quirky enough where it's kind of a fun adventure. Safe as Milk is a great title. I am terrified of their next album on the list, though. 2.5
The first half of the album wasn't bad, but once it got into the instrumental only stuff it just got weird and annoying.
Liked the opening blues track. Some of the other tracks sound like they're very much of the 60s but not too bad. Some tracks remind me why I never really got into Captain Beefheart.
Blues rock, garage rock, rhythm & blues, acid rock. Rollo
Meh..
Some ok stuff at the beginning but the second half was a muddy, masturbatory slog.
Yet another middling blues-rock album.
Too weird for the sake of being weird
This is not my favorite. Not objectively bad, but I’m not enjoying it. Doesn’t seem particularly innovative or beautiful.
1967, Captain Beefheart ffs. I said this on an album about 2 days ago (also from the late 60s, because they all are), and I think this proves my point well: he just included anything and everything from this time period. It fucking sucks. For over an hour. 2/5.
Voor het genre viel me dit honderd procent mee, maar niet goed genoeg voor 3 sterren
Niet vervelend verder, en bij vlagen hoorde ik ook wel boeiende stukken. Maar ik kon er ook weer niet echt chocola van maken.
Aangenamer dan de vorige plaat van hem die we moesten beluisteren, maar nog steeds groezelig.
Outouden lähtökohdat: blues, toisto ja hassu äänensävy.
Captain Beefdick
Quirky fuck. I love outsiders in music. But not this guy.
Yeah, nah. I'm sure if I really paid attention I could find something interesting in Ry Cooder's early guitar work, but the whole thing just isn't working for me. Perhaps (like the recent album from Country Joe) it's great listening for someone who's high, and/or hearing it when it first came out?
cool name but 67? ehh I don't really remember this album tbh.
Not quite as good as Trout Mask Replica. First time hearing this one, so I image I just need more time with it. 2.5 for now.
The album title served as protest for the pollution in foods, refering that not even milk from moms was safe to drink. Blues oriented and the band without having room to grow managed to express themselves
I fail to see how this album is on a 1001 list. The band was all over the place and it sounded like they were trying to ride on the coat tails of the Beatles and other mid to late 60's bands. Pick a genre and stick with it. Maybe lay off the drugs when writing the lyrics. Even if it was written in satire it wasn't executed as a top 1001.
Man, this was just too damn weird. There are some cool parts where the weirdness works, but far too much of it is bad weird. And the album is too long. Favorite track: Call on Me
Not my jam. Very 60’s blues vibe though
This was slightly less challenging to get through than the other album of his recommended by 1001
This was okay. It kind of sounded like a blend of other stuff to me; nothing really stood out as unique about it. Whoever decided on the album title has clearly never gotten food poisoning from dairy.
Wasn’t terrible, wasn’t great either so 2*
I'm sure I've listened before and quite liked but today with the kids in the car, I was less interested.
Un album qui mérite une réécoute rien que pour l'entrée en matière du capitaine Victor Mc Bernik. Ce dernier va en effet lâcher son célèbre "Eeeeeleeectricityyyyy" et totalement relancer le projet qui commençait à battre de l'aile. Les interventions tardives du docteur Spratt et de la Sardine seront tout aussi délicieuses.
I like the first song as the LP starts off with some well played Mississippi blues. The album soon starts to drag. I didn't know Ry Cooder's history so this aspect was interesting. Overall it's so-so 60s stuff. I know my point of reference for 1967 comparisons is releases like the White Album which isn't fair but, hey, who said life was fair? --
After listening to Trout Mask Replica this seems almost quaint and accessible. But that being said, psychedelic delta blues isn't my jam so it didn't move me much. I find the album cover pic showing them all clean cut and in suits to be a pretty interesting contrast to their latter day hippie counter-culture personas.
The album isn't that good. It is eccentric and doesn't really have a purpose or a way. It is not really a 2 but I will round up.
Ackward, not my thing.
bad
not as bad as I feared but still pretty not good
Inte jätteimponerad. Det är inte dåligt, men samtidigt inte särskilt bra heller.
Listened to on 8/30/22 2.5/5 Favorite song: I’m Glad This album gave me whiplash with every some being a very different vibe - not my favorite but a few hidden gems
I have actually listened to a couple CB albums in the past. I liked that opening track which was a classic. Despite the funky name, this band is pretty conventional with a whiff of the 60's psychedelic style into Zig Zag Wanderer. That whiff turns into a full odor by the time you get to Dropout Boogie. I'm Glad makes a complete shift to RNB and that's kind of weird. By electricity, we are back to the gimmicky psychedelic soul replete with therimin. Is that what I'm hearing?? Anyhow, the last ten songs seem to blur together into an ooze and others overheard this and said, that must be the worst music I've ever heard!
Captain Beefheart as a stage name is certainly a bold choice. And it's bold music. It's just not good music. The bluesy bits were decent, but the rest was mostly off-putting. Milk is not always safe. It can spoil. Make sure you check the date, and give it the ol' sniff test. Beefy failed the test.
Not my kinda style. But it’s definitely funky
When someone said "let your freak flag fly", Captain Beefheart understood the assignment. This is what The Kinks would have sounded like if they made a conscious decision to avoid commercial success. It's also kind of what your "creepy but not in a good way" uncle sounds like in your nightmares. That said, the guitars are fuzzy in just the right places and jangley in just the right way. 4/10.
Mostly insanity, but shure 'nuffand I'm glad were good.
There is simply no reason anyone would need to listen to this ever again. Soulless nonsense that is neither innovative nor interesting. It lacks the deftness and discipline that truly inspired music in this style oozes.
Weird and odd. Not as clever as Zappa's music who produced and influenced much of music. A difficult listen