"Whether
you knew him for his artwork or his music, Don Van Vliet – beloved to
many as Captain Beefheart – has been much mourned since his death in
2010 at the age of 69, but the man who once helmed The Magic Band has
continued to maintain a dedicated following. While his music was
generally well out of the mainstream, his seminal album, 1969’s Trout
Mask Replica, made such an impact that it was added to the United States
National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2010. For
many, though, that particular album is the sum total of their Captain
Beefheart collection, which is why we’re so excited about the
opportunity to expand some people’s musical horizons with our new
limited-edition four-disc boxed set, Sun Zoom Spark: 1970 to 1972.
Sun Zoom Spark features the three albums that the good Captain recorded in the immediate wake of the aforementioned classic – 1970’s Lick My Decals Off, Baby and 1972’s The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot – and they’ve all been remastered, so they’ll sound better than you’ve ever heard them sound before. The real bonus, though, is the special bonus disc. Now’s your chance to check out 14 previously-unissued outtakes, including alternate versions of “Alice in Blunderland” and “Circumstances,” an early mix of “Nowadays a Woman’s Gotta Hit a Man,” and a variety of other heretofore-unreleased tracks taken from the sessions for The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot, some of which diehard Beefheart aficionados will recognize from their eventual release on other albums. (For example, there are two different versions of “Dirty Blue Gene,” neither of which sound quite like the version that ultimately ended up appearing on Doc at the Radar Station some eight years later.)
Sun Zoom Spark features the three albums that the good Captain recorded in the immediate wake of the aforementioned classic – 1970’s Lick My Decals Off, Baby and 1972’s The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot – and they’ve all been remastered, so they’ll sound better than you’ve ever heard them sound before. The real bonus, though, is the special bonus disc. Now’s your chance to check out 14 previously-unissued outtakes, including alternate versions of “Alice in Blunderland” and “Circumstances,” an early mix of “Nowadays a Woman’s Gotta Hit a Man,” and a variety of other heretofore-unreleased tracks taken from the sessions for The Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot, some of which diehard Beefheart aficionados will recognize from their eventual release on other albums. (For example, there are two different versions of “Dirty Blue Gene,” neither of which sound quite like the version that ultimately ended up appearing on Doc at the Radar Station some eight years later.)
TRACKLIST:
Disc 1: Lick My Decals Off, Baby (October 1970)
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"
Disc 2: The Spotlight Kid (February 1972)
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"
Disc 3: Clear Spot (November 1972)
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"
Disc 4: Out-takes (1970 to 1972)
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)
So
is Sun Zoom Spark your best entry point into the wonderful world of
Captain Beefheart? Well, that’s hard to say with any real certainty,
since everyone’s tastes are different, but we can say with confidence
that there aren’t many artists whose music is quite as much in the
you-either-love-it-or-you-hate-it camp as this wonderfully original
individual’s music is, so if you’ve ever been curious to find out what
all the fuss is about, it’s probably as good a place to start as any. If
you’re a longtime fan, though, hearing that this set is finally
available is probably the best news you’ll hear all week, so you’re
welcome…and enjoy!"
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Thank you much for this fine upload
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Oh boy this looks good Thank you.
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