Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

Excellent history Discogs member swagski has written a great history of this ground-breaking band. Read it at this Discogs link .

Diddy Wah Diddy¹ / Who Do You Think You're Fooling?¹ Dixon-McDaniel (2:22) / Van Vliet (2:10) A&M 794, 4/66

Moonchild¹ / Frying Pan¹ Van Vliet (2:26) / Van Vliet (2:04) A&M 818, 10/66

Magic Mountain Music Festival(6/11/67)

Ry Cooder quits after disaterous appearance at Magic Moutain (Beefheart walked off stage)
Sought after for session work (Taj, Stones, Arlo, others) and a solo career

	Safe As Milk
	Buddah BDS-5001
	8/67 [UK: 2/68]
	Back Cover UK Back Cover is same, except black & white  Inner Sleeve   Inner Sleeve   Bumper Sticker Included in first pressings only  Safe As Milk ad

Side One
Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do	Bermann-Van Vliet	2:15
Zig Zag Wanderer	Bermann-Van Vliet	2:40
Call On Me	Van Vliet	2:37
Dropout Boogie	Bermann-Van Vliet	2:32
I'm Glad	Van Vliet	3:31
Electricity	Bermann-Van Vliet	3:07
Side Two
Yellow Brick Road	Bermann-Van Vliet	2:28
Abba Zaba	Van Vliet	2:44
Plastic Factory	Bermann-Handley-Van Vliet	3:08
Where There's Woman	Bermann-Van Vliet	2:09
Grown So Ugly	Williams	2:27
Autumn's Child	Bermann-Van Vliet	4:02

Yellow Brick Road / Abba Zaba Bermann-Van Vliet (2:40) / Van Vliet (3:25) Buddah BDA-9, 9/67

1/20/68: Middle Earth, London see update note about an earlier "festival"

	Strictly Personal
	Blue Thumb BTS-1
	10/68 [UK: 12/68]
	Back Cover   Inside Cover   Recording Notes Originally, Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band's second album was intended to be a double-album set called It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper. See note to Mirror Man for further details.

Side One
Ah Feel Like Ahcid	Van Vliet	3:05
Safe As Milk	Van Vliet	5:27
Trust Us	Van Vliet	8:09
Son of Mirror Man—Mere Man	Van Vliet	5:20
Side Two
On Tomorrow	Van Vliet	3:26
Beatle Bones 'N' Smokin' Stones	Van Vliet	3:17
Gimme Dat Harp Boy	Van Vliet	5:04
Kandy Korn	Van Vliet	5:06

Alex St Clair and Jerry Handley quit
 

Plastic Factory / Where There's Woman Bermann-Handley-Van Vliet (3:00) / Bermann-Van Vliet (2:05) Buddah BDA-108, 3/69

Working In Seclusion Bill Harkleroad and Mark Boston join the magic Meanwhile, Drumbo helps translate the Capt's weird piano stylings into cohesive songs (and got no credit for his efforts). The band rehearses in Laurel Canyon for months before recording the album. Watch this Vox Video for a quick history.

	Trout Mask Replica
	Straight STS-1053
	6/16/69 RS500 [UK: 11/69] UK
	Back Cover   Inside Cover   Tri-fold Lyric Sheet   Tri-fold Lyric Sheet

Side One
Frownland	Van Vliet	1:39
The Dust Blows Forward 'N the Dust Blows Back	Van Vliet	2:04
Dachau Blues	Van Vliet	2:21
Ella Guru	Van Vliet	2:23
Hair Pie: Bake 1	Van Vliet	4:57
Moonlight On Vermont	Van Vliet	3:55
Side Two
Pachuco Cadaver	Van Vliet	4:37
Bills Corpse	Van Vliet	1:47
Sweet Sweet Bulbs	Van Vliet	2:17
Neon Meate Dream Of A Octafish	Van Vliet	2:25
China Pig	Van Vliet	3:56
My Human Gets Me Blues	Van Vliet	2:42
Dali's Car	Van Vliet	1:25
Side Three
Hair Pie: Bake 2	Van Vliet	2:23
Pena	Van Vliet	2:31
Well	Van Vliet	2:05
When Big Joan Sets Up	Van Vliet	5:19
Fallin' Ditch	Van Vliet	2:03
Sugar 'N' Spikes	Van Vliet	2:29
Ant Man Bee	Van Vliet	3:55
Side Four
Orange Claw Hammer	Van Vliet	3:35
Wild Life	Van Vliet	3:07
She's Too Much For My Mirror	Van Vliet	1:42
Hobo Chang Ba	Van Vliet	2:01
The Blimp (Mousetrapreplica)	Van Vliet	2:04
Steal Softly Through Snow	Van Vliet	2:13
Old Fart At Play	Van Vliet	1:54
Veteran's Day Poppy	Van Vliet	4:30

Note: Came with tri-fold lyric sheet, complete with Cap't's drawings
 

Atlanta International Pop Festival(7/3/70)

	Lick My Decals Off, Baby
	Straight RS-6420
	12/70 [UK: 1/71] T20
	Back Cover   Lyric Sheet   Cap'n's artwork on back cover

Side One
Lick My Decals Off, Baby	Van Vliet	2:38
Doctor Dark	Van Vliet	2:46
I Love You, You Big Dummy	Van Vliet	2:54
Peon	Van Vliet	2:24
Bellerin' Plain	Van Vliet	3:35
Woe-Is-Uh-Me-Bop	Van Vliet	2:06
Japan In A Dishpan	Van Vliet	3:00
Side Two
I Wanna Find A Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe    Till I Have To Go	Van Vliet	1:53
Petrified Forest	Van Vliet	1:40
One Red Rose That I Mean	Van Vliet	1:53
The Buggy Boogie Woogie	Van Vliet	2:19
The Smithsonian Institute Blues (Or The Big Dig)	Van Vliet	2:11
Space-Age Couple	Van Vliet	2:32
The Clouds Are Full Of Wine (Not Whiskey Or Rye)	Van Vliet	2:50
Flash Gordon's Ape	Van Vliet	4:57

Note: as Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band; came with lyric sheet (one side blank) with bonus lyrics
 

	Mirror Man
	Buddah BDS-5077
	4/71 [UK: 5/71] UK
	Back Cover   Die Cut Cover   Recording Notes Originally, Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band's second album was intended to be a double-album set called It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper. Although 1968's Strictly Personal has the same artwork that was created for the double album, it's a single disc.    As part of the same post-Trout Mask Replica closet-cleaning that led to Buddah (the parent company of Blue Thumb Records, which released Strictly Personal), the label released Mirror Man, the second disc that was intended for the Plain Brown Wrapper release.    Recorded in November 1967 (an odd misprint on the sleeve claims it was recorded in 1965, when the band barely existed), the four lengthy tracks on Mirror Man are even more simplistic and primal than those on Strictly Personal.

Side One
Tarotplane	Van Vliet	19:00
Kandy Korn	Van Vliet	8:00
Side Two
25th Century Quaker	Van Vliet	9:50
Mirror Man	Van Vliet	15:38

Note: This is actually the second part of Strictly Personal. See the blue note for details
 

The Satsop River Fair And Tin Cup Races(9/3-6/71)

The Captain, along with varying Magic Bands, released albums until 1982. Retired to paint.

Links!