SHINY BEAST (BAT CHAIN PULLER)
Captain Beefheart
•RIO/Avant-Prog
From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
4.16
| 134 ratings | 11 reviews | 31% 5 stars
Excellent addition to any |
Studio Album, released in 1978 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Floppy Boot Stomp (3:51) - Don Glen Vliet / vocals, harmonica, soprano sax, whistling, composer & arranger, co-producer
Outcome of the fated 'Bat Chain Puller' sessions initiated with Frank Zappa in 1976. and to Quinino for the last updates Edit this entry |
Buy CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) Music
-
DOUG LARSON IMPORTS — Buy prog rock music and rarities (Free shipping on orders over 10 CD's)
- AMAZON.COM — Best-selling prog vinyls
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) ratings distribution
(134 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(31%)Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(47%)Good, but non-essential (18%)Collectors/fans only (4%)Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) reviews
Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings
Collaborators/Experts Reviews
PROG REVIEWER
For me this album was instantly accesible, a lot more so than "Trout Make Replica". I am quite used to his music but i know it is not for everyone and it is definetly an acquired taste. I think this album will fit in well with fans of psychadelia, drug orientated music and fans of general weirdness. There really isn't a bad moment on this album.
The standout tracks are "Harry Irene", "Bat Chain Puller", "When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy", "Tropical Hot Dog Night" and "You Know You're a Man" though every track is amazing really. I highly recommend this to fans of Beefheart or anyone looking for something different.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
It's a set which showcases the more successful aspects of the albums which had gone before. The Floppy Boot Stomp could have come from Lick My Decals Off Baby, while Tropical Hot Dog Night is an off kilter mambo that calls some of Clear Spot's more soul tinged moments to mind. Harry Irene demonstrates that Beefheart could play it straight convincingly - a gentle ballad with some lilting accordion that actually works. The title track and You Know You're A Man are closer to the almost abstract blues rock of Trout Mask Replica, while Suction Prints is almost straightforward blues rock. Throughout, Beefheart is in fine voice - imagine the voice of Howlin' Wolf transplanted in the body of a mildly disgruntled Kodiak bear. The band adapt themselves to the different moods beautifully - Bruce Fowler (sometime Zappa sideman) adds some virtuoso trombone to the familiar Magic Band formula and Beefheart veteran Art Tripp contributes some deftly executed marimba. The duelling guitars, unexpected drum rolls and bass lines that apparently wandered in from another song by another band are all present and correct, while the man himself adds his blistering harmonica and untutored sax here and there but always leaves you wanting more.
This is one of the strongest albums by one of music's most original talents of the last 50 years. 4.5 stars at least - one of those albums you must hear before you die.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Crossover & JR/F/Canterbury Teams
Most of this album is high points, but my favorite here is "Ice Rose", so technically complex that it sounds like it could have come from a Zappa album.
Other great songs are "Tropical Hot Dog Night", "You Know You're A Man", "Bat Chain Puller" and the slow blues of "Swamp Lies".
If you are afraid to delve into the Beefheart catalog because of his weirdness ans abrasiveness, I suggest you start here.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
The cover artwork features a painting by Don Van Vliet(aka Beefheart). After quitting the music biz in the early 1980s, Van Vliet became a full time painter. He was making more money selling his paintings than he was selling his music. I honestly can't blame the guy for wanting to be a painter instead of a musician during the MTV era. This album is probably the most consistent he ever made and is not as crazy as his Trout/Decals era. But it is also the proggiest album he made since that era. Here he has a completely new band with only percussionist Art Tripp having worked with the Captain before. Trombonist Bruce Fowler is here too after having worked with Zappa.
One of the things that stands out about this album is that most of the bass lines are done on synthesizer. Super cool. The last song, "Apes-Ma", is a spoken word piece with no music; it's a throwback to the spoken words pieces on Trout Mask Replica. Wise decision to put it at the end of the album. "Harry Irene" is actually the most avant piece here, because it sounds so 'normal'. It's a Frank Sinatra style song featuring Beefheart crooning the lyrics. For an avant-rocker in 1978 this is very weird. It's mostly guitar and piano. Brushes on the snare drum with some good accordion and whistling. The title refers to a couple, not an individual. I like the line: "their tuna sandwiches would turn the dark into day".
"The Floppy Boot Stomp" is equal parts twangy and funky with some back up vocals. "Tropical Hot Dog Night" is almost Caribbean disco. Love the bass synth here. Features trumpet(or trombone?) and marimba. I like the guitar chords during the chorus. The lyrics are about girls coming out "to meet the monster tonight". "Ice Rose" is the first of two instrumentals. Nice trombone. Almost sounds like Zappa-style symphonic rock in the middle. "Bat Chain Puller" has a wind shield wiper rhythm. Literally, Van Vliet got the idea for the song from listening to the sound of a wind shield wiper. Lots of angular guitar playing. Cool sounding sequencer parts. The song gets more dissonant with trombone and guitars whining like cats.
"When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy" is a song you can listen to on PA. It has great bass synth and marimba for most of the song. Over halfway through the synth plays a symphonic part. "Owed T'Alex" is named after former Beefheart guitarist Alex Snouffer. Good bass synth. Some harmonica. Angular but melodic guitar playing. Later some trombone. Noisy distorted guitar near the end. "Candle Mambo" is melodic mambo-rock with good drumming. "Suction Prints" is the other instrumental. Starts with bluesy guitar and jazzy synth. Good trombone. The drumming is really good and changes throughout the song.
Possibly the Captain's best album, this is a great place to start with this guy. Although it won't prepare you for the madness of Trout Mask Replica. More evidence that not all prog went to hell in the late 1970s. Almost a masterpiece. 4 stars.
PROG REVIEWER
The new backing group show off their impressive chops on instrumental numbers such as Suction Prints, whilst the Captain himself is having more fun than he's had for years with this material - from the opening number (The Floppy Boot Stomp) in the Captain's unique avant- garde style to the closing spoken word piece Apes-Ma, he sounds happier and more energetic than on any album since Safe as Milk. Particularly worthy of note here are songs such as Tropical Hot Dog Night and Harry Irene, two songs which couple the Captain's vocals to commercial musical styles (calypso and easy listening ballad) with far greater success than the botched experiments in the same vein on the two preceding albums, mainly because the Captain's personality is in full flow on both songs and the band add their own subtle twists to the material.
Going from two one-star wrecks in a row to this is an incredible turnaround for any artist, particularly one who had always struggled to attain commercial success like Beefheart. Thankfully, the Captain gave us three great albums before he retired from music, and this first episode of his final trilogy is quintessential Beefheart. Five stars.
Latest members reviews
For a long time I didn't dare to try out this late 70' record, because I was afraid I had to deal with a tamed beast instead of a avant-garde Shiny Beast. The pictures on the inner cover don't show this psychedelic cult band, but of quiet normal people and I thought the music would also be more stan ... (read more)
Report this review (#758890) | Posted by the philosopher | Saturday, May 26, 2012 | Review Permanlink
What an astonishing, powerful, vital comeback! After straying in the wilderness for the majority of the 70s, and following an intense legal battle over some of the music re-recorded for this record, dear Captain Beefheart returns with what may be his most simultaneously commercial/odd/bold record ... (read more)
Report this review (#433674) | Posted by Lozlan | Thursday, April 14, 2011 | Review Permanlink
A return to what the Captain did best. This, along with Clear Spot is my favourite Beefheart album. Not as inaccessible as I find some of his early stuff but with enough weirdness to challenge a conventional view of what music should sound like. Faves are Tropical Hot Dog Night and Bat Chain Pu ... (read more)
Report this review (#98291) | Posted by zedkatz | Saturday, November 11, 2006 | Review Permanlink
This is a great and fun album! When you get too tied up with all the serious music of other groups, it's time to stumble over to the other side of the fence, This is a great introduction to Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Much better and more interesting than the overrated Trout Mask ... (read more)
Report this review (#50660) | Posted by | Friday, October 7, 2005 | Review Permanlink
One of the Captain's most under-rated albums, this one's really a lot of fun!! Probably a much better starting place than legendary opuses of weirdness like "Trout Mask" or "Lick My Decals Off." "Bat Chain Puller" is just so incredibly awesome, one of his best tunes ever. The music is very ... (read more)
Report this review (#50552) | Posted by | Friday, October 7, 2005 | Review Permanlink
Amazing album! This album may be Captain Beefheart's best since Trout Mask Replica. This album is basically varied music types done in Traditional Beefheart style. We've got all kinds of music on this. The two instrumentals, Ice Rose and Suction Prints are excellent. Candle Mambo is a great ... (read more)
Report this review (#33481) | Posted by aqualung28 | Tuesday, December 28, 2004 | Review Permanlink
Post a review of CAPTAIN BEEFHEART "Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)"
You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.
MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE
As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).