Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Bat Chain Puller (2012)
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Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Bat Chain Puller
Birth name: Don Glen Vliet
Also known as: Captain Beefheart / Bloodshot Rollin’ Red
Born: January 15, 1941, Glendale, California, U.S.
Died: December 17, 2010, Arcata, California, U.S.
Album release: February 22, 2012
Recorded: 1976
Record Label: Zappa
Producer: Don Van Vliet, Kerry McNab PRESS: ♠ Captain Beefheart’s 1976 album Bat Chain Puller was a record that, for many, existed only in promising snatches through subsequent albums, a fragmented text never quite assembled. The tapes have finally found release in an edition available through a subsidiary of the Frank Zappa estate. (Andy Beta: Score 8.2, JUNE 8 2012) ♠ Born Don Vliet, Captain Beefheart was one of modern music’s true innovators. The owner of a remarkable four~and~a~half~octave vocal range, he employed idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist lyrics, and an unholy alliance of free jazz, Delta blues, latter~day classical music, and rock & roll to create a singular body of work virtually unrivaled in its daring and fluid creativity. While he never came even remotely close to mainstream success, Beefheart’s impact was incalculable, and his fingerprints were all over punk, new wave, and post~rock.
♠ A long~lost Captain Beefheart album is to finally be released, on what would have been Don Van Vliet’s 71st birthday. Bat Chain Puller was recorded in 1976 but shelved later that year, due to a dispute between Frank Zappa and his former manager, Herb Cohen.
♠ Bat Chain Puller was originally intended to be the follow~up to 1974’s maligned Bluejeans & Moonbeams, after Vliet recruited a new band. Zappa produced the sessions, and tracks like Owed t’Alex and The Floppy Boot Stomp made it all the way to Beefheart’s label, Virgin, as well as several journalists. Unfortunately that’s as far as things got. When Zappa sued Cohen, Bat Chain Puller was caught in the litigation and the album was shelved. Although many of Bat Chain Puller’s songs were re~recorded for subsequent Beefheart releases, the original record has only been available among fans, as a popular bootleg.
♠ More than three decades later — and just over a year after Vliet’s death — Zappa’s estate has announced that Bat Chain Puller will officially see the light of day. A release that comprises the 12 original tracks and three bonus cuts. It will arrive on shelves on 15 January, Vliet’s birthday. “The tape is owned by the Zappa estate and although Don didn’t want it released they’ve been true to the work,” explained Beefheart biographer Mike Barnes. Liner notes have been composed by Magic Band members Denny Walley and John French, who mixed the album.
♠ Vliet died on 17 December 2010, of complications from multiple sclerosis.
Description:
♠ Bat Chain Puller is the 13th studio album by Captain Beefheart, released on February 22, 2012. The album was originally recorded in 1976 by DiscReet Records, who intended to release it with Virgin Records as Captain Beefheart’s tenth studio album. Bat Chain Puller was co~produced by Captain Beefheart and Kerry McNab.
♠ The album was a subject of friction between DiscReet cofounders Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa. Cohen had used Zappa’s royalty checks to fund the album’s production, and this led Zappa to withhold the master tapes from Virgin. Beefheart recorded a new album for Warner Bros., Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), with no involvement from Cohen or Zappa.
♠ Following a lawsuit which was settled in 1982, the album remained unreleased until 2011, when Zappa’s family announced that they would release the original Bat Chain Puller in its intended form.
Background:
♠ After recording the album Bongo Fury with Frank Zappa, Don Van Vliet formed a new Magic Band and began recording Bat Chain Puller for DiscReet and Virgin Records. Frank Zappa described the proposed album as Vliet’s best album since Trout Mask Replica. Vliet coproduced the album with Kerry McNab, who also served as the remix engineer on Zappa’s album One Size Fits All. Herb Cohen, DiscReet's cofounder and Zappa’s business manager, paid for the album’s production costs with Zappa’s royalty checks, leading Zappa to end his business partnership with Cohen. Cohen and Zappa each demanded to be paid an advance by Virgin, leading Zappa to withold the master tapes, leading Cohen to sue Zappa.
♠ Due to the lawsuit, Vliet rerecorded the Bat Chain Puller tracks for Warner Bros. Records under the title Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller).
♠ In 1982, Cohen settled his lawsuit with Zappa, while Vliet was recording Ice Cream For Crow. Vliet intended to use half of the tracks from the original Bat Chain Puller album on Ice Cream For Crow, but Zappa refused Vliet’s request. Vliet biographer Mike Barnes subsequently claimed that Vliet did not want the album to be released.
♠ On June 24, 2011, Zappa’s widow Gail claimed that the original Bat Chain Puller would be released “[t]his year. December most likely.” In December 2011, Bat Chain Puller was announced for release on January 15, 2012. However, the release was delayed, and did not ship until February.
Style:
♠ The song “Bat Chain Puller” was based upon the rhythm of Vliet’s windshield wipers
Track listing:
01. “Bat Chain Puller” 5:08
02. “Seam Crooked Sam” 3:09
03. “Harry Irene” 3:26
04. “81 Poop Hatch” 2:36
05. “Flavor Bud Living” 1:50
06. “Brick Bats” 4:27
07. “Floppy Boot Stomp” 3:58
08. “Chariot (Ah Carrot Is As Close As Ah Rabbit Gets To Ah Diamond)” 1:37
09. “Owed T’ Alex” 3:19
10. “Odd Jobs” 5:15
11. “Human Totem Pole (The 1000th And 10th Day Of The Human Totem Pole)” 5:50
12. “Apes~Ma” 0:44
Bonus tracks:
13. “Bat Chain Puller” (alternate mix) 5:05
14. “Candle Mambo” 3:25
15. “Hobo~Ism” 8:09
♠ All lyrics and music by Don Van Vliet.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Bat Chain Puller (2012)
|
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Bat Chain Puller (2012)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Bat Chain Puller
Birth name: Don Glen Vliet
Also known as: Captain Beefheart / Bloodshot Rollin’ Red
Born: January 15, 1941, Glendale, California, U.S.
Died: December 17, 2010, Arcata, California, U.S.
Album release: February 22, 2012
Recorded: 1976
Record Label: Zappa
Producer: Don Van Vliet, Kerry McNab PRESS: ♠ Captain Beefheart’s 1976 album Bat Chain Puller was a record that, for many, existed only in promising snatches through subsequent albums, a fragmented text never quite assembled. The tapes have finally found release in an edition available through a subsidiary of the Frank Zappa estate. (Andy Beta: Score 8.2, JUNE 8 2012) ♠ Born Don Vliet, Captain Beefheart was one of modern music’s true innovators. The owner of a remarkable four~and~a~half~octave vocal range, he employed idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist lyrics, and an unholy alliance of free jazz, Delta blues, latter~day classical music, and rock & roll to create a singular body of work virtually unrivaled in its daring and fluid creativity. While he never came even remotely close to mainstream success, Beefheart’s impact was incalculable, and his fingerprints were all over punk, new wave, and post~rock.
♠ A long~lost Captain Beefheart album is to finally be released, on what would have been Don Van Vliet’s 71st birthday. Bat Chain Puller was recorded in 1976 but shelved later that year, due to a dispute between Frank Zappa and his former manager, Herb Cohen.
♠ Bat Chain Puller was originally intended to be the follow~up to 1974’s maligned Bluejeans & Moonbeams, after Vliet recruited a new band. Zappa produced the sessions, and tracks like Owed t’Alex and The Floppy Boot Stomp made it all the way to Beefheart’s label, Virgin, as well as several journalists. Unfortunately that’s as far as things got. When Zappa sued Cohen, Bat Chain Puller was caught in the litigation and the album was shelved. Although many of Bat Chain Puller’s songs were re~recorded for subsequent Beefheart releases, the original record has only been available among fans, as a popular bootleg.
♠ More than three decades later — and just over a year after Vliet’s death — Zappa’s estate has announced that Bat Chain Puller will officially see the light of day. A release that comprises the 12 original tracks and three bonus cuts. It will arrive on shelves on 15 January, Vliet’s birthday. “The tape is owned by the Zappa estate and although Don didn’t want it released they’ve been true to the work,” explained Beefheart biographer Mike Barnes. Liner notes have been composed by Magic Band members Denny Walley and John French, who mixed the album.
♠ Vliet died on 17 December 2010, of complications from multiple sclerosis.
Description:
♠ Bat Chain Puller is the 13th studio album by Captain Beefheart, released on February 22, 2012. The album was originally recorded in 1976 by DiscReet Records, who intended to release it with Virgin Records as Captain Beefheart’s tenth studio album. Bat Chain Puller was co~produced by Captain Beefheart and Kerry McNab.
♠ The album was a subject of friction between DiscReet cofounders Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa. Cohen had used Zappa’s royalty checks to fund the album’s production, and this led Zappa to withhold the master tapes from Virgin. Beefheart recorded a new album for Warner Bros., Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), with no involvement from Cohen or Zappa.
♠ Following a lawsuit which was settled in 1982, the album remained unreleased until 2011, when Zappa’s family announced that they would release the original Bat Chain Puller in its intended form.
Background:
♠ After recording the album Bongo Fury with Frank Zappa, Don Van Vliet formed a new Magic Band and began recording Bat Chain Puller for DiscReet and Virgin Records. Frank Zappa described the proposed album as Vliet’s best album since Trout Mask Replica. Vliet coproduced the album with Kerry McNab, who also served as the remix engineer on Zappa’s album One Size Fits All. Herb Cohen, DiscReet's cofounder and Zappa’s business manager, paid for the album’s production costs with Zappa’s royalty checks, leading Zappa to end his business partnership with Cohen. Cohen and Zappa each demanded to be paid an advance by Virgin, leading Zappa to withold the master tapes, leading Cohen to sue Zappa.
♠ Due to the lawsuit, Vliet rerecorded the Bat Chain Puller tracks for Warner Bros. Records under the title Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller).
♠ In 1982, Cohen settled his lawsuit with Zappa, while Vliet was recording Ice Cream For Crow. Vliet intended to use half of the tracks from the original Bat Chain Puller album on Ice Cream For Crow, but Zappa refused Vliet’s request. Vliet biographer Mike Barnes subsequently claimed that Vliet did not want the album to be released.
♠ On June 24, 2011, Zappa’s widow Gail claimed that the original Bat Chain Puller would be released “[t]his year. December most likely.” In December 2011, Bat Chain Puller was announced for release on January 15, 2012. However, the release was delayed, and did not ship until February.
Style:
♠ The song “Bat Chain Puller” was based upon the rhythm of Vliet’s windshield wipers
Track listing:
01. “Bat Chain Puller” 5:08
02. “Seam Crooked Sam” 3:09
03. “Harry Irene” 3:26
04. “81 Poop Hatch” 2:36
05. “Flavor Bud Living” 1:50
06. “Brick Bats” 4:27
07. “Floppy Boot Stomp” 3:58
08. “Chariot (Ah Carrot Is As Close As Ah Rabbit Gets To Ah Diamond)” 1:37
09. “Owed T’ Alex” 3:19
10. “Odd Jobs” 5:15
11. “Human Totem Pole (The 1000th And 10th Day Of The Human Totem Pole)” 5:50
12. “Apes~Ma” 0:44
Bonus tracks:
13. “Bat Chain Puller” (alternate mix) 5:05
14. “Candle Mambo” 3:25
15. “Hobo~Ism” 8:09
♠ All lyrics and music by Don Van Vliet.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band — Bat Chain Puller (2012)