ZAPPA/BEEFHEART

On the almost last day of Zappadan, I am posting a video, not of Frank Zappa, but Franks teenage friend, Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart. This is a rather brilliant live performance of 2 songs, Electricity and Sure Nuff and Yes I Do! Performed on the Beach at Cannes. Dan was and is a painter and tried to do the same thing wiith music..

Frank and Don hung out together at Dons house and listened to Rythmn and Blues and Blues for which they both had a passion. Living in the suburban wilderness of the desert outside of Los Angeles in the early 50's must have had a real effect on the collective esthetic that evolved.

I saw an interview with Zappa in which he talks of hanging out listening to music eating the left overs from Don's fathers bakery delivery truck...pineapple buns.
There is evidence of the early collaborations between them. On "The Lost Episodes" CD, there is a piece recorded on a school tape recorder wiith Frank, his brother, Bob and Don performing a spontaneous composition called Lost In A Whirlpool. You can hear the amazing preaged well seasoned Beefheart larnyx creating it's ageless ancient howl even at 16!

There is another performance called Tiger Roach from a few years later recorded at Franks legendary Studio Z in Cucamonga. Another piece with Frank playing guitar with the Trout Mask Replica version of the Magic Band called Alley Cat is on the record.
There are 2 spoken word pieces, I'm A Band Leader and the story of the Grand Wazoo.
They seem to be from the period of the Mothers/Beefheart touring band which resulted in the brilliant Bongo Fury record. Of course, there is Franks second solo record, Hot Rats which contained the classic Beefheart/Zappa collaboration, Willy The Pimp.

Frank produced Beefhearts most notorious record, Trout Mask Replica and released it on his own label in 1969, a year that must have been a high water mark for sheer eccentricity in American culture, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Zappa. He also produced records for Alice Cooper, Wildman Fischer and Grand Funk Railroad around the same time.

Frank Zappa and Don Van Vliet, both great American original artists who exerted a major influence on the music of today, pop and classical all over the world.
Why were these guys so great?
They both followed their own uncompromising vision and created their own esthetic that others can only build on.
Sure nuff and Electricity are both from the 1966 Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band record, Safe As Milk.