Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
Encyclopedia
Shiny Beast is the tenth studio album by Captain Beefheart
and The Magic Band. Originally released in 1978, it is considered to be Beefheart's comeback album following 1974's poorly received efforts, Unconditionally Guaranteed
and Bluejeans & Moonbeams
, and is the first of his three critically acclaimed final albums.
's DiscReet Records
in 1976 for an album that was to be titled simply Bat Chain Puller – namely the title track, "Harry Irene", "The Floppy Boot Stomp", "Owed t'Alex" and the poem "Apes-Ma". This album, however, was never commercially released, owing to legal complications among the DiscReet bosses; the versions that appear on Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) are 1978 re-recordings. Many, though not all, of the other songs on the original Bat Chain Puller would be re-recorded for Beefheart's two following albums, Doc at the Radar Station
and Ice Cream for Crow
The original recordings have yet to be released officially but have appeared on various bootleg releases under such titles as The Original Bat Chain Puller + Paris 1972, Original 1976 Shiny Beast Version, Bat Chain Puller - The 1976 Sessions, and Dust Sucker.
on drums, John Thomas on keyboards, and Moris Tepper
and Denny Walley on guitars. The band represented what was left of the post-Bongo Fury
band the Captain had put together after Elliot Ingber
and Bruce Fowler
had left.
Herb Cohen
had authorized the recordings for Frank Zappa
's DiscReet Records
, but the record was suppressed after getting caught up in a lawsuit Zappa had launched against Cohen. Tapes of the album had been sent to Virgin Records
, however, as well as reviewers and radio stations. The album has since been heavily bootlegged
, with titles such as Original Bat Chain Puller and Dust Sucker. The rights are owned by the Zappa Family Trust, and there has been talk of them releasing it. Denny Walley was brought in at some point to finish the production work, but the album has yet to materialize.
The album does not share the same track listing as Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller). Tracks from the original Bat Chain Puller have been re-recorded and released on Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) ("The Floppy Boot Stomp", "Harry Irene", "Bat Chain Puller", "Owed t'Alex" and "Apes-Ma"), Doc at the Radar Station
("A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond", "Brickbats" and "Flavor Bud Living") and Ice Cream for Crow
("Poop Hatch" (as "'81 Poop Hatch") and "The Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole"). Two tracks, "Seam Crooked Sam" and "Odd Jobs", have never been officially released.
On June 24, 2011, Gail Zappa
announced on the official zappa.com website that the original Bat Chain Puller would be released "[t]his year. December most likely."
.
(*) denotes tracks that were to have appeared on the original Bat Chain Puller album (all are re-recordings)
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
and The Magic Band. Originally released in 1978, it is considered to be Beefheart's comeback album following 1974's poorly received efforts, Unconditionally Guaranteed
Unconditionally Guaranteed
Unconditionally Guaranteed is the eighth LP by Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, originally released in 1974. Upon release it was criticised for being too commercial; in any case, it failed to give Beefheart any real chart success, peaking at #192 on the Billboard Top 200.Immediately after...
and Bluejeans & Moonbeams
Bluejeans & Moonbeams
Bluejeans & Moonbeams is the ninth LP by Captain Beefheart, originally released in 1974. Despite its uncharacteristically mainstream sound the album failed to chart...
, and is the first of his three critically acclaimed final albums.
Background
Many of the tracks were originally recorded for Frank ZappaFrank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's DiscReet Records
DiscReet Records
DiscReet Records was a company founded by Frank Zappa and his then business partner/manager Herb Cohen. It was created in 1973 when their previous companies Bizarre Records and Straight Records were discontinued...
in 1976 for an album that was to be titled simply Bat Chain Puller – namely the title track, "Harry Irene", "The Floppy Boot Stomp", "Owed t'Alex" and the poem "Apes-Ma". This album, however, was never commercially released, owing to legal complications among the DiscReet bosses; the versions that appear on Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) are 1978 re-recordings. Many, though not all, of the other songs on the original Bat Chain Puller would be re-recorded for Beefheart's two following albums, Doc at the Radar Station
Doc at the Radar Station
Doc at the Radar Station is the eleventh studio album by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, released in August 1980 to favorable reviews. The painting on the album cover is by Don Van Vliet himself...
and Ice Cream for Crow
Ice Cream for Crow
Ice Cream for Crow is the twelfth and final studio album by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, released in September 1982. It is the last Don Van Vliet recorded before abruptly retiring from music as Captain Beefheart to devote himself to a career as a painter...
The original recordings have yet to be released officially but have appeared on various bootleg releases under such titles as The Original Bat Chain Puller + Paris 1972, Original 1976 Shiny Beast Version, Bat Chain Puller - The 1976 Sessions, and Dust Sucker.
"Original" Bat Chain Puller
Recorded in early 1976, these recordings featured a lineup of John FrenchJohn French
John French may refer to:* John French , English doctor and chemist* John French , Canadian ice hockey player* John French , American drummer and musician...
on drums, John Thomas on keyboards, and Moris Tepper
Moris Tepper
Moris Tepper, sometimes credited as Jeff Moris Tepper, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and artist.Tepper first came to prominence in the late 1970s with Captain Beefheart. He has also worked with singers Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Robyn Hitchcock and Frank Black. He has recorded several solo...
and Denny Walley on guitars. The band represented what was left of the post-Bongo Fury
Bongo Fury
Bongo Fury is a mostly live album released by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in 1975. The live portions were recorded on May 20 & 21, 1975 at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas...
band the Captain had put together after Elliot Ingber
Elliot Ingber
Elliot Ingber is an American guitarist. In 1966, he was a founding member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and was featured on their debut album Freak Out! After being fired from the band by Frank Zappa, Ingber helped form Fraternity of Man, which released two albums...
and Bruce Fowler
Bruce Fowler
Bruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band...
had left.
Herb Cohen
Herb Cohen
Herbert "Herb" Cohen was an American personal manager, record company executive, and music publisher, best known as the manager of Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, and many other Los Angeles-based musicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:Cohen was born in New York...
had authorized the recordings for Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's DiscReet Records
DiscReet Records
DiscReet Records was a company founded by Frank Zappa and his then business partner/manager Herb Cohen. It was created in 1973 when their previous companies Bizarre Records and Straight Records were discontinued...
, but the record was suppressed after getting caught up in a lawsuit Zappa had launched against Cohen. Tapes of the album had been sent to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, however, as well as reviewers and radio stations. The album has since been heavily bootlegged
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
, with titles such as Original Bat Chain Puller and Dust Sucker. The rights are owned by the Zappa Family Trust, and there has been talk of them releasing it. Denny Walley was brought in at some point to finish the production work, but the album has yet to materialize.
The album does not share the same track listing as Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller). Tracks from the original Bat Chain Puller have been re-recorded and released on Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) ("The Floppy Boot Stomp", "Harry Irene", "Bat Chain Puller", "Owed t'Alex" and "Apes-Ma"), Doc at the Radar Station
Doc at the Radar Station
Doc at the Radar Station is the eleventh studio album by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, released in August 1980 to favorable reviews. The painting on the album cover is by Don Van Vliet himself...
("A Carrot Is as Close as a Rabbit Gets to a Diamond", "Brickbats" and "Flavor Bud Living") and Ice Cream for Crow
Ice Cream for Crow
Ice Cream for Crow is the twelfth and final studio album by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, released in September 1982. It is the last Don Van Vliet recorded before abruptly retiring from music as Captain Beefheart to devote himself to a career as a painter...
("Poop Hatch" (as "'81 Poop Hatch") and "The Thousandth and Tenth Day of the Human Totem Pole"). Two tracks, "Seam Crooked Sam" and "Odd Jobs", have never been officially released.
On June 24, 2011, Gail Zappa
Gail Zappa
Gail Zappa was the second wife of the late musician and composer Frank Zappa and is the executrix of the Zappa Family Trust. They met in 1966 when she was working at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, and they were married on September 21, 1967, while she was pregnant with her first child, Moon...
announced on the official zappa.com website that the original Bat Chain Puller would be released "[t]his year. December most likely."
Track listing
All lyrics and music by Don Van VlietCaptain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
.
(*) denotes tracks that were to have appeared on the original Bat Chain Puller album (all are re-recordings)
Personnel
- Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, soprano sax, whistlingWhistlingHuman whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole... - Jeff Moris Tepper - slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, spell guitar - Bruce Lambourne FowlerBruce FowlerBruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band...
- tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, air bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Eric Drew FeldmanEric Drew FeldmanEric Drew Feldman is an American keyboard and bass guitar player. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Paley, Charlotte Hatherley, Custard, and PJ Harvey.He was...
- synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, Rhodes pianoRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
, grand piano, bass - Richard Redus - slide guitar, bottleneck guitar, guitar, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, fretless bass - Robert Arthur WilliamsRobert Williams (drummer)Robert Williams is a drummer and solo artist who has worked with Captain Beefheart, Hugh Cornwell, John Lydon and Zoogz Rift as well as recording solo.His albums include:*Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Art Tripp IIIArt TrippArthur Dyer Tripp III is a chiropractor and former musician best known for his work as a percussionist with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band.-Early career:Tripp grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started playing drums in...
- marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, additional percussion
External links
- Jeff Moris Tepper's candlebone.com
- The Wire'sThe Wire (magazine)The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
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